Observing With Your Telescope - Orion STARBLAST 6/6I Manual

Slot for
battery
removal
Power knob
Altitude
adjustment
knob
Figure 18. The EZ Finder II reflex sight. If it is present,
remove the thin plastic battery shield (not shown) from the
battery casing prior to use and discard it.
At the end of your observing session, be sure to turn the power
knob counterclockwise until it clicks off. When the two white
dots on the EZ Finder II's rail and power knob are lined up, the
EZ Finder II is turned off.
aligning the EZ Finder II
When the EZ Finder II is properly aligned with the telescope,
an object that is centered on the EZ Finder II's red dot should
also appear in the center of the field of view of the telescope's
eyepiece. Alignment of the EZ Finder II is easiest to do dur-
ing daylight, before observing at night. Aim the telescope at a
distant object at least 1/4 mile away, such as a telephone pole
or chimney and center it in the telescope's eyepiece. Now, turn
the EZ Finder II on and look through it. The object will appear
in the field of view near the red dot.
Note: The image in the eyepiece of the StarBlast 6/6i will not
be oriented right-side-up, but rather will be upside-down or
rotated somewhat from a correctly oriented, naked-eye view.
This is normal for Newtonian reflector telescopes.
Without moving the telescope, use the EZ Finder II's azimuth
(left/right) and altitude (up/down) adjustment knobs (Figure
18) to position the red dot on the object in the eyepiece.
When the red dot is centered on the distant object, check to
make sure the object is still centered in the telescope's field of
view. If not, recenter it and adjust the EZ Finder II's alignment
again. When the object is centered in the eyepiece and on the
red dot, the EZ Finder II is properly aligned with the telescope.
Figure 19 simulates the view through the EZ Finder II.
Once aligned, the EZ Finder II will usually hold its alignment
even after being removed and remounted. Otherwise, only
minimal realignment will be needed.
Replacing the EZ Finder II Battery
Replacement 3-volt lithium batteries for the EZ Finder II are
available from many retail outlets. Remove the old battery by
inserting a small flat-head screwdriver into the slot on the bat-
tery casing (Figure 18) and gently prying open the case. Then
Azimuth
adjustment
knob
Battery
casing
Mounting bracket
Figure 19. The EZ Finder II superimposes a tiny red dot on
the sky, showing right where the telescope is aimed.
carefully pull back on the retaining clip and remove the old bat-
tery. Do not over-bend the retaining clip. Slide the new battery
under the battery lead with the positive (+) side facing down
and replace the battery casing.
7. Observing With Your
Telescope
This section applies to both the StarBlast 6 (#9926) and
StarBlast 6i IntelliScope (#27126). Specific instructions on
how to use the IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator
with the StarBlast 6i IntelliScope are provided in the section
entitled "Using the IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator."
Choosing an Observing Site
When selecting a location for observing, get as far away as
possible from direct artificial light such as street lights, porch
lights, and automobile headlights. The glare from these lights
will greatly impair your dark-adapted night vision. Avoid viewing
over rooftops and chimneys, as they often have warm air cur-
rents rising from them. Similarly, avoid observing from indoors
through an open (or closed) window, because the tempera-
ture difference between the indoor and outdoor air will cause
image blurring and distortion.
If at all possible, escape the light-polluted city sky and head
for darker country skies. You'll be amazed at how many more
stars and deep-sky objects are visible in a dark sky!
"Seeing" and Transparency
Atmospheric conditions vary significantly from night to night.
"Seeing" refers to the steadiness of the Earth's atmosphere
at a given time. In conditions of poor seeing, atmospheric
turbulence causes objects viewed through the telescope to
"boil." If, when you look up at the sky with your naked eyes,
the stars are twinkling noticeably, the seeing is bad and you
will be limited to viewing with low powers. This is because bad
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