Meade 114EQ-AR instruction manual The Most Important Rule, Have Fun

Meade114EQAR 3/28/07 9:52 AM Page 10

1.Release the Azimuth lock (30)of the Azimuth base, so that the entire

8telescope-with-mounting may be rotated in a horizontal direction. Rotate

the telescope until it points due North. Use a compass or locate Polaris, the North Star, as an accurate reference to North (See Fig. 7).

2.Level the mount with the horizon, if necessary, by adjusting the heights of the three tripod legs.

3.Determine the latitude of your observing location by checking a road map or atlas. Release the latitude lock (9) and tilt the telescope mount so that the star "Polaris" is centered in the telescope's viewfinder eyepiece, then re-tighten the latitude lock.

4.If the above steps (1-3) were

performed with reasonable accuracy, your tele-scope is now sufficiently well- aligned to the North Celestial Pole for visual observations.

Once the mount has been polar-aligned as described above, the latitude angle need not be adjusted again, unless you move to

a different geographical location (i.e. a different latitude). The only polar alignment procedure that you need to perform each time you use the telescope is to point the polar axis due North, as described in step 1 above.

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE

We have one very important rule that you should always follow when using your telescope:

Have Fun!

TOO MUCH POWER?

Can you ever have too much power? If the type of power you’re referring to is eyepiece magnification, yes you can! The most common mistake of the beginning observer is to “overpower” a telescope by using high magnifications which the telescope’s aperture and atmospheric conditions cannot reasonably support. Keep in mind that a smaller, but bright and well-resolved image is far superior to one that is larger, but dim and poorly resolved. Powers above 400x should be employed only under the steadiest atmospheric conditions.

Fig. 8

Little Dipper	Polaris
Big Dipper	Cassiopeia

Have a good time when you’re observing. You may not know everything that there is to know about a telescope or what all the sights in the universe are, but that’s OK. Just point and observe at first.

You will enjoy your telescope even more as you learn more about it. But don’t be scared off by difficult terms or complicated procedures. Don’t panic! Just relax and enjoy your scope.

You will begin to grow and learn more about astronomy the more you observe. Go to the library and read some books about the stars and planets. Read about astronomers of old. Many of them had telescope no bigger than the one you are using right now. Galileo,

Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversable damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.