Meade LX200-ACF 8 inch User Manual - Page 38
Alternate Alt/Az Alignments, Easy Two-Star Alignment
View all Meade LX200-ACF 8 inch manuals
Add to My Manuals
Save this manual to your list of manuals |
Page 38 highlights
Important Note: If you disable the automatic alignment/GPS function and then use the alternate alignments described in this section, you will be prompted to enter the Time, Date, and Daylight Savings status. North Dec. Setting Circle Level Base Fig. 17: Alt/Az Home Position. Fig. 18: Dec. Setting Circle at 0°. Alternate Alt/Az Alignments If you would rather set up your telescope without using automatic alignment, AutoStar II offers alternative alignment methods for both alt/az and equatorial mounting. During the One-Star and Two-Star alt/az alignment procedures, you will (unlike the Automatic and Easy alignment procedures) manually place the telescope in the home position. The procedures for equatorial (polar) alignment are discussed in APPENDIX A, page 53; the three alternative alt/az alignment methods are discussed below. Easy (Two-Star) Alignment In this method, AutoStar II automatically sets the home position, and also automatically picks two stars from its libraries for alignment. During the procedure, AutoStar slews the telescope to a first alignment star. The user is asked to verify that the telescope is pointed at the chosen star and then prompted to center the star in the eyepiece. The process is repeated with a second star to complete the alignment. How to perform the Easy Align Procedure 1. Select Alignment. Select "Align: Easy" from the Setup menu. Press ENTER. 2. Home Position. The telescope automatically sets the following positions: home, level, North, and True North. If so desired, you may turn off the sensors and manually set these positions. See CALIBRATE SENSORS, page 30 for more information. 3 . Star Alignment. AutoStar II chooses two stars to align upon. The telescope slews to the first star for alignment. Should the alignment star not appear in the field of view in the eyepiece, it should be easily recognized: It will be the brightest star in the area of the sky where the telescope is pointing. Use the Arrow keys to move the telescope until the star is visible and centered in the eyepiece. Press ENTER. Repeat the procedure for the second alignment star. Note: See WHICH ONE'S THE ALIGNMENT STAR, page 20, for some important tips concerning alignments stars and using your viewfinder. When the procedure is performed correctly, "Alignment Successful" displays. If AutoStar does not display this message, perform this procedure again. (Keep pressing MODE until "Align: Easy" displays and repeat the procedure.) LX200-ACF TIPS Mirror, Mirror... The LX200-ACF telescopes provide features that allow you to control the primary optical mirror and focus functions for more precise viewing capability. One control feature is the primary mirror lock (Pg. 7, Fig. 1, 9). The primary mirror lock prevents the primary mirror from moving during long photographic exposures and locks in the focus. To use this feature, you should precisely focus and center the object of interest and then turn the lock knob to the lock position and tighten to a firm feel. Do not try to refocus with the mirror locked. You must unlock the primary mirror and then focus. This feature is only necessary for long exposures or where critical focus must be maintained. Another control feature is the zero-shift microfocuser (Fig. 1, 24). The microfocuser allows for "jiggle-free" focusing. It also allows you to achieve focus without causing a viewed object to move out of position in the eyepiece. Some tips to help you make the most out of your microfocuser (see FOCUSING THE EYEPIECE USING THE MICROFOCUSER, page 18, for more detailed instructions): 1. Set the "travel" (extension) of the drawtube of the microfocuser to about halfway. 2. Rotate the mirror lock knob towards the "unlock" position, until it feels loose. 3. Use the coarse focus control (Fig. 1, 6) to achieve a rough focus of a bright star. 4. Rotate the mirror lock knob towards the "lock" position and adjust the tension to a firm feel; this action serves to lock in the coarse focus. But make sure that you don't adjust or bump the coarse focus knob once you have tightened tension on the mirror. If you do, reset the coarse focus as described above. 5. Press the AutoStar II Focus key and then use the Up and Down keys to control the microfocuser. If desired, you may change the focus speed. 6. You may need to repeat this procedure when you change eyepieces. - 38 -