Meade LX90 manual

Instruction Manual 8" LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain T elescope A utoStar ® — LNT ™ — Smar tFinder ™[...]

Primary Baffle Tube Field Stops Primary Mirror Ray (1) Ray (2) (2) (1) (2) (1) Secondary Mirror Correcting Plate S econdary B affle (2) (1) F ocal P lane In the Schmidt-Casseg rain design of the Meade LX90, light enters from the right, passes through a thin lens with 2-sided aspher ic correction (“correcting plate”), proceeds to a s[...]

Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 T elescope F eatures ...................................................... 6 A utoStar Features .......................................................... 9 Getting Star ted ..............................................................12 P ar ts Listing ...............[...]

4 QUICK-ST AR T GUIDE It is recommended that you attach the supplied tripod to the LX90 f or obser ving. P erform the telescope and AutoStar setup indoors in the light so that you become f amiliar with the par ts and operation bef ore moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. 1. Remov e the field tripod from the shipping car ton. St[...]

5 R ib Battery H older B attery C ompar tment 10. Tighten, to a firm feel only , the Dec and R.A. locks ( 6 and 9, Fig. 1) . Remov e the dust cover from the end of the telescope tube . 9. Press the ke y prompted by A utoStar to accept the Sun warning. Y ou can now use the Arrow k eys to slew (mo ve) the telescope up , down, right, or left. T [...]

6 Fig. 1 : The LX90 T elescope and AutoStar Handbo x. TELESCOPE FEA TURES 2 D 3 6 8 J L M O P Q A R K N 2! 2) A B C D D E (not sho wn) 9 1 Eyepiece 2 Ey epiece Holder Thumbscre w 3 Eyepiece Holder 4 Diagonal Prism 5 Optical T ube 6 Dec. Lock 7 Fork Arms 8 Focus Knob 9 R.A. Lock 10 R.A. Setting Circ le 11 Dec. Setting Circ le/Dec. P ointer 12 LNT Mo[...]

7 LX90: Y our P ersonal Window to the Universe The Meade LX90 is an e xtremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes with f eatures similar to those av ailable only with larger and more specializ ed imaging systems. With pushbutton controls, automatic trac king of celestial objects and software downloading capability , the LX90 telescope ma y be al[...]

8 D . Auxiliary (A UX) P or t (2) : Pro vides connection f or the LNT module, and also current and future Meade accessories, such as the Meade Accessor y P or t Module. See “OPTIONAL A CCESSORIES, ” page 41. E. 12v P ower Connector : Provides connection so that the telescope assemb ly may be powered from either a 12v DC auto cigarette light plu[...]

9 Fig. 2: The LX90 AutoStar Handbo x. L 1 B D E H I J K C F G T our the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Control of the LX90 is through the operation of the standard-equipment A utoStar . Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just a f ew pushes of A utoStar’ s buttons. Some of the major f eatures of AutoStar are: • A [...]

10 The A utoStar Computer Controller provides control of vir tually ev er y telescope function within a compact handbo x. AutoStar has soft-touch k eys designed to hav e a positive f eel. The LCD (Liquid Cr ystal Displa y) is backlit with a red LED (Light Emitting Diode) f or easy viewing in the dark. The backlit displa y , ke y arrangement, and se[...]

11 8. The Smar tFinder’ s red dot will now blink on f or 10.2 seconds and tur n off for 0.7 seconds , and then repeat the cycle until you change the v alues again. Press and hold MODE c to e xit this function. Similar ly , you can set the Intensity value b y scrolling through the intensity values with the Scroll keys h . The Intensity option lets[...]

12 Getting the telescope ready f or first obser vations requires only a f ew minutes . When first opening the packing bo x, note carefully the following parts: • LX90 T elescope with fork mount system and attached Smar tFinder • A utoStar handbox and interf ace coil cord • Eyepiece holder and 1.25” diagonal prism • 8 x 50 Viewfinder • S[...]

13 6. Place the entire telescope onto the top of the tripod head, and inser t the threaded rod into the centr al hole in the bottom of the drive base of the telescope . Tighten the tension knob ( 3, Fig. 3 ); firm tightening of the tension knob is sufficient to result in r igid positioning of the tr ipod legs. 7. T o vary the tr ipod height, loosen[...]

14 Choosing an Eyepiece A telescope’ s eyepiece magnifies the image f or med by the telescope’ s main optics. Each ey epiece has a focal length, e xpressed in millimeters, or “mm. ” The smaller the focal length, the higher the magnification. For e xample, an e yepiece with a f ocal length of 9mm has a higher magnification than an ey epiece [...]

15 Aligning SmartFinder In order f or the Smar tFinder to be useful, it must first be aligned with the main telescope, so that both the Smar tFinder and the main telescope are pointing at precisely the same location. T o align the Smar tFinder : 1. P oint the main telescope at some well-defined distant (perhaps a mile aw ay) land object, such as a [...]

16 OBSER VING Observing By Moving the T elescope Manually If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a mountain top or a bird, y ou can obser ve by merely pointing the telescope and looking through the e yepiece. 1. Loosen the telescope’ s R.A. lock ( 9, Fig. 1 ) and Dec loc k ( 6, Fig. 1 ). 2. Mov e your telescope to observe distant s[...]

17 2. V er ify that AutoStar is properly connected to your telescope . See “HOW T O ASSEMBLE Y OUR TELESCOPE,” page 13. 3. Flip the telescope power s witch to the ON position. The A utoStar screen is activated and a cop yright message displays briefly , follo wed by a shor t beep. Then A utoStar takes a f ew moments to star t up the system. 4. [...]

Initialization is a procedure that ensures that AutoStar operates correctly . When you first use A utoStar , it doesn't yet know where the obser v ation location site is . During the procedure, you will enter the observation l ocation or zip code . AutoStar uses this inf or mation, along with the time and date information provided b y the LNT [...]

19 Observe a Star using the Automatic T racking Feature In this e xample, the AutoStar Arro w ke ys are used to find a star , and then AutoStar's tr acking capability automatically keeps the star centered in y our telescope's ey epiece. 1. Make sure that the Dec and R.A. locks ( 6 and 9, Fig. 1 ) are secured as described abov e. 2. V er i[...]

20 Ho we ver , when the telescope slews to the first star , it ma y not appear in the field of view in the ey epiece. Use the Smar tFinder ( 17 , Fig. 1 ) and /or the viewfinder ( 1, Fig. 20 ) to locate the star . The alignment star will be easy to recognize—it will be the brightest star in the area of the sky where the telescope is pointing. Loo[...]

21 It is impor tant to understand that menu selections are set in a loop ( Fig. 10 ). This means that pressing the Scroll Down k ey ( 7, Fig. 2 ) cycles down through all the a vailab le options within a giv en categor y , then retur ns to the first option. The Scroll Up ke y ( 7, Fig. 2 ) cycles up through the options in the opposite order . Note t[...]

22 T o Calculate Sunset time: 1. Press the MODE ke y sev eral times, until “Select Item: Object” is displa yed. 2. Press the Scroll Down k ey once to displa y the “Ev ent” option in the “Select Item” menu. 3. Press the ENTER ke y to choose the "Event" option and mo ve down a le vel. "Event: Sunr ise" is display ed. 4[...]

A UT OST AR’S MENUS 23 T o night's Best H o w Far is Far A Star's Life D o wnloaded T ours U s er-created T ours Solar System M e rcury Etc . M o on A s teroids Comets Constellations A n dromeda Etc . Deep Sky Named Object Galaxies Nebulae M e ssier Etc . Star Named S A O Catalog D o uble V ariable Etc. Satellite S e lect A d d D e lete[...]

24 MENUS AND MENU OPTIONS Object Menu Almost all obser ving with A utoStar is performed using the Object menu categor y . ( NO TE: Exceptions include Guided T our and Landmar k Sur ve y . ) See “GO TO SA TURN,” page 20, for an e xample of obser ving using the Object menu. Also see “USING THE GUIDED T OUR,” page 20. Many A utoStar menu categ[...]

25 Event Menu The Event men u provides access to dates and times of astronomical e vents. The Event database includes: Sunrise and Sunset calculates the time that the Sun rises or sets on the current date. Find rise and set times for other dates b y entering a new date into the “Setup: Date” men u. See "D A TE," page 27. Moonrise and [...]

26 J Set : Enter the time of day f or the alar m to sound, in hours, minutes, and seconds , then press ENTER. J Start/Stop : Activates the alarm set previously . Use the Scroll k eys to toggle between ON and OFF . When ON is displa yed, press ENTER to activate the alarm. When the alar m time arrives, A utoStar beeps. Press ENTER to deactiv ate the [...]

27 P ark Scope is designed for a telescope that is not mov ed between obser ving sessions. Align the telescope one time , then use this function to park the telescope. Next time it is pow ered up, enter the correct date and time – no alignment is required. Pressing ENTER causes the telescope to mov e to its pre-deter mined P ark position. Once pa[...]

Time Zone Shift Atlantic -4 Hours Easter n -5 Hours Central -6 Hours Mountain -7 Hours P acific -8 Hours Haw aii -10 Hours T able 1: Time Zone Shift. 28 J Re ver se L/R: Re v erses the functions of the Left and Right Arrow ke ys ( i.e . , the Right k ey mov es the telescope to the left) . J Re ver se UP/DO WN: Re v erses the functions of the Up and[...]

29 NO TE: A utoStar compensates f or daylight savings time , if selected. See “ SETUP MENU: D A YLIGHT SA VING, ” page 27. Owner Info accesses the o wner information menu, including: J Name : Users may enter both their first and last names using the Up and Do wn Arrow ke ys to cycle through the alphabet. Use the Right and Left Arrow k eys to mo[...]

30 AD V ANCED A UT OST AR FEA TURES Adding Observing Sites If you plan to observe using A utoStar at different geog raphic locations, y ou can store up to six obser vation sites in A utoStar's memor y to help simplify your telescope setup . P erform these procedures using the Site options (Add, Select, Delete, Edit) of the Setup menu. T o Add [...]

31 4. Using the Arrow k eys, change the name of the site so that it no w reads the name of your obser ving location. Press ENTER. "Edit: Name" displays again. 5. Press the Scroll Down k ey and "Edit: Latitude" displa ys. Press ENTER. 6. Using the Number K eys , enter the latitude of your obser ving site and then press ENTER. &qu[...]

32 9. A utoStar then prompts you to enter the magnitude of the object. This step is also optional. Use the Number ke ys to enter this information, if so desired, and press ENTER to go to the ne xt display . "User Object: Add" displa ys again. T o GO T O a user-entered object: In this procedure, y ou will choose an object from the User Obj[...]

33 How to Create Y our Own Guided T our When a Guided T our is selected, AutoStar sle ws your telescope to a predetermined list of objects and displa ys information about each object, such as type of object, constellation location, R.A. and Dec coordinates, and so f or th. A utoStar contains a fe w Guided T ours which are programmed at the f actor [...]

34 Writing a T our Using the list of commands listed abov e, a custom tour can be created. Placing the word A UT O SELECT bef ore any of the command lines activates A utomatic Mode and, when selected, A utoStar automatically searches and finds the designated object. The f ollowing is a list of command lines, complete with k eywords and necessary st[...]

35 ASTER OID "name" Enter ASTEROID and then the name of the desired asteroid in quotes . A utoStar displays inf or mation about the asteroid from its database. F or e xample: ASTEROID: "Ceres" COMET "name" Enter COMET and then the name of the desired comet in quotes. AutoStar displa ys information about the comet from [...]

36 A UTO SLEW ON / A UTO SLEW OFF With A UTO SLEW ON enab led in the tour , AutoStar automatically sle ws the telescope to objects first bef ore displaying the te xt description. This feature is useful when designing tours in which obser ving cer tain objects is required. F or example , an astronomy professor ma y require his students to obser ve s[...]

37 2. Displa y the "Landmar k: Select" menu option. Press ENTER. 3. Use the Scroll ke ys to scroll through the list of objects you ha ve pre viously entered. When the desired object displa ys, press ENTER to select the object. Use the Scroll ke ys to scroll through location inf or mation about the object, if desired. Press GO T O to slew [...]

38 T wo-Star Alt/Az Alignment T wo-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky . A utoStar provides a database of bright stars and two stars from this database are chosen by the observer f or alignment. Note: If you choose “Easy Align, ” Autostar will choose the tw o alignment stars. 1. Initialize y our telescope, as described on pa[...]

39 Photog raph y through the LX90 requires the addition of the optional #62 T–Adapter . See “OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES , ” page 39. With the #62 T -Adapter and a T -mount attached to the telescope ( Fig. 14 ), through-the-telescope photograph y is possible with any 35mm camera body with a remov able lens. In this wa y , the telescope effectiv ely [...]

40 Shor ter exposure times is one of the biggest dr awback. Long exposures with digital cameras introduce undesirab le noise and ar tif acts into a digital image. This limits the range of astro images to the Moon, planets and bright stars. Some tips f or better digital photos: • If you cannot remo ve the lens to y our camera, look for a commercia[...]

41 OPTIONAL A CCESSORIES A wide assor tment of professional Meade accessories is av ailable for the LX90 telescope . The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the quality of the instrument itself. Consult the Meade General Catalog for complete details on these and other accessories. Some of the Meade Series 4000 and 5000 Ey epieces[...]

42 #62 T -Adapter: The T -Adapter ( Fig. 22 ) is the basic means of pr ime-focus photog raphy through all Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain models . Thread the T -Adapter on to the rear cell of your telescope, f ollowed b y a T -Mount for y our 35mm camera, and the camera body is rigidly coupled to the telescope. V ariable T ele-Extender: For e yepiece-proj[...]

43 MAINTENANCE The LX90 is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of re warding applications. Given the care and respect due an y precision instrument, the LX90 will rarely , if ev er , require f actor y ser vicing. Maintenance guidelines include: a. A void cleaning the telescope’ s optics: a little dust on the front surface [...]

44 ring of light fills about 10% of the eyepiece field-diameter . If the dark central spot is offset in (i.e., not concentric with) the ring of light, your telescope’ s optical system is misaligned and requires collimation. F ollow these steps for collimation of the optical system: a. The only adjustments possible , or necessar y , on the LX90 ar[...]

45 Inspecting the Optics A Note About the “Flashlight T est:" If a flashlight or other high-intensity light source is pointed down the main telescope tube , the view (depending upon the observer’ s line of sight and the angle of the light) ma y rev eal what appears to be scratches, dark or bright spots, or just generally une ven coatings ,[...]

46 LX90 Specifications Optical design ............................................................Schmidt-Cassegrain Clear aper ture ............................................................8" F ocal length ................................................................2000mm F ocal ratio (photographic speed) ..............................[...]

47 P olar Alignment In P olar Alignment, the telescope is or iented so that the horizontal and vertical axes of the telescope are lined up with the celestial coordinate system. In order to P olar align your telescope, it is essential to ha ve an understanding of how and where to locate celestial objects as they mo ve across the sky . This section p[...]

48 Locating the Celestial P ole T o get basic bear ings at an obser ving location, tak e note of where the Sun rises (East) and sets (W est) each day . After the site is dar k, f ace Nor th b y pointing y our left shoulder toward where the Sun sets. T o precisely point at the pole, find the Nor th Star (P olaris) by using the Big Dipper as a guide [...]

49 Note that the R.A. circle is double-inde xed (i.e ., there are two series of numbers running in opposite directions around the circumf erence of the R.A. circle). The upper series of numbers (increasing counterclockwise) applies to observers located in the Earth’s Norther n Hemisphere; the lower series of numbers (increasing cloc kwise) applie[...]

50 Begin polar aligning the telescope b y locating P olaris. Finding P olar is is simple. Most people recognize the “Big Dipper . ” The Big Dipper has two stars that point the w ay to P olar is ( Fig. 29 ) . Once P olar is is found, it is a straightf orward procedure to obtain a rough polar alignment. T o line up with P olar is, f ollow the pro[...]

51 1. Obtain a rough polar alignment as described ear lier . Place the illuminated reticle ey epiece (or ey epiece/Bar low combination) into the e yepiece holder of the telescope. 2. P oint the telescope, with the motor drive running, at a moderately bright star near where the meridian (the Nor th-South line passing through your local zenith) and t[...]

52 NORTH AMERICA City State/Pro v ./Country Latitude Albuquerque New Me xico 35° N Anchorage Alaska 61° N Atlanta Georgia 34° N Boston Massachusetts 42° N Calgary Alber ta 51° N Chicago Illinois 42° N Clev eland Ohio 41° N Dallas T exas 33° N Denv er Colorado 40° N Detroit Michigan 42° N Honolulu Ha w aii 21° N J ac kson Mississippi 32°[...]

53 T rain the telescope motors using AutoStar . P erform this procedure if you are e xperiencing any pointing accuracy problems . Fig. 31 depicts the complete Dr ive T raining procedure. NO TE: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the dr ive . Complete this e xercise once e very 3 to 6 months to Fig. 31: T raini[...]

54 APPENDIX D: CHANGING THE LNT MODULE B A TTER Y The LNT Module uses a lithium coin CR2023 batter y that will last about 5 years and is installed with the or iginal LNT Module assembly . After y ou replace the batter y , you will need to recalibrate the telescope’ s sensors and reset the time and date. Y ou will need a new battery . Also , you m[...]

55 In the ear ly 17th centur y Italian Scientist Galileo, using a crude telescope considerab ly smaller than the LX90, turned it to look towards the sky instead of distant trees and mountains. What he sa w , and what he realized about what he saw , fore ver changed the wa y mankind thought of the universe . Imagine what it must hav e been like bein[...]

56 Planets Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. T o locate the planets on a given da y or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and T elescope or Astronom y . Y ou can also consult A utoStar for inf or mation about planets. Scroll to the "Object: Solar System" menu and scroll through the lis[...]

57[...]

58[...]

59[...]

14-0670-01 10/04 MEADE LIMITED W ARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted b y Meade Instruments Cor poration (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship f or a period of ONE YEAR from the date of or iginal purchase in the U .S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product, or p[...]