Meade Instruments LX80 - Manual (Page 29)

is not fi xed; it moves as the mount moves.
Using the LX80 hex head tool loosen the right and left
side latitude locks. Insert the same tool into the latitude
adjustment drive. Turn the LX80 tool until the latitude
reference arrow points to the latitude that corresponds
to your location. Once your have “dialed in” your
latitude, secure the right and left latitude adjustment
locks with the hex head tool.
If steps 1 through 5 above were performed with
reasonable accuracy, your telescope is now suffi ciently
well aligned to Polaris, the North Star, for you to begin
an Easy Alignment on the night sky.
Once the mount has been placed in the polar home
position as described above, the latitude angle need
not be adjusted again, unless you perform the one or
two star alignment, move to a different geographical
location (i.e., a different latitude), you wish to resume
observation in the Alt-Az mode, or wish to fi ne-tune
your polar alignment for astrophotography.
Important Note: For almost all visual astronomical
observing, approximate settings of the telescope’s
latitude and other settings are acceptable. Do not
allow undue attention to precise settings of polar home
position of the telescope to interfere with your basic
enjoyment of the instrument.
Your telescope is now in the Polar Home
Position and now ready to begin the AudioStar
Alignment procedure.
Locating the Celestial Pole
To get basic bearings at an observing location, take
note of where the Sun rises (East) and sets (West) each
day. After the site is dark, face North by pointing your
left shoulder toward where the Sun set. To precisely
point at the pole, fi nd the North Star (Polaris) by using
the Big Dipper as a guide (Page 62, Fig 47).
Easy Align
The fastest and easiest way to locate objects with
AudioStar’s GoTo capabilities is to use Easy Align.
AudioStar automatically chooses two stars from its
database for the Easy Align procedure. During this
procedure, AudioStar slews the telescope to the
fi rst alignment star. The user is asked to verify that
the telescope is pointed at the chosen star and then
prompted to center the star in the eyepiece. The
process is repeated with a second star to complete
the alignment.
Note: Before aligning the telescope, fi rst verify
that “INITIALIZING AUDIOSTAR”, Page 24, has
been performed. See “Moving through AudioStar’s
Menus”, Page 22, for a description of how AudioStar’s
keys operate.
How to perform the Easy Align
When the telescope is already powered on and the
correct site location, date, time, telescope model and
mount confi guration have already been entered, the
Easy Alignment can be started by selecting in the menu
“Setup: Align: Easy” and following the steps below.
1. When the Easy Alignment procedure is selected in
the AudioStar’s setup menu, LX80 should be in the
Polar North Home position. See Page 28, “Setting
the Polar North Home Position” for a description
of how to place your LX80 telescope in the home
position.
2. Star Alignment - The AudioStar then uses two
alignment stars to align upon. When the telescope
slews to the fi rst star for alignment, it may not
appear in the fi eld of view in the eyepiece. The
alignment star should be easily recognized and
be the brightest star in the area of the sky where
the telescope is pointing. While looking through
the fi nderscope, use the arrow keys to center the
alignment star in the viewfi nder. Now look through
the eyepiece and use the arrow keys to move
the star to the center of the eyepiece fi eld. Press
ENTER. If that area of the sky is obscured, you can
prompt AudioStar to choose an alternate star by
pressing either one of the two scroll keys. Repeat
procedure for the second alignment star.
When the procedure is performed correctly, “Alignment
Fig 36: Equatorial home position
29
The LX80 Multi-Mount System