Tip:
The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search." A spiral search is useful when the telescope slews to an object, but that object is not visible in the eyepiece after the telescope finishes its search. (This sometimes occurs during an alignment procedure.)
Press GO TO when the telescope stops slewing. The telescope begins to move in a spiral pattern at a very slow speed around the search area.When the object does become visi- ble, press MODE to stop the spiral search. Then use the Arrow keys to center
Important Note:
The first time you use your telescope or if you are experiencing any problems with pointing accuracy, follow the procedure described in APPENDIX
C:TRAINING THE DRIVE, page 55, to insure accu- rate pointing and tracking.
Tip: Try out the Guided Tour feature; the “Tonight’s Best” Guided Tour will point your telescope at the best objects visible in the sky for every given night of the year. The objects in this tour may change from night to night.
You can easily create your own Guided Tour using the optional Meade’s AutoStar Suite software. See
PHOTOGRAPHY WITH MEADE’S AUTOSTAR
SUITE, page 41 for more information.
5.Use the Arrow keys (5, Fig. 2) to locate a bright star in the night sky. Use the smartfinder (2, Fig. 1a) to help line up on the star. You may choose any unob- structed, bright star for the purposes of this example. Use AutoStar's Arrow keys to center the star in the eyepiece. Once the star is centered, press ENTER to select "Astronomical." The telescope's tracking motors then engage. It may take the tracking motors several seconds to begin tracking. When they do, it may be necessary to once again center the star in the eyepiece. The tracking motors will then keep the star you have chosen in the center of the eyepiece.
6.Press and hold the ENTER key for a few seconds and then release to stop track- ing.You may repeat the procedure to locate another star or object using the Arrow keys. Then press ENTER to
Go To Saturn
After performing the Automatic Alignment procedure, the motor drive begins operating and the telescope is aligned for a night of viewing. Objects in the eyepiece will maintain their position even though the Earth is rotating beneath the stars.
This exercise demonstrates how to select a celestial object, the planet Saturn, for viewing from AutoStar’s database.
NOTE: Saturn is not visible the entire year and you may need to choose another object from AutoStar's database; however, the procedure, as described below, remains the same. If Saturn (or any other object) is not currently visible in the sky, AutoStar displays “Below Horizon.”
1.After the telescope is aligned, “Select Item: Object” displays. If “Select Item: Object” is not displayed on your handbox, keep pressing MODE until it does display. Press ENTER.
2.“Object: Solar System” displays. Press ENTER.
3.“Solar System: Mercury” displays. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Solar
System: Saturn” displays (or you may choose another object from the Solar System list if Saturn is not visible).
4.Press ENTER. “Calculating” displays. Then “Saturn” and a set of coordinates displays. Note that Saturn’s (and other planets’) coordinates change throughout the year.
5.Press GO TO. “Saturn: Slewing...” displays and the telescope slews until it finds Saturn. You may need to use the Arrow keys to center Saturn precisely in the eyepiece. AutoStar then automatically moves the telescope so that it "tracks" Saturn (or whatever other object you may have chosen); i.e., Saturn remains centered in the eyepiece.
Using the Guided Tour
This example demonstrates using “Tonight’s Best” Guided Tour.
1.After observing Saturn, press MODE twice so that “Select Item: Object” displays again.
2.Press the Scroll Down key twice. “Select Item: Guided Tour” displays.
3.Press ENTER. “Guided Tour: Tonight’s Best” displays. Press ENTER.
NOTE: If you wish to try out other Guided Tours, press the Scroll Down key to scroll through other tour choices. When the tour you wish to select displays, press ENTER.
4.“Tonight’s Best: Searching...” displays. After calculating, “Tonight’s Best: Jupiter” displays.
NOTE: Different objects may be displayed on a tour list on any given night. Tour objects are selected based on location’s time and date.
Press ENTER to display information about the object. Press GO TO to move the telescope to the object.
5.Press MODE to return to the Tour list. Press the Scroll keys to scroll through the list. Press ENTER when you find the next object you wish to observe.
6.Press and hold down MODE for two seconds to leave the Guided Tour menu.
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