Alignment Procedure, Initial Set-Up, Definition

•Press the RATE key on the hand control. The LCD will display the current speed rate in the upper right corner.

•Press the number on the hand control that corresponds to the desired speed. (You do not need to press Enter to activate the change.)

The hand control has a “double button” feature that allows you to instantly speed up the motors without having to choose a speed rate. To use this feature, simply press the arrow button that corresponds to the direction that you want to move the telescope. While holding that button down, press the opposite directional button. This will increase the speed to the maxi- mum slew rate.

Note: When using the Up and Down buttons on the StarSeeker 80mm, the slower slew rates (6 and lower) move the motors in the opposite direction than the faster slew rates (7-9). This is done so that an object will move in the appropriate direction when looking into the eye- piece (i.e. pressing the up arrow button will move the star upwards in the field of view of the eyepiece). However, if any of the slower slew rates (rate 6 and below) are used to center an object in the Star Pointer, you may need to press the opposite directional button to make the tele- scope move in the correct direction.

Alignment Procedure

In order for the StarSeeker to accurately point to objects in the sky, it must first be aligned to known positions in the sky. With this information, the telescope can create a model of the sky, which it uses to locate any object with known coordinates. There are many ways to align the StarSeeker with the sky depending on what information the user is able to provide. All methods require you to enter your current date, time and city to create an accurate model of the sky. With SkyAlign simply point the telescope to any three bright celestial objects to accurately align the telescope with the sky. Auto Two-Star Align will ask the user to choose and center the first align- ment star, then the StarSeeker will automatically select and slew to a second star for alignment. Two-Star Alignment requires the user to identify and manually slew the telescope to the two alignment stars. One-Star Align requires you to align to just one known star. Although not as accurate as the other alignment methods, One-Star Align is the quickest way to find and track bright planets and objects in Altazimuth mode. Finally, Solar System Align will display a list of vis- ible daytime objects (planets and the moon) available to align the telescope. Each alignment method is discussed in detail below.

Note: Before performing an alignment, be sure that the EZ Finder II is properly aligned with the telescope.

Initial Set-Up

1.Power on the StarSeeker by plugging the power supply into the jack on the base of the fork arm (Figure 4).

2.Press ENTER to choose Sky Align. You will be able to choose a different alignment method in the future. Pressing the ALIGN key will bypass the other alignment

Definition

“Altazimuth” or “Alt-Az” refers to a type of mounting that allows a telescope to move in both altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right) with respect to the ground. This is the simplest form of mounting in which the telescope is attached directly to a tripod

options and the scrolling text and automatically begins Sky Align.

3.The hand control display will then ask for the following time/site information:

Location - The StarSeeker will display a list of cities to choose from. Choose the city from the database that is closest to your current observing site. The city you choose will be remembered in the hand controls memory so that it will be automatically displayed the next time an align- ment is done. Alternatively, if you know the exact longi- tude and latitude of your observing site, it can be entered directly into the hand control and remembered for future use as well. To choose a location city:

•Use the Up and Down scroll keys to choose between

City Database and Custom Site. City Database will allow you to select the closest city to your observing site from a list of either international or U.S. location. Custom Site allows you to enter the exact longitude and latitude of your observing site. Select City Database and press ENTER.

•The hand control will allow you to choose from either

U.S. or international locations. For a listing of U.S. loca- tions by state and then by city, press ENTER while United States is displayed. For international locations, use the Up or Down scroll key to select International and press

ENTER.

•Use the Up and Down Scroll buttons to choose your current state (or country if International locations was selected) from the alphabetical listing and press ENTER.

•Use the Up and Down Scroll buttons to choose the clos- est city to your location from the displayed list and press

ENTER.

If you choose to enter the latitudinal and longitudinal position use the numeric keypad and scroll buttons. This method can provide greater accuracy when targeting objects in the night sky. First enter the longitudinal coordi- nate and hemisphere (W or E), followed by the latitudinal coordinate and hemisphere (N or S). Press ENTER to confirm your coordinates.

Note: Latitude and longitude coordinates must be entered in degrees and arcminutes. If your map or atlas gives coordinates in decimal values (i.e. latitude

=36.95 N) you must convert into degrees and arc- minutes. To do this simply multiply the decimal value by 60. If your viewing location is at latitude 36.95 N you would enter a latitude of 36°57' N [.95x60=57].