ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS StarBlast 10149 User manual

Orion®StarBlast™62mm
Compact Travel Refractor
#10149
IN 503 Rev. A 07/13
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Customer Support:
www.OrionTelescopes.com/contactus
Corporate Offices:
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

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Congratulations on your purchase of the Orion StarBlast 62CTR Telescope. The high resolution optics
in this instrument will allow you to see many amazing sights on both the ground and in space. With the
standard configuration this telescope gives magnified, correct-image views that allow easy tracking of
moving objects such as birds or objects in the night time sky. With two quality Plössl eyepieces you can
get either wide field views that are perfect for bird-watching, landscape viewing or wide field astronomy
and a high-power view that will let you zoom in on the moon or see the rings of Saturn. The StarBlast 62
assembles in seconds and is a highly portable, compact and extremely versatile telescope!
Included with the Orion StarBlast 62 Refractor:
• Carrying Case
• Starblast 62 Optical Tube assembly (The Telescope) or
OTA, with Retractable Lens Shade
• Objective Dust Cap (also called a lens cap)
• Drawtube Dust Cap
• 1/4x20 Tripod Adapter Block (installed on the bottom of the
Optical Tube Assembly)
• 20mm, 1.25" Plössl Eyepiece (26X), with dust caps
• 4mm 1.25" Plössl Eyepiece (130X), with dust caps
• 45-Degree Erecting Prism Diagonal, with dust caps
• Camera Adapter Tube
Assembly Instructions for
Viewing
1. Remove contents of the carry/shipping case.
2. Holding the telescope tube remove the lens caps on both
ends and extend the sliding lens shade from the front of
the tube (Figure 2).
The front objective dust cover simply slips off, the drawtube
dust cover also just inserts into the drawtube that moves dur-
ing focusing, but it may be held firmly in place by a thumb-
screw on the rear of the telescope. SAVE THE DUSTCAPS for
later storage of your StarBlast 62
3. Remove the dust caps from the 45 Degree Diagonal, and
insert it into the back of the telescope. Secure in place
with the Diagonal Locking Thumbscrew (Figure 3).
Figure 1. The StarBlast 62mm Compact Travel Refractor
Eyepiece locking
thumbscrew
Diagonal
locking
thumbscrew
Focus
wheel
Lens shade
Drawtube
Tripod
adapter

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The Diagonal Locking Thumbscrew may need to be loosened
to insert the Diagonal. Tighten the thumbscrew to secure the
diagonal.
4. Insert the 20mm Plössl Eyepiece into the Diagonal;
secure with the Eyepiece Locking Thumbscrew
(Figure 4).
5. Attach the assembled telescope to a photographic tripod
using the 1/4x20 receptacle on the bottom of the tripod
(Figure 5).
The tripod is optional with the StarBlast 62. Orion offers the
Paragon and the VersiGo tripods that are excellent choices to
securely mount this telescope.
The StarBlast 62 tripod block will also fit “Vixen style” dove-
tail mounting systems. The tripod adapter block simply slides
into the groove on the top of a mount with a “Vixen Dovetail”
and the screw on the side of the doetail adapter on the mount,
locks the telescope into place. The StarBlast 62 will also fit
WARNING: Do NOT look at the Sun without a
professionally made solar filter on the telescope;
serious eye damage may result if you look at the
Sun with any unfiltered optical instrument. Do
not leave the telescope unsupervised around
children. Always cover the lenses when leaving the
telescope in direct sunlight.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.

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nicely on the motorized StarBlast AutoTracker Mount (for auto-
matic tracking of objects in the night sky), and the AZ4 mount
with slow motion controls (both of which have vixen dovetail
mounting systems). (Figure 6)
6. Point the telescope at a target and focus! Focusing the
telescope is accomplished by simple turning the large
silver focus wheels on either side of the back of the
telescope (Figure 7).
We suggest that you practice during the daytime to get a feel
for how to point and focus your new telescope. With low power,
aiming is simply done by sighting along the tube. The back end
of the telescope has set screws that cover mounting holes for
an optional dovetail mount for a finderscope. For astronomy,
the Orion Red Dot finder is an effective and inexpensive option.
Changing the
Telescope’s Power
To switch to the higher power, loosen the eyepiece thumb-
screw and remove the 20mm Plössl. Replace the dust caps on
the eyepiece and put it in the case for safe storage. Remove
the 4mm eyepiece and place it in the diagonal, focus.
The StarBlast 62 uses standard 1.25-inch (1.25") diameter
eyepieces (also called oculars). The next most popular size
is 2" eyepieces, but these are too large to fit this telescope.
Inexpensive toy telescopes use 0.96" and are too small. By
changing 1.25" eyepieces, you change the power. To get the
power with any 1.25" eyepiece, divide the focal length of the
telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece (they are labeled
by a number in mm, this is the eyepiece focal length). The
StarBlast 62 has a 520 focal length; therefore, POWER = 520/
Eyepiece focal length (in mm). Using the standard 4mm eye-
piece the power is 520/4 = 130x.
Orion sells many additional, quality, 1.25"eyepieces that will
complement your telescope. Good first choices would be a 25
or 32mm wide angle eyepiece for even wider, brighter views
and the Orion 1.25" “Shorty” Barlow Lens, which doubles the
power of any 1.25" eyepieces.
NOTE: While high power might sound tempting, low pow-
ers give sharper, wider fields of view that most people
prefer. High power is usually best used only when you
are looking to see detail on the Moon or on a planet like
Jupiter or Saturn. High powers magnify the object being
viewed, but also amplify the impact of air turbulence
(what astronomers call “seeing”), so views are generally
not as sharp, but this will vary with observing conditions.
Your First Night Out,
Hints for Using Your New
Telescope
For astronomy, we suggest your first target to be a partially illu-
minated moon, around first quarter is ideal. The StarBlast 62
will allow you to see hundreds of craters and the lunar “seas.”
The Orion Learning center has star charts and maps, along
with articles on how to use a telescope.
For a good astronomical viewing experience, Orion always
recommends:
1. The “Golden Rule for Astronomy” – Seek out an
observing site as far from city lights as possible.
If you cannot get away from the city, go to a location away
from streetlights and other sources of nighttime light pollution.
Astronomical objects are very dim, and light pollution strongly
Figure 7.
Figure 6.

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impacts how much you can see through any telescope. Your
StarBlast 62 is the perfect companion to take camping! From
a “dark sky site” – a place remote from city lights where the
Milky way is visible – there are hundreds of objects that can be
found with the StarBlast 62 – See Appendix A
Even if “remote “observing is the “Golden Rule” for astronomi-
cal observing, the StarBlast 62 has high resolution, quality
optics and will be able to show you objects from near or within
a city – the moon, the planets and the brighter star clusters are
within reach of this telescope. Refer to a star chart or Orion’s
online learning center to learn where to look.
2. Start with Low Power
The 20mm low power eyepiece means the images you get
are brighter and you get a WIDE field of view, so it is much
easier to find objects with your StarBlast 62 at low power. The
bigger the number on the eyepiece the sharper and brighter
the view will be. After you locate an object in low power, switch
to the high power eyepiece to see if the view is better.
3. Don’t View through Windows
The optics in your StarBlast 62 have been polished to an accu-
racy of a millionth of an inch. Window glass is thousands of
times less accurate; by looking through a window, you are
effectively putting a “distorting warp filter” in front of your
telescope, and views will never be sharp. That said, you can
accomplish some casual daytime or lunar viewing through a
window at low power, but the view will never be sharp.
4. Take the Proper Tools with You
a. Dress warmly, if you go out in wintertime; Orion’s view
is that you can never overdress in winter – hats, gloves,
insulated shoes, layers of jackets, etc.
b. Take binoculars – they are the perfect complement to
a telescope and will help you find larger objects in the
nighttime sky or terrestrial targets on the ground. A
good general binocular for astronomy is a 10x50 size –
10 power and with 50mm diameter lenses.
c. Bring a star chart – this will help you find your way
around the night sky. Better ones, and astronomy
guidebooks will show you how to “star hop” to find faint
objects outside the solar system like star clusters and
nebula.
5. Attend a “Star Party”
d. It’s always fun to share astronomy. Larger cities have
local astronomy clubs that will tell you the best places
to observe and will hold public observing events that
can give you great tips on using a telescope and what’s
good to look at during the night (this varies during the
year!!!).
For many more tips on observing, star charts, and much more
help in using a telescope, go to www.telescope.com/community.
Photography Through the
StarBlast 62
Single Lens Reflex or SLR cameras work best with a powerful
lens like the StarBlast 62. It is simple to attach a SLR Camera:
1. Remove you camera lens and place a standard “T-Ring”
in the camera body where the lens normally goes. These
vary with camera brand and are available through Orion
or many camera stores.
2. Remove the eyepiece and diagonal from the back of the
StarBlast 62.
3. Thread on the Standard T-thread Camera Adapter
(T-Adapter) onto the back of the StarBlast 62.
4. The T-Ring in the camera body will thread onto the
t-adapter. The StarBlast is now directly coupled onto your
camera and it acts like a 520mm telephoto lens! Focus
and center your target through the camera viewfinder.
The Starblast 62 can be used with Smart Phone Cameras
and cameras that do not have removable lenses (non-“reflex”
camera, such as simple point and shoot cameras) by using
the optional Orion SteadyPix camera adapter. To use the
SteadyPix, take the 45 degree diagonal off the telescope,
place the eyepiece directly into the drawtube of the telescope
and secure it with the thumbscrew. Clamp the SteadyPix
around the back of the telescope and place your camera on
the SteadyPix. Look through the viewfinder of the camera to
focus and center the target; in this mode, the image will be
inverted through the camera viewfinder.
Taking Care of the
StarBlast 62
The StarBlast 62 is a ruggedly build quality, optical instrument;
if you don’t drop it or toss it around/handle it roughly while out
in the field it should never need service or adjustment. How to
care for the StarBlast 62:
a. Keep it clean – wipe dust from the surfaces (not the
lens) if needed.
b. Keep the lens covers on the telescope when not in use
– if you do always do this, you may never need to clean
the telescope lenses.
c. Use a lens brush and optical cleaning solution/tissue if
you get fingerprints, etc. on the lenses and they require
cleaning for sharp views. Cleaning kits are available at
better camera stores and Orion.

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Specifications
Telescope diameter: 62mm
Optical System: 4-element Refracting
telescope
Telescope Focal Length: 520mm
Eyepiece Diameter: Standard 1.25-inch
Weight (OTA Only): 3.1 Lbs.
Minimum Length (focuser
racked in, dust caps on and
Lens shade retracted):
12.75 inches
Maximum Length (Lens shade
extended, diagonal and 20mm
eyepiece installed, focus
racked all the way out):
21.25 inches
Resolution Power: 1.87" (Seconds of Arc)
Light Gathering Power: 78 times the light gathering
power of a dilated human eye
(assumes 7mm pupil size)
Limiting Visual Magnitude
(faintest star visible):
12.5
Solar Filter Size: Orion 7745, 3.68"(this filter
has a slightly oversize cap,
but can be secured onto
the front of the StarBlast 62
with the three adjusting/lock
screws on the solar filter).
Focuser: Single Speed “Crayford” Style
Appendix A – Deep Sky
Observing with the Orion
62mm CTR Telescope
The Starblast 62 is a powerful, little telescope! It will show you
all the Messier Objects (the best deep sky objects) and many
more astronomical wonders.
During the final testing of the Orion StarBlast 62 our devel-
opment team took the telescope to Deep Sky Ranch, a dark
sky site 90 miles from the San Jose, CA airport in Paicines,
California. Below is a log of objects we observed over a couple
of hours spread over two nights of testing in February of 2013.
These objects were observed without filters and the standard
20mm eyepiece (at 26 power).
Gaseous Nebulas (Emission Nebula)
• M42 (The Orion Nebula) – including splitting the trapezium
• M78
• M97
• NGC 2359 – Thor’s Helmet
• NGC 2467
• Witch Head Nebula (Reflection Nebula near the star Rigel)
• M76 – Planetary Nebula
• The Flame Nebula (Next to Zeta Orion)
• M57 (The Ring Nebula)
• M8 (The Lagoon Nebula)
• M20 (The Trifid Nebula)
• M16 (The Swan Nebula)

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• M17 (The Swan Nebula)
• M27 (The Dumbell Nebula)
• M1 – The Crab Nebula, a Supernova remnant
• The California Nebula, NGC 1499
• NGC 2174
• Flame Nebula near Zeta Orionius
• M76
• NGC 2392
• IC443 – The Jellyfish Nebula in Gemini- a Super Nova
Remnant
• Open Star Clusters
• M46
• M47
• M45 (The Pleiades)
• M44 (The Beehive)
• M41
• M35 and companion Star Cluster
• 2451 – Open
• M67
• The Double Cluster in Perseus! (NGC 869 & 884)
• M36
• M37
• M38
• NGC 2420
• NGC 2281
• Globular Star Clusters
• M92
• NGC 5139 (Omega Centauri)
• M4
• M80
• M22
• M28
• NGC 5297
• NGC 6939
• Galaxies
• M81 & M82
• M65/M66
• M108
• NGC 2903
• 2613
• M106
• NGC 3344 – Very faint, but there!
• M51
• M101
• NGC 5128
• M86
• M99 (Faint!)
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89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076
Customer Support Help Line [phone] • Day or Evening
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