Getting Started; Altitude And Azimuth (Aiming The Telescope) - Orion SkyScanner BL 102mm Instruction Manual

Tension knob
Remove plastic
Figure 7. Remove and discard the plastic
sleeve on altitude axis bolt.
• Spring washer
• Flat washer
• Screwdriver (with interchangeable flat and Philips bit)
• Dust cap
Assembly of the SkyScanner BL 135mm
1. Attach a side brace to the outside surface of a side panel
with two assembly screws (Figure 12). Do this for both
side panels.
2. Attach the front panel to the two side panels as shown in
Figure 13.
3. Now bolt the top ground plate onto the panel assembly
using 8 assembly screws, as shown in Figure 14.
4. Place top portion of base onto bottom ground plate,
centering the hole in top ground plate over the pre-
installed center bolt in the bottom ground plate (Figure
15). Then place the flat washer followed by the spring
washer over the center bolt. Then thread on the tension
knob (16).
5. Remove the nut and washer from each of the threaded
ends of the carry handle. Then insert the handle into the
two holes from the outside of the front panel. Place a
washer on each exposed threaded end of the handle,
followed by a nut. Tighten the nuts with a small adjustable
wrench or pair of pliers ( 17).
6. Attach the eyepiece rack to the front panel with two
assembly screws (Figure 17).
7. Install two altitude bearing cylinders on the inside surface
of each side panel using assembly screws (Figure 18).
The screws should be inserted from the outside of the
panel.
8. Now place the Dobsonian optical tube into the base, rest-
ing the tube's two altitude hubs on the pairs of bearing
cylinders you installed in the previous step (Figure 19).
4
sleeve!
A
Figure 8. A) Insert the altitude axis bolt through the hole at the top of the side panel.
B) Thread a flat washer, then a spring washer, then a tension knob onto the bolt.
Plastic disc
B
Then insert an altitude tension knob into the uppermost
hole in each side panel and thread it into the tube's alti-
tude hub (Figure 20).
9. Now install the red dot finder scope by sliding the bracket
into the finder base on the optical tube as shown in
Figure 9.
10. Finally, insert the 25mm eyepiece into the focuser draw-
tube collar and secure it with the thumbscrew (Figure 10).

Getting Started

The SkyScanner BL telescopes were designed specifically
for visual observation of astronomical objects in the night sky.
Like all Newtonian reflector telescopes, they are not suited for
daytime terrestrial usage because the image in the eyepiece
is rotated or upside-down.
One of the great assets of SkyScanner BL telescopes is their
compact size and portability. For the 102mm model especially,
due to its overall short height, you will find that viewing while
sitting or kneeling next to the telescope is the most comfort-
able. If you wish to raise the telescope off the ground so that it
can be used while standing or sitting in a chair, then you can
set the telescope on a platform such as a milk crate or table, or
even the hood of your car. It is not critical that the telescope be
exactly level, but it should be placed on a relatively flat surface
to ensure smooth movement.

Altitude and Azimuth (Aiming the Telescope)

The SkyScanner BL's altazimuth base permits motion along
two axes: altitude (up/down) and azimuth (left/right) (Figure
21). Simply grasp the front of the optical tube and move the
telescope left or right so that the base rotates. Move the opti-
cal tube up or down in the same manner. Both motions can
be made simultaneously and in a continuous manner for easy
aiming. This way you can point to any position in the night sky,
from horizon to horizon.
Flat washer
Altitude
Spring
hub
washer
Tension
knob