CELESTRON POWERSEEKER 80EQ Manual

Also See for POWERSEEKER 80EQ:

Quick setup manual (21 pages)

Instruction manual (151 pages)

Quick setup manual (10 pages)

Table of Contents

Contents

1 QUICK SET UP GUIDE
2 ALIGNING THE FINDERSCOPE
3 YOUR FIRST NIGHT OUT - THE MOON
4 BONUS SOFTWARE
5 NEED ASSISTANCE?
6 Documents / Resources
- 6.1 References
- 6.2 Download manual

CELESTRON POWERSEEKER 80EQ Manual

QUICK SET UP GUIDE

Unpack your telescope and verify that all parts are present. Your PowerSeeker 80EQ includes:
- telescope tube with two tube rings,
- tripod with center leg brace,
- an equatorial mount, two eyepieces,
- 3x Barlow lens,
- finderscope,
- 6 lb. counterweight,
- counterweight bar,
- two slow motion cables,
- 1/4-20 mounting stud on one tube ring (for cameras),
- lens cleaning cloth,
- tripod multi-tool and an Allen wrench for secondary mirror adjustments,
  and
- an eyepiece accessory tray.
To set up the tripod, spread the legs outward until they are fully extended and push down center leg brace.
Extend the center portion of each of the three tripod legs down about 6 to 12 inches. Use the tightening screw on each leg to secure the extended leg in place.
Check to ensure that all three legs are the same height once extended to provide a level platform for the telescope.
Place the eyepiece accessory tray on top of the tripod's center leg brace. Thread the tray into the threaded hole in the center of the leg brace until it is fully seated.
If necessary, rotate the accessory tray counterclockwise until the accessory holes are not covered by the leg brace arms as shown here.
Locate the equatorial mount and place the base of the mount through the hole in the center of the tripod mounting platform.
From underneath the tripod mounting platform, thread the attached mounting bolt into the hole on the bottom of the equatorial mount.
Look up the approximate latitude of your observing site on the Internet or using a map. Then, thread the latitude adjustment screw into the equatorial mount until your latitude is indicated on the latitude scale.
Locate the counterweight bar and counterweight. Slide the counterweight half way down the counterweight bar.
Holding the counterweight in one hand, line up the counterweight bar with the mount. With your other hand, turn the counterweight bar until it is fully seated. Tighten the counterweight locking screw to hold the counterweight in place.
Slide the chrome end of the slow motion control cables onto equatorial mount gear shaft. Be sure to line up the set screw over the fl at spot on the shaft. Tighten screw to secure in place.
The cable should attach to the Right Ascension axis and the other cable attaches to the Declination axis. Tighten the screw to secure the cable in place.
Remove the tube rings from the telescope tube by loosening the latch knobs on the sides of each ring. Then remove the two black wingnuts on the bottom half of each tube ring.
Align the threaded studs on the bottom half tube rings with the holes on the mount and secure them in place with the black wing nuts removed in step 14.
Place the telescope tube back into the bottom half tube rings, hinge the upper halves over the telescope tube, and secure the latch knobs holding the telescope tube in place. Make sure the focuser end of the telescope is be over the counterweight assembly.
Remove the knurled nuts on the threaded posts at the focuser end of the telescope tube.
Locate the finderscope and remove plastic caps on front and back of lens. Orient the finderscope so that the glass window is facing towards the front of the tube as shown here. Place finderscope over the posts on the tube and tighten it down with the knurled nuts.
Loosen the setscrew on the focuser. Remove the plastic cap covering the end of the focuser.
Insert the diagonal into the focuser and tighten the setscrew.
Insert the chrome barrel of the 20mm eyepiece into the diagonal and tighten the setscrew.
For additional magnification, you can use the included 3x Barlow Lens. Place the Barlow lens in the focuser in place of the eyepiece. Remove the cap from the Barlow lens.
Next, insert the eyepiece into the Barlow and tighten the set screws to secure it in place.

ALIGNING THE FINDERSCOPE

The finderscope is one of the most important parts of your telescope. It helps you locate objects and center them in the eyepiece. The first time you assemble your telescope, you need to align the finder to the telescope's main optics. It's best to do this during the day*.

* SOLAR WARNING!
Never attempt to view the Sun through any telescope without a proper solar filter!

CHOOSE A TARGET

Take the telescope outside during the day and find an easily recognizable object, like a streetlight, license plate or sign. The object should be as far away as possible, but at least a quarter mile away.

CENTER TARGET IN EYEPIECE

Look through the telescope using your lower powered eyepiece. Move the telescope until the object you chose lies in the center of the view. If the image is blurry, gently turn the focus knobs on either side of the telescope until it comes into sharp focus.

warning NOTE: The image in your telescope may appear inverted. This is perfectly normal in an astronomical telescope.

LOOK THROUGH FINDERSCOPE

Once the object is centered in your 20mm eyepiece, look through the finderscope and locate the crosshair reticle.

ADJUST THE FINDERSCOPE

Without moving the telescope, use the three set screws surrounding the finderscope bracket to move the finder around in the bracket until the crosshair appears over the same object you are observing in the telescope's 20mm eyepiece.

information TIP: Try adjusting one screw at a time. Loosen one screw by half a turn and tighten another by the same amount to ensure the finderscope is securely held in place.

YOUR FINDERSCOPE IS NOW ALIGNED!

You won't need to realign the finderscope unless it is bumped or dropped, or you remove it from the main telescope optics.

YOUR FIRST NIGHT OUT - THE MOON

The best and easiest target for you to try to view first is the Moon. Try observing the Moon at different points in its phase cycle. Although you can observe the Moon any night it is visible, the best time to view it is from two days after a New Moon up to a few days before a Full Moon. During this period, you will be able to see the most detail in the craters and lunar mountain ranges.

With the Moon visible in the sky, set up your telescope as described above with the 20mm eyepiece installed. Move the telescope so that it is roughly pointing toward the Moon.
Look through the finderscope and locate the crosshair reticle. Continue moving the telescope until the crosshair appears over the Moon.
Look through the telescope's 20mm eyepiece. Gently turn the focus knobs to adjust the sharpness of the image.
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU HAVE NOW OBSERVED YOUR FIRST CELESTIAL OBJECT!
To get a closer view of the Moon, loosen the set screws on the focuser and remove the 20mm eyepiece. Replace it with your 4mm eyepiece and tighten the set screws to secure it in place. The 4mm eyepiece will give you significantly more magnification, making the Moon appear much larger.

NOTE: You may need to adjust the focus knobs when you change eyepieces, so make sure you are getting the sharpest image possible.
You can view many other celestial objects, such as planets, star clusters and nebulae using this same technique.

BONUS SOFTWARE

Your purchase includes software for your computer. You don't need to download this software to use your telescope, but it can enhance your experience.

Celestron Starry Night Astronomy Software
Celestron Starry Night, the premier astronomy software on the market, takes you on a guided tour of our Solar System's past, present, and future. It can help you learn about the night sky and plan your next observing session. Use Starry Night to model exactly how the night sky will appear from your backyard, a nearby dark-sky site, or anywhere on Earth.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Windows:

Windows 7 or higher
500MHz or higher processor
128 MB RAM
850 MB hard disk space
32 MB OpenGL-capable graphics card
Monitor with 1024x768 pixel resolution (recommended)

Mac:

Universal binary (PPC/Intel-compatible)
OS X 10.4 or higher (10.5 or higher for Elementary)
G3 450 MHz or higher processor
128 MB RAM
850 MB hard disk space
32 MB OpenGL-capable graphics card
Monitor with 1024x768 pixel resolution (recommended)

SOLAR WARNING: Never attempt to view the sun through any telescope.

NEED ASSISTANCE?

Contact Celestron Technical Support celestron.com/pages/technical-support

Product design and specifications are subject to change without prior notification.
This product is designed and intended for use by those 14 years of age and older.