Orion XT10 - Manual (Page 8)

8
Inserting an Eyepiece
The final step in the assembly process is to insert an eye-
piece into the telescope’s focuser. First, take the cover cap off
the focuser drawtube.
For the XT8 and XT10: Loosen the thumbscrew on the 1.25"
eyepiece adapter (Figure 13). Do not loosen the two thumb-
screws on the 2" eyepiece adapter. Insert the supplied 25mm
Sirius Plössl eyepiece, then secure it by retightening the thumb-
screw on the 1.25" eyepiece adapter. The other eyepiece can
be placed in the eyepiece rack until it is needed.
For the XT6: Loosen the two thumbscrews on the eyepiece
holder and insert the 25mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece. Then
secure it in place with the thumbscrews. The other eyepiece
can be placed in the eyepiece rack until it is needed.
The basic assembly of your SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonian
is now complete. It should appear as shown in Figure 1. The
dust cap on the front of the telescope tube should always
remain in place when the telescope is not in use. It is also
a good idea to store eyepieces in an eyepiece case and to
replace the cover caps on the focuser and finder scope when
the telescope is idle.
3. Using Your Telescope
One of the great benefits of the SkyQuest XT IntelliScope
Dobsonian is its ability to point to more than 14,000 celestial
objects, when used with the optional IntelliScope Computerized
Object Locator (Controller). Use of the Controller is completely
optional, and your telescope will function perfectly well without
it. However, the Controller will greatly enhance your observ-
ing experience by enabling you to quickly and precisely locate
even very faint objects. For more about IntelliScope Controller
functionality, see Section 6.
Before using your SkyQuest telescope for the first time at
night, we recommend getting a feel for its basic functions dur-
ing daylight hours. Find a spot outdoors where you have a
clear view of some object or landmark that is at least 1/4-
mile away. It is not critical that the base be exactly level, but
it should be placed on somewhat flat ground or pavement to
ensure smooth movement of the telescope.
Remember, never point the telescope at or near the Sun with-
out using a proper solar filter over the front aperture!
Altitude and Azimuth Motion
The SkyQuest’s Dobsonian base permits smooth motion of
the telescope along two axes: altitude (up/down) and azimuth
(left/right) (Figure 14). For altitude motion, the altitude bear-
ings on the telescope tube glide on pairs of bearing cylinders
made from ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene.
For azimuth motion, the top baseplate moves on three Teflon
bearing pads embedded in the ground baseplate.
To move the telescope, simply take hold of the navigation
knob and gently move the tube up or down and left or right
as desired. Both motions can be made simultaneously and
in a continuous manner for easy aiming. When the telescope
is pointed high in altitude, rotating the tube in azimuth can
cause the base to “tip” because of the reduced leverage. In
this case it is helpful to place your other hand on the base or
the optical tube to help “guide” the tube.
Figure 13. The 2" focuser of the SkyQuest IntelliScope XT8 and
XT10.
Focus lock
thumbscrew
Focus
knobs
1.25"
eyepiece
adapter
2" eyepiece adapter
Collimation
screw pair (3)
Altitude
Figure 14. The SkyQuest
Intelliscope has two axes of
motion; altitude (up/down)
and azimuth (left/right).
Azimuth
Figure 12b. Pull back on the tensioner and slide the finder scope
into its bracket until the O-ring is seated in the bracket ring.
O-ring