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Orion 9968 - page 1
INSTRUCTION MANUAL IN 258 Rev . B 01/09 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 Customer Support (800)-676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831)‑763‑7000 89 Hangar Wa y , W atsonville, CA 95076 Orion ® SkyV iew ™ Pr o 150mm EQ #9968 Equatorial Maksutov-Cassegrain T elescope ...
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Orion 9968 - page 2
2 Figure 1. The SkyVie w Pro 150mm EQ. Declination loc k le ver (opposite‑side) Right ascension lock lev er (opposite‑side) Declination slo w‑motion control knob Saf ety thumbscrew Mounting plate securing knob Counterweight shaft Counterweights Counterweight lock knobs T ripod leg Finder scope Finder scope brack et Eyepiece Star diagonal F oc ...
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Orion 9968 - page 3
3 T able of Contents 1. Unpacking ........................ 3 2. P ar ts List ......................... 3 3. Assembly ........................ 3 4. Balancing the T elescope ............. 5 5. Using Y our T elescope ............... 5 6. Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount ................... 7 7. Astronomical Obser ving ............ 11 8. Astro ...
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Orion 9968 - page 4
2. Place the base of the equatorial mount into the tripod head. Orient the equator ial mount so that the post on the tr ipod head lines up between the azimuth adjustment knobs on the eq uator ial mou nt (Figu re 2). Y ou m a y ne ed to loo sen the azim uth adjustment knobs on the equator ial mount in order to fit the mount onto the tripod head. 3. ...
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Orion 9968 - page 5
5 10. Place the right ascension rear axis cov er on the equatorial mount. Installing the Finder Scope T o place the finder scope (Figure 3a) in the finder scope brack‑ et, unthread the two blac k n ylon thumbscre ws until the screw ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket. Place the O‑ring that comes on the base of the brac ket ov ...
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Orion 9968 - page 6
6 a star diagonal. The finder scope view will be r otated 180° (see Figure 5). If you ha ve trouble f ocusing, rotate the focus knob counter‑ clockwise as f ar as it will go . Look through the eyepiece while slowly rotating the f ocus knob clockwise . Y ou should soon see the point at which f ocus is reached. Viewing with Eyeglasses If y ou wear ...
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Orion 9968 - page 7
7 able for most telescopes. Y our SkyView Pro 150mm EQ has an aper ture of 150 millimeters, so the maxim um magnification would be about 300x. This le vel of magnification assumes y ou hav e ideal conditions for vie wing. K eep in mind that as you increase magnification, the bright ‑ ness of the object viewed will decrease; this is an inherent pr ...
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Orion 9968 - page 8
Obser v ers in the Souther n Hemisphere aren’t so f or tunate to hav e a br ight star so near the south celestial pole (SCP). The star Sigma Octantis lies about 1° from the SCP , b ut it is barely visible with the nak ed eye (magnitude 5.5). F or general visual obser vation, an appro ximate polar align ‑ ment is sufficient. 1. Le vel the equat ...
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Orion 9968 - page 9
9 polar finder from getting bumped, which could knoc k it out of alignment. Using the Polar Axis Finder Scope 1. Appro ximately polar‑align the mount as outlined in the procedure abov e. 2. Loosen the Dec. lock lev er and rotate the optical tube on the declination axis so that the tube is at a 90° to the right ascension axis (Figure 10). Tighten ...
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Orion 9968 - page 10
10 the R.A. slow‑motion control knob clockwise. The Dec. slow‑ motion control knob is not needed f or tracking. Objects will appear to mov e f aster at higher magnifications, because the field of view is narro wer . Optional Motor Drives for Automatic T racking An optional DC motor drive can be mounted on the R.A. axis of the equatorial mount t ...
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Orion 9968 - page 11
The setting circles must be re‑calibrated ev er y time y ou wish to locate a new object. Do so b y calibr ating the setting circles f or the centered object before moving on to the ne xt one. Confused About Pointing the T elescope? Beginners occasionally experience some confusion about how to point the telescope overhead or in other directions. I ...
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Orion 9968 - page 12
Dipper” connecting the handle to the “dipper”. If you cannot see Megrez, then you ha ve f og, haze , clouds, smog, light pollution or other conditions that are hindering your vie wing (Figure 13). C. Cooling the T elescope All optical instruments need time to reach “ther mal equilib ‑ rium” to achie ve maximum stability of the lenses an ...
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Orion 9968 - page 13
viewing comf or t, and helps br ing out the subtle features if the lunar surf ace. B. The Sun Y ou can change your nighttime telescope into a daytime Sun view er by installing an optional full‑aper ture solar filter over the front opening of a SkyView Pro 150mm EQ. The primar y attraction is sunspots, which change shape , appearance, and location ...
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Orion 9968 - page 14
14 Continue using stars as guideposts in this wa y until you are at the appro ximate position of the object y ou are tr ying to find (Figure 14). Look in the telescope’ s eyepiece , and the object should be somewhere within the field of view . If it’ s not, sw eep the telescope carefully around the immediate vicinity until the object is f ound. ...
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Orion 9968 - page 15
15 Cleaning the T ube Y our SkyView Pro 150mm EQ telescope requires ver y little mechanical maintenance. The optical tube is aluminum and has a smooth painted finish that is f airly scratch‑resistant. If a scratch does appear on the tube, it will not harm the tele ‑ scope. Smudges on the tube can be wiped off with a soft cloth and a household c ...
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Orion 9968 - page 16
16 Appendix: Collimating Collimating is the process of aligning a telescope’ s optics. Y our Maksutov‑Casseg rain's primary mirror was aligned at the fac ‑ tor y and should not need adjustment unless the telescope is handled roughly . This manual contains information on ho w to test the collimation of y our telescope and instructions f o ...
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Orion 9968 - page 17
17 Collimating T o collimate your telescope, remov e the diagonal and ey epiece and look into rear opening of the tube (also remove the dust cov er from the front of the tube). This should be done indoors, with the telescope pointed at a white wall in a well‑lit room. T r y to keep y our ey e centered with respect to the rear opening of the tube ...
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Orion 9968 - page 18
18 Figure 19a. Using the 3mm Allen wrench, turn the large scre w clockwise a small amount, no more than 1/4 of a tur n. (Note, actual selected alignment screw will vary .) Figure 19c. T urn the small screw that is 180° opposite the first screw cloc kwise no more than 1/4 tur n. Figure 19c Figure 19b. Now, wit h the 2mm Allen wrench, turn the two a ...
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Orion 9968 - page 19
19 One-Y ear Limited W arranty This Orion SkyVie w Pro 150mm EQ is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship f or a period of one y ear from the date of purchase . This warranty is f or the benefit of the original retail purchaser only . Dur ing this w arranty period Or ion T elescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion? ...
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