EXCALIBUR 765 Space Navigator - Manual (Page 16)

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TIPS FOR USING SPACE NAVIGATOR
• Whenever an objectʼs name is underlined on any
menu, you can press the INFO button to display
information on the object for a moment.
• The TONIGHT button can be pressed at any time to
display five of todayʼs astronomical events, one at a
time.
• Once the help tip has been given, you can press the
HELP button to display the help tip again for a mo-
ment.
• If you change your location, you can re-enter the
SETUP mode from the main menu.
• If a constellation is not currently visible, the time
when the center of the constellationʼs map will rise
is displayed on the LCD. Some individual constel-
lations on the map MAY rise slightly before or after
their map centers are visible on the horizon.
• On the maps, the names of constellations are in
capital letters and the names of stars are in lower-
case letters. Around the edge of the maps are the
names and map numbers of adjacent constellations.
This allows you to jump from map to map to learn
the whole sky.
• Maps should be loaded into the storage compart-
ment on the back of Space Navigator, with the
odd-numbered maps facing up. The maps do not
need to be in any particular order as long as the odd-
numbered maps face up. The odd-numbered maps all
have black tabs for quick identification.
STORE YOUR MAPS WITH THE BLACK
TABS FACING UP!
• Planets are not shown on the maps since they are
constantly moving from constellation to constella-
tion. Planets are usually very bright and look much
like stars, although they may seem to twinkle less
than stars. When you see a “star” in the sky that is
not on your map, it is probably a planet!
• Constellations around the top of the YOUR SKY
TONIGHT window may not actually be visible,
depending on your latitude. The farther north your
latitude is, the more you can see of the constella-
tions near the top of the window.
• Use the red light when you are searching for stars
in the sky. The red light does not affect your night
vision. It makes it possible for you to see the fainter
stars. Use the blue lights to display the object names
and their mythological figures. Use the blue light
sparingly since it does affect your night vision.
• Choose an observing location away from lights,
power lines and large metal objects that could affect
the compass.
• Two important constellations, the Big Dipper and
the Little Dipper, are shown in their well-known
modern forms. For the record, the ancient Greeks
saw the Big Dipper as Ursa Major, the “Big Bear,”
and the Little Dipper as Ursa Minor, the “Little
Bear.”
If you have trouble locating an object, it
may be in a difficult spot for you to see—
behind a tree, building or a cloud, or it
may be directly overhead. Just wait one
hour and try again.
To find a planet, look for a bright point
that is NOT on your chart! Planets, from
the Greek word for “Wanderers,” travel
through the sky, from one Zodiacal
constellation to another. You can probably
pick them out fairly easily.