Celestron StarSeeker instruction manual Identify, Scope Setup Features

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Lunar Used for tracking the moon when observing the lunar landscape.

Solar Used for tracking the Sun when solar observing using a proper solar filter.

View Time-Site- View Time-Site will display the last saved time and longitude/latitude entered in the hand control.

User Defined Objects - The StarSeeker can store up to 50 different user defined objects in its memory. The objects can be daytime land objects or an interesting celestial object that you discover that is not included in the regular database. There are several ways to save an object to memory depend- ing on what type of object it is:

Save Sky Object: The StarSeeker stores celestial objects to its database by saving its right ascension and declination in the sky. This way the same object can be found each time the telescope is aligned. Once a desired object is centered in the eyepiece, simply scroll to the Save Sky Obj command and press ENTER. The display will ask you to enter a number between 1-25 to identify the object. Press ENTER again to save this object to the database.

Save Database (Db) Object: This feature allows you to cre- ate your own custom tour of database objects by allowing you to record the current position of the telescope and save the name of the object by selecting it from any one of the database catalogs. These objects then can be accessed by selecting GoTo Sky Object.

Save Land Object: The StarSeeker can also be used as a spotting scope on terrestrial objects. Fixed land objects can be stored by saving their altitude and azimuth relative to the location of the telescope at the time of observing. Since these objects are relative to the location of the telescope, they are only valid for that exact location. To save land objects, once again center the desired object in the eyepiece. Scroll down to the Save Land Obj command and press ENTER. The display will ask you to enter a number between 1-25 to identify the object. Press ENTER again to save this object to the data- base.

Enter R.A. - Dec: You can also store a specific set of coordi- nates for an object just by entering the R.A. and declination for that object. Scroll to the Enter RA-DECcommand and press ENTER. The display will then ask you to enter first the R.A. and then the declination of the desired object.

GoTo Object: To go to any of the user defined objects stored in the database, scroll down to either GoTo Sky Obj or Goto Land Obj and enter the number of the object you wish to select and press ENTER. StarSeeker will automatically retrieve and dis- play the coordinates before slewing to the object.

To replace the contents of any of the user defined objects, simply save a new object using one of the existing identifi- cation numbers; StarSeeker will replace the previous user defined object with the current one.

Get RA/DEC - Displays the right ascension and declination for the current position of the telescope.

Goto R.A/ Dec - Allows you to input a specific R.A. and dec- lination and slew to it.

Identify

Identify Mode will search any of the StarSeeker database catalogs or lists and display the name and offset distances to the nearest matching objects. This feature can serve two pur- poses. First, it can be used to identify an unknown object in the field of view of your eyepiece. Additionally, Identify Mode can be used to find other celestial objects that are close to the objects you are currently observing. For example, if your telescope is pointed at the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, choosing Identify and then searching the Named Star catalog will no doubt return the star Vega as the star you are observing. However, by selecting Identify and searching by the Named Object or Messier catalogs, the hand control will let you know that the Ring Nebula (M57) is approximately 6° from your current position. Searching the Double Star catalog will reveal that Epsilon Lyrae is only 1° away from Vega. To use the Identify feature:

Press the Menu button and select the Identify option.

Use the Up/Down scroll keys to select the catalog that you would like to search.

Press ENTER to begin the search.

Note: Some of the databases contain thousands of objects, and can therefore take a minute or two to return the closest object.

Scope Setup Features

SetupTime-Site- Allows the user to customize the StarSeeker display by changing time and location parameters (such as time zone and daylight savings).

Anti-backlash- All mechanical gears have a certain amount of backlash or play between the gears. This play is evident by how long it takes for a star to move in the eyepiece when the hand control arrow buttons are pressed (especially when changing directions). The StarSeeker’s anti-backlash features allows the user to compensate for backlash by inputting a value which quickly rewinds the motors just enough to elimi- nate the play between gears. The amount of compensation needed depends on the slewing rate selected; the slower the slewing rate the longer it will take for the star to appear to move in the eyepiece. Therefore, the anti-backlash compen- sation will have to be set higher. You will need to experiment with different values; a value between 20 and 50 is usually best for most visual observing, whereas a higher value may be necessary for photographic guiding. Positive backlash compensation is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from backwards to forwards. Similarly, negative backlash compensation is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from forwards to backwards. When tracking is enabled, the mount will be moving in one or both axes in either the positive or negative direction, so backlash compensation will always be applied when a direction button is released and the direction moved is opposite to the direc- tion of travel.

To set the anti-backlash value, scroll down to the anti-back- lash option and press ENTER. Enter a value from 0-100 for both azimuth and altitude directions and press ENTER after each one to save these values. StarSeeker will remember

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Contents 264 Rev. B 4/06 Table of Contents Page Page Introduction AssemblyEyepiece Assembling the StarSeekerAttaching the Telescope to the Tripod Star DiagonalStar Pointer Operation FocusingStar Pointer Installation Star Pointer FinderscopePowering the StarSeeker Hand ControlAttaching the Hand Control Hand Control Operation Alignment ProcedureIf you have this model Sky AlignTips for Using Sky Align Auto Two-Star AlignTwo Star Alignment StarSeeker Re-Alignment Tips for Using Solar System AlignOne-Star Align Solar System AlignSelecting an Object Slewing to an ObjectFinding Planets Direction Buttons Tour ModeSet Up Procedures Constellation TourIdentify Scope Setup FeaturesUtility Features Sun MenuScrolling Menu StarSeeker Determining Field of View Telescope BasicsImage Orientation Calculating MagnificationCelestial Observing Telescope Maintenance Collimating the StarSeeker 130mm Collimating the StarSeeker 114mmAppendix a Appendix B Declination DECEcliptic Page Appendix C RS-232 Connection Appendix D Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Celestron TWO Year Warranty