AudioStar Operation
5.Use the Scroll keys to display data about the pass:
6.“Alarm” displays after the location information. Press ENTER and AudioStar automatically sets the alarm to sound a minute before the satellite’s scheduled appearance. You may return to regular observations until the alarm goes off.
7.When the alarm goes off, return to the Satellite menu and press a Scroll key until the desired satellite is on the top line of the display.
8.Press GoTo. AudioStar slews the telescope to where the satellite should appear. The motor drive stops and a countdown is displayed.
Note: If the scheduled appearance position of the satellite is obstructed (i.e., by a building, tree, or hill), press ENTER and AudioStar starts to move the telescope along the expected satellite track. When the track clears the obstruction, press ENTER again to pause the telescope, then continue with this procedure.
9.With about 20 seconds left on the countdown timer, start watching through the telescope Viewfinder (Page 8, Fig. 1, 1) for the satellite to enter the field of view.
10.When the satellite enters the viewfinder field of view, press ENTER. The telescope starts to track with the satellite.
11.Use the AudioStar Arrow keys to center the object in the viewfinder, then look through the eyepiece to view the object.
Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including the Space Shuttle) are launched. Visit the Meade web site (www.meade.com) approximately once a month to get updated information and instructions on how to download this data to AudioStar. If orbital parameters are more than one month old, the satellite pass may not happen at the time predicted by AudioStar. Downloading requires the optional #505 AstroFinder™ Software and Cable Connector Kit. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, Page 52.
NOTE: Satellite observing is an exciting challenge. Most
satellites are in low orbit, travelling at approximately 17,500 mph. When visible, they move quickly across the sky and are only in the field of view for a few minutes, requiring AudioStar to slew the telescope rapidly. Best viewing is near Sunrise or Sunset when the sky is still dark. Viewing in the middle of the night can be problematic because the satellite may pass overhead, but not be visible as it is in the Earth’s shadow.
Landmarks
This menu option allows you to define and store terrestrial objects in the Landmark database. First, a landmark needs to be stored in memory using the “Landmark: Add” option. To view a landmark, use the “Landmark: Select” option. Landmarks may also be viewed using the “Landmark Survey” option in the Utilities menu.
To Add a landmark to the database:
In this procedure, you will store the location of terrestrial landmarks in AudioStar’s memory.
1.Set the telescope in the home position, if necessary. Note for future reference where the telescope is located and if you have aligned the telescope, which alignment method is used.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the landmark) was added to the database.
2.Display the “Setup: Targets” menu option. Choose “Terrestrial” and press ENTER – “Setup: Targets” displays again. Choosing this option turns off tracking for astronomical objects and is not useful for the viewing of terrestrial objects such as those in the Landmark database. Be sure to change this option back to “Astronomical” when you wish to view celestial objects again.
3.Press MODE once. “Select Item: Setup” displays.
4.Press the Scroll Down key once and “Select Item: Object” displays. Press Enter. “Object: Solar System” displays.
5.Press the Scroll Up key twice and “Object: Landmarks” displays. Press ENTER.
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