Celestron STAR HOPPER - Assembling the Optical Tube; Mounting the Primary Mirror

9
Assembling the Optical Tube
The optical tube assembly consists of eight parts, all of which are pre-assembled, except for the primary mirror. The
parts are as follow:
•
Optical tube
•
Focuser - .96" and 1
1
/
4
"
•
Secondary mirror assembly
•
Two dovetail brackets
•
Two altitude bearings
•
V-Spectrum LTM optical system (primary mirror and cell)
Mounting the Primary Mirror
The primary mirror is mounted on the pinnacle mirror cell at
Celestron
. The pinnacle mirror cell fits into the rear of
the telescope tube and is secured with the three supplied mounting screws. To mount the mirror/cell into the back of
the tube:
1. Place the telescope tube on its side.
2. Locate the three holes, which are 120º apart, in the rear of the tube (i.e. the end opposite the focuser).
3. Remove tissue paper from the reflective surface of the mirror.
4. Place the mirror/cell assembly into the rear of the tube, mirror end first.
5. Orient the mirror cell such that the holes on the side of the cell best line up with the holes in the tube. (It may be
helpful to rotate the mirror cell 120
°
in either direction to find the best alignment of the holes).
6. Place a screw through the washer and tube and into the mirror cell. Only thread the first two screws into the
mirror cell about two turns allowing enough play to align the third screw.
7. Manually line up the last mirror cell hole with the tube hole and thread the screw into the mirror cell. Don’t
tighten completely until all three screws are threaded into the mirror cell. Tighten screws sequentially, for
balance.
Once the mirror is placed into the tube, it does not need to be removed again. The next thing to do is collimate, or
align the optics of the telescope. See the collimation section, on pages 12 and 14.
Mounting the Primary Mirror (Aluminum tube only)
1. Place the telescope tube on its side.
2. Locate the three holes, which are 120º apart, in the rear of the tube (i.e. the end opposite the focuser).
3. Remove tissue paper from the reflective surface of the mirror.