Meade DS-114AT instruction manual Objects in Space, Moon, Planets, Deep-Sky Objects

Fig. 34: The Moon. Note the deep shadows in the craters.

Fig. 35: Jupiter and its four largest moons. The moons can be observed in a different position every night.

Fig. 36: Saturn has the most extensive ring structure in our Solar System.

Fig. 37: The Pleiades is one of the most beautiful open clusters.

Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in Autostar. See “GLOSSARY MENU," page 24, for more information.

Objects in Space

Listed below are some of the many astronomical objects that can be seen with the DS-114AT Series Telescope:

The Moon

The Moon is, on average, a distance of 239,000 miles (380,000km) from Earth and is best observed during its crescent or half phase when Sunlight strikes the Moon’s surface at an angle. It casts shadows and adds a sense of depth to the view (Fig. 34). No shadows are seen during a full Moon, causing the overly bright Moon to appear flat and rather uninteresting through the telescope. Be sure to use a neutral Moon filter when observing the Moon. Not only does it protect your eyes from the bright glare of the Moon, but it also helps enhance contrast, providing a more dramatic image.

Brilliant detail can be observed on the Moon, including hundreds of lunar craters and maria, described below.

Craters are round meteor impact sites covering most of the Moon’s surface. With no atmos- phere on the Moon, no weather conditions exist, so the only erosive force is meteor strikes. Under these conditions, lunar craters can last for millions of years.

Maria (plural for mare) are smooth, dark areas scattered across the lunar surface. These dark areas are large ancient impact basins that were filled with lava from the interior of the Moon by the depth and force of a meteor or comet impact.

Planets

Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. To locate the planets on a given day or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and Telescope or Astronomy. (Tip: enter a date in the Date menu and you can determine if a planet(s) will be visible during the night of the entered date by checking its rise and set times). Listed below are the best planets for viewing through the DS-114AT.

Venus is about nine-tenths the diameter of Earth. As Venus orbits the Sun, observers can see it go through phases (crescent, half, and full) much like those of the Moon. The disk of Venus appears white as Sunlight is reflected off the thick cloud cover that completely obscures any surface detail.

Mars is about half the diameter of Earth, and appears through the telescope as a tiny reddish- orange disk.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and is 11 times the diameter of Earth. The plan- et appears as a disk with dark lines stretching across the surface. These lines are cloud bands in the atmosphere. Four of Jupiter’s 16 moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) can be seen as “star-like” points of light when using even the lowest magnification (Fig. 35).

Saturn is nine times the diameter of Earth and appears as a small, round disk with rings extending out from either side (Fig. 36). Saturn’s rings are composed of billions of ice particles ranging in size from a speck of dust to the size of a house. Titan, the largest of Saturn’s 18 moons can also be seen as a bright, star-like object near the planet.

Deep-Sky Objects

Star charts can be used to locate constellations, individual stars and deep-sky objects. Examples of various deep-sky objects are given below:

Stars are large gaseous objects that are self-illuminated by nuclear fusion in their core. Because of their vast distances from our solar system, all stars appear as pinpoints of light, irrespective of the size of the telescope used.

Open Clusters are loose groupings of young stars, all recently formed from the same diffuse nebula. The Pleiades is an open cluster 410 light years away (Fig. 37).

Constellations are large, imaginary patterns of stars believed by ancient civilizations to be the celestial equivalent of objects, animals, people, or gods. These patterns are too large to be seen through a telescope. To learn the constellations, start with an easy grouping of stars, such as the Big Dipper in Ursa Major. Then, use a star chart to explore across the sky.

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