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Figure 9. The StarSeeker hand control
6.Tour: Activates the tour mode, which seeks out all the best objects for a given month and automatically slews the StarSeeker to those objects.
7.Enter: Pressing Enter allows you to select any of the
7 StarSeeker functions, accept entered parameters and slew the telescope to displayed objects.
8.Undo: Undo will take you out of the current menu and
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| display the previous level of the menu path. Press Undo |
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| repeatedly to get back to a main menu or use it to erase |
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| data entered by mistake. |
8 | 9. | Menu: Displays the many setup and utilities functions |
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| such as tracking rate and user defined objects and many |
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| others. |
| 10. Scroll Keys: Used to scroll up and down within any of | |
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| the menu lists. A double arrow symbol on the right side of |
| the LCD indicates that the scroll keys can be used to view | |
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| additional information. |
1011. Rate: Instantly changes the rate of speed of the motors 
when the direction buttons are pressed. (0 = slower, 9 =
faster)
12.
11programs for point and click slewing capability.
The StarSeeker’s hand controller is designed to give you instant access to all the functions the StarSeeker has to offer. With automatic slewing to over 4,000 objects, and common
12sense menu descriptions, even a beginner can master its variety of features in just a few observing sessions. Below is a brief description of the individual components of the StarSeeker hand controller:
Direction Buttons
Caldwell - A combination of the best NGC and IC objects. Planets - All 8 planets in our Solar System plus the Moon.
Stars - A compiled list of the brightest stars from the SAO catalog.
List - For quick access, all of the best and most popular objects in the StarSeeker database have been broken down into lists based on their type and/or common name:
Named Stars: Common name listing of the brightest stars in the sky.
Named Objects: Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the most popular deep sky objects.
Double Stars: Alphabetical listing of the most visually stunning double, triple and quadruple stars in the sky.
Variable Stars: Select list of the brightest variable stars with the shortest period of changing magnitude.
Asterisms: A unique list of some of the most recogniz- able star patterns in the sky.
5.Info: Displays coordinates and useful information about objects selected from the StarSeeker database.
The StarSeeker has four direction buttons in the center of the hand control which controls the telescope motion in altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right). The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates.
1 | = | 2x | 6 | = | .5° / sec |
2 | = 4x | 7 | = 1° / sec | ||
3 | = 8x | 8 | = 2° / sec | ||
4 | = 16x | 9 | = | 4° / sec | |
5 | = | 32x | Nine available slew speeds | ||
Rate Button
Pressing the RATE key (11) allows you to instantly change the speed rate of the motors from high speed slew rate to precise guiding rate or anywhere in between. Each rate corresponds to a number on the hand controller key pad. The number 9 is the fastest rate (approximately 4° per second, depending on power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars. The number 1 on the hand control is the slowest rate (2x sidereal) and can be used for accurate centering of objects in the eyepiece. To change the speed rate of the motors:
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