Autostar Operation

OBJECT

Select from over 1400 database objects and

press GO TO to move the telescope automatically to the object and place it in the telescopic field of view.

SETUP

Quick, easy alignment permits all telescope operations with only a 2-minute setup.

Select Item:

Setup

UTILITIES Calculate eyepiece magnifications; set the timer for an observing session; or survey user landmarkss. in 30-second interval

Select Item:

Utilities

GLOSSARY

Discover the world of astronomy by alphabetically accessing astronomical terms.

Select Item:

Object

The Universe of

Autostar

Select Item:

Glossary

Select Item: Event

EVENT

Access the time of an astronomical event, such as the rising or setting times of the Moon.

Select Item: Guided Tour

GUIDED TOUR Journey through the universe as Autostar escorts you to the best celestial objects at your location.

Object

Event

Guided Tours

Glossary

Utilities

Setup

Fig. 23: Menus set in a loop.

Select Item

Object

Solar System

Fig. 24: AutoStar menu levels.

Fig. 22: The AutoStar Universe: The six primary categories listed in the Select Item menu of AutoStar.

It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop (Fig. 23). This means that pressing the Scroll Down key (6, Fig. 5) cycles down through all the available options within a given category, then returns to the first option. The Scroll Up key (6, Fig. 5) cycles up through the options in the opposite order. Note that this capability is a quick way to get to an option that is near the bottom of the list. The following example demonstrates this capability.

Example:

To navigate to the “Select Item: Setup” menu option when the “Select Item: Object” menu is displayed:

1.Press the Scroll Down key four times or the Scroll Up key once.

The screen in Fig. 24 displays two lines of information. The top line shows the current menu level. The second line displays an option which may be selected within that menu level. Some options are choices that select the next menu level down. The Scroll keys move up and down within the list of available options, showing one option at a time.

When the desired option is displayed on the second line, press the ENTER key to choose that option and move down one menu level.

Press the MODE key to leave a level; e.g., the wrong menu option is chosen.

IMPORTANT NOTE: No matter how many levels into AutoStar are traveled, each press of the MODE key moves up a level, until the top level, "Select Item," is reached. Once in the Select Item level, press MODE to return to the topmost level, "Select Item: Object."

AutoStar Navigation Exercise

To demonstrate how the AutoStar menu structure works, the following exercise calculates Sunset time so an evening observing session can be planned.

NOTE: To perform an accurate calculation, AutoStar must be properly initialized with the current date, time, and location of the observing site. To enter the current date, time, and location information of your observing site, see INITIALIZING AUTOSTAR, page 17, before proceeding with this exercise.