Orion StarBlast 6 User manual

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Orion StarBlast 6" Telescope

USER GUIDE

WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun through a

telescope—even for an instant —as permanent

eye damage will result. Do not point the telescope

at the Sun, as parts will melt! Children should use

this telescope only with adult supervision.

The Telescope Lending Program is brought to

you by:

About the SVO Telescope Lending Program

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Stellar Vista Observatory (SVO), a 501c3 nonprofit

based in Kanab, UT, received a grant from the Utah

Governor's Office of Outdoor Recreation with

matching funds from the Kane County Office of

Tourism to launch its Discover the Night Sky

program.

The program encourages and facilitates outdoor

recreation opportunities for children of all ages and

levels of experience to meet growing community

interest in viewing southern Utah's starry skies.

SVO's project is designed to enable residents of

Kane County who may not already own astronomy

equipment to enjoy exploring the night sky.

Our Astronomy kits are maintained in great working

order by SVO members. We hope you enjoy using

them to explore Southern Utah’s amazing dark night

skies! For more information go to the web page

www.stellarvistaobservatory.org/discover-the-night-sky

Discover the Night Sky

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Table of Contents:

Eyepieces …………………………...……….. 4

Telescope Details …...……………………… 6

Setup ………………………………………….. 7

Focusing ……………………………….……... 8

EZ Finder …………………………………..….. 9

Using the EZ Finder ……………………….…. 10

Transporting ……………………….....………. 12

Observation guide ……………………….…. 13

Keeping Equipment Clean ………………… 15

Support ………………………………..……….. 16

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Getting Started

Note: Adult supervision is recommended for all

equipment setup

We suggest reading this user guide and practicing

with the telescope inside before you take it out in

the dark.

Eyepieces:

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This 6” telescope comes with 2 eyepieces (17mm &

25mm) and a Barlow lens. The lower the number on

the eyepiece the higher the power, the Barlow lens

doubles the power of the eyepiece it is used with.

When viewing it is best to use lower power (higher

mm) eyepieces at first, because they offer a wider

field of view making it easier to find objects.

When viewing deep space objects (star clusters

and nebulae) as well as the moon, it is best to use

lower power. When viewing planets or other small

objects you can try higher power eyepieces to

magnify the image more. However, higher power

also magnifies any vibration or poor ‘seeing’

conditions, as well as gathering less light so images

appear dimmer. There is always a tradeoff.

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Set-up: Place the telescope on the table provided.

Put the eyepiece tray in place, and put the

eyepieces in the tray. Put the 25mm eyepiece in

the telescope by removing the dust caps and

placing in the eyepiece receiver. Remove the dust

cap from the front of the telescope tube. You are

now ready to start using the telescope.

This is a “push-to” telescope, meaning that the user

manually points the telescope at the desired target.

The telescope moves on two axes: altitude

(up/down) and azimuth (left/right). To locate an

object, you simply move the telescope manually

until you find what you are looking for. Once you

find an object, you will need to reposition the

telescope occasionally, as objects will drift out of

the “field of view” (what you see through the

eyepiece) due to Earth’s rotation.

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How to Focus: Try out the telescope during the day

when you can see what you’re doing. Aim the

telescope in the general direction of an object on

land (not the Sun) at least ¼ mile away. Look

through the eyepiece and slowly rotate either of

the two focus wheels until the object comes into

sharp focus.

Note: like many reflector telescopes, the image in

the eyepiece will be upside-down!

If you wear glasses, first try using them when you

look into the eyepiece. You may find that you do

not need to use them. People with severe

astigmatism will generally obtain better views while

wearing glasses.

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EZ Finder

A “finder scope” helps you point the scope, rather

like a rifle sight. The EZ Finder works by projecting a

tiny red dot onto a screen mounted in the front of

the unit, so that when you look through the screen,

the red dot will appear to float in space. When the

EZ Finder is properly aligned with the telescope, an

object centered on the EZ Finder’s red dot should

also appear in the center of the telescope’s

eyepiece. If not you may need to re-align the EZ

Finder (Pg. 10).

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Using the EZ Finder:

Turn the dimmer switch to the ON position. Then,

with your eye positioned near the rear of the

telescope, look through the EZ Finder with both eyes

open to see the red dot. This dot shows you where

in the sky the telescope is pointing. Move the scope

so the red dot is on the object you want to view,

then the object should appear in the eyepiece.

Note: If you cannot find the red dot in bright

daylight it may be necessary to turn the dimmer to

a brighter setting.

Adjusting the EZ Finder: Rarely necessary if

telescope is handled gently

Checking the alignment of the EZ Finder is easiest

during daylight. Aim the telescope at a distant

object, such as the top of a telephone pole or

chimney and center it in the telescope’s eyepiece.

Now, turn the EZ Finder on and look through it. The

object should appear near or under the red dot. If

it does not, without moving the telescope, use the

two adjustment knobs (Vertical & Horizontal) on the

EZ Finder to position the red dot on the object you

have centered in the eyepiece. Once the red dot is

centered on the object in the eyepiece, you’re

done!

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