Important: The first time the StarSeeker is used, it will request information to help identify the model of telescope. Once powered on, the hand control will display the message Select Model. Use the Up and Down menu keys (10) to scroll through the different StarSeeker models. Press ENTER when your StarSeeker model is displayed on the hand control. This infor- mation will be retained for future use and will not be displayed again. If for some reason the incorrect model was selected or you wish to use your hand control on a different StarSeeker model, the Select Model utility feature allows you to
Sky Align
Sky Align is the easiest way to get your StarSeeker aligned and ready to observe. Even if you do not know a single star in the
If you have this model... | Select the following Model |
StarSeeker 70mm | NexStar 60mm |
StarSeeker 80mm | NexStar 80mm |
StarSeeker 114mm | NexStar 114mm |
StarSeeker 130mm | NexStar 130mm |
sky, the StarSeeker will have you aligned in minutes by asking for basic information like the date, time and location. Then you simply need to aim the telescope to any three bright celestial objects in the sky. Since Sky Align requires no knowledge of the night sky it is not necessary to know the name of the stars at which you are aiming. You may even select a planet or the moon. The StarSeeker is then ready to start finding and track- ing any of the objects in its 4,000+ object database. Before the telescope is ready to be aligned, it should be set up in an outside location with all accessories (eyepiece, diagonal and finderscope) attached and lens cover removed as described in the Assembly section of the manual. To begin Sky Align:
1.Power on the StarSeeker by plugging the battery pack into the jack on the base of the fork arm.
2.Press ENTER to choose Sky Align. Pressing the ALIGN key will bypass the other alignment options and the scroll- ing 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 alignment is done. Alternatively, if you know the exact longitude 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. locations 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 cur- rent 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.
Time - Enter the current time for your area. You can enter either the local time (i.e. 8:00), or you can enter military time (i.e. 20:00).
•Select PM or AM. If military time was entered, the hand control will bypass this step.
•Choose between Standard time or Daylight Savings time. Use the Up and Down scroll buttons (10) to toggle between options.
•Select the time zone that you are observing from. Again, use the Up and Down buttons (10) to scroll through the choices. For time zone information, refer to the Time Zone map in the appendices of this manual.
HELPFUL HINTS
Date - Enter the month, day and year of your observing session. The display will read: mm/dd/yy.
•If the wrong information has been input into the hand control, the UNDO button will act as a backspace allowing the user to
•The next time that your StarSeeker is aligned, the hand control will automatically display the last location (either a city or longitude/latitude) that was entered. Press ENTER to accept these parameters if they still apply. Pressing the UNDO button will allow you to go back and select a new city location or longitude/latitude.
4.Use the arrow buttons on the hand control to slew (move) the telescope towards any bright celestial object in the sky. Align the object with the red dot of the finderscope and press ENTER.
5.If the finderscope has been properly aligned with the tele- scope tube, the alignment star should now be visible inside the field of view of the eyepiece. The hand control will ask that you center the bright alignment star in the center of the eyepiece and press the ALIGN button. This will accept the star as the first alignment position. (There is no need to adjust the slewing rate of the motors after each alignment step. The StarSeeker automatically selects the best slew- ing rate for aligning objects in both the finderscope and the eyepiece).
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