Meade LX90 instruction manual Observing Considerations

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JSet: Enter the time of day for the alarm to sound, in hours, minutes, and seconds, then press

ENTER.

JStart/Stop: Activates the alarm set previously. Use the Scroll keys to toggle between ON and OFF. When ON is displayed, press ENTER to activate the alarm. When the alarm time arrives, AutoStar beeps. Press ENTER to deactivate the alarm.

Eyepiece Calc calculates information about an eyepiece for the specific telescope to which AutoStar is connected.

JField of View: Scroll through a list of available eyepieces. When an eyepiece is selected, the field of view is calculated.

JMagnification: Scroll through a list of available eyepieces. When an eyepiece is selected, the magnification is calculated.

JSuggest: AutoStar calculates and suggests the best eyepiece for viewing, based on the telescope and the object being viewed.

Display Options enables or disables AutoStar’s two initial displays. If both displays are disabled, AutoStar begins with the Date display.

JSun Warning: Turns the “Sun Warning” message on or off.

JGetting Started: Turns the “Getting Started” message on or off.

Brightness Adj: Adjusts the brightness of the display using the Scroll keys. When complete, press

ENTER.

Contrast Adj: Adjusts the contrast of the display using the Scroll keys. When complete, press

ENTER.

NOTE: This feature is usually only required in very cold weather.

Landmark Survey automatically slews the telescope to all user-defined landmarks with a short pause at each location. Press ENTER to start the survey. While a slew is in progress, press any key to skip that object and go to the next landmark on the list. To observe a landmark for a longer period, press MODE when paused on the object to stop the survey. Press ENTER to restart the survey at the first object on the list. See "LANDMARKS," page 36.

Sleep Scope is a power saving option that shuts down AutoStar and the telescope without for- getting its alignment. With "Sleep Scope" selected, press ENTER to activate the Sleep function. AutoStar goes dark, but the internal clock keeps running. Press any key, except ENTER, to re-activate AutoStar and the telescope.

LX90 TIPS

Observing Considerations

•Try to pick an observing site away from street and house lights and car headlights. While this is not always possible, the darker the site, the better.

•Give your eyes about ten minutes to adjust to the darkness before observing. Give your eyes a rest from observing every ten or fifteen minutes to relieve eyestrain.

•Try not to use a standard flashlight. Experienced observers use red LED flashlights, the red utility light on the AutoStar handbox or tape red cellophane over their flashlights to use for setup and map reading so they don’t have to continually readjust their eyes to the darkness. Be careful not to shine bright lights if there are other observers in the area. Do not shine a flashlight into the telescope while someone is observing!

•Dress warmly. It gets chilly when you’re sitting for prolonged periods.

•Practice setting up your equipment during the day or in a lighted area to become familiar with it before going to a dark site.

•Use your 26mm eyepiece to view terrestrial objects and wider areas of space, such as open star clusters. Use optional higher power eyepieces, such as a 9mm eyepiece (see OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 41 for more details), when you wish to view something up close, such as craters on the Moon or the rings of Saturn.

•Invite your friends and family to come and observe with you. But practice locating 3 or 4 objects to show them beforehand; if you have long delays, they will become bored and lose interest. Also, demonstrate how to focus the telescope in a well-lit area before you go to to the observing site.

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Contents LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical System Contents QUICK-START Guide ON/OFF Telescope Features E DPage To Attach the Handbox Holder Autostar Features Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a ButtonTopmost screen Select Item Object Page How to Attach the Tripod to the Telescope Assembly Getting StartedHow to Assemble Your Telescope Precautionary notes for the tripodUsing SmartFinder Choosing an EyepieceAligning SmartFinder Aligning the ViewfinderObserving By Moving the Telescope Manually Observing Using AutoStars Arrow KeysObserving Terrestrial ObservingSlew Speeds Observe the MoonMoving Through AutoStar’s Menus Astronomical ObservingTo Track an Object Automatically Initializing AutoStar for the First TimeAutomatic Alignment Observe a Star using the Automatic Tracking FeatureHow to perform the Automatic Alignment procedure While it does soUsing the Guided Tour Go To SaturnBasic Autostar Operation AutoStar Navigation ExerciseTo Calculate Sunset time Entering Data into AutoStarNavigating AutoStar AUTOSTAR’S Menus Select Item ObjectMenus and Menu Options Object MenuUtilities Menu Event MenuGlossary Menu Observing Considerations Setup Menu Time Zone Shift Menu Daylight SAVING, To Add a Site to the user-defined site list Advanced Autostar FeaturesAdding Observing Sites To Edit a SiteUsing AutoStar to Find Objects Not in the Database Observing Satellites To GO to a user-entered objectWhat you will need How to Create Your Own Guided TourCommand Line Tour ModesWriting a Tour TitlePick END To Add a landmark to the database LandmarksDownloading Tours To Select a landmark from the databaseTo perform a Landmark Survey IdentifyAdvanced Alt/Az Alignment To check on the available amount of memory in AutoStarOne-Star Alt/Az Alignment BrowseTwo-Star Alt/Az Alignment Photography with a Digital Camera Photography with the LX90Few tips on photography with the LX90 Photography with Meade’s AutoStar Suite Meade Deep Sky ImagerSuper Wide Angle 6-elements Optional AccessoriesEyepiece Power 2x Barlow Super Plössl 4-elements Ultra Wide Angle 8-elements#62 T-Adapter Maintenance CollimationPage Gauging the Movement of the Telescope Meade Customer ServiceInspecting the Optics AutoStar Dimensions LX90 SpecificationsAutoStar Specifications Polar Alignment Celestial CoordinatesAutoStar Polar Alignment Setting CirclesLocating the Celestial Pole Easy Polar AlignmentLining Up with the Celestial Pole Equatorial WedgePrecise Polar Alignment Star Charts City Country Latitude Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the WorldCity State/Prov./Country Latitude City State/Country LatitudeAppendix C Training the Drive Appendix D Changing the LNT Module Battery To replace the batteryMoon AutoStar GlossaryObjects in Space Planets Deep-Sky ObjectsPage Page Page Meade Limited Warranty
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