CELESTRON Travel Solar Scope 50mm Refractor Telescope Instruction Manual
- June 3, 2024
- Celestron
Table of Contents
CELESTRON Travel Solar Scope 50mm Refractor Telescope
The permanently mounted glass solar filters in this product
- Conforms to and meets the Transmission Requirements of ISO 12312-2, Filters for Direct Observation of the Sun.
- Meets the Transmission Requirements of EN 1836:2005 + A1:2007 (E) for an E15 Filter for the Direct Observation of the Sun.
- Meets the Transmission Requirements of AS/NZS 1338.1:2012, Filters for Eye Protectors.
- EC Type Examination by: SAI Global Assurance Services Ltd. (Notified Body No. NB2056), MK5 8HJ U.K.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
We recommend saving your telescope box so it can be used to store the telescope when it is not in use. Unpack the box carefully as some parts are small. Use the parts list below to verify that all parts and accessories are present.
PARTS LIST
- Telescope tube
- Objective lens & solar filters
- Platform tilt knob
- Telescope mounting platform
- Azimuth tension knob
- Central column locking knob
- Solar finderscope
- 20 mm Kellner eyepiece
- Hybrid star diagonal
- Focus knob
- Panning handle/Altitude clutch
- Tripod
- Storage backpack
SOLAR WARNING
Even though your EclipSmart telescope is equipped with ISO-certified solar fi lters that allow safe direct observation of the Sun, there are still some important rules you should follow when solar observing:
- Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or with a telescope unless you have the proper solar filter. Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.
- Never use a telescope to project an image of the Sun onto any surface. Internal heat build-up can damage the telescope and any accessories attached to it.
- Never use an eyepiece solar filter or a Herschel wedge. Internal heat build-up inside the telescope can cause these devices to crack or break, allowing unfiltered sunlight to pass through to the eye.
- Do not leave the telescope unsupervised, especially when children or adults unfamiliar with the correct operating procedures of your telescope are present.
ASSEMBLING YOUR TELESCOPE
THE MOUNT & TRIPOD
The tripod and mount come preassembled so the setup is very easy:
- Stand the tripod upright and pull the tripod legs outward until the tripod’s center leg brace slides down to the bottom of the center column.
- You can extend the tripod legs to the height you desire. The lowest setting of 16 inches is perfect for tabletop use, while the fully extended height is 43 inches. To change the height, pull open the three-leg clamp levers on each leg. Pull the legs out to the desired length and press the clamp levers closed.
- Your tripod also has an extendable center column, allowing you to raise the mount up to another 6 inches. Turn the center column locking knob counterclockwise until the column is unlocked. Pull the mount head upward until you are at the desired height and turn the center column lock knob clockwise to lock the column in place. With the legs fully extended the mount will now be 49 inches tall.
THE TELESCOPE TUBE
The tripod and mount come preassembled so the setup is very easy:
- Loosen the platform tilt knob by turning it counterclockwise. This allows you to tilt the telescope mounting platform 90° to the right to the vertical position, allowing for easy access of the mounting knob underneath the platform. Tighten the tilt knob to secure the platform in place.
- Locate the 1/4-20 threaded hole in the plate on the bottom of the telescope tube. Place it over the threaded bolt on the mounting platform and tighten the knob by turning it clockwise until it is finger-tight. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN.
- With the telescope now attached to the mount, loosen the platform tilt knob and rotate the platform to the left 90 degrees to its original horizontal position. Tighten the tilt knob to secure the platform in place.
THE STAR DIAGONAL
The star diagonal is a mirror that diverts the light at a right angle to the
light path of the telescope. This is to observe in a position that is more
comfortable than if you had to look straight through. When looking at the
eyepiece, the image will appear to be correctly oriented up and down but will
be mirror reversed left to perfectly normal.
To install the diagonal
- Remove the cap from the focuser of the telescope by turning the silver set screws counterclockwise until they are no longer protruding into the focuser tube.
- Remove the caps from both ends of the star diagonal.
- I nsert the silver barrel of the star diagonal into the focuser tube.
THE EYEPIECES
Your EclipSmart telescope comes with one high-quality 20 mm eyepiece that will
give you 18x magnification and a 2-degree field of view. This is a perfect
magnification for watching the phases of a solar eclipse or just looking at
sunspots at any time. You can increase the magnification by using optional
eyepieces with focal lengths shorter than 20 mm. Your scope can accept any
industry-standard 1.25 inches diameter eyepiece between 5 mm and 32 mm focal
length.
To install an eyepiece
- Loosen the setscrews on the open end of the star diagonal.
- I nsert the silver barrel of the 20 mm eyepiece into the diagonal.
- Tighten the setscrews to secure the eyepiece.
FOCUSING
When you first look through the telescope at the Sun, the mage will likely be
blurry. To bring the image to a sharp focus:
- Look at the Sun through the 20 mm eyepiece.
- Turn the focus knob located under the back and forth until the edge of the Sun is as sharp as possible.
If observing with a group of people, each person viewing through the telescope should focus the image for their own eyes. If you use additional eyepieces to increase magnification, you should readjust the focus each time you switch eyepieces.
MOVING THE TELESCOPE
The photo-style altazimuth mount is simple to use. To move the scope left and
right, loosen the base of the mount. Hold one of the tripods with one hand and
grab the panning handle to the desired location. You can adjust the tension of
the left and right motion by adjusting the tension knob. To move the scope up
and down, loosen the altitude clutch by turning the entire panning handle
counter-clockwise. Move the handle up or down as required and turn the handle
clockwise to lock the scope on target.
NOTE: When observing, the Sun will appear to slowly drift in your field
of view. This is perfectly normal and is caused by the Earth’s rotation. You
will need to re-center the Sun in your field of view every couple of minutes.
If you use any optional higher magnification eyepieces, the drift will become
more apparent and you will need to readjust the telescope’s position more
often to keep it in the field of view.
THE SOLAR FINDERSCOPE
The EclipSmart telescope comes with a 100% safe solar finderscope that
allows you to align your telescope without looking directly at the Sun. The
finder scope is already installed and is ready for use. To use this finder:
- Point the telescope in the general direction of the Sun.
- Look at the large round bulls-eye pattern on the sunlit side of the finder scope.
- Adjust the position of the telescope until the shadow of the ball at the end of the projection arm is within the innermost circle of the bulls-eye pattern.
- This Sun should appear somewhere in the field of view of your 20 mm eyepiece, but may not be perfectly centered. Looking through the eyepiece, just the position of the telescope until the Sun is centered. If the Sun is not visible in the eyepiece, put the shadow of the projection arm over the innermost ring and slowly search in a circular pattern until you see the sun in the eyepiece.
OBSERVING THE SUN
SOLAR ECLIPSES
Solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth at least twice a year. There are two
kinds of eclipses A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes
directly between the Earth and the Sun of the Sun’s light. If the Moon happens
to be near the far point of its orbit from Earth, a very special form of a
partial eclipse occurs, called an annular eclipse. In an annular eclipse, the
Moon will block out most of the Sun’s disk but leaves a small ring (or
annulus) of sunlight surrounding the Moon. 
A total eclipse occurs when the moon is close enough to the Earth in its orbit
so that it blocks the entire disk of the Sun from view. The partial phases of
a total solar eclipse leading up to totality are incredible to watch. The Moon
will first appear as a small dark dent in the edge of the Sun, growing to a
large bite. If you are in the path of totality, the Sun will eventually become
a thin crescent and will disappear completely. For a couple of minutes,
daytime turns to deep twilight and bright stars and planets are visible in the
daytime sky. After totality, the process reverses itself as the Sun reemerges
from behind the Moon. It is a sight that should not be missed.
SUNSPOTS
Sunspots are dark spots that appear on the photosphere or visible “surface” of
the Sun. core, called the umbra, surrounded by a lighter border, called the
penumbra. They form when large disturbances in the Sun’s magnetic field cool
portions of the photosphere. Sunspots are relatively cool, being compared to
the normal 10,000°F (5500°C) of the rest of the photosphere. Although these
spots appear black, they are actually quite bright. If it were possible to
remove a sunspot from the Sun and would shine brighter than the full moon.
They only appear to be “dark” when compared to the rest of the photosphere.
Sunspots can be big. Very big. They can range in size from 10 to 100,000 miles
(16 to 160,000 km) in diameter. To put that into perspective, the Earth is
only 8,000 miles (12,800 km) in diameter! Compare sunspot sizes to the
relative size of the Earth in the image below in order to better grasp the
immense size of the Sun and share that WOW factor with neighbors, friends, and
family.
Sunspots usually appear in pairs but can also appear in very large groups. They can last from a few days to several weeks and can change their shape, size, and number as they slowly rotate across the face of the Sun. It will take about two weeks for a sunspot group to cross the Sun. Try looking at the Sun every day and draw a picture of what you see. At the end of the week, compare your drawings and you’ll see how sunspots evolve.
PLANETARY TRANSIT
Planetary transits occur when the planet Mercury or Venus passes between the
Sun and Earth allowing observers on Earth to track the planet’s dark disk as
it crosses the face of the Sun. This is an extremely rare event, occurring
only four times over the next 50 years.
LIMB DARKENING
When viewing the Sun’s disk, look for a falloff of brightness as you look from
the center of the disk to the edge or limb. This is caused by the thick solar
corona or outer atmosphere of the Sun. As you look at the center of the solar
disk, you are looking straight down through the least amount of atmosphere. As
you look near the limb, you are looking through a thicker layer, which dims
the amount of light shining through.
FCC NOTE
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
- Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
- Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Product design and specifications are subject to change without prior
notification. This product is designed and intended for use by those 14 years
of age and older.©2022 Celestron. Celestron and Symbol are trademarks of
Celestron, LLC. All rights reserved. Celestron.com
Torrance, CA 90503 USA 22060 07-22 Printed in China