ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS 8993, Instruction Manual

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base. For example, in searching for the SAO star 40186 
(Capella), the first four digits would be “0401”. Entering 
this number will display the closest match from the SAO 
stars available in the database. From there you can scroll 
down the list and select the desired object.
Variable Stars: Select list of the brightest variable stars 
with the shortest period of changing magnitude.

Deep Sky

Messier: Complete list of all 109 objects catalogued by 
French comet hunter Charles Messier
Caldwell: 109 of the best NGC and IC objects not includ-
ed in the Messier catalog
NGC: Many of the brightest deep sky objects from the 
Revised New General Catalog
IC: Selections from the Index Catalog of nebulae, clus-
ters, and galaxies
Abell: Catalog of approximately 4,000 galaxy clusters
CCD Objects: A list of 26 notable galaxy pairs, groups, 
and clusters such as the Virgo cluster, Bodes’s Galaxies 
(M81 & M82), and Stephan’s Quintet.
Named Objects: Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the 
most popular deep-sky objects.

There are two ways to select objects from the database:
•  For some of the catalogs/lists, selecting them will display 

an alpha-numeric listing of the objects. Such catalogs are 
Named Stars, Named Objects, Asterisms, Constellations, 
Double Stars, and Variable Stars. Pressing the Up and 
Down scroll buttons allows you to scroll through the catalog 
to the desired object.
Pressing the SOLAR SYSTEM button will allow you to use 
the scroll buttons to select any of the eight planets as well 
as the Moon.

•  Selecting any of the other object catalogs will display a 

blinking cursor below the name of the catalog chosen. 
Use the numeric keypad to enter the number of any object 
within these standardized catalogs. For example, to find the 
Orion Nebula (M42), press the “M” button and enter “042”.

When scrolling through a long list of objects, holding down 
either the up or down scroll buttons will allow you to scroll 
through the catalog at a rapid speed.

Slewing to an Object

Once the desired object is displayed on the hand controller 
screen, you have two options:
•  Press the OBJECT INFO button. This will give you useful 

information about the selected object such as magnitude, 
constellation, and for many, fascinating facts.

•  Press the ENTER button. This will automatically slew 

the telescope to the coordinates of the object. While the 
telescope is slewing to the object, the user can still access 
many of the hand controller functions, such as displaying 
information about the object.

If you slew to an object that is below the horizon, StarSeeker 
will notify you by displaying a message reminding you that you 
have selected an object outside of your slew limits (see Slew 
Limits in the Scope Setup section of the manual). Press BACK 
to go back and select a new object. Press ENTER to ignore the 
message and continue the slew. The StarSeeker hand control-
ler will only display objects that are below the horizon if the 
Filter Limits are set below 0° in altitude. See Filter Limits in the 
Utility Feature section of the manual for more information on 
setting the filter limits.
Caution:  Never  slew  the  telescope  when  someone  is 
looking into the eyepiece. The telescope can move at fast 
speeds and the impact may cause injury.

NEVER ATTEMPT TO MOVE THE TELESCOPE BY HAND! 
Otherwise, the gears and motors may be damaged. Move 
the telescope only electronically with the hand controller.

Sky Tour

The StarSeeker includes a tour feature that allows the user 
to choose from a list of interesting objects based on the date 
and time in which you are observing. The automatic tour will 
display only those objects that are within your set filter limits. 
To activate the tour mode, press the SKY TOUR button on the 
hand controller. The StarSeeker will display the best objects 
currently in the sky.
•  To see information and data about the displayed object, 

press the OBJECT INFO button.

•  To slew to the object displayed, press ENTER.
•  To see the next tour object, press the downward scroll 

button.

Constellation Tour

In addition to the Sky Tour, the StarSeeker telescope has a 
Constellation Tour that allows the user to take a tour of all the 
best objects within a particular constellation. Selecting Con-
stellations from the STAR menu will display all the constel-
lation names that are above the user defined horizon (filter 
limits). Once a constellation is selected by pressing ENTER, 
you can choose from any of the database object catalogs to 
produce a list of all the available objects in that constellation.
•  To see information and data about the displayed object, 

press the OBJECT INFO button.

•  To slew to the object displayed, press ENTER.
•  To see the next tour object, press the Up OR Down scroll 

button.

Menu Button

The MENU button on the keypad contains many user defined 
setup functions and utilities designed to give the user control 
over the telescope’s many advanced features.

Tracking  Once the StarSeeker is aligned the tracking 
motors will automatically turn on and begin tracking the 
sky. However, the tracking can be turned off for terrestrial 
use. (We don’t recommend using the StarSeeker 130 II 
reflector for terrestrial use, as the view will be rotated from 
normal in the eyepiece.)