Starfinder Menus
Object Menu
Almost all observing with Starfinder is performed using the Object menu. (Note: Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.) See “GO TO SATURN,” page 20, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see “USING THE GUIDED TOUR,” page 21.
Many Starfinder menu categories contain databases. A Starfinder database is a list of viewable objects. When one of these objects is selected, Starfinder moves your tele- scope (if properly aligned) and points it at the selected object.
Object Menu Options:
Solar System is a database of the eight planets (Earth is not included) in order out from the Sun, followed by the Moon, asteroids, and comets.
Constellation is a database of all 88 Northern and Southern Hemisphere constella- tions. When this menu option is chosen and a constellation name appears on the first line of the screen, press GO TO once to change the second line to the name of the brightest star in the constellation. Press GO TO a second time to slew the telescope to that star. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the list of stars in the constellation, from brightest to dimmest.
Deep Sky is a database of objects outside our Solar System such as nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and quasars.
Star is a database of stars listed in different categories such as named, double, vari- able, or nearby.
User Objects allows the user to define
Landmarks stores the location of terrestrial points of interest in the permanent Starfinder database.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the landmark was added to the database.
•Select: To select a landmark already in the database, choose the Select option and scroll through the list. Press ENTER to select a landmark, then press GO TO and the telescope slews to the object.
•Add: To add a landmark, choose the Add option. Enter the name of the landmark. Locate the object with the Arrow keys (the telescope must be aligned) and center the landmark. Press ENTER.
Use the Landmark Survey option in the Utilities menu to sequentially view all land- marks entered into Starfinder. See "LANDMARK SURVEY," page 32.
Identify is an exciting feature for an observer who wants to scan the night sky and start exploring.
After the telescope has been properly aligned, use the Starfinder Arrow keys to move about in the sky, and then follow this procedure:
IMPORTANT NOTE: Only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope during the Identify procedure. Do not loosen the telescope locks, or move the base, or alignment will be lost.
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