Tip:
Entering R.A. and Dec. Coordinates of an object without using the menus:
If you do not wish to navigate through the menus, a more direct way to enter coordi- nates is to press and hold MODE for two seconds or more. R.A. and Dec. coordi- nates display. Press GO TO. "Object Position" and a set of coordinates displays. Enter the R.A. and Dec. coordinates of any celestial object using Number keys, overwriting the coordinates currently dis- played. As soon as the coor- dinates are entered, Autostar slews the telescope to the coordinates. Note that the tel- escope must be initialized (see page 19), placed in the Home position (see page 17), and aligned (see page 21) for this procedure to operate properly.
However, if you wish to store the coordinates of an object in memory, use the method described at the right.
11.Press MODE. "Site: Edit" displays.
12.Using the Arrow keys, scroll to "Site: Select." The site you have just edited dis- plays. Press ENTER to select the site or press MODE to exit.
Using Autostar to Find Objects Not in the Libraries
In this procedure, you will enter coordinates of celestial objects that do not appear in any of the Autostar libraries. You will enter the object's name and R.A. and Dec. coor- dinates (required information). You may also enter the object's magnitude and size (optional information).
Although Autostar contains an extensive database of celestial objects (stars, nebulae, planets, etc.) that you can observe, you may eventually want to view objects that are not part of a library. Autostar provides a feature that allows you to enter an object's R.A and Dec. coordinates in the "User: Objects" option of the Object menu and allows automatic slewing of the telescope to the
In order to use this menu option, you first need to look up the R.A. and Dec. coordi- nates of the object or objects you wish to observe. Check out your local library, com- puter store, or bookstore for astronomy books, CD Roms, or magazines (such as Sky
&Telescope or Astronomy), to find coordinates of celestial objects. The objects/coor- dinates you enter become part of your own permanent database, called "User Objects."
To enter coordinates of an object into the "User: Objects" option of the Object menu:
1.Make sure Autostar has been initialized and the telescope has been aligned.
2.After the telescope is aligned, "Select Item: Object" displays. (If necessary, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the menus, as previously described, to find this option.) Press ENTER.
3."Object: Solar System" displays. Keep pressing the Scroll Up key until "Object: User Object" displays and press ENTER.
4."User Object: Select" displays. Press the Scroll Down key once. "User Object: Add" displays. Press ENTER.
5."Name" displays on the top line and a blinking cursor on the second line. Use the Arrow keys, as previously described, to enter the name of the object you wish to add to the database. When you are finished, press ENTER.
6."Right Asc.: 00.00.0" displays. Use the Number keys to enter the digits for the Right Ascension coordinate of your object. When you are finished, press ENTER.
7."Declination: +00°.00' " displays. Use the Number keys to enter the digits for the Declination coordinate of your object. If necessary, use the Scroll Keys to change "+" to
8.Autostar then prompts you to enter the size of the object. This step is optional. Use the Number keys to enter the size (in
9.Autostar then prompts you to enter the magnitude of the object. This step is also optional. Use the Number keys to enter this information, if so desired, and press ENTER to go to the next display. "User Object: Add" displays again.
To GO TO a user-entered object
In this procedure, you will choose an object from the User Object list and GO TO the object.
1.With "User Object: Add" displayed, press the Scroll Up key once. "User Object: Select" displays. Press ENTER.
2.Use the Scroll keys (if necessary) to scroll to the desired object. Press ENTER.
3.The name of the object and the Right Ascension and Declination coordinates dis- play.
4.Press GO TO and the telescope slews to the object.
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