Orion 7880 instruction manual Adding User-Defined Objects, Using the ID Button

Using the ID Button

When you locate an object and center it in the eyepiece, you can identify it by simply pressing the ID button. The LCD screen will display “IDENTIFY” with the word “ANY” flashing. You can then use the up/and down arrow buttons to scroll through several more specific options (“STAR”, “DOUBLE”, “CLUSTER”, “NEBULA”, and “GALAXY”). If you know which one of these object types you are looking at, selecting the object type will make the identification quicker and more accurate. This is because the computer will search through a shorter list of potential object matches, and will allow proper identifica-

tion if there are several objects within the same field of view. If you are unsure of the object type you are looking at, simply select “ANY” from the list of choices. Once you have selected the object type (or “ANY”), press theEnter button.

The identity of the object centered in the eyepiece will now be displayed in the lower right area of the LCD screen. The constellation in which the object resides is shown in the lower left. As always, to get more information about the object, press the Enter button.

An interesting feature of the ID function is that once initiated, it is continually active. So, if you press the ID button, and choose “STAR”, for instance, you can move your telescope from star to star in the sky, and the controller will automatically display the star’s identity when you center the star in the eyepiece. This can be a fun and easy way to identify the stars in the sky. In fact, you can even make a “Name That Star” game out of it! Point your finger at a bright star in the sky and see if you can name it. Then, just point the telescope at the star to see if you were correct or not. If the centered star is not in the controller’s database, it will display the identity of the closest star that is in its database.

To exit the identify function, simply press any other of the controller’s function buttons. If you would like to identify another object type, press the ID button again.

10. Adding User-Defined Objects

Not only does the IntelliScope’s database contain over 14,000 fascinating objects to view, you can even add your own! Up to 99 user-defined objects can be entered into the data- base by means of the User button. These user-defined objects can be random stars, a faint object not contained in the controller’s database, or just a pretty object that you would like to come back to at some point in the future.

To enter a user-defined object into the database, you must have the right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.) coordinates for the object. If you are currently observing an object that is not in the controller’s database and you wish to add it, but don’t know its coordi- nates, you can use the FCN button to obtain its coordinates (described in next section).

To input a user-defined object, begin by pressing theUser button. The LCD screen will display the word “NEW” with a two-digit number flashing after it. Since no user-defined objects currently exist, press Enter to create user-defined (“NEW”) object number 01. The LCD will display the R.A. and Dec. coordinates for the “NEW” object selected in the lower left. Since no data has been input yet, these coordinates will be 00:00 +00.0. The first four digits indicate the R.A. coordinate (in R.A. hours and minutes), and the remain- ing digits (and the ± sign) indicate the Dec. coordinate (in degrees). Now, press the Enter button, and the first two digits of the R.A. coordinate (R.A. hours) will begin flashing. Press the two numerical buttons on the keypad that correspond the hours value of the R.A. coordinate. If the value of the R.A. hours is less than 10, make sure to enter a zero first. Then the second two digits of the R.A. coordinate (R.A. minutes) will begin flashing. Press the two numerical buttons that correspond to the minutes value of the R.A. coordi- nate. If the R.A. minutes are less than 10, make sure to enter a zero first. Next, the sign

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