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INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................3

ASSEMBLY .................................................................................................................................................6

Setting up the Tripod ................................................................................................................................6

Attaching the Equatorial Mount ...............................................................................................................7

Installing the Counterweight Bar & Counterweights ...............................................................................7

Attaching the Slow Motion Cables...........................................................................................................8

Attaching the Telescope Tube to the Mount.............................................................................................8

Installing the Diagonal & Eyepieces (refractor).......................................................................................9

Installing the Eyepieces on the Newtonians .............................................................................................9

Moving the Telescope Manually ............................................................................................................10

Balancing the Mount in R.A...................................................................................................................10

Balancing the Mount in Dec...................................................................................................................10

Adjusting the Equatorial Mount .............................................................................................................11

Adjusting the Mount in Altitude.............................................................................................................11

TELESCOPE BASICS ...............................................................................................................................12

Image Orientation...................................................................................................................................13

Focusing .................................................................................................................................................13

Aligning the Finderscope........................................................................................................................13

Calculating Magnification ......................................................................................................................14

Determining Field of View.....................................................................................................................15

General Observing Hints ........................................................................................................................15

ASTRONOMY BASICS ............................................................................................................................16

The Celestial Coordinate System............................................................................................................16

Motion of the Stars .................................................................................................................................16

Polar Alignment with Latitude Scale......................................................................................................17

Pointing at Polaris...................................................................................................................................18

Finding the North Celestial Pole ............................................................................................................18

Polar Alignment in the Southern Hemisphere ........................................................................................19

Finding the South Celestial Pole (SCP)..................................................................................................20

Declination Drift Method of Polar Alignment........................................................................................21

Aligning the Setting Circles ...................................................................................................................22

Motor Drive ............................................................................................................................................23

CELESTIAL OBSERVING .......................................................................................................................24

Observing the Moon ...............................................................................................................................24

Observing the Planets .............................................................................................................................24

Observing the Sun ..................................................................................................................................24

Observing Deep-Sky Objects .................................................................................................................25

Seeing Conditions...................................................................................................................................25

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................................26

Short Exposure Prime Focus Photography .............................................................................................26

Piggyback Photography..........................................................................................................................26

Planetary & Lunar Photography with Special Imagers ..........................................................................26

CCD Imaging for Deep Sky Objects ......................................................................................................26

Terrestrial Photography ..........................................................................................................................26

TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE ................................................................................................................27

Care and Cleaning of the Optics.............................................................................................................27

Collimation of a Newtonian ...................................................................................................................27

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

...................................................................................................................30

AstroMaster Specifications.....................................................................................................................31

Aperture	130 mm
Focal Length	650 mm
Focal Ratio	f/5
Mount Type	Equatorial
Optical Design	Newtonian Reflector
Highest Useful Magnification	307x
Lowest Useful Magnification	19x
Limiting Stellar Magnitude	13.1
Resolution (Rayleigh)	1.07 arc seconds
Resolution (Dawes)	0.89 arc seconds
Light Gathering Power	345x
Optical Tube Length	24 inches
Eyepieces	20mm, 10mm
Finderscope	StarPointer
Optical Coatings	Aluminum
Tripod	Steel
Optical Tube Weight	14 lbs

Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ User Manual

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Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ Specifications

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