stellar labs Sky Master User manual

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Sky Master 15X70 Binocular and
Tripod/Mount
USER GUIDE
WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun through
binoculars—even for an instant —as permanent
eye damage will result. Do not point the
binoculars at the Sun, as parts will melt! Children
should use this telescope only with adult
supervision.
The Telescope Lending Program is brought
to you by:
About the SVO Telescope Lending Progra

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Stellar Vista Observatory (SVO), a 501c3 nonprofit
based in Kanab, UT, received a grant from the
Utah Governor's Office of Outdoor Recreation
with matching funds from the Kane County Office
of Tourism to launch its Discover the Night Sky
program.
The program encourages and facilitates outdoor
recreation opportunities for children of all ages
and levels of experience to meet growing
community interest in viewing southern Utah's
starry skies.
SVO's project is designed to enable residents of
Kane County who may not already own
astronomy equipment to enjoy exploring the
night sky.
Our Astronomy kits are maintained in great
working order by SVO members. We hope you
enjoy using them to explore Southern Utah’s
amazing dark night skies! For more information go
to the web page
www.stellarvistaobservatory.org/discover-the-night-sky
Discover the Night Sky

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Note: Adult supervision is recommended for all
equipment setup
We suggest reading this user guide and
practicing with the binoculars inside before you
take it out in the dark.
Table of Contents:
Adjusting binoculars ………………………. 4
Setting up tripod & mount ………………… 6
Attaching binoculars ……………………..... 9
Balancing binocular mount …………….… 10
Adjusting binocular on tripod …………...... 11
Transporting ………………………………..…. 13
Observation guide ……………………..……. 14
Support …………………………………..…….. 16

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Adjusting Binoculars:
Adjusting the Interpupillary Distance (IPD)
Since the distance between the eyes varies
among individuals, the two eyepieces of the
binoculars must be correctly aligned (adjusted).
This is called adjusting the interpupillary distance.
To adjust this distance, lift the binoculars up to
your eyes (using both hands) and look through
them at an object in the distance. Move the two
halves of the binoculars around the hinge until
you see one clear circle of image through both
eyes.
Adjusting Focus
Most people have a variance of vision from their
left to their right eye. To adjust the focusing
system, (1) Close your right eye and look through
the left side of the binoculars with your left eye at
the subject matter. Rotate the center focusing
wheel until the image appears in sharp focus; (2)
Close your left eye and look through the right
eyepiece (called the diopter). Rotate the right
eyepiece until the image appears in sharp focus.
(3) Now look through both eyepieces with both
eyes open. Since you’ve already adjusted the
right eyepiece, use only the center focusing
wheel to refocus on a new object at a different
distance.

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Note: The tripod provides a stable platform
necessary for night sky viewing with the powerful
binoculars provided.
Setting up the Tripod
Spread the legs of the tripod as far as they will go
and lock them in place by tightening the brace
lock knob. Keep the legs at their shortest height,
for now. The Paragon-Plus tripod has a very wide
stance for enhanced stability. The widest stance
is achieved when the center brace arms are as
far down as they will go on the elevator shaft
housing. The brace lock knob should be
tightened to secure the stance. When using the
binocular mount, the tripod legs should always be
fully extended, otherwise the weight of the
binocular mount could cause the tripod to tip
over. Extend the elevator shaft only as much as
needed to get the binoculars to the proper
height.

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Attaching the Paragon-Plus Binocular Mount to
the Tripod
Line up the threaded pan head attachment shaft
of the tripod with the threaded hole on the
bottom of the pivot disk. Then hold the binocular
mount still while turning the pivot disk to thread it
onto the shaft.

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Attaching the Binocular to the Binocular Mount
Adjust the tripod height to the level you will be
viewing from before mounting the binoculars.
Thread the binocular mounting knob into the
tripod adapter on the binocular until it is secure.

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Balancing the Paragon-Plus Binocular Mount
To assure smooth movement, the binocular
should be properly balanced on the mount by
adjusting the counterweight shaft.
Loosen all four tension knobs and carefully bring
the mount to a horizontal position. Loosen the
counterweight shaft knobs and slide the
counterweight shaft out from the mount until it
balances the binocular on the other end. If the
mount will not balance, increase the tension with
the tension knobs.

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Adjusting the “Tilt Angle” of the Binocular:
You should set the knob tension such that the
binocular will move when pushed, but will not
move on its own. Keep in mind that as the angle
of the binocular approaches vertical, the knob
tension will need to be increased so that the
binocular does not flop over. Increase the knob
tension when bringing the binocular 40˚ or more
from horizontal.

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Adjusting Azimuth: Moving the binocular in
azimuth (left/right) is a simple matter of turning
the mount on its pivot disk. There is no azimuth
lock feature.
Adjusting the Height of the Binocular: A nice
feature of the Paragon-Plus binocular mount is
that when the binocular is pointed at an object,
the height can be adjusted for different viewers
without moving the binocular off its target. To do
this, simply move the binocular so that only the
parallelogram part of the mount is moving. Do
not adjust the tilt angle of the binocular or move
the mount on its pivot disk.

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Parallelogram Safety Stop: The parallelogram
has a safety stop to prevent the aluminum bars
from completely collapsing. This ensures that no
fingers will be caught and crushed by an
accidental fast closing of the parallelogram. This
feature will also prevent the counterweight from
hitting the tripod.
Transporting: When moving the binocular mount
any significant distance, you should remove the
binocular to prevent it from being damaged. To
make moving easier, you may want to separate
the Paragon mount from the tripod.
When transporting equipment in your car, the
tripod, mount and binoculars should be returned
to their cases.

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When and where to observe:
Before you head out in the dark be sure to have
everything you will need.
#Plan for what to observe
#Know where objects are in the sky
#Tripod and Mount
#Black accessory bag and binocular
#Table
#Be sure weather conditions are suitable
Note: Please do not use SVO equipment in rain,
snow or windy conditions
When: Observing bright objects like planets and
stars can be done on any clear evening. But if
you want to observe star clusters, galaxies, or
other deep-sky objects, selecting a night with no
moon is essential.
Atmospheric conditions also 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
turbulence causes objects viewed through the
telescope to “boil.”When seeing is good, star
twinkling is minimal and images appear steady in
the eyepiece. Seeing is always best directly
overhead, and worst at the horizon.

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Our FAQs provide daily astronomical weather forecasts.
www.stellarvistaobservatory.org/discover-the-night-
sky/#faq
Where: Southern Utah is famous for its dark night
skies. But, if your home is surrounded by bright
lights, you might need to drive a little bit to find
them. For example, Dark skies are not required if
you just want to look at the moon or planets, but
important for most other celestial objects. For
those living in Kanab, the boat ramp at Jackson
Flat Reservoir (with some ambient light) or BLM
campgrounds on Hancock Road, BLM trailheads
off US 89 and Johnson Canyon Road offer very
dark skies almost totally free of light pollution.
For a current map of light pollution, visit:
https://cires.colorado.edu/Artificial-light
Dark Adaptation: It takes 20-30 minutes for our
eyes to adapt to the dark. Use the included red
LED flashlight when observing to preserve your
night vision. Red lights do not inhibit our night
vision as much as white lights or your cell phone
screen.

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One more time:
WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun through
binoculars—even for an instant —as permanent
eye damage will result. Do not point the
binoculars at the Sun, as parts will melt! Children
should use this telescope only with adult
supervision.
Support
SVO provides technical support from Noon
to 7:00 PM daily. If you have any setup or
observational issues, questions or believe
equipment maintenance is needed, call
435-644-3735.
Please take care of the equipment as if it were
your own! The cost to replace this kit can be as
much as $450! By treating the equipment gently
and returning all pieces intact, others will be able
to use it to observe the night sky well into the
future!