Meade EclipseView 10x50 Instruction Manual - Page 2

SUN WARNING! CAUTION: NEVER look through your binoculars at or near the Sun until the solar filters are securely installed at the front of the binoculars. Please read the following instructions fully and keep them in mind when observing the Sun. Always use caution when viewing at or near the Sun. Adult Supervision is required. Inspecting the Solar Filter: All filters are checked carefully before shipment. However, as the solar filter material is delicate, be sure to check for any damage prior to each use. Inspecting Solar Filters: Before installing the solar filter, hold the solar filter up to the sky away from the Sun or use a standard 60 to 100 watt light bulb. Examine the filter for any pin holes, scratches, tears, or signs the filter material has separated from its holder. If any damage is seen, do not use the solar filter. Replacement will be required. Installing the Solar Filter: The solar filters are pre-installed at our factory to allow use right out of the box. However, if the solar filters are removed from the binoculars make sure to reinstall the filters before looking at or near the Sun. To install the filters, do the following. 1. Point the binoculars upwards away from the Sun. 2. Carefully slide the filters fully over the front end of the binocular lens. Never force the filter onto the binoculars or damage can occur. Step 2 SLIDE THE FILTER ON: Step 3 TIGHTEN THUMB SCREW: 3. Tighten the thumb screw located on side the filter until firm. Do this for both filters. Do not overtighten the thumb screw. STEP 4 BOTH FILTERS INSTALLED: 4. The solar filters are now installed and ready to use on the Sun. Always use caution when viewing at or near the Sun. 5. When removing the solar filters, point the binoculars away from the Sun first, then remove the filters. Removing the filters while the binoculars are still pointed at the Sun is very dangerous and can cause serious damage to the binoculars or anyone that may unknowingly attempt to look through the now unfiltered binoculars Observing the Sun: What makes our Sun so enjoyable to observe is that it's an active star that's always changing. When viewing the Sun through the EclipseView solar filters, the Sun will show up as a yellow-orange disk with possible Sunspots on its surface. Sunspots are temporary dark regions on the Sun where the surface temperature is cooler than the surrounding material. They are places where the Suns ever-changing magnetic field prevents the hotter material from below from reaching the surface. Sunspots are continuously changing on a daily basis, sometimes even on an hourly basis and always occur in pairs just like the North & South Pole of a magnet. When viewing Sunspots you will notice they always have different shapes and sizes where no two Sunspots are the same. Our Sun goes through an eleven year cycle where its surface activity increases dramatically. During increased surface activity, many Sunspots can be observed near the solar equator. As the solar activity increases, Sunspots typically will be seen closer to the Suns north and south poles. During periods of low surface activity, the number of Sunspots will reduce drastically and often no Sunspots will be visible at all. As the number of Sunspots are constantly changing, don't get discouraged if you don't see any Sunspots when observing the Sun. Check back again on another day, and look carefully on the solar surface. How many Sunspots do you see each day? Planetary transits are another exciting feature to see when observing the Sun. Although this event happens infrequently, it occurs when the planet Mercury or Venus passes in front of the Sun. From your EclipseView binoculars this would look like a small black dot travelling very slowly across the face of the Sun. These rare planetary transits are well known in advance and often mentioned on the local news days before they occur. Solar Eclipses occur when the Moon, during its monthly trip around the Earth, passes between the Earth and the Sun. This causes the Moons shadow to be cast onto a small part of the Earth. This shadow will have two distinct regions, the innermost and darkest region called the umbra and the outer brighter region called the penumbra. The dark umbra region is a very narrow region sometimes 60 - 100 miles wide. The penumbra region covers a much larger area and can be almost 4,000 miles wide. There are three different types of solar Eclipses: A Partial Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun and blocks only a portion of the Sun. This is the most common type of solar eclipse. The Sun will look 2