Meade Polaris 130mm User Manual - Page 9
Understanding, Celestial, Movements And Coordinates, Objects Move, Align The Red Dot Viewfinder
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lock knob (7) before rotating the RA axis to prevent the counterweight from sliding unexpectedly. When the telescope is balanced, proceed to aligning the red dot viewfinder. ALIGN THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER Perform the first part of this procedure during the daytime and the last step at night. 1. Point the telescope at an easy-to-find land object such as the top of a telephone pole or a distant mountain or tower. Look through the eyepiece and turn the focuser knob (31) until the image is sharply focused. Center the object precisely in the eyepiece's field of view. 2. Turn on the red dot viewfinder by turning the on/off switch(20) clockwise. 3. Look through the red dot viewfinder (24). Turn one or more of the viewfinder's alignment screws (34) until the red dot is precisely over the same object as you centered in the eyepiece. 4. Check this alignment at night on a celestial object, such as the Moon or a bright star, and use the viewfinder's alignment screws to make any necessary refinements. 5. When finished, turn off the red dot viewfinder by rotating the on/off switch(20) counter-clockwise. Fig. 6 UNDERSTANDING CELESTIAL MOVEMENTS AND COORDINATES Understanding where to locate celestial objects and how those objects move across the sky is the key to enjoying the hobby of astronomy. Most amateur astronomers practice "star-hopping" to locate celestial objects. They use star charts or astronomical software to identify bright stars and star patterns as "landmarks" in their search for astronomical objects. Another technique for locating objects is to use the setting circles that are provided on your 7 telescope. UNDERSTANDING HOW CELESTIAL OBJECTS MOVE Due to the Earth's rotation, celestial bodies appear to move from East to West in a curved path through the skies. All stars and celestial objects are mapped onto an imaginary sphere surrounding the 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.