Meade LXD55 manual

Meade Instruments Corporation Instruction Manual LXD55-Series T elescopes[...]

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T elescope Features ...................................................... 4 Autostar Features .......................................................... 9 Getting Started ..............................................................1 1 Unpacking and Assembly ..........................................1 1 How to Assemble Y our T elescope ..........[...]

TELESCOPE FEA TURES 4 Fig. 1a : The LXD55-Series T elescope Optical Assembly (Schmidt-Newtonian model with A utostar handbo x shown; Electronic Controller model users, see Appendix D , page 55). Fig. 1c : The LXD55-Series T r ipod B C g d f I 1) 1# 1$ e H J 1! 1@ 3% 3& 4) 3^ 3( Fig. 1b : Close up of Focuser and Viewfinder Assembly , Scmidt-Newt[...]

5      Fig. 1e : The LXD55-Series Computer Control Panel (see 2$ abo ve). Fig. 1d: The LXD55-Series Mount. 2! 2@  1& 1* 1( 2# 2$ 2% 2^ 2^ 2* 2( 2& 3) 3! 3@ 3# 3$ [...]

LXD55-Series:Y our Personal Window to the Universe The Meade LXD55- Series models are versatile, high-resolution telescopes. Supplied with either an Electronic Controller or an Autostar handbox, the LXD55- Series models offer unmatched mechanical and electronic performance. The LXD55- Series telescopes reveal nature in an ever-expanding level of de[...]

7 1% Viewfinder Brac ket Screws (2): T ighten to a firm feel to hold viewfinder secure- ly in place ( see E ). See page 12 for more information. 1^ Focus Lock Knob : Designed to prevent the focuser drawtube from moving when a heavy accessory , such as a camera, is attached to the focuser assembly . For normal observing with an eyepiece and diagonal[...]

8 2( P olar Alignment Viewfinder: Allows you to precisely polar align the telescope. Useful when performing astrophotography . See page 50. 3) P olar Alignment Viewfinder Retic le and LED Knob: Rotate the knob to switch on or off the LED that illuminates the reticle within the polar alignment finder . Be sure to turn off the LED when finished with [...]

9 Fig. 2: The Autostar Handbo x. T our the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Control of most LXD55-Series telescope models (excluding the EC models; see mar- gin note) is through the operation of Autostar . Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar ’s buttons. Some of the major fea- tures of Aut[...]

10 Note: If ENTER is pressed f or two seconds or more and then released, A utostar emits a beep and “ENTER to Sync” is display ed. "ENTER to Sync" ma y be used only after your telescope has been aligned and is pointing at an object. See page 30 for more details .  MODE Ke y : Press to return to the previous menu level. The top menu[...]

11 As you unpack your telescope, carefully note the following parts. The assembly is shipped in separate boxes. T elescope Assembly ■ Equatorial mount with polar alignment finder ■ Heavy duty , adjustable aluminum tripod with leg braces, three tripod leg lock knobs, and a captive mount locking knob ■ Complete optical tube assembly including p[...]

12 Unscrew the safety cap ( 23, Fig. 1d ) from the shaft. Holding the counterweight ( 21, Fig. 1d ) firmly in one hand, slip the counterweight to approximately the mid- point of the counterweight shaft ( 22, Fig. 1d ). T ighten the counterweight lock knob to a firm feel. Replace the safety cap. Note: If the counterweight e v er slips , the saf ety [...]

13 Insert the eyepiece: Achromatic refractor and Schmidt-Cassegrain models (Fig. 10b): Lift to remove the dust cap from the eyepiece holder on the focuser assembly . Set the dust cap aside in a safe place and replace it when you have finished observing to protect the eyepiece assembly . Back off the eyepiece thumbscrews ( 1, Fig. 1b ) and slide the[...]

14 Important Note: Objects appear upside-down and rev ersed left-for-right when observed in the viewfinder . With refracting telescope models, objects vie wed through the main telescope with the diagonal mirror in place are seen right-side-up, but re v ersed left-for-right. This image inv ersion is of no consequence when observ- ing astronomical ob[...]

15 Y our telescope comes supplied with a Super Plössl (SP) 26mm eyepiece which gives a wide, comfortable field of view with high image resolution. Low power eyepieces offer a wide field of view , bright, high-contrast images, and eye relief during long observing sessions. T o find an object with a telescope, always start with a lower power eyepiec[...]

16 supplied with your telescope. When the object is centered and focused in the eye- piece, switch to a higher power eyepiece to enlarge the image as much as practi- cal for prevailing viewing conditions. For information about other eyepieces avail- able for your telescope, see OPTIONAL A CCESSORIES , page 37. ■ Once centered, an object can be fo[...]

17 Speeds 1, 2, or 3: Best used for fine centering of an object in the field of view of a higher power eyepiece, such as a 12mm or a 9mm eyepiece. Speeds 4, 5, or 6: Enables centering an object in the field of a low-to-moderate power eyepiece, such as the standard Super Plössl 26mm. Speeds 7 or 8: Best used for rough centering of an object in the [...]

18 Observe a Star using the Automatic T rac king Feature In this example, Autostar's Arrow keys are used to find a star , and then Autostar's tracking capability automatically keeps the star centered in your telescope's eyepiece. EC handbox users, see APPENDIX D , page 55, for information about tracking with the EC handbox. 1. If you[...]

19 Moving Thr ough A utostar’ s Menus (Autostar Models Onl y) Autostar's menus are organized for quick and easy navigation. ■ Press ENTER ( 2, Fig. 2 ) to go deeper into Autostar menu levels. ■ Press MODE ( 3, Fig. 2 ) to move back toward the top menu level. ■ Press the Scroll keys ( 7, Fig. 2 ) to move up and down through the options [...]

20 a. Autostar prompts you to enter the Country or State (listed alphabetically) of the observing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the database of countries, states, and provinces. Press ENTER when the correct location displays. b. Autostar then prompts you to enter the nearest city (listed alphabetically) to the observing site. Use the S[...]

21 15. "Drive Setup: For this...." begins to scroll across the display . This is another reminder to point your telescope at a terrestrial object. Loosen the R.A. and Dec. locks ( 17 and 33, Fig. 1d ) and point the telescope at an object. Then re-tighten the locks. Press ENTER when the telescope is pointing at the desired terrestrial obje[...]

22 5. Press GO TO. “Saturn: Slewing...” displays and the telescope slews until it finds Saturn. Y ou may need to use the Arrow keys to center Saturn precisely in the eyepiece. Autostar then automatically slews (moves) the telescope so that it tracks Saturn (or whatever other object you may have chosen). Saturn remains centered in the eyepiece. [...]

It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop ( Fig. 19 ). This means that pressing the Scroll Down key ( 7, Fig. 2 ) cycles down through all the available options within a given category , then returns to the first option. The Scroll Up key ( 7, Fig. 2 ) cycles up through the options in the opposite order . Note that this ca[...]

24 3. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Event" option and move down a level. "Event: Sunrise" is displayed. 4. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the "Sunset" option in the Event menu. 5. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Sunset" option and move down another level. 6. Autostar calculates the Sunset t[...]

25 Solar System Mercury Etc. Moon Asteroids Comets Constellations Andromeda Etc. Deep Sky Named Object Galaxies Nebulae Planetary Neb. Etc. Star Named SAO Catalog Double Va r i a b l e Etc. Satellite Select Add Delete Edit User Objects Select Add Delete Edit Landmarks Select Add Delete Identify Browse Star t Search Edit P arameters Sunrise Sunset M[...]

26 MENUS Object Menu Almost all observing with Autostar is performed using the Object menu category . ( Note: Exceptions include Guided T our and Landmar k Surve y . ) See GO TO SA TURN , page 21, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see USING THE GUIDED T OUR , page 22. Autostar contains many libraries of viewable objects, such [...]

27 Bro wse allows you to search the library for objects with certain parameters, much like a search engine. "Edit Parameters" lets you set various parameters for the search, such as: Object T ype, Minimum Elevation, Largest, etc . Once you have set the param- eters of the search, select "Start Search" and press ENTER. Autostar w[...]

28 ■ Set : Enter the time to be counted down, in hours, minutes, and seconds, then press ENTER. ■ Start/Stop : Activates the timer set previously . Use the Scroll keys to toggle between ON and OFF . When ON is displayed, press ENTER to activate the timer . When the timer runs out, four beeps sound and the timer is deactivated. Alarm selects a t[...]

29 Time changes the time entered into Autostar . Setting the correct time is critical for Autostar to properly calculate locations and events. T ime may be set to 24-hour mode (military time) by selecting the "blank" option ( i.e. , no option is displayed) which fol- lows the "AM" and "PM" options. Daylight Sa ving is [...]

30 b. Lunar: Choose this option to properly track the Moon over long observing sessions. c. Custom : Allows entry of user-defined tracking rates. ■ Rever se L/R: Reverses the functions of the Left and Right Arrow keys ( i.e. , the Right key moves the telescope to the left ). ■ Rever se U/D: Reverses the functions of the Up and Down Arrow keys ([...]

31 Statistics provides basic statistical data about Autostar , including: ■ Characters Free : Shows how much room is available in user-defined object memory . ■ Ve r si o n : Shows the current version of the Autostar software. Reset completely resets Autostar . Most values entered into the menus revert to fac- tory defaults. Autostar requires i[...]

32 USEFUL AUTOST AR PROCEDURES Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic oper- ations of Autostar described earlier in this manual. The following examples assume that you have a basic knowledge of Autostar and understand how to scroll to a desired menu or menu option, and how to enter numbers and text. It a[...]

33 1 1. Press MODE. "Site: Edit" displays. 12. Using the Arrow keys, scroll to "Site: Select." The site you have just edited dis- plays. Press ENTER to select the site or press MODE to exit. Using A utostar to Find Objects Not in the Libraries In this procedure, you will enter coordinates of celestial objects that do not appear [...]

34 Observing Satellites In this procedure, you will prepare your telescope to observe a satellite pass. 1. Navigate to the "Object: Satellite" menu option and press ENTER. 2. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of satellites. 3. Select a satellite from the list and press ENTER. 4. "Calculating...." and then "Trac[...]

35 Another setup method is to select an object from the Landmark database. See TO SELECT A LANDMARK FROM THE D A T ABASE below . Then manually move the tele- scope's optical tube and center this object in the telescope eyepiece. 2. Display the "Setup: T argets" menu option. Choose "T errestrial" and press ENTER. "Setup[...]

36 Photography through an LXD55 Schmidt-Newtonian telescope requires an LXD55-Series T - Adapter ( supplied) attached to the telescope ( Fig. 22 ). Through-the-telescope photog- raphy is possible with any 35mm camera body with a removable lens. In this way , the tel- escope effectively becomes the lens of the camera. Unthread the focuser extension [...]

37 OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the LXD55-Series telescope models. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the qual- ity of the instrument itself. Consult the Meade General Catalog for complete details on these and other accessories. Fig. 24: Ser ies 4000 Eyepieces. Fig[...]

38 Series 4000 8 - 24mm Zoom Eyepiece: The internal zoom optics of this eyepiece move on smooth, precisely machined surfaces which maintain optical collimation at all zoom settings. A scale graduated in 1mm units indicates the zoom focal length in operation. An excellent addition to any eyepiece set. #140 2x Barlow Lens: A 3-element design, doubles[...]

39 Dew Shield: In moist climates, water particles suspended in the atmosphere may condense on the front surface of the telescope's correcting plate. This dew formation may be inhibited to a significant extent by the addition of a dew shield, essentially an extension tube attaching to the front-cell of the telescope. #608 for Meade Schmidt- Cas[...]

40 MAINTENANCE General Maintenance LXD55-Series telescopes are precision optical instruments designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding applications. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your LXD55 will rarely , if ever , require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include: a. Avoid cleaning the telescope ’ s optics: A li[...]

41 shipment of your telescope. It is only necessary for you to confirm that the telescope has not been badly jarred out of collimation, and to perform the final fine-tuning of Step 4, below . Fig. 31a shows a correctly collimated Schmidt-Newtonian telescope, as it appears when viewed through the focuser with the eyepiece removed. T o check and, if [...]

42 4. Perform an actual star test to confirm the accuracy of steps 1 through 3. Using the SP 26mm eyepiece, point the telescope at a moderately bright (second or third mag- nitude) star , and center the image in the main telescope's field of view . 5. Bring the star's image slowly in and out of focus until you see several disks sur- round[...]

43 Caution: Do not f orce the three collimation screws past their normal trav el and do not loosen them more than two full turns in a counterclockwise direction or the secondar y mirror ma y come loose from its suppor t. Y ou will find that the adjustments are very sensitive , usually requiring only one-half tur n or less to produce the desired res[...]

44 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) may reveal what appears to be scratches, dark or bright spots, or just generally uneven coatings, giving t[...]

45 SPECIFICA TIONS 6" f/5 Model SN-6, SN-6EC Specifications Optical design ..............................................Schmidt-Newtonian Clear aperture ..............................................6" (152mm) Focal length ................................................762mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ................f/5 Resolving[...]

46 10" f/4 Model SN-10 Specifications Optical design ..............................................Schmidt-Newtonian Clear aperture ..............................................10" (254mm) Focal length ................................................1016mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ................f/4 Resolving power .............[...]

47 Alignment .................................................... German-type equatorial mount Slew Speeds ................................................1x sidereal to 4.5 ° /sec in 9 increments T ripod ..........................................................V ariable-height field tripod Accessories ............................................[...]

48 A celestial coordinate system was created that maps an imaginary sphere surround- ing the Earth upon which all stars appear to be placed. This mapping system is simi- lar to the system of latitude and longitude on Earth surface maps. In mapping the surface of the Earth, lines of longitude are drawn between the North and South Poles and lines of [...]

49 Polaris Little Dipper Big Dipper Cassiopeia Fig. 35: Locating Polaris. star , and also of the object you wish to locate, in a star atlas. Point the object at the bright star . Then loosen the R.A. setting circle lock knob ( 32, Fig. 1d ) and turn the R.A. setting circle to read the correct R.A. coordinate of the bright star; lock the R.A. settin[...]

50 APPENDIX B: ENHANCING POINTING PRECISION The P olar Alignment Viewfinder T ypically Autostar's pointing capabilities are sufficient for most telescope observers, and the use of the polar alignment viewfinder is unnecessary for them. However , for those observers who need to meet the more demanding requirements of astropho- tography , the po[...]

51 2. Loosen the R.A. Lock ( 33, Fig. 1d ) and the Dec. Lock ( 17, Fig. 1d) . Point the tube so that it is above the tripod leg marked with a star . Retighten the Dec. Lock. Move the counterweight shaft and mount so that it is parallel to the horizon. This is position A. See Fig. 39 . Retighten the R.A. Lock. 3. If using a Schmidt Newtonian model ,[...]

52 4. Observe the position of the object in the eyepiece. Assuming that the declination was properly set in the previous procedure, the object should have moved only horizontally (that is, side-to-side) from its original position. It may be out of the eyepiece altogether . 5. Using the adjustment mechanism on the bottom of the cradle ( Fig. 41 ), m[...]

53 Method 2: Axis Alignment Using Autostar Perform this procedure during the daytime. Y ou will need to have an unobstructed view of an easily sighted landmark, such as a light post. Use a low-power eyepiece, such as the supplied 26mm. This procedure assumes that you have some familiarity with Autostar's menu structure (you will need to locate[...]

54 APPENDIX C: LA TITUDE CHART Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the W orld T o aid in the polar alignment procedure (see pages 17-21), latitudes of major cities around the world are listed below . T o dete rmine the lati- tude of an observing site not listed on the chart, locate the city closest to your site. Then follow the procedure below: Nort[...]

55 APPENDIX D: EC HANDBOX The model SN-6EC , model SN-8EC , and model AR-5EC come equipped with an Electronic Controller (EC) handbox, rather than the Autostar Handbox. The Electronic Controller provides you with the means to control the telescope motors from a com- pact handbox. The Electronic Controller ( Fig. 3 ) has soft-touch keys designed to [...]

56  MODE Ke y : Press and hold MODE to place the Electronic Controller into the Mode function, i.e., to select operation for the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. See TRA CKING RA TES , page 57.  OU T Key : Use this key to decrease the tracking rate. See TRA CKING RA TES , page 57.  IN Ke y : Use this key to increase the tracking rate. See [...]

57 7. When the test is complete, light 1 remains on; lights 2, 3, and 4 turn off. 8. Use the four Arrow keys ( 1, Fig. 42 ) to slew the telescope to the desired object. T o change the slew speed, press SPEED. 9. Fine-adjust the position of the object with the Electronic Controller Arrow keys so that it is centered in the viewfinder . The object is [...]

58 Note: The trac king rate can be increased by up to 65%. 4. T o use a rate slower than sidereal, press OUT ( 6, Fig. 3 ) until light 4 blinks again (sidereal rate). Press OUT key and light 4 goes out, signifying a tracking rate 0.5% slower than sidereal. Note that when the Mode function is active, the tracking motor stops. T o restar t the trac k[...]

59 APPENDIX E: MOUNTING THE MODEL SC-8 SCHMIDT - CASSEGRAIN OPTICAL TUBE How to Attach the Optical T ube to the Mount The LXD55 model SC-8 Schmidt-Cassegrain assembles and operates identically to all the other LXD55 models equipped with an Autostar handbox, with one exception: the optical tube is attached to the mount with a mounting bracket rather[...]

60 In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than your LXD55 , turned it skyward instead of looking at the distant trees and mountains. What he saw , and what he realized about what he saw , has forever changed the way mankind thinks about the universe. Imagine what it must have been like being the first human t[...]

61 Planets Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. T o locate the plan- ets on a given day or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and T elescope or Astronomy . Y ou can also consult Autostar for information about planets. Scroll to the "Object: Solar System" menu and scroll through the lists [...]

62 Further Study .... This manual gives only the briefest introduction to astronomy . If you are interested in pursuing further studies in astronomy , a few topics are suggested below that are worth reading up on. T ry looking up some of these in the optional Autostar glossary . Also included below is a small sampling of books, magazines, and organ[...]

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14-7300-01 10/03D AD V ANCED PRODUCTS DIVISION Meade Instruments Corporation World’ s Leading Manufacturer of Astronomical T elescopes for the Serious Amateur 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, California 92618 ■ (949) 451-1450 F AX: (949) 451-1460 ■ www .meade.com © 2003 MEADE LIMITED W ARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope acc[...]