Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 IN 191 Rev. A 07/02 Tube mounting rings Objective lens Tube ring attachment knobs Counterweight shaft Counterweight Counterweight lock knob “Toe saver” Tripod leg Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray Declination slow-motion control cable Right Ascension (R.A.) slow-motion control cable Polar axis finder scope Finder scope Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Star diagonal Focus knob Latitude scale Latitude adjustment T-bolts Leg lock knob Figure 1. The AstroView 100 EQ Reflector. Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy! Your new AstroView 100 EQ Reflector is designed for high-resolution viewing of astronomical objects. With its precision optics and equatorial mount, you’ll be able to locate and enjoy hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens, including the planets, Moon, and a variety of deep-sky galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. These instructions will help you set up, properly use, and care for your telescope. Please read them thor oughly before getting started. Table of Contents 1. Parts list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 2. Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 3. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 4. Setting up and Using the Equatorial Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 5. Astronomical Observing . . . . . . . . . . . .11 6. Terrestrial Observing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 7. Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 8. Collimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 9. Care and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 10. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 1. Parts List 1 Optical tube assembly 1 German equatorial mount 1 Counterweight shaft 1 Counterweight 3 Tripod legs with attached accessory tray bracket 3 Leg attachment screws with wingnuts and washers 3 Leg lock knobs 1 Accessory tray with mounting hardware 2 Slow-motion control cables 1 Polar axis finder scope 1 Plastic cover for polar axis 2 Tube mounting rings 2 Tube ring attachment knobs with washers 1 6x30 Achromatic crosshair finder scope 1 Finder scope bracket with O-ring 1 90° Star diagonal 1 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 1 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 1 Dust cap 1 Collimation tool 2. Assembly Make sure all the parts listed in the Parts List are present and familiarize yourself with their features. Please keep the original shipping box and interior packaging. In the unlikely event that you should need to ship the original telescope back to Orion, you should use the original packaging. Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about 30 minutes. No tools are needed other than the ones provided. All screws should be tightened securely to eliminate flexing and wobbling, but be careful not to over-tighten or the threads may strip. Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process. During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), do not touch the surfaces of the telescope objective lens, the lenses of the finder scope, or eyepiece lenses with your fingers. The optical surfaces have delicate coatings on them that can easily be damaged if touched inappropriately. 1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side. Attach the tripod legs one at a time to the mount using the leg attachment screws. line up the holes in the top of the tripod leg with the holes in the base of the mount, and install the screw so it passes through the leg and the mount with one washer on both sides of the tripod leg. Tighten the wingnuts only finger- tight, for now. 2. Insert and tighten the leg lock knobs into the base of the tripod legs. For now, keep the legs at their shortest (fully retracted) length; you can extend them to a more desirable length later, after the scope is completely assembled. 3. Stand the tripod upright and spread the tripod legs apart as far as they will go, until the accessory tray bracket is taut. Attach the accessory tray to the bracket with the three wingnut screws already installed in the tray. Push the screws up through the holes in the bracket, then thread them into the holes in the tray. Warning: Never look directly at the Sun through your telescope or its finder scope—even for an instant—without a professionally made solar filter that completely covers the front of the instrument, or permanent eye damage could result. Young children should use this telescope only with adult supervision. Finder scope bracket Nylon Finder scope thumbscrews Focusing lock ring Tensioner Figure 2a. The 6x30 finder scope 4. Next, tighten the wingnuts at the top of the tripod legs, so the legs are securely fastened to the equatorial mount. Use the wrench and your fingers to do this. 5. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 1, at a latitude of about 40°, i.e., so the pointer next to the latitude scale is pointing to the line at “40”. To do this, loosen one of the latitude adjusting T-bolts and then tighten the other latitude adjusting T-bolt until the pointer and the “40” line up. The declina...