only when absolutely necessary. In
all cases avoid touching any mirror
surface. A little dust on the surface of a
mirror or lens causes negligible loss of
performance and should not be considered
reason to clean the surface. When lens or
mirror cleaning does become necessary, use
a camel’s hair brush or compressed air gently
to remove dust. If the telescope’s dust cover
is replaced after each observing session,
cleaning of the optics will rarely be required.
•Fingerprints and organic materials on
the lens or mirror may be removed with a
solution of 3 parts distilled water to 1 part
isopropyl alcohol. You may also add 1 drop
of biodegradable dishwashing soap per pint
of solution. Use soft, white facial tissues and
make short, gentle strokes. Change tissues
often.
CAUTION: Do not use scented or lotioned
tissues or damage could result to the optics.
DO NOT use a commercial photographic
lens cleaner.
Eyepiece’s magnification x 2
=
Magnification with a 2X Barlow lens
It’s worth repeating: Keep in mind that a
bright, clear, but smaller image is more
interesting than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one.
Using too high a power eyepiece is one
of the most common mistakes made by
new astronomers. So don’t think that higher
magnification is necessarily better—quite
often the best view is with lower magnification
value!
TAKING CARE OF YOUR TELESCOPE
Your telescope is a precision optical instrument
designed for a lifetime of rewarding viewing.
It will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing
or maintenance. Follow these guidelines to
keep your telescope in the best condition:
•As with any quality instrument, lens or mirror
surfaces should be cleaned as infrequently as
possible. Telescope optics should be cleaned
17
Look at the specifications. For example,
you will see that the focal length of the
Lighbridge Mini 130mm is 650mm. Let’s say
that you have obtained a 6.3mm eyepiece.
You can tell what the focal length of your
eyepiece is as it is always printed on the side
of the eyepiece. Divide: 650mm ÷ 6.3mm,
which equals 103.17. Round this off to the
nearest whole number and you find the
6.3mm eyepiece used with the Lighbridge
Mini 130mm magnifies objects 103 times.
If you use a Barlow lens with one of your
eyepieces, it doubles the magnification of
your eyepiece. Other types of Barlows
can triple or further increase the power of
an eyepiece. To find out how much your
magnification is when you use a 2x Barlow,
multiply your eyepiece’s magnification by
two.
For example, the 9mm low-power eyepiece
used with the Lighbridge Mini 130mm
magnifies an object 72 times. Multiply 72 by
2 and you get 144 times magnification with
a Barlow.
(c) nimax GmbH
