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rors, the better. Small specks of dust or flecks of paint have
virtually no effect on the visual performance of the telescope.
The large primary mirror and the elliptical secondary mirror of
your telescope are front-surface aluminized and over-coated
with hard silicon dioxide, which prevents the aluminum from
oxidizing. These coatings normally last through many years of
use before requiring re-coating (which is easily done).
To clean the secondary mirror, first remove it from the tele-
scope. Do this by holding the secondary mirror holder station-
ary while turning the center Phillips-head screw. Be careful,
there is a spring between the secondary mirror holder and the
phillips head screw. Be sure that it will not fall into the optical
tube and hit the primary mirror. Handle the mirror by its hold-
er; do not touch the mirror surface. Then follow the same pro-
cedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror.
To clean the primary mirror, carefully remove the mirror cell
from the telescope. For the AstroView 6 EQ, this means you
must loosen the four screws on the side of the tube near the
primary mirror. You do not need to remove the collimation
screws on the bottom of the mirror cell. Remove the mirror cell
from the tube. You will notice the primary mirror is held down
with three clips held by two screws each. Loosen the screws
and remove the clips.
You may now remove the mirror from the mirror cell. Do not
touch the surface of the mirror with your fingers. Lift the mirror
carefully by the edges. Set the mirror in a clean soft towel. Fill
a clean sink, free of abrasive cleanser, with room-temperature
water, a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent, and, if
possible, a capfull of rubbing alcohol. Submerge the mirror
(aluminized face up) in the water and let it soak for a few min-
18
utes (or hours if it's a very dirty mirror). Wipe the mirror under
water with clean cotton balls, using extremely light pressure
and stroking in straight line across the mirror. Use one ball for
each wipe across the mirror. Then rinse the mirror under a
stream of lukewarm water. Any particles on the surface can
be swabbed gently with a series of cotton balls, each used
just one time. Dry the mirror in a stream of air (a "blower bulb"
works great), or remove any stray drops of water with the cor-
ner of a paper towel. Water will run off a clean surface. Cover
the mirror surface with Kleenex, and leave the mirror in a
warm area until it is completely dry before replacing in the
mirror cell and telescope.
9. Specifications
Primary mirror diameter: 150mm (5.9")
Primary mirror coating: Aluminized, SiO 2 overcoat
Focal Length: 750mm
Focal Ratio: f/5
Eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm Sirius Plössls, fully coated with
two lens surfaces multi-coated, 1.25" diameter barrel
Magnification: 30x (with 25mm) and 75x (with 10mm)
Finder Scope: 6x30 achromatic, 7° field of view
Focuser: Rack-and-pinion, accepts 1.25" eyepieces
Mount: German-type equatorial, EQ-3
Tripod: Aluminum
Motor Drives: Optional
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