Meade Tripod LX600-ACF 14 inch User Manual - Page 19

Getting Started Connection" port on the back of the StarLock unit, and the six-pin into the "StarLock" port on the fork arm. 11. Attach the DEC jumper cable. LX600 features split fork arms. In order to make electric connection between the two portions you must install the jumper cables on the left and right sides. . Choosing an Eyepiece A telescope's eyepiece magnifies the image formed by the telescope's main optics. Each eyepiece has a focal length, expressed in millimeters, or "mm". The smaller the focal length, the higher the magnification. For example: An eyepiece with a focal length of 9mm has a higher magnification than an eyepiece with a focal length of 26mm. Your telescope comes supplied with a 26mm Plössl eyepiece which gives a wide, comfortable Series 4000 26mm Super field of view with high Plössl eyepiece image resolution. Low power eyepieces offer a wide field of view, bright, highcontrast images, and eye relief during long observing sessions. To find an object with a telescope, always start with a lower power eyepiece such as the 26mm Plössl. When the object is located and centered in the eyepiece, you may wish to switch to a higher power eyepiece to enlarge the image as much as practical for prevailing seeing conditions. For information about optional eyepieces for the your telescope, see OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 44. The power, or magnification of a telescope is determined by the focal length of the telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece being used (an eyepiece's focal length is printed on the side of the eyepiece). To calculate eyepiece power, divide the telescope's focal length by the eyepiece's focal length. For example: A 26mm eyepiece is supplied with LX600 ACF models. The focal length of the 14" f/8 LX600 ACF is 2845mm (see Specifications, pages 49 and 50). Eyepiece Power = Telescope focal length ÷ Eyepiece focal length Eyepiece Power = 2845mm ÷ 26mm Eyepiece Power = 109 The eyepiece power, or magnification is therefore 109x. Note: For a list of magnification ratings of the eyepieces Too Much Power? Can you ever have too much power? If the type of power you're referring to is eyepiece magnification, yes, you can! The most common mistake of the beginning observer is to "overpower" a telescope by using high magnifications which the telescope's aperture and atmospheric conditions cannot reasonably support. Keep in mind that a smaller, but bright and well-resolved image is far superior to one that is larger, but dim and poorly resolved. Powers above 400X should be employed only under the steadiest atmospheric conditions. Jupiter; examples of the right amount of magnification (left) and too much magnification (right). AutoStar II can calculate the best eyepiece for you to use. Try out the "Eyepiece Calc" feature in the Utilities menu. Most observers should have three or four additional eyepieces to achieve the full range of reasonable magnifications possible with the LX600 ACF telescopes. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 44. available for the LX600 ACF telescopes, see OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 44. Note: Seeing conditions vary widely from night-to-night and site-to-site. Turbulence in the air, even on an apparently clear night, can distort images. If an image appears fuzzy and ill-defined, back off to a lower power eyepiece for a more well-resolved image (see above example of Jupiter). 19