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4. Getting started
unpacking Your telescope
The SkyView comes almost completely assembled from the factory. For ease of
transportation, it is broken down into several main parts: the tube, the mount,
and the tripod. Compare the diagram of accessories to the box you have just
opened and identify all the parts. Make sure that all the items listed are present.
Please be sure to keep the original shipping container intact. Not only would it
be needed in the event of shipping the telescope to another location, or back to
Orion for warranty repair service, but it also makes a very good storage con-
tainer when the telescope is not in use.
assembling the tripod and Mount
The tripod and equatorial head come pre-assembled
from the factory. Your first step will be to attach the
accessory tray to the center of the leg supports; it
attaches from the bottom with the knob that has been
included. Next you will want to thread the counter-
weight shaft into the equatorial head along the
declination axis. Slide the counterweight onto the
shaft and thread in the counterweight stop at the end
of the shaft. The final step in completing the tripod
and mount assembly is to attach the two slow motion
control cables. They attach to either side (whichever is
most comfortable for you) of the shafts extending from the worm gears on the RA
and DEC axes.
optical tube Preparation
The optical tube is pretty much complete. The optics have been installed at the
factory and there is no need to do any adjustments to them. However, you will
need to install the finder scope.
Locate the finder scope from the items in the shipping container. The bracket has
already been installed onto the OTA; you will need to install the finder scope into
the bracket. Back out the adjustment screws until the tip is flush with the
bracket, insert the finder scope, and tighten the adjustment screws. To start, you
will want to have the finder scope floating in the middle of the rings. For further
adjustment, see Aligning the Finder Scope.
optical tube into the cradle rings
Attaching the optical tube to the tripod and mount assembly is done with tube
clamps. These clamps are bolted to the equatorial mount at the head of the decli-
nation axis with the included knobs. By unthreading the knobs on the ringed
portion of the cradle, the clamps will swing open and the optical tube will
securely fit inside. Thread the knobs so that the tube does not slide while in the
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cradle rings, but not so tight that the optical tube is dented.
The telescope is now a complete unit, ready for first light. However, there is one
additional step that should be done prior to taking your SkyView out for the first
time: aligning the finder scope.
aligning the Finder scope
Having a finder scope makes it very easy to locate objects in the night sky. You
may be looking for an object with your naked eye and not see a thing, but the use
of a properly aligned finder scope can put that object right in the center of your
telescope's eyepiece.
After mounting the finder scope, you will want to align the finder to the main
telescope . . . to have them both pointing at the same object. This is best done
during the daylight hours so that you know the image is the same in the finder
scope and telescope. Choose a tree, telephone pole, street sign, anything that is
roughly one-fourth to one-half mile away, the further the better. Put that image
in the center of the field of your telescope's eyepiece. Where is it in your finder
scope's eyepiece? Hopefully the image will be in the field of view and some
simple adjustments on the alignment screws of the mounting bracket will put the
image dead center in the cross hairs. By loosening one of the alignment screws,
and tightening another one, you are changing the line of sight of the finder scope.
Continue making adjustments to the various alignment screws until the image in
the finder scope matches exactly the image in the telescope's eyepiece. Check the
alignment by moving the scope to another object and fixing the cross hairs on the
exact point you want to look at. Then look through the telescope's eyepiece to see
if the images are the same. If they are, the job is done. If not, make the necessary
adjustments until the two images match up.
Finder scopes often come out of alignment during transportation from site to site.
Make the necessary adjustments to the alignment screws to bring the image back
into the center of the cross hairs. Check to see that the same image is in your
telescope's eyepiece. One way to help minimize any misalignment is to keep the
finder-to-main tube bolts very tight.
5. using Your telescope
Moving the telescope
The telescope is easy to take wherever you want to do your observing. You'll be
amazed at the difference in views from the city lights to the dark country skies.
(The moon and planets aren't affected much by city lights, however.)
Don't be afraid to load the telescope into your car for a trip to the hills. Common
sense prevails: as long as the telescope doesn't roll or bounce around, you won't
hurt it at all by moving it. Naturally, you should be careful not to damage any
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