Meade 8" LS-8 ACF Event Menu, Take Picture Menu, Pleiades Star Cluster M45, Take Picture Enter

when the landmark was added to the database.

•Select – To select a Landmark already in the database (see ADD below), 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 a name for the Landmark. Locate and center the Landmark in the eyepiece, then press “ENTER”.

Event Menu

The Event menu provides access to dates and times of astronomical events. The Event database includes:

Sunrise and Sunset calculates the time that the Sun rises or sets on the current date.

Moonrise and Moonset calculates the time that the Moon rises or sets on the current date.

Moon Phases displays the date and time of the next New, 1st Quarter, Full and 3rd Quarter Moon.

Meteor Showers provides information on upcoming meteor showers, such as the Perseids, the Leonids, etc. Also lists the dates of the showers and when they reach maximum.

NOTE: Meteors are fast moving objects that cover large areas of the sky and are usually best observed with the naked eye.

Solar Eclipse lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, annular, or partial) of eclipse, and the location and time of the first and last contacts of the Moon’s shadow. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available data. Remember, never use a telescope to look at the Sun!

Lunar Eclipse lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, partial, penumbral) of eclipse. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available data.

Min. (Minimum) of Algol is the minimum brightness of the dramatic eclipsing binary star system, Algol. It is relatively close at a distance of 100 light years. Every

2.8days during a 10 hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in apparent magnitude as one of the two stars passes behind the other. The combined magnitude of the two stars thus dips from +2.1 to a minimum of

+3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden. LS calculates minimum magnitude time at mid-eclipse.

Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the current year.

Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of the current year.

Take Picture Menu

You can take wide-field images of the night sky with the ECLIPS CCD Module that is part of the LightSwitch alignment system. It’s great for constellation shots and you can see some large bright deep sky objects as well.

Note that while you take and store images on to a user supplied Mini SD Card for download to your PC, to fully use many of the options below and to preview your

The Pleiades Star Cluster (M45 )

image you need to connect the LS to a user supplied external video monitor.

Start by selecting “Take Picture” from the top menu:

“Take Picture” > “ENTER”

Then you will see the following options:

•Preview Exposure: Displays “Finder Image; Exposing...”. UP/DOWN adjusts Exposure Time (ET). A longer exposure records fainter stars. A shorter exposure records fainter stars. A shorter exposure is better for very bright subjects.

•Set Contrast: UP/DOWN selects scrolls through the thirteen pre-set Contrast curves available, “Cont. Day”, “Cont. Moon”, “Cont. Planet”, “Cont.

AUTOSTAR III MENU OPTIONS

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INDEX