User manual MEADE AUTOSTAR 494

[. . . ] Instruction Manual Autostar #494 Computer Controller ® Meade Instruments Corporation QUICK START GUIDE WARNING: Never use Autostar to move a telescope to look at the Sun!Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. To connect Autostar to your telescope: Remove the telescope from its packaging. [. . . ] GO TO SATURN After alignment, the motor drive begins operating and the telescope is ready for a night of viewing. Objects in the eyepiece should maintain their position (i. e. , the telescope tracks the object) even though the Earth is rotating beneath the stars. -16- IMPORTANT NOTE: Once aligned, only use the GO TO or Arrow keys to move the telescope. Do not loosen the horizontal and vertical locks of the telescope, or move the tripod manually, or alignment will be lost. This exercise demonstrates how to select an object for viewing from Autostar's database. NOTE: Saturn is not visible the entire year and you may need to choose another object from Autostar's database; however, the procedure, as described below, remains the same. 1 After the telescope is aligned, "Select Item: Object" displays. (If "Select Item: Object" is not currently displayed, press MODE repeatedly until it displays. ) Press ENTER. may have chosen); i. e. , Saturn remains centered in the eyepiece. If an object is observed in the telescope without using Autostar's GO TO or automatic tracking capabilities (see "TO TRACK AN OBJECT AUTOMATICALLY, " page 25), the object gradually drifts out of the field of view due to the Earth's rotation. USING THE GUIDED TOUR This example demonstrates using "Tonight's Best" Guided Tour. After observing Saturn, press MODE twice so that "Select Item: Object" displays again. NOTE: If you wish to try other Guided Tours, press the Scroll Down key to scroll through other tour choices. NOTE: Different objects may be displayed on a tour list on any given night. Press ENTER and then use the Scroll keys to display information about the object. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until "Solar System: Saturn" displays. Saturn's (and other planets') coordinates change throughout the year. "Saturn: Slewing. . . " displays and the telescope slews until it finds Saturn. You may need to use the Arrow keys to center Saturn precisely in the eyepiece. Autostar then automatically slews (moves) the telescope so that it "tracks" Saturn (or whatever other object you -17- 5. SLEW SPEEDS Autostar has nine slew speeds that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate and have been calculated to accomplish specific functions. key briefly changes the slew speed, which is shown for about two seconds on Autostar's display. The nine available speeds are: Speed 1 = Max = 1200 x sidereal (300 arc-min/sec or 5°/sec) Speed 2 = 2° = 480 x sidereal (120 arc-min/sec or 2°/sec) Speed 3 = 1° = 240 x sidereal (60 arc-min/sec or 1°/sec) Speed 4 = 0. 5° = 120 x sidereal (30 arc-min/sec or 0. 5°/sec) Speed 5 = 64x = 64 x sidereal (16 arc-min/sec or 0. 27°/sec) Speed 6 = 32x = 32 x sidereal (8 arc-min/sec or 0. 13°/sec) Speed 7 = 16x = 16 x sidereal (4 arc-min/sec or 0. 067°/sec) Speed 8 = 8x = 8 x sidereal (2 arc-min/sec or 0. 033°/sec) Speed 9 = 2x = 2 x sidereal (0. 5 arc-min/sec or 0. 008°/sec) Speed 1: Moves the telescope quickly from one point in the sky to another Speeds 2 or 3: Best used for rough centering of an object in the eyepiece. Speeds 4, 5, or 6: Enables centering an object in the field of a low-to-moderate power eyepiece, such as the standard MA 25mm. [. . . ] Keep pressing the Scroll Up key until "Object: User Object" displays and press ENTER. "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. Use the Arrow keys to enter the digits for the Right Ascension coordinate of your object. [. . . ]