User manual MEADE MODEL 114ST-EQ-D

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Meade 114ST EQ-D 4. 5" Equatorial Reflecting Telescope Meade Instruments Corporation ­2­ WARNING!NEVER USE A MEADE 114ST EQ-D 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. [. . . ] By lining up the telescope's polar axis with the North Celestial Pole (or for observers located in Earth's Southern Hemisphere with the South Celestial Pole), astronomical objects may be followed, or tracked, by moving the telescope about one axis, the polar axis. If the telescope is reasonably well aligned with the pole, therefore, very little use of the telescope's Declination flexible cable control is necessary and virtually all of the required telescope tracking will be in Right Ascension. (If the telescope were perfectly aligned with the pole, no Declination tracking of stellar objects would be required). For the purposes of casual visual telescopic observations, lining up the telescope's polar axis to within a degree or two of the pole is more than sufficient: with this level of pointing accuracy, the telescope can track accurately by slowly turning the telescope's R. A. flexible cable control and keep objects in the telescopic field of view for perhaps 20 to 30 minutes. 1a and 1e) of the Azimuth base, so that the entire telescopewith-mounting may be rotated in a horizontal direction. Rotate the telescope until the polar axis (10, Fig. Use a compass or locate Polaris, the North Star (see Fig. 5), as an accurate reference for due North. Level the mount, if necessary, by adjusting the heights of the three tripod legs. Little Dipper Little Dipper Polaris Polaris Big Dipper Big Dipper Cassiopeia Cassiopeia 3. Determine the latitude of your observing location Fig. 1a and 1e) and tilt the telescope mount so that the star "Polaris" is centered in the telescope's viewfinder eyepiece, then re-tighten the latitude lock. If steps (1) - (3) above were performed with reasonable accuracy, your telescope is now sufficiently well-aligned to the North Celestial Pole for visual observations. Once the mount has been polar-aligned as described above, the latitude angle need not be adjusted again, unless you move to a different geographical location (i. e. The only polar alignment procedure that you need to perform each time you use the telescope is to point the polar axis due North, as described in step 1 above. USING THE TELESCOPE With the telescope assembled, balanced and polar aligned as described above, you are ready to begin observations. Decide on an easy-to-find object such as the Moon, if it is visible, or a bright star to become accustomed to the functions and operations of the telescope. For the best results during observations, follow the suggestions below: · To center an object in the main telescope, loosen the telescope's R. A. The telescope can now turn freely on its axes. Use the aligned viewfinder to first sight-in on the object you wish to observe; with the object centered on the viewfinder's crosshairs, re-tighten the R. A. locks. ­ 10 ­ · Always start an observation with a low power eyepiece (the MA 25mm eyepiece); get the object wellcentered in the field of view and sharply focused. Next, insert the MA 12mm eyepiece to try the next step up in magnification. If the image starts to become fuzzy as you work into higher magnifications, then back down to a lower power; the atmospheric steadiness is not sufficient to support high powers at the time you are observing. [. . . ] 12A), you will need to adjust the primary mirror Phillips-head tilt screws of the primary mirror cell (3, Fig. · To adjust the primary mirror tilt screws (3, Fig. 8), first unscrew several turns the 3 hex-head primary mirror cell locking screws (2, Fig. 8), to allow free turning movement of the tilt knobs. [. . . ]