Orion GoScope User manual

Orion GoScope 80mm
Backpack Refractor
#52596
IN 626 08/18
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Customer Support:
www.OrionTelescopes.com/contactus
Corporate Offices:
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
Copyright © 2018 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
Included Items
Unpack all of the items and lay them out in your workspace.
Make sure all the items listed below and shown in Figure 1 are
present. Save the shipping box and packaging material. In the
unlikely event that you need to return the mount, you must use
the original packaging. Assembly of the telescope is easy and
should take only about 10 minutes.
Item List
A Backpack
B Tripod
C Optical tube
C Accessory tray and leg brace
D Red dot finder scope
E 25mm Kellner eyepiece
WARNING: NEVER look directly at the Sun
through your telescope—even for an instant—
without a professionally made solar filter that
completely covers the front of the instrument,
or permanent eye damage could result. Young
children should use this telescope only with
adult supervision.
Figure 1. Included items of the GoScope 80mm Backpack Refractor
Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion product. The GoScope 80mm Backpack Refractor is a versatile and ultra-
portable 80mm telescope designed for exploring scenic daytime vistas as well as scanning the night skies for celestial treasures.
A complete telescope with an extendable tripod, great accessories, and a padded backpack that holds everything, the “GoScope
80” makes a perfect companion for the explorer on the go.
These instructions will help you set-up, properly use, and care for your instrument. Please read them over carefully before getting
started.
A
E
B
F
C
G
D
H
I
J

3
F 10mm Plossl eyepiece
G 45-degree correct-image diagonal
H Moon filter
I MoonMap 260
J Dust cap
Assembly
1. With all items removed from the backpack (A), find the
tripod (B) and spread the legs apart. To do this, twist
the leg brace collar counterclockwise to unlock it (if it’s
not already unlocked), then push the collar downward
(Figure 2A) until the leg brace is fully extended (2B).
Then twist the collar clockwise to tighten.
2. Extend the tripod legs by flipping the lock levers open
(Figure 3), extending the legs all the way, then closing
the lock levers.
3. Referring to the pan head in Figure 4, remove the quick-
release (“QR”) plate from the pan head by releasing the
lock lever and pulling the plate out of its saddle. Then
attach the QR plate to the mounting adapter on the bottom
of the telescope optical tube (C) by threading the ¼-20”
post of the QR plate into one of the holes in the mounting
adapter (Figure 5). Use the “D-ring” under the QR plate
to tighten the post.
4. Attach the telescope optical tube to the tripod pan head by
inserting the QR plate into its saddle and press the plate
down (Figure 6). This will release the open lock lever.
Then push the lock lever to the closed position.
Now you’re ready to install the accessories, starting with the
red dot finder scope.
Figure 2. A) Spread the tripod legs and slide leg brace collar
down until it stops. B) Then twist the collar clockwise to lock the leg.
B
A
Figure 4. The GoScope 80 tripod’s pan head.
Leg brace collar Quick-release plate
Tilt lock knob
Lock lever
(for QR plate)
Pan handle
Crank
handle
Carry
handle
Bubble
level
Center
column
lock
knob
Azimuth
tension
knob
Bubble level
Leg braces
Ballast hook
Figure 5. Attach the quick-release (QR) plate to the mounting
adapter on the bottom of the telescope optical tube.
Figure 3.
Open the leg
lock flip levers to
adjust the tripod
leg height.
Leg lock
levers
1/4"-20
holes
1/4"-20
post
QR
plate
Mounting
adapter

4
5. Slide the bracket of the red dot finder scope (D) into its
base, as shown in Figure 7.
6. Install the 45-degree correct-image diagonal (G) in the
focuser and tighten the thumbscrew to secure it in place.
Then insert the 25mm eyepiece (E) in the diagonal and
secure it with the diagonal’s thumbscrew. (Figure 8).
7. The telescope is now fully assembled and should appear
as in Figure 9.
Telescope Operation
Aligning and Using the Red Dot Finder Scope
The included red dot finder scope makes pointing your tele-
scope almost as easy as pointing your finger! It’s a non-mag-
nifying aiming device that superimposes a tiny LED-illuminated
red dot on the sky, showing exactly where the telescope is
pointed. It permits easy object targeting prior to observation in
the main telescope.
Before you can use the red dot finder scope, you must remove
the tab sticking out from the battery compartment (Figure 10).
Doing so will allow the pre-installed 3V CR-2032 button cell bat-
tery to make contact with the finder scope’s electronic circuitry
to power the finder’s red LED illuminator. The tab can then be
discarded.
To use the red dot finder scope properly, it must be aligned with
the main telescope. This is easiest to do during daylight hours,
before observing at night. Follow this procedure:
1. First, remove the dust cap (J) from the front of the
telescope.
2. With the diagonal and 25mm eyepiece already in place,
point the telescope at a well-defined land target (e.g., the
top of a telephone pole) that’s at least a quarter mile away.
Center the target in the eyepiece by moving the optical
tube by hand, with the altitude and azimuth tension knobs
slightly loosened to allow easy movement in both axes),
then by turning the slow-motion cables as needed to
center the target object.
3. Now that a distant target is centered in the main
telescope’s eyepiece, turn on the red dot finder scope
by sliding the power switch to ON (refer to Figure 10).
Position your eye at a comfortable distance from the rear
of the unit. Look through the round window of the finder
scope with both eyes open to see the illuminated red
dot. The target object should appear in the field of view
somewhere near the red dot.
NOTE: This finder has two brightness settings. When the
switch is set all the way over to the ON position, the red
dot is brightest. But in between the OFF and ON positions
is a middle setting in which the red dot is dim. Typically
the dim setting is used under dark skies and the brighter
setting is used under light-polluted skies or in daylight.
4. You’ll want to center the target object on the red dot. To do
so, without moving the telescope, use the finder scope’s
vertical and horizontal adjustment knobs (shown in
Figure 10) to position the red dot on the object.
5. When the red dot is centered on the distant object, check
to make sure the object is still centered in the telescope’s
eyepiece. If it isn’t, re-center it then adjust the finder
scope’s alignment again. When the object is centered in
the telescope eyepiece and on the finder scope’s red dot,
the finder scope is properly aligned with the telescope.
The red dot finder scope’s alignment should be checked
before every observing session.
Figure 8. Install the diagonal and an eyepiece in the focuser as
shown.
Figure 6.
Press the QR
plate into
the saddle to
release the
open lock
lever, then
push it closed.
Figure 7. Slide
the red dot finder
scope’s bracket
into its base as
shown.
press
Eyepiece
Diagonal
Thumbscrews
Focus wheel
Focuser

5
At the end of your observing session, be sure to slide the power
switch on the red dot finder scope to OFF to preserve battery
life.
Using the Pan Head
The GoScope 80mm refractor features a standard “altazimuth”
pan head mount, which permits motion along two perpendicu-
lar axes: altitude (up/down) and azimuth (left/right). This makes
pointing the telescope easy and intuitive. To move the telescope
in the azimuth direction, loosen the azimuth tension knob a little
(refer to Figure 4), then take hold of the pan handle and gen-
tly move it left or right. To move the telescope in altitude, twist
the pan handle counterclockwise to allow easy motion, then
move the telescope up or down to the desired position. Then
twist the pan handle clockwise to lock that position. You may be
able to find a suitable azimuth and altitude axis tension to allow
the telescope to be moved freely without having to make any
adjustments to the tension every time you move the telescope.
The top plate of the pan head can also be tilted 90° laterally
by loosening the tilt lock knob (see Figure 4). While this fea-
ture may not be particularly useful when viewing with the tele-
scope, it can come in handy if you replaced the telescope on
the pan head with a DSLR camera, allowing quick switching
between landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) camera
orientations.
The tripod also comes equipped with a geared center column,
which provides additional height for the scope when needed.
(See Figure 11.) To extend the column, first loosen the cen-
ter column lock knob a half turn or so. Then pull the crank
handle outward and rotate it clockwise. When you reach the
desired height, retighten the lock knob. To lower the center
column, loosen the lock knob then rotate the crank handle
counterclockwise.
Eyepiece Selection
Magnification, or power, is determined by the focal length of
the telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece being used.
Therefore, by using eyepieces of different focal lengths, the
resultant magnification can be varied. It is quite common for
an observer to own five or more eyepieces to access a wide
range of magnifications. This allows the observer to choose the
best eyepiece to use depending on the object being viewed and
viewing conditions. Your GoScope 80mm refractor comes with
25mm and 10mm eyepieces, which will suffice nicely to begin
with. You can purchase additional eyepieces later if you wish to
have more magnification options.
Magnification is calculated as follows:
For example, the GoScope 80mm has a focal length of 400mm,
which when used with the supplied 25mm eyepiece yields:
Figure 9. The
fully assembled
GoScope 80mm
Backpack
Refractor.
Figure 10. The red dot finder scope has vertical and (inset)
horizontal adjustment knobs for aligning it with the telescope.
Battery compartment
Power switch
Crank handle
Center
column
Lock knob
Tab
Horizontal
adjustment
knob
Opposite side
Vertical adjustment
knob
Figure 11.
Use the crank
handle to move
the geared center
column up or
down, making sure
to first loosen the
center column lock
knob a bit.
= Magnification
Telescope Focal Length (mm)
Eyepiece Focal Length (mm)
= 16x
400 mm
25 mm

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The magnification provided by the 10mm eyepiece is:
The maximum attainable magnification for a telescope is direct-
ly related to how much light it can gather. The larger the aper-
ture, the more magnification is possible. In general, a figure of
50x per inch of aperture is the maximum attainable for most
telescopes. Going beyond that will yield simply blurry, unsatis-
factory views. Your GoScope 80mm refractor has an aperture
of 80mm, or 3.1 inches, so the maximum magnification would
be about 155x (3.1 x 50). This level of magnification assumes
you have ideal atmospheric conditions for observing (which is
seldom the case).
Keep in mind that as you increase magnification, the bright-
ness of the object viewed will decrease; this is an inherent prin-
ciple of the laws of physics and cannot be avoided. If magnifi-
cation is doubled, an image appears four times dimmer. If
magnification is tripled, image brightness is reduced by a factor
of nine!
So start by using the 25mm eyepiece, then try switching to the
10mm eyepiece later if you want to boost the magnification.
Focusing the Telescope
To focus the telescope, turn the focus wheels (Figure 8) for-
ward or back until you see your target object in the eyepiece.
Then make finer adjustments until the image is sharp. If you’re
having trouble achieving initial focus, rack the focuser drawtube
all the way in using the focus wheels, then while looking into
the eyepiece slowly turn the focus wheels so that the drawtube
extends outward. Keep going until you see your target object
come into focus. Note that when you change eyepieces you
may have to adjust the focus a bit to get a sharp image with the
newly inserted eyepiece.
Terrestrial and Celestial
Viewing with the GoScope
80mm
The Orion GoScope 80mm is equipped with a 45-degree “cor-
rect-image” diagonal, which provides an upright, “normal” view.
Because of this, the GoScope is an excellent terrestrial tele-
scope for viewing Earth-based scenes during daylight hours.
More powerful than binoculars, it can get you visually “up close”
to your target for vivid, detailed views. For best results, how-
ever, DO NOT VIEW OUT WINDOWS. The glass in a window is
approximately 1000 times less accurate than the optics of your
GoScope – so it will soften your views, and things will seem to
be slightly out of focus. If you must view through a window, use
the lowest power available (and open the window!).
The GoScope 80mm also excels for nighttime viewing, enabling
you to see hundreds of craters on the Moon, Jupiter and its four
major moons, the rings of Saturn, and much more! If you take
the GoScope to a location away from city lights (the darker, the
better), you will be able to spot most of the famous “M objects,”
or Messier objects, which include open star clusters, globular
star clusters, gaseous nebulas, and even galaxies outside our
own Milky Way galaxy. You’ll need a star map or a planisphere
(the Orion Star Target plansiphere is a great one) and some
patience, but the rewards are endless.
The GoScope 80mm includes a rugged backpack for taking
the telescope, tripod, and all the included accessories with you
wherever you go (Figure 12). So get out there and enjoy the
views!
For astronomical viewing you may find that having a 90-degree
“star” diagonal positions the eyepiece at a more-comfortable
angle for viewing objects high overhead. In that case you
should consider purchasing a 90-degree star diagonal (1.25");
check the telescope.com website for current options.
Best Targets
Best night sky targets from the city:
•The Moon
•Venus
•Jupiter
•Saturn
Best targets from rural locations (everything above, plus):
• The Great Nebula in Orion – a spectacular glowing cloud
of gas in Orion’s sword; this is a “stellar maternity ward,” a
place where new stars are forming.
Figure 12. The telescope, tripod and accessories all fit inside the
rugged backpack, ready to go wherever you take it!
= 40x
400 mm
10 mm

7
• The Summer Milky Way – the GoScope is well suited
to scanning the Milky Way to “discover” dozens of star
clusters.
• The Pleiades (M45) – a bright open star cluster
• The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) – the brightest external
galaxy
• The Double Cluster in Perseus
• M11, M6 & M7 – three bright, summer star clusters
• The Beehive Cluster – A big, open star cluster in the
spring sky
• The Great Cluster in Hercules M13 – a wonderful
globular star cluster, spring & summer
• M22 – another grand globular star cluster in Sagittarius, a
summer constellation
“Seeing” and Transparency
Atmospheric conditions vary significantly from night to night.
“Seeing” refers to the steadiness of the Earth’s atmosphere at
a given time. In conditions of poor seeing, atmospheric turbu-
lence causes objects viewed through the telescope to “boil.” If
you look up at the sky and stars are twinkling noticeably, the
seeing is poor and you will be limited to viewing at lower magni-
fications. At higher magnifications, images will not focus clearly.
Fine details on the planets and Moon will likely not be visible.
In conditions of good seeing, star twinkling is minimal and imag-
es appear steady in the eyepiece. Seeing is best overhead,
worst at the horizon. Also, seeing generally gets better after
midnight, when much of the heat absorbed by the Earth during
the day has radiated off into space.
Especially important for observing faint objects is good “trans-
parency”—air free of moisture, smoke, and dust. All tend to scat-
ter light, which reduces an object’s brightness. Transparency is
judged by the magnitude of the faintest stars you can see with
the unaided eye (5th or 6th magnitude is desirable).
Cooling the Telescope
All optical instruments need time to reach “thermal equilibri-
um.” The bigger the instrument and the larger the temperature
change, the more time is needed. Allow at least 30 minutes for
your telescope to acclimate to the temperature outdoors before
you start observing with it.
Let Your Eyes Dark-Adapt
Don’t expect to go from a lighted house into the darkness of the
outdoors at night and immediately see faint nebulas, galaxies,
and star clusters—or even very many stars, for that matter. Your
eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps 80% of their full
dark-adapted sensitivity. As your eyes become dark-adapted,
more stars will glimmer into view and you’ll be able to see faint-
er details in objects you view in your telescope.
To see what you’re doing in the darkness, use a red-filtered
flashlight rather than a white light. Red light does not spoil your
eyes’ dark adaptation like white light does. A flashlight with a red
LED light is ideal. Beware, too, that nearby porch, streetlights,
and car headlights will ruin your night vision.
Using the Moon Filter and
MoonMap 260
Included with your GoScope 80mm Backpack Refractor tele-
scope are an Orion Moon Filter (H) and Orion’s exclusive
MoonMap 260 (I). These are excellent accessories for observ-
ing the Moon comfortably and identifying the many incredible
features on the lunar surface.
When looking at the Moon through a telescope, the bright
reflected sunlight from the lunar surface can be overwhelming.
This glare can be so bright that it washes out most of the inter-
esting lunar features such as craters, rilles, mountains, and val-
leys, and reduces contrast. It cuts the brightness of the Moon to
bring out considerably more lunar surface details while provid-
ing greater viewing comfort. The Moon filter threads directly into
the barrel of the telescope eyepiece, as shown in Figure 13.
Once it is threaded on, just insert the eyepiece into the diagonal
and start viewing.
The DeepMap 260 depicts the locations and names of over
260 features on the Moon such as craters, mountains, valleys,
"seas" and more. It is a great tool for beginning astronomers.
This detailed map will even show you where various spacecraft
have landed on the Moon's surface!
The great thing about the Moon is that its phase changes every
night. Focus your attention on the border between the illumi-
nated and dark portions or the surface, called the “terminator”.
Shadows cast along the terminator help to reveal the rugged
relief of the landscape. Note that the worst time to view the
Moon is during the full Moon phase. That’s because sunlight
shines directly downward on the lunar surface, so no shadows
are cast by the moon's topography.
Telescope Care and
Maintenance
If you give your telescope reasonable care, it will last a lifetime.
Store it in a clean, dry, dust-free place, safe from rapid changes
in temperature and humidity. Do not store the telescope out-
doors, although storage in a garage or shed is okay. Small com-
ponents like eyepieces and other accessories should be kept
in a protective box or storage case. Keep the dust cover on the
front of the telescope when it is not in use.
Your refractor telescope requires very little mechanical main-
tenance. The optical tube has a smooth painted finish that is
fairly scratch-resistant. If a scratch does appear on the tube, it
Figure 13. Install the
Moon filter by threading
it into the bottom of the
eyepiece.
Moon filter

8
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 war-
ranted 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 © 2018 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars. All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents may be repro-
duced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.
will not harm the telescope. If you wish, you may apply some
auto touch-up paint to the scratch. Smudges on the tube can be
wiped off with a soft cloth and household cleaning fluid.
Cleaning Optics
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning
fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used
to clean the lenses of your telescope and eyepieces. Never
use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eye-
glasses. Before cleaning, remove any loose particles or dust
from the lens with a blower bulb or soft brush. Then apply some
cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the
lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid
with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and smudges may be
removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard may
scratch the lens. On larger lenses, clean only a small area at a
time, using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tis-
sues.
When bringing the telescope inside after an evening’s viewing
it is normal for moisture to accumulate on the lenses due to
the change in temperature. We suggest leaving the telescope
and eyepieces uncovered overnight to allow the condensation
to evaporate.
Specifications
Objective lens: 80mm (3.15") diameter,
achromatic
Effective focal length: 400mm
Focal ratio: f/5.0
Lens coatings: Fully antireflection coated
Focuser: Rack-and-pinion, accepts 1.25"
accessories
Eyepieces: 25mm Kellner and 10mm Plossl,
1.25" barrel diameter, threaded
for Orion filters
Eyepiece coatings: Fully antireflection coated
Diagonal: 45-degree correct-image, 1.25"
Eyepiece magnification: 16x (with 25mm eyepiece) and
40x (with 10mm eyepiece)
Finder scope: Red dot finder scope, two
brightness levels
Tripod: Aluminum and ABS, 3-section
legs
Pan head: 3-Way, with removable shoe
Height, legs extended: 53"
Total weight: 5 lbs. 10 oz.