Meade LX200 R AutoStar II Polar Alignment, Easy Polar Alignment, One-StarPolar Alignment

Important Note:

In order to select any of AutoStar II's three polar alignment options, you must first select "Polar" in the "Mount" option of the "Setup: Telescope" menu.

AutoStar II Polar Alignment

AutoStar II provides three different (manual) methods for polar alignment: Easy, One- Star and Two-Star.

Easy Polar Alignment

Two alignment stars are chosen by AutoStar II based on the date, time, and location. First, choose "Polar" from the "Setup: Telescope: Mount" menu. The rest of the pro- cedure is identical to the (Alt/Az) EASY (TWO-STAR) ALIGN, page 37.

One-Star Polar Alignment

Polar One-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. AutoStar II pro- vides a library of bright stars and one star from this library is chosen by the observer for alignment. Polaris is chosen by AutoStar II. First, choose "Polar" from the "Setup: Telescope: Mount" menu. The rest of the procedure is almost identical to the (Alt/Az) ONE STAR ALT/AZ ALIGNMENT, page 37, except that AutoStar II prompts you to point the telescope at Polaris and center it in the telescope eyepiece.

Two-Star Polar Alignment

Polar Two-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. AutoStar II provides a library of bright stars and two stars from this library are chosen by the observer for alignment. First, choose "Polar" from the "Setup: Telescope: Mount" menu. The rest of the procedure is almost identical to the (Alt/Az) TWO STAR ALT/AZ ALIGNMENT, page 37.

LX200R TIPS

Surf the Web

One of the most exciting resources for astronomy is the internet. The internet is full of websites with new images, discoveries, and the latest astronomical information. For example: When comet Hale-Bopp made its approach to our Sun in 1998, astronomers around the world posted new photos daily.

On the internet, you can find websites for almost any topic relating to astronomy. Try the following key word searches: NASA, Hubble, HST, astronomy, Messier, satellite, nebula, black hole, variable stars, etc.

Check Meade’s website for the latest product and technical information. You can download the latest software revisions, links to other astronomical sites, coordinates of celestial objects and the latest satellite tracking information for your AutoStar II handset. See page 31 for more information. You’ll find our website at:

www.meade.com/

Here are some other sites you might find interesting:

•Sky & Telescope: http://www.SkyandTelescope.com

•Astronomy: http://www.astronomy.com

•The Starfield: http://users.nac.net/gburke/

•Astronomy Picture of the Day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.goc/apod

•Heavens Above (satellite observing information): http://www.heavens-above.com

•Photographic Atlas of the Moon: http://www.lpi.ursa.edu/research/lunar_orbiter

•Hubble Space Telescope Public Pictures http://opposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html

- 56 -	Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this tele-
	scope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.