Related Manuals for Celestron 31055 AstroMaster 130AZ
Summary of Contents for Celestron 31055 AstroMaster 130AZ
- Page 1 T E L E S C O P E 130AZ 1 3 0 M M R E L E C T O R E NG LISH INSTRUCTION MANUAL 31055 AstroMaster 130AZ...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ASSEMBLY Setting up the Tripod Moving the Telescope Manually Attaching the Telescope Tube to the Mount Installing the Eyepieces TELESCOPE BASICS Image Orientation Focusing Aligning the Finderscope Calculating Magnification Determining Field of View General Observing Hints ASTRONOMY BASICS CELESTIAL OBSERVING Observing the Moon... -
Page 4: Introduction
In addition, your AstroMaster telescope is ideal for terrestrial observations with superb high power viewing AstroMaster telescopes carry a two year limited warranty For details see our website at www celestron com Your AstroMaster features •... - Page 5 Fig. 1 Telescope Optical Tube Accessory Tray Red Dot Finder Tripod Eyepiece Azimuth Lock Focus Knob Alt-Az Mount Pan Handle Dovetail Mounting Bracket ENGLISH |...
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Page 6: Assembly
ASSEMBLY Set up your telescope indoors the first time before attempting to assemble it outdoors Each AstroMaster comes in one box The pieces in the box are: altazimuth mount with attached pan handle,10 mm 1 25” eyepiece, 20 mm 1 25” erect image eyepiece, “TheSkyX-First Light Edition astronomy software” SETTING UP THE TRIPOD 1 Remove the tripod from the box (Figure 2-1) The tripod comes preassembled 2 Stand the tripod upright and pull the tripod legs apart until each leg is fully extended and then push down slightly on the... -
Page 7: Moving The Telescope Manually
MOVING THE TELESCOPE MANUALLY The AstroMaster Alt-Az mount is easy to move wherever you want to point it The up-and-down (altitude) motion is controlled by the pan handle (Figure 2-10) The side-to-side (azimuth) motion is controlled by the azimuth lock (Figure 2-9) To loosen the pan handle and azimuth lock, turn them counterclockwise When loose, point the telescope to the desired object, then lock the controls in place by turning them clockwise ... -
Page 8: Installing The Eyepieces
INSTALLING THE EYEPIECES To install the eyepieces: 1 Put the chrome barrel end of one of the eyepieces into the diagonal and tighten the thumb screw Again, make sure the thumbscrew is not protruding into the diagonal before inserting the eyepiece (Figure 2-13) 2 The eyepieces can be changed to other focal lengths by reversing the procedure in step 2 above Fig. -
Page 9: Telescope Basics
TELESCOPE BASICS A telescope is an instrument that collects and focuses light The nature of the optical design determines how the light is focused Some telescopes, known as refractors, use lenses, other telescopes, known as reflectors (Newtonians), use mirrors Developed in the early 1600s, the refractor is the oldest telescope design It derives its name from the method it uses to focus incoming light rays The refractor uses a lens to bend or refract incoming light rays, hence the name (see Figure 3-1) Early designs used single element lenses However, the single lens acts like a prism and breaks light down into the colors of the rainbow, producing a phenomenon known as chromatic aberration To get around this problem, a... -
Page 10: Focusing
FOCUSING To focus your refractor, simply turn the focus knob located directly below the eyepiece holder (see Figure 1) Turning the knob clockwise allows you to focus on an object that is farther than the one you are currently observing Turning the knob counterclockwise from you allows you to focus on an object closer than the one you are currently observing NOTE: If you wear corrective lenses (specifically glasses), you may want to remove them when observing with an eyepiece attached to the telescope. -
Page 11: Calculating Magnification
CALCULATING MAGNIFICATION You can change the power of your telescope just by changing the eyepiece (ocular) To determine the magnification of your telescope, simply divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece used In equation format, the formula looks like this: Focal Length of Telescope (mm) Magnification = ______________________________... -
Page 12: General Observing Hints
GENERAL OBSERVING HINTS When working with any optical instrument, there are a few things to remember to ensure you get the best possible image • Never look through window glass Glass found in household windows is optically imperfect, and as a result, may vary in thickness from one part of a window to the next This inconsistency can and will affect the ability to focus your telescope In most cases, you will not be able to achieve a truly sharp image, while in some cases, you may actually see a double image... -
Page 13: Celestial Observing
See the “Seeing Conditions” section later in this section • To increase contrast and bring out detail on the planetary surface, try using Celestron eyepiece filters OBSERVING THE SUN... -
Page 14: Observing Deep Sky Objects
OBSERVING DEEP-SKY OBJECTS Deep-sky objects are simply those objects outside the boundaries of our solar system They include star clusters, planetary nebulae, diffuse nebulae, double stars and other galaxies outside our own Milky Way Most deep-sky objects have a large angular size Therefore, low-to-moderate power is all you need to see them Visually, they are too faint to reveal any of the color seen in long exposure photographs Instead, they appear black and white And, because of their low surface brightness, they should be observed from a dark-sky location Light pollution around large urban areas washes out most nebulae making them difficult, if not impossible, to observe Light Pollution Reduction filters help reduce the... - Page 15 Star hopping to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is a snap, since you can locate all the stars needed with the naked eye Star hopping will take some getting used to Objects that don’t have stars near them that are visible to the naked eye are challenging One such object is M57 (Figure 5-2), the famed Ring Nebula Here’s how to find it: 1 Find the constellation of Lyra, a small parallelogram visible in the summer and fall months Lyra is easy to pick out because it contains the bright star Vega...
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Page 16: Seeing Conditions
SEEING CONDITIONS Viewing conditions affect what you can see through your telescope during an observing session Conditions include transparency, sky illumination, and seeing Understanding viewing conditions and the effect they have on observing will help you get the most out of your telescope Transparency Transparency is the clarity of the atmosphere which is affected by clouds, moisture, and other airborne particles Thick cumulus clouds are completely opaque while cirrus can be thin, allowing the light from the brightest stars through Hazy... -
Page 17: Astrophotography
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY The AstroMaster series of telescopes was designed for visual observing After looking at the night sky for a while you may want to try your hand at astrophotography There are several forms of photography possible with your telescope for celestial as well as terrestrial pursuits Below is a very brief discussion of some of the methods of photography available At a minimum you will need a digital camera or a 35 mm / DSLR camera Attach your camera to the telescope with: •... -
Page 18: Telescope Maintenance
NOT sealed, the covers should be placed over the openings when not in use This will prevent contaminants from entering the optical tube Internal adjustments and cleaning should be done only by the Celestron repair department If your telescope is in need of internal cleaning, please call the factory for a return authorization number and price quote... -
Page 19: Optional Accessories
You will find that additional accessories for your AstroMaster telescope will enhance your enjoyment and the usefulness of your telescope This is just a short list of various accessories with a brief description Visit the Celestron website for complete descriptions of all accessories available Sky Maps (# 93722) –... -
Page 20: Astromaster Specifications
AstroMaster Specifications 31055 AstroMaster 130 AZ Optical Design Reflector Aperture 130 mm (5 0”) Focal Length 650 mm Focal Ratio Optical Coatings Aluminum with silicone dioxide Finderscope Red dot finder Eyepieces 1 25” Apparent FOV -- 20mm @ 50° 20 mm (33x) -- 10mm @ 40°...
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