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USING THE REFRACTING TELESCOPE
WARNING
NEVER USE AN INSTRUMENT TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.
LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE SUN, OR IN ITS IMMEDIATE SURROUNDING AREA,
WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO YOUR SIGHT. SIGHT
DAMAGE DOES NOT GENERALLY CAUSE ANY PAIN, AND THE OBSERVER WILL HAVE
NO WARNING UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE. NEVER POINT THE INSTRUMENT, OR THE
FINDERSCOPE, DIRECTLY AT OR IN THE SURROUNDING AREA OF THE SUN. DO
NOT LOOK IN THE EYEPIECE OR THE FINDERSCOPE WHEN THE INSTRUMENT IS
MOVING. ANY USE BY CHILDREN MUST BE SUPERVISED BY AN ADULT.
Once the refracting telescope has been set up, the nderscope set and the poles aligned, you are ready
to start your observations.
Your refracting telescope will allow you to carry out two types of observations:
Planetary observations:
e Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.
Starting your observations of the deep sky:
With several Galaxies, Nebulae...
Note: it will not be of any particular interest to observe a star. Essentially, stars are so far away that
when seen through a refracting telescope, they look like a simple dot!
For your rst observation, choose something easy to see: e Moon to help you get used to how the
refracting telescope works and how to use it.
To achieve the best results during your observations, heed the following advice:
Warning: During all observations, your refracting telescope must remain aligned, so you can benet
from the advantages of the equatorial mount.
In order to move the optical tube towards an object to be observed, you simply need to unscrew the
two brakes (RA) and (Dec) so that the telescope can turn freely, while the right ascension axis conti-
nues to point to the North star.
Once an object becomes visible in the instrument’s eld of view, you will simply need to slowly turn
the right ascension knob (12) to oset the rotation of the Earth throughout the observation.
• To centre an object in the refracting telescope, rst use the nderscope to locate the object that you
wish to observe. Once the object is centred in the reticle of the nderscope, it will appear in the eyepie-
ce of the instrument. (If this is not the case, it means that the nderscope is not set: see how to adjust
the nderscope) tighten the two brakes (RA) and (Dec).
• Always start an observation with a low-powered eyepiece (for example, eyepiece K 25mm)
• Once the object has been centred, you can align the poles by turning the buttons on the eyepiece
holder (20). You will note that the celestial body observed starts to slowly move within the eld of the
