Meade Instruments Corporation - Meade LX200 Instruction Manuals
[ toc ] 2. Lining Up with the Celestial Pole
Objects in the sky appear to revolve around the celestial pole. (Actually, celestial objects are essentially "fixed," and their apparent motion is caused by the Earth's axial rotation). During any 24 hour period, stars make one complete revolution about the pole, making concentric circles with the pole at the center. By lining up the telescope's polar axis with the North Celestial Pole (or for observers located in Earth's Southern Hemisphere with the South Celestial Pole. See section G. Mode Functions) astronomical objects may be followed, or tracked, simply by moving the telescope about one axis, the polar axis. In the case of the Meade LX200 7", 8", 10", and 12"
If the telescope is reasonably well aligned with the pole, therefore, very little use of the telescope's Declination slow motion control is
Begin polar aligning the telescope as soon as you can see Polaris. Finding Polaris is simple. Most people recognize the "Big Dipper." The Big Dipper has two stars that point the way to Polaris (see Fig. 21). Once Polaris is found, it is a straightforward procedure to obtain a rough polar alignment.
To line up the 7", 8", 10" or 12" LX200 with the Pole, follow this procedure:
1. Using the bubble level located on the floor of the wedge, adjust the tripod legs so that the telescope/
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