Zhumell Z12 Owner's Manual
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Zhumell Z12 Owner's Manual

Dobsonian reflector telescope
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OWNER'S MANUAL
DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE
ZHUMELL Z12 DELUXE DOBSONIAN REFLECTOR TELESCOPE

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Questions and answers

JOSEPH B CICELSKI
February 25, 2025

looking for dimensions of the ota so I can make a box to hold it in

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1 comments:
Mr. Anderson
February 25, 2025

The dimensions of the Zhumell Z12 Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) are 66.04 x 66.04 x 162.56 cm.

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Summary of Contents for Zhumell Z12

  • Page 1 OWNER’S MANUAL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE ZHUMELL Z12 DELUXE DOBSONIAN REFLECTOR TELESCOPE...
  • Page 2 Zhumell customers know that there are plenty of ways to experience the world. They also understand that, however you choose to explore it, the best experience is one that fully immerses you in the world’s most striking details. That’s where our optics products come in. We strive...
  • Page 3 ENJOYING YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE Caring For Your Telescope Warnings Cleaning and Maintenance iii. Collimation Specifications Parts List Telescope Assembly Base Assembly Optical Tube Assembly Donsonian Telescope Basics 1.25-inch Eyepieces 2-inch Eyepieces iii. Altitude and Azimuth Focusing the Image Cooling Fan...

  • Page 4: Caring For Your

    We have provided basic instructions for telescope use and astronomical viewing in this manual. Your Zhumell Dobsonian telescope is built with the highest-quality optics and top-notch construction to provide years of reliable functionality, but will require proper care.
  • Page 5 CARING FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE WARNINGS • Do not use telescope or finderscope to look at the sun without an appropriate solar filter. Doing so will cause permanent and irreversible eye damage. • Never use an eyepiece filter as a solar filter. Only solar filters will completely cover the opening of the optical tube and provide proper eye protection.
  • Page 6 USING YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE COLLIMATION Periodically, you will find that it is necessary to align the optical components of your telescope. This procedure is called collimation, and is recommended for optimum telescope usage. Remove the eyepiece from the eyepiece holder and insert laser collimator into eyepiece holder.

  • Page 7: Cleaning And Maintenance

    Do not remove optical elements from the telescope as doing so may affect the alignment of optical components when reassembled. If telescope needs realignment, contact Zhumell or another professional. Brush telescope optics with camelhair brush or blow off dust with an ear syringe (can be purchased at any pharmacy).

  • Page 8: Optical Tube Assembly

    SPECIFICATIONS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE OPTICAL TUBE ASSEMBLY Zhumell Z12 Objective/Aperture 304 mm/ 12 inches Focal Length 1500mm 14.91 Limiting Magnitude f/6.93 Focal Ratio Eyepiece Format: 1.25 inch, and 2 inch Tube Mount: Cradle Mount Finderscope: 8x50 Mount Adjustment: Altitude-Azimuth...
  • Page 9 ASSEMBLY OF YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE Unbox and gather the pieces for base assembly. You will need: Base Sides (2) Eyepiece Tray (and (2) black Base Front Philips screws) Base Plates (2) Feet (3) Bearing Plates (3) Long Black Allen Screws (10)

  • Page 10: Base Assembly

    ASSEMBLY OF YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE BASE ASSEMBLY First, you will be assembling the telescope base housing. This will be the structure that holds your scope in place. STEP 1: Screw the handle onto the Base Front using the (2) pre-drilled holes on the front. Make sure that it is secure.
  • Page 11 ASSEMBLY OF YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE STEP 4: To attach the Eyepiece Tray to the Right Base, it’s easiest to turn the assembly on its side. Attach the tray using the (2) pre-drilled holes and (2) black Philips screws. Return the base to standing position and make sure the tray is secure.
  • Page 12 ASSEMBLY OF YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE STEP 7: Be sure the side with recessed holes is facing away from the base housing. Screw (6) long black Allen screws into these holes until they are flush with the surface. STEP 8: To assemble the Adjustment Bolt, hold the parts in your hand in this order: Small Washer; Ball Bearing;...
  • Page 13 ASSEMBLY OF YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE STEP 10: Arrange the Bearing Plates with the “wagon wheel” plate sandwiched between the two light blue plates. Place this whole assembly onto the Axle Sleeve centered on the Base Plate. Check that it rotates smoothly.
  • Page 14 ASSEMBLY OF YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE OPTICAL TUBE ASSEMBLY Unbox and gather the pieces for the Optical Tube Assembly. These are - Battery Pack for Cooling Fan Dobsonian Optical Tube 1.25-inch 9mm Plossl Eyepiece Finderscope 2-inch 30mm Plossl Eyepiece Silver Side Bearings (2) 1.25-inch Moon Filter.
  • Page 15 STEP 3: Locate the Finderscope Bracket on the OTA. Loosen the thumbscrew on the bracket with your fingers and slide the Finderscope into place. Tighten the screw so that the Finderscope is secure. You are now ready to insert an eyepiece and begin using your Zhumell Dobsonian telescope. Continue reading for instructions and viewing tips.
  • Page 16 BASICS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE USING 1.25-INCH EYEPIECES The 1.25-inch is the most commonly used eyepiece format. The measurement of 1.25 inches is the diameter of the eyepiece tube, measured on the chrome side. The eyepiece holder and Crayford focuser come already attached to the optical tube, next to where the finderscope is mounted.
  • Page 17 BASICS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE USING 2-INCH EYEPIECES The 2-inch eyepiece format is the largest. 2 inches is the diameter of the eyepiece tube, measured on the chrome side. Loosen the silver thumb screw underneath the eyepiece opening. Pull the adapter out of the focuser.

  • Page 18: Focusing The Image

    BASICS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE ALTITUDE AND AZIMUTH Your Zhumell Dobsonian is adjustable along two axes - altitude (up/ down) and azimuth (left/right). Adjustments to the telescope’s position can be made along one or both axes at the same time.

  • Page 19: Cooling Fan Operation

    BASICS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE COOLING FAN OPERATION Insert 8 AA batteries into the battery adapter. Locate the cooling fan at the bottom of the OTA. Plug in the battery adapter to the telescope - cooling fan will begin running.
  • Page 20 VIEWING THROUGH YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE Never look at the sun without using a solar filter. Do not use a regular eyepiece as a solar filter. When using a solar filter, do not remove the full lenscap, view only through the small opening. Looking at the sun without proper use of a solar filter can cause permanent eye damage, included blindness.

  • Page 21: Observation Tips

    VIEWING THROUGH YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE CHECKING AND ALIGNING YOUR FINDERSCOPE Finderscope alignment is the first step to fine-tuning your Zhumell Dobsonian setup and viewing celestial objects. Follow these steps to properly set up and align your finderscope. Insert the lowest-power eyepiece into the eyepiece adapter. Focus eyepiece to view an easily recognizable, stationary distant object like a sign or lightpole.
  • Page 22 Your Zhumell Dobsonians comes with a cooling fan to help speed up the process of reaching thermal equilibrium. When plugged into the scope, it will bring in outside air and reduce the time you need to wait.
  • Page 23 OBSERVATION TIPS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE A reliably quick way to judge seeing conditions is to look at bright stars about 40° above the horizon. If the stars appear to twinkle, there is significant atmospheric distortion and viewing at high magnification will not be ideal.

  • Page 24: Tracking Celestial Objects

    SELECTING AN EYEPIECE By using eyepieces of different focal lengths, many different magnifications can be achieved with your Zhumell Dobsonian telescope. The best place to start is with the included 9mm and 32mm Plossl eyepieces for higher and lower magnifications, respectively.
  • Page 25 OBSERVATION TIPS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE No matter which eyepiece you intend to use, always start by using the lowest-power (longest focal length) eyepiece to locate and center the object. Lower magnification means a wider field of view, making it easier to find an object and justify your scope in its direction.
  • Page 26 OBSERVATION TIPS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE THE MOON The Earth's moon is one of the easiest and most rewarding targets at which to point your telescope. Its rocky, cratered surface is close enough to be rendered in some detail, and allows for satisfying exploration.
  • Page 27 ADVANCED OBSERVATION JUPITER Jupiter is our solar system's largest planet. Through your scope, you can easily see the planet and observe the changing positions of its four largest moons: Io, Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede. With higher- magnification eyepieces, you will be able to see cloud bands wrapped around the planet and the famous Great Red Spot.

  • Page 28: Deep-Sky Objects

    DEEP-SKY OBJECTS With dark skies, ideal viewing conditions, and a large telescope like your Zhumell Dobsonian, you can observe a huge number of amazing objects outside our solar system - commonly referred to as "deep-sky objects". These include star clusters, galaxies, gaseous nebulas, and more.
  • Page 29 ADVANCED OBSERVATION Begin by choosing brighter deep-sky objects as your destination. The brightness of an object is measured by its visual magnitude; the brighter an object, the lower its magnitude. Choose an object with a visual magnitude of 9 or lower. Most beginners start with the Messier objects, some of the brightest and most beautiful deep-sky objects, first catalogued about 200 years ago by French astronomer Charles Messier.
  • Page 30 ASTRONOMY FORMULAS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE MAGNIFICATION To determine the magnification of a telescope and eyepiece combinantion, divide the telescope focal length be the eye- piece focal length. Magnification (x) = Telescope Focal Length (mm)/Eyepiece Focal Length (mm) Ex: 32mm Eyepiece with a 304x1500mm telescope.
  • Page 31 ASTRONOMY FORMULAS FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE LIMITING MAGNITUDE To determine the limiting magnitude of a telescope, use the aperture in the following formula for an approximation. Limiting Magnitude = 7.5 + 5LOG(Aperture in cm) Ex: Limiting Magnitude of a 304x1500mm telescope.
  • Page 32 ASTRONOMY TERMINOLOGY DECLINATION (DEC.) - The astronomical equiva- ZENITH - The zenith is the point in the celestial lent of latitude. Declination describes the angle of a sphere directly above your head. The zenith varies celestial object above or below the celestial equator. depending upon your location.
  • Page 33 TELESCOPE TERMINOLOGY OBJECTIVE - The objective is the front lens of a LIMITING MAGNITUDE - The limiting magnitude telescope. The listed measurement for objective of a telescope describes the faintest object you lenses is the lens diameter. A larger objective can see with a telescope.
  • Page 34 CAN I TAKE THE OPTICAL TUBE OFF OF THE MOUNT WHEN I MOVE THE SCOPE? The optical tube on Zhumell Dobsonian telescopes can easily be taken off of its base. Removing the optical tube assembly from the base makes moving your Dobsonian much easier and will help prevent damage to the mount or optical tube during transport.
  • Page 35 FOR YOUR ZHUMELL DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE CAN I USE THE OPTICAL TUBE FROM MY DOBSONIAN ON ANY OTHER MOUNTS? The optical tube from your Dobsonian telescope will work on any type of mount, as long as the mount is able to support the weight and size of the optical tube while still moving freely.

  • Page 36: Warranty

    Zhumell products are designed to provide you with the highest quality and best value available, which is why we’re proud to offer a world-class warranty on all of our products. All Zhumell telescopes are covered by a 3-year no-fault warranty.

This manual is also suitable for:

Z12 deluxe

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