Carson Skelescope SK-100 User manual

SKELESCOPE
REFLECTOR TELESCOPE WITH TABLE TOP TRIPOD
TM
SK-100 INSTRUCTION MANUAL



TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 2
Box Contents / Visual Key Diagram 3
Telescope Assembly 4-5
•SettingupYourTelescope
•AttachingTripodLegstoMount
•AttachingTelescopetoMount
•AttachingEyepieces
UsingtheTelescope5-7
Calculating Power 7
CareandMaintenanceofYourTelescope8
Specications8
Warnings 9
CustomerService9
WarrantyInformation9-10
Congratulations

on

your

purchase

of

a

Carson

SK-100

SkeleScopeTM

telescope.

This

telescope

features

an

easy-to-use

design

that

is

perfect

for

beginning

astronomers

looking

to

explore

the

wonders

of

outer

space

and

the

world

around

them.

Please

read

this

manual

carefully

to

ensure

that

you

assemble

and

use

your

telescope

correctly.

When

used

properly,

your

SkelescopeTM


telescope

should

provide

years

of

exciting

observations

of

space

and

terrestrial

objects

alike.
IMPORTANT:

DO

NOT

USE

YOUR

SKELESCOPETM

TELESCOPE

TO

LOOK

AT

OR

NEAR

THE

SUN!

DOING

SO

WILL

CAUSE

INSTANT
AND

PERMANENT

EYE

DAMAGE.

2

TUBELESS
OPTICAL
ASSEMBLY
ROTATE
AZIMUTH
POSITION
BOX CONTENTS

•

Tubeless

optical

assembly

•

Tabletop

tripod

with

mount

•

10mm

Kellner

eyepiece

(1.25”

O.D.)

•

25mm

Kellner

eyepiece

(1.25”

O.D.)
Please

unpack

your

telescope

carefully

and

make

sure

that

all

accessories

are

included

in

the

box.
VISUAL KEY DIAGRAM
3

TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY
Setting Up Your Telescope:
•

Carefully

remove

the

components

from

the

box.
Attaching Tripod Legs To Mount:
•
 
Twist

each

tripod

leg

into

corresponding

holes

in

mount.

Do

not

overtighten.
•

Rotate

rubber

feet

so

that

the

at

portion

is

ush

to

the

table.
Attaching Telescope To Mount:
•

Remove

altitude

lock

knob.
•

Align

top

hole

in

mount

with

screw

hole

in

mounting

bracket.

Make

sure eyepiece is pointing upward.
•

Insert

altitude

lock

knob

through

top

hole

in

mount

and

screw

into

hole

in

mounting

bracket

until

secure.

Do

not

overtighten.
4


TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY CONT.
Attaching Eyepieces:
•

Loosen

thumbscrew

in

focuser.
•

Select

an

eyepiece

and

insert

into

focuser.
•
 
Tighten

thumbscrew

to

secure

eyepiece

in

place.

Do

not

overtighten

as it may damage eyepiece.
•

Make

sure

to

loosen

thumbscrew

before

removing

eyepieces

from

focuser.
USING THE TELESCOPE
Onceyouhaveproperlyassembledyourtelescopeyouarereadyto
startusingit.Pleaserefertothevisualkeydiagramwhilereading
theseinstructions.
First,placeyourtelescopeonastablesurface.Makesureallrubber
feetontripodarerotatedsotheatsectionisushtothesurface.
•

Remove

the

rubber

dust

cover

from

the

primary

mirror

and

set

aside.
•

Insert

the

desired

eyepiece.

It

is

best

to

use

the

lowest

power

eye-piece

(the

Kellner

25mm

eyepiece)

at

rst.

This

allows

for

a

wider

eld

of

view

making

it

easier

to

locate

objects.

Once

the

viewing

object

is

visible,

focused

and

centered

in

the

eld

of

view

you

can

switch

the

eyepiece

to

the

higher

magnication.

•

T

o

locate

an

object

using

the

telescope,

rst

loosen

the

altitude

lock

knob

allowing

the

telescope

to

rotate

freely

along

both

axes.5


USING THE TELESCOPE CONT.
•

Aim

the

tubeless

optical

assembly

at

your

desired

target

by

rotating

the

azimuth

position

left

or

right.

Look

through

the

eyepiece

at

the

desired

target,

and

make

altitude

adjustments

by

moving

the

tube-less

optical

assembly

vertically

by

hand.

When

the

altitude

direction

is

aligned,

you

may

retighten

the

altitude

lock

knob.
•

Once

the

object

is

centered

in

the

eld

of

view,

turn

the

focuser

until

the

image

is

clear

and

sharp.
•

For

best

results,

position

your

eye

as

close

as

possible

to

the

eyepiece

lens.

This

is

especially

important

when

using

the

higher

power

10mm

eyepiece.
•

Replace

dust

cover

on

primary

mirror

when

not

in

use.
There

are

many

conditions

that

may

aect

your

ability

to

focus

or

observecelestialobjectsclearly.•

Brightly

lit

areas

(light

pollution)

will

make

it

dicult

to

see

faint

objects

in

the

sky.

It

will

also

make

it

di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

aect

the

clarity

of

your

viewing

image.
•

Due

to

the

tubeless

construction

of

this

telescope,

the

primary

and

secondary

mirrors

are

exposed

to

possible

dust,

debris

and

nger-prints.

Be

careful

to

avoid

touching

these

mirrors

and

exposing

them

to

excessive

debris.

Refer

to

the

Care

and

Maintenance

section

of

this

manual

for

instructions

on

how

to

clean

your

telescope.

Always

replace

the

dust

cover

over

primary

mirror

when

not

in

use.

•

Avoid

touching

the

eyepiece

or

optical

assembly

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

dierence

in

air

temperatures

may

result in a blurry image.
6





USING THE TELESCOPE CONT.
•
 
Viewing

through

a

closed

window

might

also

result

in

a

distorted

image

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.s

to

the

new

tempera-ture

before

using

it.
•

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.
CALCULATING POWER
Themagnicationofatelescopedependsonboththefocallength
ofyourtelescopeaswellastheeyepieceyouuse.Thereisasimple
formulayoucanusetodeterminethemagnicationyouareusingat
anygiventime.Simplydividethefocallengthofthetelescopebythe
focallengthoftheeyepiece.Therearetwopossiblemagnication
settingsforyourSK-100telescope:
Power

=

360mm

/

25mm

=

14.4x
Power=360mm/10mm=36x7


CARE AND MAINTENANCE
•
 
The

primary

mirror

and

secondary

mirror

must

remain

precisely

aligned

in

order

for

this

telescope

to

work

properly.

Avoid

dropping

or

jarring

the

telescope,

or

moving

the

mirrors

by

hand.

•

Always

replace

dust

covers

and

lens

caps

and

store

in

box

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.

Be

careful

to

avoid

touching

the

internal

mirrors

and

exposing

them

to

excessive

debris.

In

the

event

that

these

mirrors

become

dirty,

rst

use

compressed

air

to

remove

dust

and

debris.

If

any

debris

or

n-gerprints

remain,

use

a

soft

lens

cloth

or

cotton

balls

with

very

light

pressure

and

warm

water

to

remove

them.

A

mixture

of

water

and

dish

soap

may

be

used

to

remove

any

stubborn

debris.

Be

careful

not

to

scrub

the

surface

of

the

mirror

or

use

any

abrasive

material,

harsh

chemicals

or

solvent

as

this

may

damage

the

surface

of

the

mirror.

•

If

dew

collects

on

the

optics

of

your

telescope

or

moisture

condenses

on

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.
•

Do

not

attempt

to

take

apart

your

telescope

to

clean

it.
SPECIFICATIONS
Optical

Design:

Reector
Aperture:
 
76mm
Focal

Length:
 
360mm
Eyepiece

1:
 
Kellner

25mm
Magnication

1:

14.4x
Eyepiece

2:
 
Kellner

10mm
Magnication

2:

36x
Weight:1.3lbs.
8




WARNINGS
•

Never

use

this

telescope

to

look

directly

at

or

near

the

sun.

Viewing

the

sun

can

cause

instant

and

irreversible

eye

damage.
•

Always

supervise

children

when

using

this

telescope.
•

Do

not

leave

telescope

unattended

at

any

time.

Untrained

adults

or

children

may

not

be

familiar

with

the

correct

operating

procedure.
•

Do

not

point

the

telescope

at

the

sun

even

when

you

are

not

looking

through

it.

This

will

cause

internal

damage

to

the

telescope.
•

Handle

this

telescope

with

care.

Rough

handling

might

knock

the

internal

optical

components

out

of

alignment.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Wewillbehappytohelpyouwithanyproblemsyoumay
experiencewhileusingyourtelescope.
Pleasecallourtoll-freecustomerservicelineat1-800-967-8427.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
•ThisCarsonproductiswarrantedtobefreefromdefectsinmaterial
andworkmanshipforaperiodofoneyearfromdateofpurchase.
DuringthisperiodCarsonwill,atitsoptionandwithoutcharge,either
repairanypartorassemblyofpartsfoundtobedefectiveinmate-rialorworkmanship,orreplacethisCarsonproductwithaCarson
productofcomparablevalueandcondition,subjecttothelimitations
andexclusionsnotedherein.Thiswarrantyextendstotheoriginal
purchaseronlyandisnotassignableortransferable.Itshallnotapply
toanyproductthathasbeensubjecttomisuse,abuse,negligenceor
accident,ortoanydefectsordamagedirectlyorindirectlycausedby
theuseofunauthorizedreplacementpartsand/orserviceperformed
byunauthorizedpersonnel.Thiswarrantygivesyouspeciclegal
rights,andyoumayalsohaveotherrightswhichcouldvaryfrom
statetostate.Somestatesdonotallowlimitationsonthelifeofan
implied warranty and/or do not allow excluding or limiting incidental
orconsequentialdamages.Ifso,theabovelimitationsorexclusions
may not apply to you.
9


WARRANTY INFORMATION CONT.
•Provideproofofpurchase.Areceiptorotherdatedproofofpurchase
mustbeincludedwithmerchandisebeingreturnedforawarranty
claimtobeprocessed.Callorwriteforauthorization.Beforereturn-inganyproductforawarrantyclaim,aReturnAuthorization(RA)
numbermustbeobtained.Nomerchandisewillbeacceptedwithout
anRA,andfailuretoobtainanRAwillpreventordelayprocessing
ofthewarrantyclaim.ToobtainanRAcall631-963-5000,orwriteto
CarsonWarrantyService,20705thAvenue,RonkonkomaNY,11779
withadescriptionoftheproblem.Includeyourname,addressand
telephonenumber.Packagethereturncarefully.Shipperswillnot
reimbursefordamagesduetoinsucientpackaging,evenifthe
merchandiseisinsured.PrinttheRAnumberprominentlyonthe
topofthepackage.Prepayshipping.Insurethepackage.Senditto
CarsonWarrantyService,20705thAvenue,RonkonkomaNY,11779.
Merchandisemustbeshippedprepaid.Carsonwillnotacceptmer-chandiseC.O.D.
10