Enhancement, Care, And Maintenance - Orion 9931 Instruction Manual

sometimes it is visible to the naked eye during full daylight!
Ironically, Venus appears as a thin crescent, not a full disk,
when at its peak brightness. Because it is so close to the Sun,
it never wanders too far from the morning or evening horizon.
No surface markings can be seen on Venus, which is always
shrouded in dense clouds.
MARS The Red Planet makes its closest approach to Earth
every two years. During close approaches you'll see a red
disk, and may be able to see the polar ice cap. To see surface
detail on Mars, you will need a high-power eyepiece and very
steady air!
the Stars
Stars will appear like twinkling points of light. Even powerful
telescopes cannot magnify stars to appear as more than a
point of light! You can, however, enjoy the different colors of
the stars and locate many pretty double and multiple stars.
The famous "Double-Double" in the constellation Lyra and the
gorgeous two-color double star Albireo in Cygnus are favor-
ites. Defocusing a star slightly can help bring out its color.
Deep-Sky objects
Under dark skies, you can observe a wealth of fascinating deep-
sky objects, including gaseous nebulas, open and globular star
clusters, and a variety of different types of galaxies. Most deep-
sky objects are very faint, so it is important that you find an
observing site well away from light pollution. Take plenty of time
to let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Do not expect these
subjects to appear like the photographs you see in books and
magazines; most will look like dim gray smudges. (Our eyes are
not sensitive enough to see color in deep-sky objects except in
few of the brightest ones.) But as you become more experi-
enced and your observing skills get sharper, you will be able to
ferret out more and more subtle details.
Consult a star atlas or deep-sky observing guide for informa-
tion on finding and identifying deep-sky objects. Some good
sources to start with are the Edmund Mag 6 Star Atlas, Turn
Left at Orion, and The Universe From Your Backyard.
8. Enhancement, Care,
and Maintenance
installation of optional Finder Scope
Your telescope comes from the factory with holes pre-drilled
for the Orion 5x finder scope.
To install other finder scope models, you will need to drill the
holes yourself. Choose a position for the finder scope that is
directly on top of the telescope tube, near the focuser, when
the tube is aimed at the horizon. When drilling holes, be care-
ful not to let dust fall onto the mirrors. You may want to cover
the secondary mirror with a plastic bag while you are install-
ing a finder scope.
Use a black marker or black paint to coat the silver heads of
the screws and washers if you do not use blackened screws.
The additional weight of a finder scope may cause the tube to
be out of balance. If this occurs, you will need to attach a small
counterweight to the bottom of the tube near the primary mirror.
Balancing the tube is discussed in section 4 of this manual.
Important Note: Keep the tube in a horizontal position when
working with tools or hardware so that dust, dropped screws,
or tools cannot fall on the optical surfaces of the primary or
secondary mirrors!
Care of the tube & Base
Give your telescope reasonable care and it will last a lifetime.
Store it indoors or in a dry garage. Do not leave it exposed
outside except when using it. When the telescope is not in
use, keep it covered with a plastic tarp or drop cloth or an
Orion Scope Saver to keep dust and dirt off.
An important design characteristic of your telescope is the
controlled friction of the bearing surface materials. To pre-
serve the optimum friction, never lubricate the bearings! Oil,
wax, grease, silicone, or graphite will greatly impair the
mechanical performance of the telescope, as the tube will
swing wildly at the slightest touch. Simply keep the bearing
surfaces clean with a dry cloth. Any household spray cleaner
will work fine to clean any foreign material or oil from the sur-
faces. The base is made of cabinet-grade "Melamine"
laminate, and will take quite a bit of wear and tear.
The optical tube is a "Sonotube," a thick spiral-wound paper
bonded with waterproof glue. Sonotubes are used for pouring
concrete columns, so they are very strong. The material is
quite stable even with variation in humidity. Sonotubes are far
and away the most popular tubes for Dobsonian telescopes.
transporting your Deep Space Explorer
When transporting your telescope, separate the base from
the tube and put the tube on a soft surface (back seat, blan-
ket, etc.) to keep it from getting banged around.
When shipping your DSE, should you have to, you must pro-
tect the first-surface primary mirror.
1. Remove the primary mirror cell and mirror from the tele-
scope tube assembly.
2. Blow any dust or particles from the mirror. It is best to use
a blower bulb. Do not use canned air or hair dryers.
Blowing with your breath is better than not doing anything.
3. Protect the surface of the mirror. Do not touch it. The mir-
ror MUST be covered with a soft, nonabrasive material. In
order of preference: original tissue wrap, lots of lens clean-
ing tissue, a clean 100% cotton cloth or shirt, facial tissue,
or toilet paper.
4. Pack the mirror assembly and telescope well. Always use
the original packing material if possible. If not, you should
"double box" the mirror assembly to ensure adequate pro-
tection.
Care of the optics
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean-
ing fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be
used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or finder
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