9
The Hand Control
Thehan d control is located on the side of the fork armand can b ere movedan d used remotely or used while attached to the
fork. The hand control attaches to the fork armby resting on two posts, located on the bottomof the hand control cradle,
anda clip inside the fork arm. Toremove the hand control from the fork arm cradle, gently lift the hand control upwards
andpull out. Toreturn the hand control into the fork arm,lower the hand control into the cradle so thatthe two holes in the
bottomof the hand control go over the posts on the bottom of the cradle, and the openingin the back of the hand control
slidesover the clip inside the fork arm.
Oncethe telescope is powered up, the hand control can be used to move the optical tube in altitude (up and down)and
azimuth(side to side). Usethe Up arrow directional button to move the telescope tube until it is roughly parallel to the
ground. Thiswill make it more convenient toattach th en ecessary accessories as well as remove the front lens cover and
install batteries when they are needed.
Youare no wread y to attach the included visual accessories onto the telescope optical tube.
The Eyepiece
Theeyepiec e, or ocular, is the optical element that magnifies the
imagefocused by the telescope. TheNexStar 4 has an internal
diagonalmirror that diverts light to the eyepiece barrelon top of
thetelescope's rearcell. The eyepiecefits into the barrel built-in
tothe rear cell. To install the eyepiece:
1. Loosenthe thumbscrew on the eyepiece barrel so it doesnot
obstructthe inner diameter of the barrel.
2. Slidethe chrome portion of the eyepiece into the eyepiece barrel.
3. Tighten the thumbscrew to hold the eyepiece in place.
Toremove th e eyepiece, loosen the thumbscrew on the star
diagonaland slide the eyepiece out.
Eyepieces are commonly referred to by focal length and barrel
diameter. The focal length of each eyepiece is printed on the
eyepiece barrel. The longer the focal length (i.e., the larger the
number) the lower the eyepiecepower or magnification; and the
shorterthe focal length (i.e., the smaller the number) the higher the
magnification. Generally, you will use low-to-moderate power
when viewing. For more information on how to determine power,
seethe section on “Calculating Magnification.”
Barreldiamet er is the diameter of the barrel that slides into the telescope's eyepiece barrel. The NexStar uses eyepieces with
astandard 1-1/4" barrel diameter.
Asmentioned, the NexStar has an internal flip mirror that can divert lighteither through the eyepiece barrel at the top of the
rear cell or directlythrough the photographic opening at the back of the rear cell. Make sure that the flip mirror is in the
"up"position for viewing with an eyepiece and in the "down"position for taking photographs (see Astronomy Basics section
ofthe manual).
Figure3 -2 – The Rear Cell with Visual Accessories
FocuserKnob
StarPointerEyepiece
FlipM irror Control
Diagonal
Barrel
Note: