Meade Instruments LT SC Series - Manual (Page 12)

INDEX
AutoStar #497 HANDBO
X
12
ALIGNING THE
LT
SERIES
12
Go To Saturn
After performing the Easy Alignment procedure, the
motor drive begins operating and the telescope is
aligned for a night of viewing. Objects in the eyepiece
should maintain their position even though the Earth is
rotating beneath the stars.
Important Note: Once aligned, only use the GO TO
or Arrow keys to move the telescope. Do not move the
telescope manually, or alignment will be lost.
Once the telescope is aligned, you may choose and
“Go To” any object listed in AutoStar’s Object menu.
This exercise demonstrates how to select one such
celestial object, the planet Saturn, for viewing from the
Object menu.
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. Press ENTER.
2. “Object: Solar System” displays. Press
ENTER.
3. “Solar System: Mercury” displays. Keep
pressing the Scroll Down key until “Solar
System: Saturn” displays.
4. Press ENTER. “Calculating” displays. Then
“Saturn” and a set of coordinates displays. Note
that Saturn’s (and other planets’) coordinates
change throughout the year.
5. Press GO TO. “Saturn: Slewing...” displays
and the telescope slews until it fi nds Saturn.
You may need to use the Arrow keys to center
Saturn precisely in the eyepiece. AutoStar
then automatically moves the telescope so
that it “tracks” Saturn (or whatever other object
you may have chosen); i.e., Saturn remains
centered in the eyepiece.
After you Go To Saturn, practice the Go To
feature with other objects in the Object menu
lists. For example, during Winter, choose M42,
the Orion nebula, from the Messier list. Or in
the summer, choose the Dumbbell nebula from
the Deep Sky, Named Objects list.
Using the Guided Tour
This example demonstrates using “Tonight’s Best”
Guided Tour.
1. After observing Saturn, press mode twice so
that “Select Item: Object” displays again.
2. Press the Scroll Down key twice. “Select Item:
Guided Tour” displays.
3. Press ENTER. “Guided Tour: Tonight’s Best”
displays. Press ENTER.
If you wish to try out other Guided Tours, press
the Scroll Down key to scroll through other
tour choices. When the tour you wish to select
displays, press ENTER.
4. “Tonight’s Best: Searching...” displays. After
calculating, “Tonight’s Best: Jupiter” displays.
Note: Different objects may be displayed on a
tour list on any given night.
Press ENTER to display information about the
object. Press GO TO to move the telescope to
the object.
5. Press MODE to return to the Tour list. Press
the Scroll keys to scroll through the list. Press
ENTER when you fi nd the next object you wish
to observe.
6. Press and hold down MODE for two seconds to
leave the Guided Tour menu.