Meade LX200GPS Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually, Terrestrial Observing

Important Note: Objects appear upside- down and reversed left-for- right when observed in the viewfinder. Objects viewed through the telescope eye- piece when inserted into the diagonal prism and microfocuser assembly appear right-side-up, but reversed left-for-right.

This image inversion is of no consequence when observing astronomical objects and, in fact, all astronomical telescopes yield inverted images.

During terrestrial observing, where a fully-correctly-ori- ented image (right-side-up and correct left-for-right) is desirable, an optional #928 45° Erecting Prism is avail- able. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 42.

Note:

Viewing conditions vary wide- ly from night-to-night and site- to-site. Turbulence in the air, even on an apparently clear night, can distort images. Low-power eyepieces, such as the Super Plössl 26mm supplied with your telescope, are better suited to resolving images in poor viewing condi- tions.

NEVER point the telescope directly at or near the Sun at

any time! Observing the Sun, even for the smallest fraction of a second, will result in instant and irre- versible eye damage, as well as physical damage to the telescope itself.

Warning:

Do not look through the tele- scope's eyepiece or viewfind- er while it is rapidly moving.

Children should always have adult supervision while observing.

OBSERVING

Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually

If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a mountain top or a bird, you can observe by merely pointing the telescope and looking through the eyepiece.

1.Loosen the telescope’s R.A. lock (12, Fig. 1) and Dec. lock (17, Fig. 1).

2.Move your telescope to observe distant street signs, mountains, trees, and other structures. Use your viewfinder to help site-in on an object.

3.Center the object in the viewfinder’s crosshairs and then in the telescope eye- piece. When the object is centered in your eyepiece, remember to re-tighten the R.A. and Dec. locks.

4.To move telescope in the R.A. and Dec. axes again, remember to loosen the R.A. lock and tighten the Dec. lock. Then rotate the manual slow motion control knobs (10, Fig. 1) and (16, Fig. 1) .

5.Practice focusing objects using the coarse focus knob (6, Fig. 1).

Important Note: The telescope is shipped with the mirror locked. Before using the coarse focus knob , rotate the mirror lock knob (9, Fig. 1) towards the "unlock" position, until it feels loose.

For more precise focusing, see FOCUSING THE EYEPIECE, page 17.

6.Once you get a feel for how your telescope moves and focuses, try to view some- thing more challenging, like a bird or a distant moving train.

You can also observe stars and objects in the night sky using this method, but note that objects begin to slowly drift across the eyepiece field. This motion is caused by the rotation of the Earth. As you become familiar with the Autostar II handbox opera- tion, you can counteract the drift using the automatic tracking feature in the Autostar

IISetup menu (see TO TRACK AN OBJECT AUTOMATICALLY, page 18), or by using Autostar II's GO TO capabilities (seeGO TO SATURN, page 20).

Terrestrial Observing

The LX200GPS models are excellent high-resolution terrestrial (land) telescopes. Viewing terrestrial objects requires looking along the Earth's surface through heat waves. These heat waves often cause degradation of image quality. Lower power eyepieces, like the Super Plössl 26mm, magnify these heat waves less than higher power eyepieces. Therefore, lower power eyepieces provide a steadier, higher qual- ity image. If the image is fuzzy or ill-defined, reduce to a lower power eyepiece, where the heat waves do not have such an effect on image quality. Observing in early morn- ing hours, before the ground has built up internal heat, produces better viewing con- ditions than during late afternoon hours.

Observing Using Autostar II's Arrow Keys

You may observe land and astronomical objects using Autostar II's Arrow keys to move the telescope.

1.Tighten the R.A. and Dec. locks (12 and 17, Fig. 1).

2.Verify that Autostar II is properly connected to your telescope. See HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR TELESCOPE, page 13.

3.Flip the telescope power switch to the ON position.

The Autostar II screen is activated and a copyright message displays briefly, followed by a short beep. Then Autostar II takes a few moments to start up the system.

4.A message displays that warns not to look at the Sun. At the end of this message, press the key prompted by Autostar II to signify that the message has been read and understood.

5.The first time you turn on the system, Autostar II prompts you to enter the Country or State (listed alphabetically) of the observing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the database of countries, states, and provinces. Press ENTER when the correct location displays. If you have already entered this information, go to Step # 7.

6.Autostar then prompts you to enter the nearest city (listed alphabetically) to the observing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the database of cities. Press ENTER when the correct city appears on screen.

7."Taking GPS Fix" displays. Press any Autostar II key to abort the GPS Fix..

16