Meade Infinity 60mm User Manual - Page 12

Meade offers a complete line of eyepieces and Barlows for your telescope. 10 Most astronomers have four or five low-power and high power eyepieces to view different objects and to cope with different viewing conditions. Objects move in the eyepiece: If you are observing an astronomical object (the Moon, a planet, star, etc.) you will notice that the object will begin to move slowly through the telescopic field of view. This movement is caused by the rotation of the Earth and makes an object move through the telescope's field of view. To keep astronomical objects centered in the field, simply move the telescope on one or both of its axes- vertically and/or horizontally as needed-try using the telescopes coarse and fine adjustment controls. At higher powers, astronomical objects will seem to move through the field of view of the eyepiece more rapidly. Place the object to be viewed at the edge of the field and, without touching the telescope, watch it drift through the field to the other side before repositioning the telescope so that the object to be viewed is again placed at the edge of the field, ready to be further observed. Vibrations: Avoid touching the eyepiece while observing through the telescope. Vibrations resulting from such contact will cause the image to move. Avoid observing sites where vibrations cause image movement (for example, near railroad tracks). Viewing from the upper floors of a building may also cause image movement. Let your eyes "dark-adapt:" Allow five or ten minutes for your eyes to become "dark adapted" before observing. Use a red-filtered flashlight to protect your night vision when reading star maps, or inspecting the telescope. Do not use a regular flash-light or turn on other lights when observing with a group of other astronomers. You can make your own red filtered flashlight by taping red cellophane over a flashlight lens. Viewing through windows: Avoid setting up the telescope inside a room and observing through an opened or closed window pane. Images may appear blurred or distorted due to temperature differences between inside and outside air. Also, it is a good idea to allow your telescope to reach the ambient (surrounding) outside temperature before starting an observing session. When to observe: Planets and other objects viewed low on the horizon often lack sharpness-the same object, when observed higher in the sky, will appear sharper and have greater contrast. Try reducing power (change your eyepiece) if your image is fuzzy or shimmers. Keep in mind that a bright, clear, but smaller image is more interesting than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one. STAR CHARTS Star charts and planispheres are useful for a variety of reasons. In particular, they are a great aid in planning a night of celestial viewing. A wide variety of star charts are available in books, in magazines, on the internet and on CD Roms. Meade offers AutoStar SuiteTM software. Contact your local Meade dealer or Meade's Customer Service department for more information. Astronomy and Sky and Telescope magazines print star charts each month for up-to-the-minute maps of the heavens. Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.