Tele Vue 60 - Manual (Page 6)

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3.3 ERECTING PRISMS AND MIRROR DIAGONALS (OPTIONAL)
A) 45° ERECTING PRISM — The viewing angle allows comfortable terrestrial
and astronomical observing and is best used at low and medium powers, up to approximately
60x.
B) 60° DIAGONAL — The Everbrite dielectric coated mirror takes full advantage
of the performance capability of the Tele Vue-60 with a comfortable viewing angle for ter-
restrial observing. The image orientation is correct top-to-bottom, but left-right reversed.
C) The 90° 1¼" Star Diagonal can be supplied with either a 96% refl ective
enhanced aluminum mirror coating or 99% refl ective Everbrite coating. The Everbrite’s
optical advantage in neutral coloration and scatter control is seen under critical evaluation
at high power on the Moon and major planets. It is a durable, non-metallic coating which
will maintain its refl ectivity over time.
Diagonals offer higher optical performance than prism units, most effectively
noticed at powers above 80x. The image is right side up, but reversed left-right.
All of the above items are available individually, and are interchangeable on the
Tele Vue-60.
3.4 EYEPIECES (OPTIONAL)
As previously discussed, the function of the eyepiece is to magnify the image
formed by the objective. Choosing eyepieces involves making decisions based on object
type, physical constraints and personal preferences. The Tele Vue-60 accepts only 1¼"
barrel eyepieces. Consult the magnifi cation table in this operating guide for eyepiece/
Powermate magnifi cations. For more detailed information on eyepiece specifi cations when
used with the Tele Vue-60, try our eyepiece calculator at www.televue.com, or call us for
recommendations.
3.5 MOUNTING/BALANCE BAR
The captive dovetail mounting/balance bar, referred to simply as the balance
bar, allows the Tele Vue-60 to be attached to a number of tripod or mount types, including
camera/video, alt/azimuth or equatorial. It also slips into the Tele Vue SCT Bracket (SBB-
1002) making the Tele Vue-60 the ultimate fi nder/Rich-Field accessory for your SCT! The
thick aluminum bar provides a solid footprint and resists vibration. A thumb screw locks
the balance position, while providing easy adjustment when necessary.
Dovetail Balance Bar — end holes for Tele Vue mounts, middle holes for camera/video tripods.
Holes 1, 3 & 4 have ¼-20 threads. Hole 2 is for the anti-rotation pin found on camera/video tripods.
1 2 3 4
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of stars, and galaxies will appear different from the photographs and illustrations in books
and magazines. Long duration photos made at major observatories present views of objects
which cannot be duplicated visually by telescopes of any size.
However, the visual observer can perceive contrasts and ranges of brightness that
are impossible to duplicate in any photograph. Ask anyone who has observed the delicate
swirls of the Orion nebula, or better yet, try it out yourself when this nebula is above the ho-
rizon. You can see the jewel-like Trapezium stars at the center of the nebula simultaneously
with the petal-like “arms” of nebulosity that seem to curve up and over the brighter central
regions of gas. Photos in books can show one or the other, but rarely both! The Tele Vue-60's
unique design provides high contrast and sharpness over a very wide magnifi cation range.
A) LOW POWER VIEWING - Magnifi cations at the lowest end of the Tele Vue-
60's range provide wide, extremely sharp fi elds - ideal for fi nding your target, for wide angle
sweeps of the Milky Way, and for beautiful views of large open clusters such as the Pleiades
(M45), the Beehive (M44), and the Double Cluster in Perseus. (NGC-869 and NGC-884).
Low power viewing is also the best way to see the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). In
autumn and winter, the rich star clusters in Cassiopeia and Auriga are beautiful.
To reach critical focus, go through each side of focus a few times.
Each time, de-focus less and less. Focus position is critical to both
sharpness and best color correction.
The nightly motion of our moon occasionally causes it to pass through or near rich
star fi elds. A crescent moon fl oating among the bright jewels of the Pleiades is a sight not
soon forgotten. We encourage you to share such beautiful and special celestial events with
your friends and family.
B) MEDIUM AND HIGH POWER VIEWING - Using eyepieces of shorter focal
length increases the magnifi cation of the Tele Vue-60, and lets you direct your attention to
even fi ner lunar and planetary detail, and to the myriad of double and multiple star systems.
Many observers are delighted and surprised with the superior detail seen in high-power
views of some nebulae. These extended objects often have low brightness levels and con-
trast poorly against brightly-lit urban and suburban sky backgrounds. By increasing your
telescope’s magnifi cation, the sky background darkens, fainter stars are visible and the
enlarged subject becomes much more striking.
Optical theory tells us that with ideal eyesight you can see all of Tele Vue-60’s
resolution at just 40 power. In practice though, most people require magnifi cation about 2
to 3 times more (80x to 120x) to view all the resolution comfortably. Much like looking at
To easily follow a moving object when viewing with a mirror
diagonal, just remember to push the back of the telescope in the
same direction that the object appears to be moving in the tele-
scope. For example, if a bird is flying through the field from left to
right, swing the back of the scope from left to right.