Meade LX200-ACF 12 inch User Manual - Page 20

Important Note: Once the telescope is aligned, only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope. Once the telescope has been aligned, do not loosen the telescope locks (Pg. 7, Fig. 1, 12 and 17), or move the base manually, or alignment will be lost. Important Notes: It is recommended that you do not attempt a GPS fix indoors. It is also recommended that you CALIBRATE SENSORS the first time your telescope takes a GPS fix. See page 29 for more information. Important Note: The Daylight Saving menu enables or disables the Daylight Savings Time setting: Remember to turn this setting off or on the two days a year when Daylight Saving changes. See TIMING IS EVERYTHING, page 29. - 20 - 5. "Automatic Alignment" displays. The system now performs the following routines (press any AutoStar II key to abort Automatic Alignment; see IMPORTANT NOTE, at the bottom left of page 19.) : Caution: As the telescope performs the following operations, it will swing and rotate. Keep a safe distance from the telescope. The telescope now finds the level and tilt position of the telescope, and also detects where true North is. It may not actually level or tilt the telescope or point to North-it is just detecting these positions. This make take a minute or two. a. Finds the home position. Moves the telescope to find the "home" position. When the home position is found, the system knows the limiting positions of the telescope and can avoid tangling cables and over-rotating the telescope. b. Detects "level" of the base of the telescope; finds tilt and tip. To detect level, AutoStar II must calculate "level" at three compass points. See FINDING TRUE LEVEL in on page 22. AutoStar II also determines the positioning (i.e., tilt and tip) of the optical tube. c. Finds North. Locates magnetic North, then calculates true North. See FINDING TRUE NORTH, page 22. d. Attempts a "GPS Fix". The GPS receiver attempts to acquire and sync up with signals from GPS satellite system. "Getting GPS Fix" displays. See THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM on page 22. After performing these operations, AutoStar II now knows: ‫ ܖ‬The telescope's limiting positions ‫ ܖ‬Where level is for the telescope ‫ ܖ‬The location of true North ‫ ܖ‬The observing site's location ‫ ܖ‬The date and time Note: Press any key to abort the GPS fix. You will then be prompted to enter the time, date and location. e. Once the level, tilt and North are detected, the telescope will "Go To" 2 alignment stars. The telescope will go to these stars in order to orient itself to the sky. Once it has done this, it will be able to point to any of the more than 145,000 stars in its database. "Automatic Alignment: Selecting Star" and "Slewing" display. Finally, when it is close to the alignment star "Center Brightest Star: Press ENTER" displays. Use the Arrow keys to center the alignment star in the eyepiece. The alignment star will be the brightest star in that area of the sky (and hence, "brightest star"). When the alignment star is entered, press ENTER. Note: If you press the "?" key while "Ctr Brightest Star" displays, the alignment star that AutoStar has chosen will display. For example, "Arcturus: Press ENTER" may display. Note: If you have an obstruction, such as a tree or a building blocking your view of the alignment star, or if you have any doubts at all about the star that has been chosen, no problem. Just press the Scroll Down key and AutoStar will find another star to align upon. LX200-ACF TIPS Which One's the Alignment Star? If AutoStar II has chosen an alignment star with which you are unfamiliar, how can you be sure if the star in your eyepiece is really the alignment star? The rule of thumb is that an alignment star is usually the brightest star in that area of the sky. If you perform a GO TO to an alignment star and you're not sure if you have located the alignment star or it isn't in the eyepiece, look through your viewfinder. When you view an alignment star in the viewfinder, it stands out dramatically from the rest of the stars in that portion of the sky. The viewfinder will help you locate a star more quickly than the eyepiece, because it has a much wider field of view than the eyepiece. Using AutoStar II, set the slew speed to 6 or higher and use the Arrow keys to center the alignment star in the viewfinder. If your viewfinder has been aligned with the telescope, the alignment star should now be in the eyepiece. Set the slew speed to 4 or less and center the star in the eyepiece. Also see the "Spiral Search" tip, page 21.