Meade ETX125 Instruction Manual - Page 24

Want to learn more about using the Browse menu? See page 38. Use the Event menu to look up dates of various astronomical events, such as sunrises and sunsets, eclipses, moon phases, meteor showers, equinoxes and solstices... ...and not just for the current date. Set any date, past or future, when initializing AutoStar and you can check the time for other events. WARNING! Never use your ETX 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. Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. 24 Use the Glossary menu to look up definitions of astronomical terms and get a description of AutoStar features. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL ALIGNMENT-BASED OPERATIONS: Only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope during the Identify procedure. Do not loosen the telescope locks or move the base or the alignment will be lost. 1. When a desired object is visible in the eyepiece, keep pressing MODE until the "Select Item: Object" menu is displayed. Press ENTER to select this menu. 2. Scroll through the Object menu options until the "Object: Identify" screen appears. 3. Press ENTER. AutoStar searches the database for the identity of the object being observed. 4. If the telescope is not directly on an AutoStar database object, the nearest database object is located and displayed on the screen. Press GO TO and the telescope slews to that object. Browse allows you to search the database for objects with certain parameters, much like a search engine. "Edit Parameters" lets you set various parameters for the search, such as: Object Type, Minimum Elevation, Largest, etc. Once you have set the parameters of the search, select "Start Search" and press ENTER. AutoStar will display the results of the search. Event Menu The Event menu provides access to dates and times of astronomical events. The Event database includes: Sunrise and Sunset calculates the time that the Sun rises or sets on the current date. Find rise and set times for other dates by entering a new date into the "Setup: Date" menu. See DATE, page 26 and also see ETX TIPS, page 21. Moonrise and Moonset calculates the time that the Moon rises or sets on the current date. Find rise and set times for other dates by entering a new date into the "Setup: Date" menu. See DATE, page 26 and also see ETX TIPS, page 21. Moon Phases displays the date and time of the next Full, New, 1st Quarter and 3rd Quarter Moon. Meteor Showers provides information on upcoming meteor showers, such as the Perseids, the Leonids, etc. Also lists the dates of the showers and when they reach maximum. Note: Meteors are fast moving objects that cover large areas of the sky and are usually best observed with the naked eye. Solar Eclipse lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, annular or partial) of eclipse and the location and time of the first and last contacts of the Moon's shadow. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available data. Remember, never use a telescope to look at the Sun! See WARNING! to the left. Lunar Eclipse lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, partial, penumbral) of eclipse. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available data. Min. (Minimum) of Algol is the minimum brightness of the dramatic eclipsing binary star system, Algol. It is relatively close at a distance of 100 light years. Every 2.8 days during a 10-hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in apparent magnitude as one of the two stars passes behind the other. The combined magnitude of the two stars thus dips from +2.1 to a minimum of +3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden. AutoStar calculates minimum magnitude time at mid-eclipse. Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the current year. Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of the current year. Glossary Menu The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common astronomical terms and AutoStar functions. Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in AutoStar. A hypertext word