Page 79 - All About Space 68 - 2017 UK

STARGAZER
Prepare your telescope

Optimising your instrument

Care for your telescope by following these steps

Check that the inside of your telescope tube is clean of the mirror in the cell and the tube, so it goes back
and free from debris including spiders and cobwebs! the way it should be. Finally, don't be afraid to ask for
If you need to remove a mirror for cleaning or help if you are not sure about what you are doing, as Send your photos to
re-coating, make sure that you know exactly what you don’t want to tarnish your trusty telescope and space@spaceanswers.com
you are doing, and take care to mark the orientation miss something incredible.

Put together a list Check the mechanisms of your tripod
Make a list of all the things you think you need to do to get your mount and Make sure the tripod is clean and that all the leg-locking mechanisms are
1telescope prepared for servicing. You can mark tasks off as you go along. 2working effectively. You should aim to tighten them where appropriate.

Test your clutches and locks Examine covers and housing
Clean the mount head and check that clutches and locks are working as they Inspect the covers and housings - especially those that enclose moving parts
3should. Screws should be tightened where necessary using a screwdriver. 4on the mount. You made need to remove the screws to access the gears.

Optical Hardware Ltd's Visionary Starla 80 was used in this tutorial

Clean up the gears Realign the optical system if needed
Remove old grease and sparingly apply new lithium grease, ensuring that you Clean and realign your telescope's optical system. If required, you should ask
5check for backlash in the gear train. 6for help from someone who has experience of this before doing so.

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