Celestron Ultima 8 User manual

8" ULTIMA®2000
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

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WARNING
Removal of the Optical Tube Assembly, the Fork Tines or the
Drive Base will disable precise alignment calibrations and void
the warranty of the telescope.
This manual is dedicated to the memory of Mark J. Coco.
Mark will be remembered by many people for his love of Astronomy and his
talent for writing. He made many contributions to Celestron as our Staff
Astronomer and Technical Writer for which we will be forever grateful. He
will be missed as a great friend and co-worker.
In sadness there is peace .... Mark is where he always loved to be..... under
the stars.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................7
WARNING: BE CAREFUL WITH SOLAR OBSERVING...................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER 2 - QUICK SETUP.........................................................................................................................................8
GETTING FAMILIAR - INDOOR USE..........................................................................................................................................8
How to scroll through the Main Menu List........................................................................................................................8
How to Enter into a Menu Item and Return to the Main Menu List...................................................................................9
How to Slew the Telescope.................................................................................................................................................9
USING THE TELESCOPE UNDER THE NIGHT SKY ...................................................................................................................10
Two Star Alignment..........................................................................................................................................................10
Turning Tracking On .......................................................................................................................................................11
Finding Objects................................................................................................................................................................11
CHAPTER 3 - ASSEMBLING YOUR ULTIMA 2000 ................................................................................................13
SETTING UP THE TRIPOD.......................................................................................................................................................13
ADJUSTING THE TRIPOD HEIGHT...........................................................................................................................................14
ATTACHING THE TELESCOPE TO THE TRIPOD........................................................................................................................15
INSTALLING THE FINDER.......................................................................................................................................................16
Attaching the Finderscope Bracket to the Telescope.......................................................................................................16
Attaching the Finder to the Bracket.................................................................................................................................17
FOCUSING THE FINDERSCOPE AND RETICLE..........................................................................................................................18
ALIGNING THE FINDERSCOPE ................................................................................................................................................18
ATTACHING THE VISUAL BACK.............................................................................................................................................19
ATTACHING THE STAR DIAGONAL.........................................................................................................................................19
ATTACHING THE EYEPIECE ...................................................................................................................................................19
BALANCING THE TELESCOPE.................................................................................................................................................20
ADJUSTING THE CLUTCHES ...................................................................................................................................................22
Altitude clutch..................................................................................................................................................................22
Azimuth clutch..................................................................................................................................................................23
ATTACHING AN EQUATORIAL WEDGE TO THE TRIPOD ..........................................................................................................24
ATTACHING THE ULTIMA 2000 TO A WEDGE........................................................................................................................25
INSERTING THE BATTERIES ...................................................................................................................................................25
STORING YOUR ULTIMA 2000...............................................................................................................................................26
CHAPTER 4 - HAND CONTROL AND DRIVE BASE ..............................................................................................27
BUTTONS FOR THE HAND CONTROL......................................................................................................................................27
Control Buttons................................................................................................................................................................28
Diamond Buttons .............................................................................................................................................................28
MAIN MENU .........................................................................................................................................................................28
COMMAND TREE ..............................................................................................................................................................27
NAVIGATING THROUGH THE MENU .......................................................................................................................................30
Scrolling Through the Menu............................................................................................................................................30
Entering and Exiting a Menu...........................................................................................................................................30
Looking Up a Messier Object ..........................................................................................................................................31
DESCRIPTION OF EACH MENU ...............................................................................................................................................32
Menu ALIGN....................................................................................................................................................................32
Menu GO TO...................................................................................................................................................................33
Menu CATALOG..............................................................................................................................................................33
Menu POSITION..............................................................................................................................................................37
Menu IDENTIFY..............................................................................................................................................................38
Menu TIMER....................................................................................................................................................................38
Menu SETUP ...................................................................................................................................................................38
Menu TOUR.....................................................................................................................................................................44
BRIGHTNESS SETTING ...........................................................................................................................................................45

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SLEWING SPEED SETTING......................................................................................................................................................45
DRIVE BASE......................................................................................................................................................................46
CHAPTER 5 - TELESCOPE BASICS...........................................................................................................................47
THE SCHMIDT-CASSEGRAIN SYSTEM....................................................................................................................................47
IMAGE ORIENTATION ............................................................................................................................................................48
YOUR FIRST LOOK................................................................................................................................................................49
Daytime Observing ..........................................................................................................................................................50
CALCULATING MAGNIFICATION ............................................................................................................................................50
DETERMINING FIELD OF VIEW...............................................................................................................................................50
GENERAL OBSERVING HINTS ................................................................................................................................................51
GENERAL PHOTOGRAPHY HINTS...........................................................................................................................................51
CHAPTER 6 - ASTRONOMY BASICS........................................................................................................................52
THE CELESTIAL COORDINATE SYSTEM .................................................................................................................................52
MOTION OF THE STARS .........................................................................................................................................................53
POLAR ALIGNMENT (WITH WEDGE)......................................................................................................................................54
Finding the Pole...............................................................................................................................................................55
Latitude Scales.................................................................................................................................................................56
Pointing at Polaris...........................................................................................................................................................57
Declination Drift..............................................................................................................................................................58
The 7x50mm Finder.........................................................................................................................................................58
CHAPTER 7 - PROCEDURES ......................................................................................................................................60
DRIVE SYSTEM .....................................................................................................................................................................60
Turning the Tracking On and Off ....................................................................................................................................60
Changing Slewing Speeds (Button Speed ON).................................................................................................................61
Changing Slewing Speeds (Button Speed OFF)...............................................................................................................61
Saving Power...................................................................................................................................................................62
Determining the Altitude Backlash Compensation ..........................................................................................................63
Finding 90º Declination for Polar Alignment..................................................................................................................63
ALIGNMENT ..........................................................................................................................................................................65
SKY - Two Star Alignment ...............................................................................................................................................65
EQ North - Polar Aligned, one star alignment................................................................................................................65
SKY - Updating Alignment...............................................................................................................................................66
CHANGE - Changing Alignment Stars............................................................................................................................66
SKY - One Star Alignment................................................................................................................................................67
EARTH - Terrestrial Alignment.......................................................................................................................................69
EARTH - Terrestrial Alignment to User Defined NEW Objects.......................................................................................70
Finding 90º Declination for Polar Alignment..................................................................................................................71
POINTING ..............................................................................................................................................................................72
GO TO Command ............................................................................................................................................................72
Increasing Pointing Accuracy using Enhanced Encoder Resolution - EER....................................................................72
Precise Pointing - Relative Command.............................................................................................................................73
CHAPTER 8 - CELESTIAL OBSERVING ..................................................................................................................74
OBSERVING THE MOON.........................................................................................................................................................74
Lunar Observing Hints.....................................................................................................................................................74
OBSERVING THE PLANETS.....................................................................................................................................................74
Planetary Observing Hints...............................................................................................................................................74
OBSERVING THE SUN ............................................................................................................................................................74
Solar Observing Hints......................................................................................................................................................75
OBSERVING DEEP SKY OBJECTS...........................................................................................................................................75
SEEING CONDITIONS .............................................................................................................................................................75
Transparency ...................................................................................................................................................................75
Sky Illumination...............................................................................................................................................................75
Seeing...............................................................................................................................................................................76

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CHAPTER 9 - PHOTOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................................77
CELESTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................................77
SHORT EXPOSURE PRIME FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................77
PIGGYBACK PHOTOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................................................79
EYEPIECE PROJECTION..........................................................................................................................................................80
Effective Focal Length.....................................................................................................................................................81
Effective Magnification....................................................................................................................................................81
Effective f# or f-ratio........................................................................................................................................................82
LONG EXPOSURE PRIME FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................82
CCD IMAGING...................................................................................................................................................................84
Fastar Lens Assembly Option -- Using your Ultima 2000 telescope at f/1.95 with optional PixCel CCD Camera........84
Description of F-numbers................................................................................................................................................85
FASTAR CONFIGURATIONS....................................................................................................................................................86
Imaging at f/1.95..............................................................................................................................................................86
Imaging at f/6.3 (Medium size to small galaxies) ............................................................................................................86
Imaging at f/10 (Lunar or small planetary nebulae)........................................................................................................87
Imaging at f/20 (Planetary or lunar) ...............................................................................................................................87
CHAPTER 10 - TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE.........................................................................................................90
CARE AND CLEANING OF THE OPTICS....................................................................................................................................90
COLLIMATION .......................................................................................................................................................................90
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES ...........................................................................................................................................92
APPENDIX A - DATA BASE STAR INFORMATION...............................................................................................96
ALIGNMENT STAR LIST .........................................................................................................................................................96
CONSTELLATION ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................................................97
LIST OF NAMED OBJECT CATALOG .......................................................................................................................................98
APPENDIX B - ULTIMA 2000 COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL.........................................................................99
APPENDIX C - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS...................................................................................................102
APPENDIX D - CCD AUTOGUIDE PIN OUT ..........................................................................................................105
APPENDIX E - OPERATION TIPS............................................................................................................................106
Setting the backlash compensations for an auto guider.................................................................................................106
Viewing near the zenith in Alt-Az...................................................................................................................................106
The effects of a star diagonal on pointing accuracy......................................................................................................106
Viewing objects below the horizon.................................................................................................................................107
Using Cord Wrap...........................................................................................................................................................107
Slewing Autostop............................................................................................................................................................107
GLOSSARY......................................................................................................................................................................108
THE SKY MAPS..............................................................................................................................................................112

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Altitude Clutch
Adjustment
knob
Counterweight
Finderscope
Eyepiece
Star Diagonal
Altitude
Downstop
Azimuth Downstop
Hand Control
Focus Knob
Azimuth
Clutch
Adjustment
Rod
Tube Downstop
Tripod
Scope-to-tripod
bolt

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CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of a Celestron Ultima 2000! The Ultima 2000 ushers in a whole new generation of
computer automated technology. Simple and friendly to use, the Ultima 2000 is up and running after locating just two
alignment stars. And then the fun begins. Start off with our built-in Sky Tour package or begin to observe any of the over
10,000 objects in the standard data base. The Ultima 2000 will unfold for you and your friends the wonders of the
planets, stars and galaxies. You may even discover and track your own comet!
Many of the standard features of the Ultima 2000 have never been available previously:
•Incredible 10°/second (or faster) slewing speed;
•Fully enclosed optical encoders for position location - you can manually move the telescope and it will still know its
location;
•Precision worm drive on both axes;
•Radical and innovative new fork mount;
•Extremely low power consumption - runs off 8 AA batteries for 20 hours under normal usage;
•CCD compatible, auto-guider ready;
•RS-232 port allows use of PC’s; and
•Many other high performance features!
The Ultima 2000’s deluxe features combine with Celestron’s legendary Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system to give
amateur astronomers the most sophisticated visual and photographic telescope available on the market today.
Take time to read through this manual before embarking on your journey through the universe. It may take a few
observing sessions to become familiar with your Ultima 2000. The laminated summary sheet has a very useful diagram
that will demonstrate access to the different menus of operation. Also, you should keep this manual handy until you have
fully mastered your telescope’s operation.
Your Ultima 2000 telescope is designed to give you years of fun and rewarding observations. However, there are a few
things to consider before using your telescope that will ensure your safety and protect your equipment.
Warning: Be careful with solar observing
Never look directly at the sun with the naked eye or with a telescope (unless you have the proper solar filter).
Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.
Never use your telescope to project an image of the sun onto any surface. Internal heat build-up can damage the telescope
and any accessories attached to it.
Never use an eyepiece solar filter or a Herschel wedge. Internal heat build-up inside the telescope can cause these devices
to crack or break, allowing unfiltered sunlight to pass through to the eye.
Never leave the telescope unsupervised, either when children are present or adults who may not be familiar with the
correct operating procedures of your telescope.
Never point your telescope at the sun unless you have the proper solar filter. When using your telescope with the correct
solar filter, always cover the finderscope. Although small in aperture, the finderscope has enough light gathering power to
cause permanent and irreversible eye damage. In addition, the image projected by the finderscope is hot enough to burn
skin or clothing.

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CHAPTER 2 - QUICK SETUP
This section is intended to help the new user get the Ultima 2000 up and running, in the altazimuth configuration,
immediately after assembly. To assemble the telescope, refer to the chapter entitled “Assembling your Ultima 2000”.
There are two steps required to become familiar with the Ultima 2000’s operations. First, use the telescope indoors to get
acquainted with all the controls and second, use the telescope under the night sky to find objects. This section covers
both.
Getting Familiar - Indoor Use
This section will show you how to navigate through the user interface of the Ultima 2000. The interface has four buttons
that allow you to run the Ultima 2000 hand control software. One is the MENU button which will bring you back to the
main menu. The other three are the control buttons named ENTER, UP, and DOWN. The control buttons can act on any
item that is blinking on the display screen. When you turn the telescope on, the first screen that appears is MENU
ALIGN. You will notice the “A” in ALIGN is blinking. This indicates that you can use the control buttons on this item
(Note : In this document, bold text represents a blinking character on the display). This section will also show you how to
Slew the telescope.
How to scroll through the Main Menu List.
Here is an example that illustrates how to scroll through the different items of the main menu. There are eight items in all.
A detailed description of each item is discussed later.
ACTION NOTES DISPLAY
Turn on the telescope The telescope always starts off at the
ALIGN menu. MENU
ALIGN
Press the button labeled DOWN Scrolling to different items in the
main menu. MENU
GO TO
Press the button labeled DOWN Scrolling to different items in the
main menu. MENU
CATALOG
Press the button labeled DOWN 4 times Scrolling to different items in the
main menu. MENU
SETUP
Press the button labeled UP 6 times Scrolling back to the original item MENU
ALIGN

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How to Enter into a Menu Item and Return to the Main Menu List
The blinking letter indicates that the item can be “acted on” by any of the three control buttons (ENTER, UP, DOWN). In
this section we will illustrate how to enter into a menu item and how to get back out to the main menu.
ACTION NOTES DISPLAY
Turn on the telescope and scroll to
MENU CATALOG MENU
CATALOG
Press the button labeled ENTER Entered into the CATALOG menu.
The “S” is blinking so we can press
ENTER or UP/DOWN
NAMED
STAR
Press the button labeled ENTER Entered into a list of named stars.
Scroll UP or DOWN to find other
stars.
0138-572
ACHERNAR
Press the button labeled DOWN 12 times Scrolled to a star named Betelgeuse. 0555+074
BETELGEU
Press the button labeled ENTER A list of information on the star
scrolls by and an option to go to the
object appears. Wait 5 seconds and
the screen returns to the previous
screen.
GO TO
(scrolling list of
information)
Press the button labeled MENU Returned to the main menu. MENU
CATALOG
How to Slew the Telescope
This section uses the direction buttons that control the motors. These are the four buttons laid out in a diamond pattern
underneath the control buttons. They will be referred to as the Diamond buttons. It is nice to see the telescope slew when
getting familiar with the operation of the telescope. It turns out, that when observing, the slew function is almost never
used because it is more convenient to move the telescope by hand. This is true for first time users as well as established
amateurs. Here is how to slew the telescope:
ACTION NOTES DISPLAY
Turn the Telescope ON
(For simplicity, if the telescope is already
on, cycle power{turn off then on}.)
MENU
ALIGN (if you just
turned the scope on.)
Press the right Diamond button. The telescope moves at center speed
in the westerly or clockwise
direction.
SPEED
CENTER
While holding the right Diamond button
Press the UP button once Now the default speed is set to finder rate (2º per second) SPEED
FINDER
Let go of the Diamond button The telescope stops moving and the
display returns to its last Menu
location.
MENU
ALIGN
Press any Diamond button The telescope moves at finder rate.
You will need to balance the
telescope to get it to move in Altitude
(Up/Down) smoothly.
SPEED
FINDER
Press the right Diamond button then while
holding down the right button, press the left
diamond button.
The telescope moves at slew speed
(>10º per second) SPEED
FINDER

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To get the telescope to slew, set the SPEED to FINDER using the above procedure. Hold down the Diamond button
corresponding to the direction you want the telescope to slew, then press the opposite button to reach the slew rate.
Using the Telescope Under the Night Sky
The purpose of this section is to get the telescope aligned and tracking under the stars as soon as possible. You need to
have the telescope assembled and on the tripod to utilize this quick setup section. You also need to balance the telescope.
See the section Balancing the Telescope in the Chapter 3.
Two Star Alignment
ACTION NOTES DISPLAY
Turn the telescope ON
Turn the hand control ON The telescope always starts off at the ALIGN menu. MENU
ALIGN
Press ENTER Entered into the ALIGN menu and
the message “INITIALIZING”
scrolls across followed by the prompt
to set the azimuth downstop.
SET FORK
TO ZERO
Move the telescope to its downstop
positions in both Alt and Az. (See the
Chapter on the Hand Control, Menu Setup
Press ENTER
Initialized the encoder downstop
position for azimuth. TUBE TO
DOWNSTOP
Press ENTER Initialized the encoder downstop
position for altitude. SKY
ACHERNAR
Press ENTER Entered into the star list catalog. NEW OBJ
ACHERNAR
Use the UP/DOWN buttons to scroll
through the list of alignment stars.
(example: ALTAIR - press DOWN nine
times)
Scrolled to first alignment star. NEW OBJ
ALTAIR
Move and center telescope on alignment
star and press ENTER Aligned the Ultima 2000 to first alignment star.
NOTE: Move the scope by hand and
center with the diamond buttons)
SKY
ALTAIR
Press ENTER Entered back in star list NEW OBJ
ALTAIR
Use the UP/DOWN buttons to scroll to a
second alignment star.
(example Deneb - Press DOWN 7 times)
Scrolled to second alignment star. NEW OBJ
DENEB
Move and center telescope on alignment
star and press ENTER Aligned to second star and the warp error message displays briefly. An
error of less than 0.5 is desirable.
NEW OBJ
W=(<.5)
A few seconds pass Display returns to the SKY screen
after a few seconds. SKY
DENEB
Press MENU Returns you to the ALIGN Menu. MENU
ALIGN
Note: Even with the tracking motors off, the telescope still keeps track of the passage of sidereal time.

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Turning Tracking On
To turn tracking on or off, start at the SETUP menu. The instructions below will start there. Here is how to do it:
ACTION NOTES DISPLAY
Get to the SETUP menu. MENU
SETUP
Press ENTER Speed could be at FINDER, PHOTO,
or 2 X SDRL. It defaults to the last
setting used.
SPEED
CENTER
(will be at the last
setting)
Press DOWN Scrolls through the different setup
functions. TRACKING
OFF
Press ENTER Moves the cursor to “O” of OFF.
This makes it possible to change the
tracking state of the telescope.
TRACKING
OFF
Press DOWN Set the telescope motors to track in
Alt-Az rates. If the scope is on a
wedge, then set tracking to EQ
NORTH or EQ SOUTH.
TRACKING
ALT AZM
Press MENU Returns to main menu. MENU
SETUP
Finding Objects
To use this section, the telescope has to be aligned to the sky. See the previous reference section. This quick reference
will show you how to find stars, Messier objects and Planets. For more information, see the Section “Menu Catalog” in
Chapter 5.
ACTION NOTES DISPLAY
Go to the CATALOG Menu MENU
CATALOG
Press ENTER Enter the Named star list in the
Catalog menu. NAMED
STAR
Press ENTER and UP/DOWN to find a
star that is up. example, Arcturus
Press Down 11 times
1416+191
ARCTURUS
(example star)
Press ENTER, wait 1/2 second and press
ENTER again. The telescope will slew to the object. 1416+191
ARCTURUS
(example star)
Find Messier Objects
Press MENU, press ENTER, press UP four
times Returned to the Menu Catalog, enter
the Menu Catalog, and scroll through
the different catalogs until the
Messier catalog comes up.
M001
Choose a Messier object that is up.
Consult a star atlas. example: M13
Press ENTER two times
The second zero is blinking. Use the
UP/DOWN arrows to change it. M 001
Press UP M 011
Press ENTER and then UP two times M 013
Press ENTER, wait 1/2 second and press
ENTER again. The telescope slews to the chosen Messier object GO TO
SLEWING

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Find Planets
Press MENU, press ENTER, press the UP
or DOWN buttons until the display reads... Scroll though the different CATALOGS SOLAR
SYSTEM
Press ENTER The last date entered shows in the
display. 02-17-97
for the example date of 3-18-97
Press ENTER and press the UP Arrow
once
Change the month from Feb. to
March. 03-17-97
Press ENTER twice and press UP once. Change the date. 03-18-97
Press ENTER three times 2320-066
MERCURY
Use the UP/DOWN arrows to chose the
desired planet. example VENUS
Press UP once
Venus is selected from the database 0240+178
VENUS
Press ENTER, wait 1/2 second and press
ENTER again. The telescope slews to Venus GO TO
SLEWING

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CHAPTER 3 - ASSEMBLING YOUR ULTIMA 2000
The Ultima 2000 is a sophisticated computerized telescope with the GO TO function. The Ultima 2000 can be used in
either Altazimuth mode or Equatorial mode (optional wedge #93655 is required). In addition, the Ultima comes standard
with Starbright®coatings, an enhanced multi-layer coating on the primary and secondary mirrors for increased reflectivity.
Also, the corrector plate is fully coated to allow maximum light transmission. The Ultima 2000 is shipped in three boxes.
One contains the telescope, one contains the tripod and the third contains the standard accessories, which are:
•26mm Plössl Ocular 1-1/4"
•Visual Back 1-1/4"
•Star Diagonal, Prism 1-1/4"
•7x50mm Finderscope with Bracket
•Lens Cap
•Standard counterweights (1 sliding weight, four small weights)
•no tool bolts for attaching the telescope to the tripod
•bolts for attaching the telescope to the optional wedge
•diameter rod for azimuth clutch adjustment
The Ultima telescope should be set up indoors the first time so that it is easy to identify the various parts and familiarize
yourself with the correct assembly procedure before attempting it outdoors.
Remove the tripod and telescope from their respective boxes. Remove all the accessories as well. Save the boxes since
you may want to ship your telescope at some time in the future.
Setting Up the Tripod
For maximum rigidity, the Celestron field tripod has a leg support bracket. This bracket fits snugly against the tripod legs,
increasing stability while reducing vibration and flexure. However, the tripod is shipped with each arm of the leg support
bracket in between the legs so the tripod legs can collapse. To set up the tripod:
1. Hold the tripod with the head up and the legs pointed toward the ground.
2. Pull the legs away from the central column until they will not separate any further. A small stop on the top of each
tripod leg presses against the tripod head to indicate maximum separation.
3. Rotate the tension knob (located underneath the support bracket on the central column) clockwise until it is close to
the bottom of the central column.
4. Turn the leg support bracket until the cups on the end of each bracket are directly underneath each leg.
5. Rotate the tension knob clockwise until the bracket is secure against the tripod legs. Do not over tighten.

14
The tripod will now stand by itself. Once the wedge and/or telescope are attached to the tripod, readjust the tension knob
to ensure that the leg support bracket is snug. Once again, do not over tighten!
Figure 3-1 The field tripod completely set up.
Adjusting the Tripod Height
The tripod that comes with your Ultima 2000 telescope is adjustable. To adjust the height at which the tripod stands:
1. Loosen the extension clamp on one of the tripod legs (see figure 3-2).
2. Extend the leg to the desired height.
3. Tighten the extension clamp to hold the leg in place.
4. Repeat this process for each of the remaining legs.
You can do this while the tripod legs are still folded together.
Remember that the higher the tripod legs are extended, the less stable it is. For casual observing, this may not pose a
problem. However, if you plan on doing photography, the tripod should be set low to ensure stability. A recommended
height is to set the tripod in such a manner that you can look directly into the eyepiece on the telescope with a diagonal
while seated.
Figure 3-2
To adjust the height, loosen the extension clamps and slide the tripod legs to the desired height.
Do not loosen the leg clamps with the telescope on the tripod.

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Attaching the Telescope to the Tripod
The telescope is fully assembled and ready to attach directly to a tripod or to an optional equatorial wedge. To attach the
telescope to the tripod:
1. Align the center hole on the bottom of the telescope with the center post on the tripod. Lower the
telescope onto the tripod.
2. Rotate the drive base on the tripod in order to line up the three holes of the telescope drive base
with the three holes of the tripod head. The larger holes in the tripod head are for the extended
screws that attach the bolts to the tripod directly (see Figure 3-3b).
3. Insert the three extended screws into the bottom of the tripod head through the three holes.
4. Thread the three extended screws into the holes until tight (see Figure 3-3b).
5. Tighten the bolts until the telescope is secure.
Figure 3-3a

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Figure 3-3b: Top view of the tripod head. Place the Ultima 2000 on top of the tripod. Use the open holes to mount
the Ultima 2000 to the tripod.
Installing the Finder
The finderscope is used to help you locate and center objects in the main field of your telescope. To start, remove the
finder and hardware from the plastic wrapper. Included are the following:
•7x50mm Finderscope
•Finder Bracket
•Rubber O-ring
•Three Nylon-Tipped Thumbscrews (10-24x1/2”)
•Two Phillips Head Screws (8-32x1/2”)
Mounting the finderscope and bracket is a two step process; first mount the bracket to the telescope, then mount the
finderscope in the bracket.
Attaching the Finderscope Bracket to the Telescope
1. Find the two holes in the rear cell of the telescope (see Figure 3-4).
2. Remove the tape covering the two holes. The tape is there to prevent dust and moisture from
entering the optical tube before installing the finder bracket.
3. Place the finder bracket over the holes. The bracket should be oriented so that the ring with the
holes for the adjustment screws is closer to the rear cell of the telescope .
4. Thread the screws in by hand and then tighten fully.
WARNING: If you remove the finderscope, do not thread the screws back into the rear cell of the telescope. The screws
are long enough to obstruct the movement of, and possibly chip the primary mirror.

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Attaching the Finder to the Bracket
With the bracket firmly attached to the telescope, you are ready to attach the finder to the bracket. See Figure 3-4 for a
visual aide.
1. Thread the three nylon screws into the front ring of the finder bracket. Tighten the screws until the nylon heads are
flush with the inner diameter of the bracket ring. Do NOT thread them in completely or they will interfere with the
placement of the finder.
2. Slide the O-Ring over the back of the finder (it may need to be stretched a little).
3. Position the O-Ring on the main body of the finder so that it is toward the front (i.e., objective) end of the finder.
4. Slide the end of the finder where the eyepiece mounts into the front of the bracket. Push it back until the end of the
finder, where the eyepiece attaches, is past the back ring of the bracket , but NOT so far that the O-Ring is snug inside
the back ring.
5. Slide the O-Ring toward the back(i.e., eyepiece end) of the finder.
6. Push the finder back until the O-Ring is snug inside the back ring of the finder bracket.
7. It may be necessary to push the O-ring into the bracket recess with the tip of one of the set screws.
8. Hand tighten the three nylon-tipped thumbscrews until snug.
N
y
lonScrew
s
Figure 3-4

18
Focusing the Finderscope and Reticle
The finderscope can be focused by loosening the locking ring, on the front of the finder, then rotate the front cell. When
you have reached the desired focus, turn the locking ring so it pushes against the front cell. This locks the focus. See
Figure 3-5.
To focus the reticle, rotate the eyepiece
Figure 3-5
Aligning the Finderscope
The Ultima 2000 comes with a 7x50mm finderscope. The finderscope is designed to help you find alignment stars and for
terrestrial use of a wide field. The first number used to describe the finderscope is the power. The second number is the
diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. So the 7x50 finderscope is 7 power and has a 50mm objective lens.
Incidentally, power is always compared to the unaided human eye. So, a 7 power finderscope magnifies images seven
times more than the human eye.
To make things a little easier, you should align the finderscope during the day when it is easier to locate objects. To align
the finderscope:
1. There is no need to turn on the telescope for this procedure.
2. Choose a conspicuous object that is over 500 yards away. This will eliminate any possible parallax effect.
3. Point your telescope at the target and center it in the eyepiece of the telescope.
4. Check the finderscope to see where the object is located in the field of view.
5. Adjust the screws on the finder bracket, tightening one while loosening another, until the cross hairs are centered on
the target.
6. Tighten each screw an additional quarter of a turn until you are sure they will not come loose easily.
Accurate alignment of the finderscope will make it much easier to find objects in the main optical tube.

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Attaching the Visual Back
The visual back allows you to attach most visual accessories to the telescope (see Figure 3-7). To attach the visual back:
•Remove the rubber cover on the rear cell.
•Place the knurled slip ring on the visual back over the threads on the rear cell.
•Tighten by rotating the slip ring clockwise until tight.
Once this is done you are ready to attach other accessories such as eyepieces, diagonal prisms, etc.
If you want to remove the visual back, rotate the slip ring counterclockwise until it is free of the rear cell.
Attaching the Star Diagonal
The star diagonal is a prism that diverts the light at a right angle from the light path of the telescope. For astronomical
observing, this allows you to observe in positions that are more comfortable than if you were to look straight through. To
attach the star diagonal:
1. Turn the thumbscrew on the visual back until its tip no longer extends into or obstructs the inner diameter of the
visual back.
2. Slide the chrome portion of the star diagonal into the visual back.
3. Tighten the thumbscrew on the visual back to hold the star diagonal in place.
If you wish to change the orientation of the star diagonal, loosen the thumbscrew on the visual back until the diagonal
rotates freely. Rotate the diagonal to the desired position and tighten the thumbscrew. For best results, rotate the diagonal
in the same position as you had it when you did your star alignment. This will maintain pointing accuracy.
Attaching the Eyepiece
The eyepiece, or ocular, is the optical element that magnifies the image focused by the telescope. The eyepiece fits either
into the visual back directly or into the star diagonal. To install an eyepiece into a diagonal:
1. Loosen the thumbscrews on the star diagonal so that it does not obstruct the inner diameter of the eyepiece end of the
diagonal.
2. Slide the chrome portion of the eyepiece into the star diagonal.
3. Tighten the thumbscrew on the diagonal to hold the eyepiece in place.
To remove the eyepiece, loosen the thumbscrew on the star diagonal and slide the eyepiece out.
Barrel diameter is the diameter of the barrel that slides into the star diagonal. Standard barrel diameters are .96”, 1.25”,
and 2”. The Ultima 2000 comes standard for use with 1.25” barrel eyepieces.
In addition to barrel diameter, eyepieces are also referred to in terms of their focal length. The focal length of each
eyepiece is printed on the eyepiece barrel. The longer the focal length (i.e., the larger the number), the lower the eyepiece
power and the shorter the focal length (i.e., the smaller the number), the higher the magnification. Generally, you will use
low-to-moderate power when viewing. For more information on how to determine power, see the section on “Calculating
Magnification.”

20
Figure 3-6 Figure 3-7
Image will be upside down Image will be right side up but reversed
Balancing the Telescope
Balance is a necessity for proper use of any telescope. Balancing maximizes tracking accuracy and lessens vibrations
in all telescopes. The Ultima 2000 is a precision instrument and so it is assumed that the user will balance the system.
The clutches are designed to only tighten a certain amount. This protects the precision gears driving the telescope. Heavy
stresses on the worm block assembly can cause damage.
The Ultima 2000 comes with a balance system that allows the telescope to be dynamically balanced (rotate the tube
anywhere and it remains balanced). Most balance systems sold today only balance the telescope for a range of ±10-20º.
The Ultima 2000 balance system balances the telescope for all 360º.
To balance the telescope:
1. Put all the accessories on the telescope (i.e. visual back, diagonal, eyepiece, etc....). The finderscope must be
mounted on the telescope.
2. Put the telescope in the horizontal position. See figure 3-8.
3. Hold the telescope and loosen the altitude clutch so the telescope rotates freely. (The altitude clutch is adjusted by
turning the black knob located on the side of the larger fork arm, counter clockwise loosens and clockwise tightens).
Don’t let go of the telescope; it could rotate forward quickly and strike the downstop.
4. Slide the counterweight to a position such that the telescope does not rotate when you let go of it.
5. Tighten the nylon screw on the counterweight.
The Ultima 2000 is now dynamically balanced. If the counter weight is pushed all the way forward and the telescope still
rotates up (so the front of the tube points up), then additional weights are needed. There are 4 accessory weights provided
with the telescope and more optional weights are available through Celestron. The weights are small steel disks with a
threaded hole on one side and a threaded rod on the other. This way the weights can be attached to each other. To add the
extra weights:
1. Remove the screw on the top of the front cell of the telescope, near the Starbright Coatings Sticker.
2. Attach two of the weights to the front cell via the threads.