User manual MEADE 70AZ-AR

[. . . ] Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 1 www. meade. com TELESTAR INSTRUCTION MANUAL 70mm | 2. 8" Altazimuth Refracting Telescope 70AZ-AR Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 2 Meade 70 AZ - AR The tube has a focal length of 700mm, and its objective lens has a diameter of 70mm. The lens diameter is one of the most important pieces of information about the telescope. The size of the objective lens 3/10/06 12:16 PM The telescope is shipped with the following parts: · Optical tube · Aluminum tripod with an accessory tray · Two 1. 25" eyepieces: MA25mm (28X), MA9mm (78X) · Diagonal mirror · Red dot viewfinder with bracket · Telescope mount · Hardware used in the assembly: 3 bolts (2" long) with wing nuts and washers 3 screws (1/2" long) with nuts INTRODUCTION Your telescope is an excellent beginner's instrument, and is designed to observe objects in the sky and also on land. It can be your personal window on the universe or allows you to intimately study the behavior of nesting birds on a distant hillside. Page 3 determines how much detail you will be able to see in your telescope. [. . . ] It turns out, only with the sunlight shining through them, can the rings be seen. Uranus and Neptune also have faint rings. Optional color filters help bring out detail and contrast of the planets. Meade offers a line of inexpensive color filters. Other stars to look for are multiple stars. Very often, you can find double (or binary) stars, stars that are very close together. Does one seem brighter than the other? Almost all the stars you can see in the sky are part of our galaxy. A galaxy is a large grouping of stars, containing millions or even billions of stars. Some galaxies form a spiral (like our galaxy, the Milky Way) and other galaxies look more like a large football and are called elliptical galaxies. There are many galaxies that are irregularly shaped Fig. 5 Meade 70 AZ - AR You will also be able to see some nebulas with your scope. The two easiest to see in the Northern Hemisphere are the Orion nebula during the winter and the Triffid nebula during the summer. These are large clouds of gas in which new stars are being born. Some nebulas are the remains of stars exploding. When you become an advanced observer you can look for other types of objects such as asteroids, planetary nebula and globular clusters. And if you're lucky, every so often a bright comet appears in the sky, presenting an unforgettable sight. The more you learn about objects in the sky, 3/10/06 12:16 PM and are thought to have been pulled apart because they passed too close to--or even through--a larger galaxy. You may be able to see the Andromeda galaxy and several others in your telescope. They will appear as small, fuzzy clouds. Only very large telescope will reveal spiral or elliptical details. Page 11 Go your library or check out the internet for more information about astronomy. Learn about the basics: light years, orbits, star colors, how stars and planets are formed, red shift, the big bang, what are the different kinds of nebula, what are comets, asteroids and meteors and what is a black hole. The more you learn about astronomy, the more fun, and the more rewarding your telescope will become. the more you will learn to appreciate the sights you see in your telescope. Start a notebook and write down the observations you make each night. Note the time and the date. Use a compass to make a circle, or trace around the lid of a jar. [. . . ] Use soft, white facial tissues and make short, gentle strokes. #928 45° Erecting Prism (1. 25 O. D. ): Correctly orients the telescopic image during terrestrial observing #126 Barlow lens (1. 25 0. 0. ) doubles the magnification of any eyepiece. CAUTION: Do not use scented or lotioned tissues or damage could result to the optics. DO NOT use a commercial photographic lens cleaner. [. . . ]