Celestron StarSeeker manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL IN 264 Rev . B 4/06 StarSeeker 70mm • StarSeeker 80mm •StarSeeker 114mm • StarSeeker 130mm[...]

T ABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 W ar ning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ASSEMBL Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Assembling the StarSeek er . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Attaching the T elescope to the T ripod .[...]

3 Objective Lens Fork Arm Accessory T ray w/ Hand Control Holder Hand Control T r ipod Eyepiece Star Diagonal Focuser Knob Star P ointer Finderscope T ube Ring Clamp The Starseeker 70mm and 80mm Refractor T elescopes (80mm model shown)[...]

4 Star P ointer Finderscope Eyepiece Focuser Knob T ube Ring Collimation Adjustment Knobs Accessory T ray w/ Hand Control Holder Hand Control Optical T ube Fork Arm T r ipod StarSeeker 114mm & 130mm Reflecting T elescopes (114mm model shown)[...]

5 Intr oduction Congratulations on y our purchase of the Celestron StarSeeker! The StarSeek er ushers in a whole new genera- tion of computer automated technology . Simple and friendly to use, the StarSeek er is up and r unning after locating just three bright objects. It’ s the perf ect combination of power and por ta- bility . If y ou are new t[...]

6 Assembling the StarSeeker Y our StarSeek er comes in three major sections: the optical tube, f ork ar m and the tripod. These sections can be attached in seconds using the quick release coupling scre w located under the tripod mounting platform. Remov e all of the acces- sories from their individual box es. Remember to sa ve all of the containers[...]

7 3. Tighten the thumbscrew to hold the e yepiece in place. T o remov e the eyepiece , loosen the thumbscrew on the star diagonal and slide the ey epiece out. F or StarSeeker 114mm and 130mm models: 1. Loosen the thumb screw on the e yepiece adapter at the end of the f ocuser barrel and remove the protectiv e dust cap from the f ocuser barrel. 2. S[...]

8 ment procedure is best done at night since the LED dot will be difficult to see during the day . Before using the StarP ointer , y ou must first remov e the protective plastic co ver ov er the batter y . 1. T o tur n on the Star P ointer , rotate the variable brightness control (see figure 2-5) clockwise until y ou here a “clic k”. T o increa[...]

9 Double Stars: Alphabetical listing of the most visually stunning double , tr iple and quadruple stars in the sky . V ariable Star s: Select list of the br ightest variab le stars with the shor test period of changing magnitude. Asterisms: A unique list of some of the most recognizable star patterns in the sky . 5. Info: Displa ys coordinates and [...]

10 Important: The first time the StarSeeker is used, it will request inf or mation to help identify the model of telescope. Once powered on, the hand control will displa y the message Select Model. Use the Up and Down menu k eys (10) to scroll through the diff erent StarSeeker models. Press ENTER when your StarSeeker model is displa yed on the hand[...]

11 6. For the second alignment object, choose a bright star or planet as f ar as possible from the first alignment object. Once again use the arrow b utton to center the object in the finderscope and press ENTER. Then once centered in the ey epiece press the ALIGN button. 7. Repeat the process f or the third alignment star . When the telescope has [...]

12 4. StarSeeker then asks you to center in the e yepiece the alignment star you selected. Use the direction arrow but- tons to slew the telescope to the alignment star and care- fully center the star in the finderscope. Press ENTER when centered. 5. Then, center the star in the eyepiece and press ALIGN. HELPFUL HINT : In order to accurately center[...]

13 of the sky . • If you ha ve aligned y our telescope using the One-star align method, you can use re-align to align to an additional object in the sky . This will improv e the pointing accuracy of your telescope without ha ving to re-enter addition infor- mation. T o replace an existing alignment star with a ne w alignment star : 1. Select the [...]

14 T our Mode The StarSeeker includes a tour f eature which automatically allows the user to choose from a list of interesting objects based on the date and time in which you are observing. The automatic tour will displa y only those objects that are with- in your set filter limits . T o activate the T our mode, press the T OUR key on the hand cont[...]

15 Lunar Used for tr acking the moon when obser ving the lunar landscape. Solar Used f or tracking the Sun when solar observing using a proper solar filter . View Time-Site - Vie w Time-Site will displa y the last sav ed time and longitude/latitude entered in the hand control. User Defined Objects - The StarSeeker can store up to 50 diff erent user[...]

16 these values and use them each time it is turned on until they are changed. Slew Limits - Sets the limits in altitude that the telescope can slew without displa ying a warning message. The slew limits pre vent the telescope tube from slewing to an object belo w the horizon or slewing to an object that is high enough that the tube might hit one o[...]

17 StarSeeker StarSeeker Menu T ree: The f ollowing figure is a menu tree showing the sub-men us associated with the pr imar y command functions.[...]

18 T elescope Basics A telescope is an instrument that collects and focuses light. The nature of the optical design determines how the light is f ocused. Some telescopes, known as refractors , use lenses. Other telescopes, known as reflectors, use mirrors . The StarSeeker 70mm and 80mm telescopes are refr ac- tor telescopes that use an objective le[...]

19 • Hazy skies, f og, and mist can also make it difficult to f ocus when viewing terrestrially . The amount of detail seen under these conditions is greatly reduced. Also, when photographing under these conditions , the processed film ma y come out a little grainier than nor mal with low er con- trast and undere xposed. • If you w ear correcti[...]

20 Viewing Conditions Viewing conditions aff ect what you can see through y our telescope during an obser ving session. Conditions include transparency , sky illumination, and seeing. Understanding viewing conditions and the eff ect they ha ve on observing will help you get the most out of y our telescope. T ransparency T ransparency is the clarity[...]

21 NO TE: The center ring sticker need not e ver be removed from the primary mirr or . Because it lies directl y in the shadow of the secondary mirror , its presence in no wa y adver sely affects the optical performance of the telescope or the image quality . That might seem counter-intuitive, but it’ s true! Collimating the StarSeeker 114mm Adju[...]

22 Appendix A - TECHNICAL SPECIFICA TIONS[...]

23 Appendix B - GLOSSAR Y OF TERMS A- Absolute magnitude: The apparent magnitude that a star would ha ve if it were observed from a standard distance of 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light-y ears. The absolute magnitude of the Sun is 4.8. at a distance of 10 parsecs, it w ould just be visible on Earth on a clear moonless night awa y from surf ace light. Airy[...]

24 1 is 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 2, and 100 times brighter than a magnitude 5 star . The br ightest star , Sirius, has an apparent magnitude of -1.6, the full moon is -12.7, and the Sun’ s brightness, expressed on a magnitude scale, is -26.78. The z ero point of the apparent magnitude scale is arbitrary . Meridian: A reference [...]

25 Appendix C - RS-232 CONNECTION Y ou can control y our StarSeeker telescope with a computer via the RS-232 por t located on the computerized hand control and using an optional RS-232 cable (Celestron #93920). The telescope can be controlled using popular astronomy soft- ware progr ams, such as Starr y Night ™ Pro .[...]

26 Appendix D - MAPS OF TIME ZONES[...]

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34 CELESTRON TWO YEAR W ARRANTY A. Celestron warrants this telescope to be free from def ects in mater i als and wor km ans hi p for t wo yea rs. Celes tr on will repair or replace such product or par t thereof which, upon inspection by Celestron, is found to be defectiv e in mate rials or workmanship . As a condition to the obligation of Celestron[...]