mode and use the UP/DOWN buttons until

To add an object to the NEW catalog, enter the CATALOG NEW01 is displayed. After pressing ENTER, select the object number

you wish to modify (01-28). Once you have ENTERed the number, the current coordinates are displayed (if defining for the first time, 2400-000will appear). Press ENTER once more and the first digit of the Right Ascension will begin flashing. Define the new coordinates one digit at a time, until the last is entered (if the Declination is three digits, the last is tens of arc minutes, not tenths of a degree). The display will stop flashing, and at this point you should review your coordinates to be sure they are correct. If you need to change them, simply press ENTER and repeat the process. When the coordinates are correct, press the MODE button to have the MAX computer store them in its memory.

PLANETS (NGC-miniMAX and NGC-MAX)

Upon ENTERing the PLANETS catalog, DATE will flash on the display. Before selecting a planet for the first time in a viewing session, the current date should be set. For the most accurate guiding, use the current date for Greenwich, England (i.e. set the date based on Universal Time).

To set the date, press ENTER while DATE is flashing. (The coordinates shown are those of the Sun for the last defined date. This may be useful for daytime alignments, however, you should take proper precautions when pointing your telescope near the Sun!) Press ENTER again, and you will see a display similar to the following:

DATE 12-31-2000

You may use the UP/DOWN and ENTER buttons to define the current date in the format MM-DD-YYYY. This setting is stored in non-volatile RAM, so if the unit is turned off the date will not be lost. The MAX computer does not update this setting with the passage of time (whether on or off), so it will be necessary to update it if the unit is used to locate planets at a later date.

Once the date is defined, use the UP and DOWN buttons to select a desired planet.

than ten degrees, that angle will be displayed to tenths of a degree. If the telescope in our example had been moved down 21.7 degrees, the display would now read:

NGC4565 171← 6↓3

Notice that the direction-indicating arrow (↓) has moved between the 6 and 3 to double as a decimal point.

While entirely up to the user, it is probably easiest to move one axis of the telescope mount at a time, rather than both simultaneously. When the telescope is at the correct position, the display will show the following:

NGC4565 0♦0 0♦0

If the initial star sighting(s) were done properly, the object should now appear in your telescope's eyepiece. A moderate power eyepiece is recommended when using the GUIDE mode, as the object is more likely to be within its field of view than in that of a high power eyepiece. Eyepieces yielding 1/4° to 1/2° field of view work best. (If you don't know the field of view of your eyepieces, try finding one which just fits the full moon into the field.)

IDENTIFY (NGC-MAX only)

If you are looking at an object you cannot identify, this mode will let the NGC-MAXtry to identify it for you. Additionally, you might simply wish to point your telescope to an unfamiliar part of the sky and have the computer find nearby objects of interest.

In either case, the NGC-MAXwill search its databases for the object nearest the telescope's current position. The search can be performed regardless of object type, or limited to a specific type, such as planetary nebulae. A limiting magnitude is also entered to eliminate objects from the search which might be too faint for the observer's circumstances.

Upon entering the IDENTIFY mode, you are allowed to specify which type of object you wish to find. This type can be any of the following:

GUIDE

After selecting a desired object under CATALOG, entering GUIDE mode will show you how far to move the telescope in each axis to find that object. Following is an example display:

NGC4565 171← 29↓

This indicates that the telescope should be moved to the left 171° and down 29° to locate NGC4565. As the telescope is moved, the display updates the angles and changes directions if the object is passed. When an angle is less

R (red star)
GC (globular cluster)
2 (double star)
ST (star)
NB (nebula)

BK (black hole candidate)

PN (planetary nebula)
QSR (quasar)
GX (galaxy)
NS (any non-stellar)*
OC (open cluster)
ANY (any of above)

*The NS type is used to find a non-stellar object from any catalog, and should not be confused with the NS catalog.

After the type is ENTERed, use the UP/DOWN buttons to set the limiting magnitude as desired. If you enter a value

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