Meade Polaris 127mm User Manual - Page 17

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 redfiltered flashlight to protect your night vision when reading star maps, or inspecting the telescope. Stay away from bright lights too. 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 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversable damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. due to temperature differences between inside and outside air. Also, it is a good idea to allow your telescope to 15 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 JOIN AN ASTRONOMY CLUB, ATTEND A STAR PARTY One of the best ways to increase your knowledge of astronomy is to join an astronomy club. Check your local newspaper, school, library, or telescope dealer/ store to find out if there's a club in your area. Many groups also hold regularly scheduled Star Parties at which you can check out and observe with many different telescopes and other pieces of astronomical equipment. Magazines such as Sky and Telescope and Astronomy print schedules for many popular Star Parties around the United States and Canada.