User manual MEADE LX200GPS SCHMIDT-CASSEGRAIN WITH AUTOSTAR II HAND CONTROLLER

[. . . ] Instruction Manual 8", 10", 12", 14", 16" LX200GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes 7" LX200GPS Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope with Autostar II Hand Controller Meade Instruments Corporation The Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical System (2) (1) Ray (2) Ray (1) 8. 218" 8. 016" (2) (1) 8. 0" Focal Plane Secondary Mirror Primary Baffle Tube Field Stops Primary Mirror Correcting Plate Secondary Baffle 8. 0" (1) (2) 1/2° (8" model depicted in diagram. Not to scale. ) In the Schmidt-Cassegrain design of the Meade 8", 10", 12", 14", and 16" LX200GPS models, light enters from the right, passes through a thin lens with 2-sided aspheric correction ("correcting plate"), proceeds to a spherical primary mirror, and then to a convex secondary mirror. The convex secondary mirror multiplies the effective focal length of the primary mirror and results in a focus at the focal plane, with light passing through a central perforation in the primary mirror. The Meade 8", 10" and 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain models include an oversize primary mirror, yielding a fully illuminated fieldof-view significantly wider than is possible with a standard-size primary mirror. [. . . ] Best viewing is near Sunrise or Sunset when the sky is still dark. Viewing in the middle of the night can be problematic because a satellite may pass overhead, but not be visible as it is in the Earth's shadow. Tips: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the landmark(s) was added to the database. To add objects to the Landmark database, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the original objects were added to the database. Landmarks This menu option allows you to define and store terrestrial objects in the Landmark database. First, a landmark needs to be stored in memory using the "Landmark: Add" option. To view a landmark, use the "Landmark: Select" option. Landmarks may also be viewed using the "Landmark Survey" option in the Utilities menu. To Add a landmark to the database: In this procedure, you will store the location of terrestrial landmarks in Autostar II's memory. Note for future reference where the telescope is located and if you have aligned the telescope, which alignment method is used. Display the "Setup: Targets" menu option. Chose "Terrestrial" and press ENTER. "Setup: Targets" displays again. Choosing this option turns off tracking for astronomical objects which is not useful for the viewing of terrestrial objects such as 34 those in the Landmark database. Be sure to change this option back to "Astronomical" when you wish to view celestial objects again. "Select Item: Setup" displays. Press the Scroll Down key once and "Select Item: Object" displays. "Object: Solar System" displays. Press the Scroll Up key twice and "Object: Landmarks" displays. Using Arrow keys, enter a name for the landmark you wish to add to the database. Using only the Arrow keys (do not manually move the telescope), move the telescope to the desired landmark and center the object in the eyepiece. If you wish to add more landmarks, repeat steps 5 through 8. 9. To Select a landmark from the database: 1. Make sure the telescope is located and aligned exactly as when the desired landmark was entered into memory. Display the "Landmark: Select" menu option. [. . . ] Open Clusters are loose groupings of young stars, all recently formed from the same diffuse nebula. The Pleiades is an open cluster 410 light years away (Fig. Through the LX200GPS, numerous stars are visible. Constellations are large, imaginary patterns of stars believed by ancient civilizations to be the celestial equivalent of objects, animals, people, or gods. [. . . ]