Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch User Manual

Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch Manual

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  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 1
    Instruction Manual 8", 10", 12" LX90®-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Telescopes and 8", 10", 12" LX90®-SC Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes AutoStar® - GPS
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 2
    WARNING! Never use a Meade® LX90® 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
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 3
    instruction book may not be representative of images seen with this telescope. ® The name "Meade", "AutoStar" and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in principal countries throughout the world. "Deep Sky Imager," "LX90", "LPI", "ACF", "Advanced
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 4
    -START GUIDE It is recommended that you attach the supplied tripod to the LX90 for observing. Perform the telescope and AutoStar setup indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. Getting the telescope
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 5
    1 8 3 (1) Tripod Head (2) Threaded Rod (3) Tension Knob (4) Spreader Bar (5) Leg Lock Knobs (6) Extension Strut (7) Tension Hub (8) Attachment Nuts and Spring (not visible) 7 6 5 Fig. A: Field Tripod with legs extended. 5 2 4 Fig. B: Field Tripod (collapsed). Fig. D: Remove 2 nuts and spring
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 6
    can Press "0" to begin Easy Alignment. See page 18 for more information. ᕧ Thumbscrew Thumbscrew 7. Remove the dust cap from the rear cell of the telescope. Thread the eyepiece holder into the rear cell thread. Slide the diagonal prism into the eyepiece holder and lock in place by turning the
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 7
    TELESCOPE FEATURES Side View ạ Ả ƽ Ƽ Ƹ Some models of the LX90 have the computer control panel on the left fork arm, others on the right fork arm. All models of the LX90 6 Dec. Lock 7 Fork Arms 8 Focus Knob 9 R.A. Lock 10 R.A. Setting Circle 11 Dec. Setting Circle/Dec. Pointer 12 GPS Receiver
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 8
    be freely rotated by hand about the vertical axis. Turning the Dec. lock clockwise (to a firm feel only) prevents the telescope from being moved manually, but engages the vertical motor drive for AutoStar operation. NOTE: The Dec. lock knob is a knurled knob located on the fork arm to the right of
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 9
    Meade accessories. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 42. E. 12v Power Connector: Provides connection so that the telescope 10 for a description of AutoStar's features. ƺ Dust Cover: Gently pry the dust cover from the front lens of the telescope 2) on either one of the LX90 fork arm handles. Tighten the
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 10
    's buttons. Some of the major features of AutoStar are: • Automatically move the telescope to any of over 30,000 objects stored in the database or manually enter the astronomical coordinates of any celestial object. • Take a guided tour of the best celestial objects to view on any given night of the
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 11
    sky. TIP: To manually enter the R.A. and telescope's status displays. When the status displays, press one of the Scroll keys (Pg. 10 instructions supplied with the APM) • Date • Site coordinates • Battery status Press MODE again to return to the previous menu. ᕤ GO TO Key: Slews (moves) the telescope
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 12
    Help system is essentially an on-screen instruction manual. If you have a question about end of the AutoStar coil cord into this port (pg. 10, Fig. 2, 9) located at the bottom of the AutoStar Fig. 1, 13A) of the computer control panel of the telescope and the other end into the coil cord port (see j
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 13
    Quick-Start Guide on page 4 and page 5, figures A thru H to assemble the tripod. Return to this section after the tripod as been assembled for further instructions. How to Assemble Your Telescope Assembly of the LX90 telescope requires eight C-cell (user-supplied) batteries or optional Meade #541 AC
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 14
    focal length by the eyepiece's focal length. For example, a 26mm eyepiece is supplied with the LX90. The focal length of the 8" LX90 is 2000mm (see SPECIFICATIONS, page 47). Telescope Focal Length 2000mm Eyepiece Focal Length 26mm 2000 ÷ 26 = 77mm The eyepiece power, or magnification, is therefore
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 15
    and stationary land object at least 200 yards distant, such as the top of a telephone pole or street sign. Center the object in the telescope eyepiece. Re-tighten the R.A. and Dec. locks. 5. Look through the viewfinder eyepiece (Pg. 7, Fig. 6b) and loosen or tighten, as appropriate, one or more
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 16
    OBSERVING Observing By Moving the Telescope Manually If you wish to observe a the right amount of magnification and too much magnification. LX90 TIPS Too Much Power? Can you ever have too telescope by using high magnifications which the telescope and atmospheric conditions cannot reasonably support
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 17
    will begin). 4. The Arrow keys are now activated. Press the Arrow keys (Pg. 10, Fig. 2, 5) to slew (move) the telescope up, down, right, or left. 5. Press a Number key (Pg. 10, Fig. 2, 8) to change the telescope's slew speed. See SLEW SPEEDS, below, for more information. 6. Use the viewfinder (Pg
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 18
    Select Item" displays and use the AutoStar menu options to choose a manual alignment or to find an AutoStar option, such as "Brightness". the compass window. 4. Tighten the Dec. lock to a firm feel. 5. The telescope is now in the Magnetic North Home Position. Setting the "Alt/Az" Home Position
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 19
    Autostar will remember its position on the worm gear. If you do not park the scope and turn it off, it will not remember its position. See PARK, page 28 and PEC TRAINING, page 53. 3. Testing Motors: The telescope then tests the motor function of the telescope by moving in the horizontal and vertical
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 20
    . You will then be prompted to enter the time, date and location. 9. Star Alignment - The Autostar then chooses two stars to align upon. When the telescope slews to the first star for alignment, it may not appear in the field of view in the eyepiece. The alignment star should be easily
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 21
    the motor drive begins operating and the telescope telescope. Do not loosen the telescope locks (Pg. 7, Fig. 1, 6 and 9), or move the base manually, or alignment will be lost. Once the telescope Guided Tour menu. GPS Receiver Fig. 8: The GPS Receiver. LX90 position may be within 10 to 15 feet.) As
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 22
    in a loop. Fig. 11: AutoStar levels. It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop (Fig. 10). This means that pressing the Scroll Down key (Pg. 10, Fig. 2, 7) cycles down through all the available options within a given category, then returns to the first option. The Scroll
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 23
    the display: Use the Right or Left Arrow key (Pg. 10, Fig. 2, 5) to move the cursor from one number first and highlighted by a right pointing arrow (>). LX90 TIPS Which One's the Alignment Star? If you . If your viewfinder has been aligned with the telescope, the alignment star should now be in the
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 24
    Equinox Winter Solstice Summer Solstice Select Item: Guided Tour Tour Objects Tonight's Best How Far is Telescope Model Focal Length Az/RA Ratio Alt/Dec Ratio Mount Az/RA Percent Alt/Dec Percent Train Drive Tracking Rate Reverse L/R Reverse Up/Dn Quiet Slew Max Elevation Min AOS Calibrate Motor
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 25
    are available for the LX90. The available objects include planets, constellations, individual stars, double stars, star clusters, galaxies, quasars, satellites, asteroids and comets. Also, try out the Guided Tour feature; the "Tonight's Best" Guided Tour will point your telescope at the best objects
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 26
    . Alarm selects a time for an alarm signal as a reminder. To use the Alarm, press ENTER, then choose "Set" or "Start/Stop". WARNING! Never use a Meade® LX90 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
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 27
    the Sleep function. AutoStar goes dark, but the internal clock keeps running. Press any key, except ENTER, to re-activate AutoStar and the telescope. LX90 TIPS Observing Considerations • Try to pick an observing site away from street and house lights and car headlights. While this is not always
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 28
    the telescope slews to objects. "Off" is the default setting. GPS: Select "Off" to turn off the GPS function-you will be prompted to manually enter the selected telescope. ‫ ܖ‬Az Ratio and Alt Ratio: The Az (Azimuth) ratio and Alt (Altitude) ratio refers to the gears of the telescope's motors. Do not
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 29
    Motor: If the telescope motors appear to have a problem, use this option to retest the motors gear and can only be used with polar mounted telescopes. Must be performed with a high powered reticle (eg. Meade Plössel 9mm illuminated reticle eyepiece P/N 07068). PEC Training for the the LX90 telescopes
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 30
    -5 Hours -6 Hours -7 Hours -8 Hours -10 Hours Table 1: Time Zone Shift. MENU: DAYLIGHT Software and Cable Connector Kit. See the instruction sheet included with the kit for more a new version of AutoStar software from the Meade website (www.meade.com) and wants to pass this software along
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 31
    their art, but you may even be able to pick up some "tricks of the trade" to try out with your LX90 telescope. See page 40 for more information about photography with the LX90. Many groups also hold regularly scheduled Star Parties at which you can check out and observe with many different
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 32
    . For the United States, look up the shift in Table 1, at the left. 10. After entering the shift, press ENTER. "Edit Time Zone" displays. 11. Press MODE Objects" option of the Object menu and allows automatic slewing of the telescope to the user-entered coordinates. In order to use this menu option,
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 33
    AutoStar slews the telescope to where the satellite should appear. The motor drive stops and of view. 10. When the satellite enters the viewfinder field of view, press ENTER. The telescope starts to Meade web site (www.meade.com) approximately once a month to get updated information and instructions
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 34
    Guided Tour When a Guided Tour is selected, AutoStar slews your telescope to a predetermined list of objects and displays information about each object, such as type of object, constellation location, R.A. and Dec. coordinates, and so forth. AutoStar contains a few Guided ). • The Meade #505 Cable
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 35
    must be the first keyword in your tour after any comment lines and must be 15 characters or less. AutoStar displays this title when "Guided Tour" is selected from the menus. For example: TITLE "A Star's Life" TEXT "title string" "description string" This command allows you to display a text title
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 36
    is useful for developing tours that can be presented year round. For each object type you wish to use to illustrate in your tour, pick 10 to 12 examples spaced across the range of right ascension. Bracket them by the PICK ONE / PICK END statements. One current example displays for the
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 37
    the necessary corrections and try to download again. See the instruction sheet with your #505 Cable Connector Kit for more information Enter" displays. Using only the Arrow keys (do not manually move the telescope), move the telescope to the desired landmark and center the object in the eyepiece
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 38
    will center an object you wish to have identified by AutoStar in the telescope eyepiece and use the "Identify" menu to find out information about the 32:4 13°03' Virgo, Orion, etc. 3 2' "This Globular Cluster is 10,000 light years away..." Advanced Alt/Az Alignment If you would rather choose your
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 39
    gear. If you do not park the scope and turn it off, it will not remember its position. See PARK, page 28 and PEC TRAINING, page 53. 4. Testing Motors: The telescope then tests the motor function of the telescope the "2" key to use Magnetic North. 10. "Select Star" displays. Autostar then displays
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 40
    (Fig. 15). Photography through a long lens such as the LX90 requires special technique for good results, and the photographer should probably problems for the astrophotographer: Many models have lenses that cannot be removed, difficulties in attaching to a telescope, possible vignetting, lack manual
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 41
    Eye software-assisted focusing. • Automatic and manual exposure control from .001 seconds to one hour. • Automatically takes multiple exposures. AutoStar Suite Software includes powerful tools to help you get the most from your Meade LX90 telescope: • Sophisticated planetarium program with over 19
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 42
    19: #928 45° Erect-Image Diagonal Prism. Fig. 20: Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the LX90 telescope. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the quality of the instrument itself. Consult the
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 43
    camera body couples to the tele-extender by means of a T-Mount. The Meade Variable Tele-Extender permits a range of projection images. Off-Axis Guider: own 35mm-to-250mm lens, atop your LX90 in equatorial mode, and guiding the camera through the main telescope, widefield photos of the Milky Way of
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 44
    LX90 will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include: a. Avoid cleaning the telescope's optics: a little dust on the front surface of the telescope knob until the ring of light fills about 10% of the (1) (2) (3) eyepiece field-diameter. If the dark
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 45
    telescope's optical system is misaligned and requires collimation. Follow these steps for collimation of the optical system: a. The only adjustments possible, or necessary, on the LX90 screw on the far side of the black plastic secondary mirror support. This is the set screw that you will adjust.
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 46
    through Friday. In the unlikely event that the LX90 requires factory servicing or repairs, write or call the Meade Consumer Solutions Department first, before returning the telescope to the factory, giving full particulars as to the nature of the problem, as well as your name, address and daytime
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 47
    10" LX90-ACF Advanced Coma-Free 10" LX90-SC Schmidt-Cassegrain Clear aperture 10" Focal length 2500mm Focal ratio (photographic speed f/10 Viewfinder 8 x 50 finder Coatings Meade Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC™) Mounting Cast-aluminum, double-tine forks Gears 4.9"-dia worm gears
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 48
    0.81" (21cm) AutoStar net weight 1.12 lbs (0.51kg) LX90 TIPS Star Charts Even with the AutoStar 30,000 object library, Meade offers AutoStar Suite™ and other star locator software. Contact your Meade dealer or Meade's Customer Service department for more information. Astronomy and Sky and Telescope
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 49
    order to Polar align your telescope, it is essential to have an understanding of how and where to locate celestial objects as they move across the sky. This section provides a basic introduction to the terminology of Polar-aligned astronomy, and includes instructions for finding the celestial pole
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 50
    guide (Fig. 28). Little Dipper Polaris Big Dipper Cassiopeia For precise tracking of astronomical objects, your Fig. 28: Locating Polaris. telescope , page 39. Setting Circles Setting circles included with the LX90 permit the location of faint celestial objects not easily found by direct visual
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 51
    Celestial Pole), astronomical objects may be followed, or tracked, simply by moving the telescope about one axis, the polar axis. This tracking may be accomplished automatically with the LX90 electric motor drive. If the telescope is reasonably well aligned with the pole, very little use of the
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 52
    essential. Even though the LX90 telescopes offers a sophisticated drive system 10 minutes or longer). In particular, the number of Declination corrections required is a direct function of the precision of polar alignment. Precise polar alignment requires the use of a crosshair eyepiece. The Meade
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 53
    as described earlier. Place the illuminated reticle eyepiece (or eyepiece/Barlow combination) into the eyepiece holder of the telescope. 2. Point the telescope, with the motor drive running, at a moderately bright star near where the meridian (the North-South line passing through your local
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 54
    Hobart Perth Sydney Melbourne Northern Territory Tasmania Western Australia New South Wales Victoria Auckland New Zealand Latitude 4° N 23° S 35° S 35° S 34° S 10° N Latitude 40° N 23° N 37° N 25° N 36° N 43° N 19° N 22° N 21° N 21° N Latitude 30° N 34° S 34° N 37° N 23° S Latitude 35° S 27
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 55
    telescope motors using AutoStar. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy problems telescope LX90 TIPS pointing accuracy. Further Study.... This manual What are MACHO's? 10. How are Guide to Amateur Astronomy by Jack Newton and Philip Teece 2. The Sky: A User's Guide
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 56
    central perforation in the primary mirror. All models of the Meade LX90-ACF includes oversize primary mirrors, yielding a fully illuminated field-of-view . It is this phenomenon which results in Meade ACF having off-axis field illuminations about 10% greater, aperture-for-aperture, than other
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 57
    57 OBSERVATION LOG
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 58
    58 OBSERVATION LOG
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 59
    59 OBSERVATION LOG
  • Meade LX90-ACF 10 inch | User Manual - Page 60
    WARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation ("Meade") to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace
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Instruction Manual
8", 10", 12" LX90
®
-
ACF
Advanced Coma-Free Telescopes
and
8", 10", 12" LX90
®
-
SC
Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes
AutoStar
®
— GPS