ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS 7330 User manual

Orion Polar Axis Scope
for Atlas EQ-G,
Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G,
and SkyView Pro Mounts
#7330
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
IN 528 Rev. A 05/14
Customer Support:
www.OrionTelescopes.com/contactus
Corporate Offices:
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Copyright © 2014 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents
may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written
consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.

2 3
This polar axis scope is compatible with select Orion equatorial mounts and is
designed to provide quick, accurate polar alignment of the mount to the Earth’s
rotational axis for observing or imaging applications. The polar scope is compat-
ible with Orion Atlas Pro, Atlas EQ-G, and SkyView Pro mounts.
Familiarize yourself with the various parts of the polar scope by referring to
Figure 1.
To install the polar scope, insert it into the hole in the back of the RA axis housing
and thread the polar scope into the housing until tight. Make sure the cap on the
front of the mount, on the Declination axis housing, is removed and the telescope
is rotated about the Declination axis so that the through-hole in the Declination
shaft is facing forward.
The Polar Scope Reticle
When you look into the polar scope you will see a star pattern, which is printed
on a transparent reticle inside the scope (Figure 2). The reticle has representa-
tions of the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and the north celestial pole (NCP). The circle
around the cross represents the offset of the North Star, Polaris, from the actual
North Celestial Pole.
If the reticle image appears blurry, rotate the knurled eyepiece (reticle) focusing
ring of the polar scope’s eyepiece to focus it.
Alignment of the Polar Scope
Before you use the polar scope for polar alignment, it is important to make sure
it is aligned with the mechanical axis of the telescope’s R.A. axis.
1. Choose a fixed object (Polaris at night, or a far-away object in daytime).
Move the tripod and use the two azimuth adjustment knobs and the latitude
jackscrew to point the mount so that the object is centered on the cross in
the middle of the reticle. Since you’re going to be rotating the mount 180°,
you might want to start with the counterweight shaft oriented horizontally
(parallel to the ground). For best results, make sure your tripod is level.
2. Now loosen the R.A. clutch lever and rotate the mount 180° about the R.A.
axis as you view through the polar scope. It may be convenient to remove
the counterweights and optical tube before doing this. Then re-tighten the
R.A. clutch lever.
3. If the object remained at the center of the crosshairs after the rotation, then
no further adjustment is necessary. If it arced in a circle and landed off of the
crosshair center, then you will need to adjust the three alignment setscrews
(see Figure 1) with the supplied 1.5mm Allen key. Your goal is to move the
star or object HALFWAY back toward the center of the cross (Figure 3).
NOTE: When adjusting the Allen screws, loosen one screw only ¼ of a turn, and
then lightly tighten the other two. If the star or object didn’t move in the desired
direction, try loosening a different setscrew. Each time you loosen one setscrew,
make sure to tighten one or both of the others.
Do not over-tighten the setscrews; it might damage the reticle plate in the polar
scope. Do not loosen one setscrew completely or loosen more than one setscrew
at a time; otherwise, the pattern plate in the polar scope may become disengaged
and further adjustment will be impossible. If the reticle plate does disengage,
remove the polar scope’s eyepiece by turning the knurled ring counterclockwise,
and then engage the reticle plate again.
WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or with a
telescope – unless you have a proper solar filter installed over the front of
the telescope! Otherwise, permanent, irreversible eye damage may result.
If Polaris drifted to here ...
... place Polaris here.
(half the distance)
Figure 1. Parts of the Polar Axis Finder Scope Figure 2. The reticle’s graphic shows
you where to place Polaris relative to the
North Celestial Pole (NCP) at any given
time of night.
Figure 3. If Polaris doesn’t stay centered
when the R.A. axis is rotated 180 degrees,
adjust the three small Allen setscrews to
move it halfway back to center.
Eyepiece
focus ring
Alignment
setscrews (x3)
Objective
tube lock ring
Objective
tube
Objective
lens

4 5
4. Now re-center the object on the crosshairs as you did in Step 1, then repeat
Steps 2 and 3.
5. Repeat this procedure as needed until the star or object does not rotate off-
center when the mount is rotated in R.A. The polar axis finder scope is then
ready to use for polar alignment. When not in use, replace the plastic cover
over the polar scope (if your mount has such a cover) to prevent it from get-
ting bumped out of alignment.
Polar Alignment Using the Polar Scope
To polar-align the mount using the polar axis finder scope, follow these steps:
1. Move the tripod so the telescope tube and right ascension axis point roughly
at Polaris. If you cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site, consult
a compass and rotate the tripod so the telescope points north.
2. Remove the cap on the front opening of the equatorial mount. Now, sight
Polaris in the polar axis finder scope. Polaris will probably be somewhere
within the field of view. If not, move the tripod left-to-right, and adjust the
latitude up and down until Polaris appears the field of view. Polaris will be the
brightest star in its immediate vicinity.
3. Note the constellation Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper in the reticle of the
polar axis finder scope. They do not appear in scale, but they indicate the
general positions of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper relative to the north
celestial pole. Rotate the reticle so the constellations depicted match their
current orientation in the sky when viewed with the naked eye. To do this,
release the R.A. lock lever and rotate the main telescope around the R.A.
axis until the reticle is oriented with sky. For larger optical tubes you may
need to remove the tube from the mount to prevent it from bumping into
the mount. Once the reticle is correctly oriented, use the R.A. lock lever to
secure the mount’s position.
4. Now use the mount’s azimuth adjustment knobs and the latitude adjustment
jackscrew to position Polaris inside the tiny circle marked “Polaris” on the
finder’s reticle. You must first loosen – very slightly only -- the knob under-
neath the equatorial mount on the center support shaft so that the mount
can rotate.
Once Polaris is properly positioned within the reticle, you are precisely polar
aligned. Retighten the knob underneath the equatorial mount. If you do not have
a clear view of Polaris from your observing site, you will not be able to use the
polar scope to precisely polar align the telescope.
NOTE: From this point on in your observing or imaging session, you should
not make any further adjustments to the azimuth or the latitude of the mount,
nor should you move the tripod. Doing so will undo the polar alignment. The
telescope should be moved only about its right ascension and declination axes.
Additional Note Regarding Focusing the Polar Scope
The polar axis finder scope is normally focused by simple rotation of the eyepiece
focus ring. However, if after adjusting the focus ring you find that the image of the
reticle is sharp but the stars are out of focus, then you must adjust the position of
the polar scope’s objective lens. To do this:
1. First remove the polar scope from the mount.
2. Look through it at a star (at night) or distant object at least 1/4 mile away
(during daylight). Use the eyepiece focus ring to bring the reticle into sharp
focus.
3. Now loosen the objective tube lock ring (see Figure 1) a turn or two by turn-
ing it counterclockwise. This will allow you to rotate the objective tube inward
or outward until “infinity” focus is achieved and the distant object appears
sharp. (You may have to loosen the lock ring even more in the process.)
Then just retighten the lock ring. Once the polar axis finder’s objective lens is
focused, it should not need to be adjusted again.
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion product is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a
period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the
original retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be
defective, provided it is returned postage paid. Proof of purchase (such as a copy of
the original receipt) is required. This warranty is only valid in the country of purchase.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused,
mishandled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives
you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights
under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights
governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.
For further warranty information, please visit www.OrionTelescopes.com/warranty.
Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
Corporate Offices: 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Customer Support: www.OrionTelescopes.com/contactus
Copyright © 2014 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents may
be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of
Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.