User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS PIER MOUNT

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion SkyView Pro Equatorial Pier Mount ® TM SkyView Pro Equatorial Pier Mount (#7391) Steel Pier Stand (Only) (#21497) #7391 #21497 Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope. com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P. O. A 08/19 Safety screw Mounting plate securing knob Lock levers (opposite side) Declination setting circle Optical tube mounting plate Front opening R. A Declination slow-motion control knob Right Ascension setting circle xi s . A Counterweight shaft Right Ascension slow-motion control knob Polar axis finder scope cover Large counterweight c. De Ax Small counterweight is Latitude adjustment L-bolts Counterweight lock knobs "Toe Saver" Attachment button head cap screws (3) Pier mount shaft Figure 1. [. . . ] The two stars at the end of the "bowl" of the Big Dipper point right to Polaris. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere aren't so fortunate to have a bright star so near the south celestial pole (SCP). The star Sigma Octantis lies about 1° from the SCP, but it is barely visible with the naked eye (magnitude 5. 5). For general visual observation, an approximate polar alignment is sufficient. Level the equatorial mount by adjusting the leveling knobs as described in Section 3. There are two altitude adjusting L-bolts on the equatorial head (Figure 1); loosen one while tightening the other. Continue adjusting the mount until the pointer on the latitude scale is set at the latitude of your observing site. If you don't know your latitude, consult a geographical atlas to find it. For example, if your latitude is 35° North, set the pointer to 35. The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again unless you move to a different viewing location some distance away. lock lever and rotate the telescope's optical tube until it is parallel with the right ascension axis, as it is in Figure 7. Move the pier mount so the telescope tube and right ascension axis point roughly at Polaris. If you cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site, consult a compass and rotate the pier mount so the telescope points north. For this we recommend using the optional polar axis finder scope From this point on in your observing session, you should not make any further adjustments to the latitude of the mount, nor should you move the pier mount. Installing the optional polar axis finder scope. Polar Alignment Using an Optional Polar Axis Finder Scope The SkyView Pro EQ pier mount can be equipped with an optional polar axis finder scope (Figure 10a) housed inside the right ascension axis of the mount. When properly aligned and used, it makes accurate polar alignment quick and easy to do. To install the polar axis finder scope, remove the cover at the base of the mount's right ascension axis and thread the polar axis finder scope into the equatorial mount until tight. lock lever and rotate the optical tube on the declination axis so that the tube is at a 90° to the right ascension axis (Figure 11). Look through the polar finder at a distant object (during the day) and center it on the crosshairs. You may need to adjust the latitude adjustment L-bolts and the pier mount position to do this. 7 Figure 11. The optical tube should be at a 90° angle to the right ascension axis in order to view through the polar axis finder. Again, it may be convenient to remove the counterweights and optical tube before doing this. [. . . ] But it will not look like that when the telescope is pointed in other directions. Let's say you want to view an object that is directly overhead, at the zenith. Remember, once the mount is polar aligned, the telescope should be moved only on the R. A. lock lever and rotate the telescope on the right ascension axis until the counterweight shaft is horizontal (parallel to the ground). [. . . ]