Meade LXD55 instruction manual Further Study

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LXD55 TIPS

Further Study....

This manual gives only the briefest introduction to astronomy. If you are interested in pursuing further studies in astronomy, a few topics are suggested below that are worth reading up on. Try looking up some of these in the optional Autostar glossary.

Also included below is a small sampling of books, magazines, and organizations that you might find helpful.

Topics

1.How is a star born? How does a solar system form?

2.How is the distance to a star measured? What is a light year? What is red shift and blue shift?

3.How are the craters on our Moon formed? Is there water under the surface of the Moon?

4.What is a black hole? A neutron star? A gamma burster? An Einstein lens?

5.What are stars made of? Why are stars different colors? How is the elemental composition of a star determined? What is an Lyman Alpha forest?

6.What is the difference between a Type 1 and a Type II supernova?

7.What is the importance of studying the composition of comets? Where do comets come from?

8.How old is our Sun? Will our Sun evolve into a planetary nebula or go super- nova?

9.What is the Inflationary Big Bang? What is dark matter? What are MACHO's?

10.How are extrasolar planets discovered? What is an accretion (or protoplane- tary) disk?

11.What are the differences between elliptical, spiral, and irregular galaxies? Can globular clusters be older than the universe itself?

Books

1.The Guide to Amateur Astronomy by Jack Newton and Philip Teece

2.The Sky: A User’s Guide by David Levy

3.Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consolmagno & Dan Davis

4.Astrophotography for the Amateur by Michael Covington

5.Observing for the Fun of It by Melanie Melton

6.Will Black Holes Devour the Universe? and 100 Other Questions about Astronomy by Melanie Melton

Magazines

1.Sky & Telescope

Box 9111, Belmont, MA 02178

2.Astronomy

Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187

Organizations:

1.Astronomical League Executive Secretary

5675 Real del Norte, Las Cruces, NM 88012

2.The Astronomical Society of the Pacific

390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112

3.The Planetary Society

65 North Catalina Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106

And watch Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer, on your local PBS station.

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Contents Meade Instruments Corporation Page Contents Telescope Features 1 1% g f e$2% LXD55-SeriesYour Personal Window to the Universe Computer Control Panel see e LXD55 Tips Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Autostar FeaturesFeatures Tip Accessories How to Assemble Your TelescopeTelescope Assembly Getting StartedViewfinder assembly Schmidt-Newtonian models Balancing the Telescope Insert eyepiece into holder and tighten thumbscrewsAligning the Viewfinder Choosing an EyepieceToo Much Power? Observing by Moving the Telescope ManuallyActivate the Arrow Keys Autostar Models Only Slew Speeds Autostar Models OnlyTracking Objects Setting the Polar Home PositionObserve the Moon 16bObserve a Star using the Automatic Tracking Feature Using Autostars GO to Capabilities Autostar Models OnlyMoving Through Autostar’s Menus Autostar Models Only Initializing Autostar Autostar Models OnlyTraining the Drive Autostar Models Only Easy Alignment Autostar Models Only Go To Saturn Autostar Models OnlyUsing the Guided Tour Autostar Models Only Planet Saturn is over 800 million miles from the EarthAutostar Navigation Exercise To Calculate Sunset timeEntering Data into Autostar Navigating AutostarAutostars Menus Select Item ObjectMenus Object MenuUtilities Menu Event MenuGlossary Menu LXD55-SeriesSetup Menu EnterObserving Considerations Setup Menu Daylight SAVING, Surf the Web To Edit a Site Adding Observing SitesTo Add a Site to the user-defined site list Using Autostar to Find Objects Not in the Libraries To GO to a user-entered objectTo Add a landmark to the database Observing SatellitesLandmarks To perform a Landmark Survey To Check on the Available MemoryTo Select a landmark from the database Photography Few tips on photography with the LXD55-SeriestelescopesOptional Accessories 10 f/4Series 4000 Photo-Visual Page Maintenance General MaintenanceD e f g Page Defocused star images. Misaligned 1, 2, Aligned Meade Customer Service Inspecting the Optics4 Model SN-8, SN-8EC Specifications Specifications5 Model SN-6, SN-6EC Specifications 8 Model AR-6 Specifications 10 f/4 Model SN-10 Specifications9.3 Model AR-5, AR-5EC Specifications Autostar Dimensions 10 Model SC-8 SpecificationsAutostar Specifications Setting Circles Appendix a Celestial CoordinatesOne-Star Polar Alignment Locating the Celestial PoleOne- and Two-Star Polar Alignment Two-Star Polar AlignmentPolar Alignment Viewfinder Axis Alignment ProcedureProcedure #1 To correct for attitude misalignment Method 1 Manual AlignmentProcedure #2 To correct for elevation misalignment Position aStar Charts TipsMethod 2 Axis Alignment Using Autostar City State/Prov./Country Latitude Appendix C Latitude ChartLatitude Chart for Major Cities of the World City Country LatitudeAppendix D EC Handbox Slew Speeds To move the telescope using the Electronic ControllerModes of Operation Tracking Rates Changing the Polar Mode Optional Autostar Computer Controller for LXD55 EC UsersHow to Attach the Optical Tube to the Mount Mounting the SC bracket and optical tube to the mountObjects in Space Appendix F Basic AstronomyAutostar Glossary MoonPlanets Deep-Sky ObjectsFurther Study Page Meade Instruments Corporation