Meade NG70-SM Instruction Manual - Page 12

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 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.

10

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.

Astronomy

and

Sky and Telescope

magazines print star

charts each month for up-to-the-minute maps of the

heavens.

AutoStar Suite™ Astronomer Edition Software on DVD

will help you learn the night sky. It

displays more than

10,000 celestial objects including planets, stars,

galaxies, and nebulae. You can print out star charts and

even plan your observing sessions. It operates on any

Windows

®

based PC.

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. Using too

high a power eyepiece is one of the most

common mistakes made by new

astronomers.

Dress Warm:

Even on summer nights, the

air can feel cool or cold as the night wears

on. It is important to dress warm or to have

a sweater, jacket, gloves, etc., nearby.

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.

Meade NG70-SM Instruction Manual - Page 12

Dress Warm

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