Meade 114EQ-AR instruction manual Observing

Meade114EQAR 3/28/07 9:52 AM Page 11

who is one of the first astronomers to use a telescope, discovered four of the moons of Jupiter with a telescope about the same size as yours (and his didn’t even focus very well!).

OBSERVING

Observe during the daytime: Try out your telescope during the daytime at first. It is easier to learn how it operates and how to observe when it is light.

Pick out an easy object to observe: A distant mountain, a large tree, a lighthouse or skyscraper make excellent targets. Point the optical tube so it lines up with your object. Objects will appear upside down and backwards in this model telescope.

Unlock the lock knobs: To move the telescope, you will need to unlock the Right Ascension (22, Fig. 5) and Declination (23, Fig. 5) lock knobs (just rotate to unlock or lock; when locking, only tighten to a “firm feel,” do not overtighten).

Use the red dot viewfinder: If you have not done so, align the viewfinder (24) with the telescope’s eyepiece (19) as described earlier. Look through the red dot viewfinder

until you can see the object. It will be easier to locate an object using the red dot viewfinder rather than locating with the eyepiece. Line up the object using the viewfinders red dot.

Look through the eyepiece: Once you have the object lined up in the viewfinder, look through the optical tube’s eyepiece. If you have aligned your viewfinder, you will you see the object in your eyepiece.

Focus: Look through the eyepiece and practice focusing on the object you have chosen.

Try out the slow-motion flexible cable control: Practice using the right ascension control cable (3) and declination control cable (4) to move the telescope. These can come in very handy, especially when you wish to move the telescope in very small (fine control) steps.

Observe the Moon: When you feel comfortable with the viewfinder, the eyepieces, the locks and the adjustment controls, you will be ready to try out the telescope at night. The Moon is the best object to observe the first time you go out at night. Pick a night when the Moon

is a crescent. No shadows are seen
during a full Moon, making it appear	9
flat and uninteresting.

Look for different features on the Moon. The most obvious features are craters. In fact you can see craters within craters. Some craters have bright lines about them. These are called rays and are the result of material thrown out of the crater when it was struck by a colliding object. The dark areas on the Moon are called maria and are composed of lava from the period when the Moon still had volcanic activity. You can also see mountain ranges and fault lines on the Moon.