Quote:
Originally Posted by rosshald
Hello all, I am a new member and seek help already. I have a Bushmaster StarExplorer SE 114900 and have just managed to assemble it and make it stable, I think. I need help with the Eyepieces, I have an ( erecting eyepiece 1.5 x ) a ( 2 x Barlow ) a H 12.5mm ) and a ( H 20mm ).
I know that the small eyepiece ( telescope on the main barrell ) is for sighting in but the main viewer is at present empty and is ready for the items mentioned above ? here in lies the problem/s. I have lot the instructions, so can some one please assist me viewing the star or point me to a link, please
cheers
rosshald ( Ross )  |
One of the first things you will want to do is to ensure that what is in the middle of the finder is also in the middle of the eyepiece view. this is best done in the daytime. Place the 20mm into the end of the scope, this will give the least magnification, and locate something a mile or so away that is recognisable in the scope eyepiece (tree, house, pole etc). Then adjust the finder until this same object is in the centre of the finder (there will be adjustment screws on the finder and as you turn them, the image will move). Make sure you keep the other screws of the finder tight, you may need to loosen some before you can tighten a different one. After a while you will get an idea of which screw moves the view which way. When this is centred, you will know that the thing that you have "found" in the finder will be somewhere in the view of the main scope.
Now when it gets dark you can move the finder around to something you are interested in and then look in the scope. If you put the 20mm eyepiece in, you will get the smallest magnification, but the widest view. When you have centred the subject, you can put the shorter length eypiece in for a closer look. You find that using the barlow will often give too much magnification and the image quality will get worse. Try to get a look at the Moon as this is big and hard to miss but you should be able to see something (full Moon you will need a moon filter to reduce the amount of light). Next point the scope high at the "bright star" that is overhead at the moment, this is Jupiter. You should be able to see up to 4 other bright little stars very close by, these are it's moons. You will also need to keep moving the scope as the image will drift out of the view, but using the 20mm will give you the longest amount of time to observe. A good star to look at would be Alpha Centauri (the brightest pointer to the Cross) as it is very easy to find and with your scope you may be able to see that it is a double.
So give it a go, I hope my instructions are a help.