Carson Optical RP-300 Telescope User Manual


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There are many conditions that may affect your ability to focus or observe
celestialobjectsclearly.
•Brightlylitareas(lightpollution)willmakeitdifculttoseefaint
objectsinthesky.Itwillalsomakeitdifcultforyoureyestoadjust
tothedark.Youshouldtryandndadarkareaandallowyoureyes
toadjusttothedarkbeforemakingobservations.Usingaredltered
ashlighttoviewchartsandyourtelescopecomponentsisrecom-
mended to preserve your night sight. The best viewing conditions
are when the sky is inky black.
•Hazyskies,pollution,cloudsandmoisturecanallaffecttheclarityof
your viewing image.
•Avoidtouchingtheeyepieceoropticaltubewhilelookingthrough
the telescope. The vibrations caused by this contact will cause the
objectyouarelookingattomove.Youshouldalsomakesurethat
the surface you place your telescope on does not vibrate or move as
thiswillalsocauseyourviewingobjecttomove.
•Youshouldavoidsettingupyourtelescopeinsidearoomlooking
through an open window. The difference in air temperatures may
result in a blurry image.
•Viewingthroughaclosedwindowmightalsoresultinadistortedim-
age due to the varying densities of window glass.
•Avoidviewingobjectsthatarelowonthehorizon.Objectsthatare
higher up in the sky will appear much sharper.
•Suddenchangesintemperaturemaycausecondensationtoappear
on the optical components of the telescope. It is best to set up your
telescopeaheadoftimeandthenwaitwhilethetelescopeadjuststo
the new temperature before using it.
CareandMaintenanceofYourTelescope:
Cleaning:
•Alwaysreplacedustcoversandlenscapswhennotinuse.Thiswill
minimize the amount of dust and debris that gets into your telescope.
•Cleaningshouldbeperformedonlyifabsolutelynecessary.Ifdust
hasbuiltupontheopticsuseasoftcamel’shairbrushorpressurized
air to gently remove it.
•Ifdewcollectsontheopticsofyourtelescopeormoisturecondenses
inside the optics, remove all accessories and place the telescope in a
dry, dust free environment and point the telescope downward. This
should help eliminate the moisture.
•Avoidtouchingthesurfaceofthemirror.
•Donotattempttotakeapartyourtelescopetocleanit.
Collimation of the Optics:
Theinternalopticsofthetelescopehavealreadybeen“collimated”or
“aligned”atthefactory.However,roughhandlingofthetelescopemay
knock the optics out of collimation, resulting in poor optical performance.
Please refer to Fig. 10 to better understand the internal layout of your
telescope. To determine if your telescope needs collimation perform the
following steps:
•Removetheeyepiece(Fig.1-3)fromthefocuser(Fig.1-2)andturn
thefocusingknob(Fig.1-4)untilthetubeisatitsinnermostposition.
•Pointthetelescopeataplainbackgroundandthenpeerthroughthe
emptyfocuser.Youshouldseeaseriesofconcentriccircles(See
Fig.11).Theoutermostcirclebeingareectionoftheprimarymir-
ror(withthreemirrorclips).Theinnercircleisthediagonalmirror,
which should be precisely centered inside the primary mirror. You
shouldseethereectionofyoureyeinthediagonalmirror.
Adjusting the Diagonal Holder:
If the telescope is properly collimated you should see the primary mirror
(SeeFig.10)andthreeclipsintheirentirety.Iftheprimarymirrorisnot
centeredproperly(SeeFig.12)youwillneedtoadjustthediagonal
mirror(SeeFig.10)tocorrectthis.Loosenthediagonalmirrorsothat
youcanmovethediagonalholder(SeeFig.10)withyourhand.Tiltthe
diagonal holder until the entire primary mirror is visible and carefully
retighten the screws to lock it into place. If necessary, turn the three screws
slightlytomakeneadjustments.
1918
Fig.10 Fig.11
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