Meade LX200-ACF manuale d’uso

Instruction Manual 8", 10", 12", 14", 16" LX200 ® -ACF Advanced Coma-Free T elescopes with GPS and AutoStar ® II Hand Controller[...]

W ARNING! Never use a Meade ® LX200 ® -ACF T e l e sc o p e t o l o o k a t t h e S u n ! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and ir reversi ble damage to y o u r e y e . E y e d a m a g e i s o f t e n painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope at or near t[...]

Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 How to Attach the T ripod to the T elescope .................... 4 T elescope Features ...................................................... 7 AutoStar ® II Features ......................................................10 Getting Started ..............................[...]

2 4 - 4 - It is recommended that you attach the supplied tripod to the LX200-ACF for observing. Perform the telescope and AutoStar II setup indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. The setup is the same for the standard and giant field tripods. NOT[...]

Battery Compartment 2 Remov e the cove rs of th e ba ttery com partme nts loca ted on the fork arms (o ne on each fo rk arm) and care fully lift the ba ttery holde rs fro m their comp artme nts, bein g mind ful of th e conn ecto r wire s. In sert fo ur (us er- sup plied ) C-cell batte ries into eac h battery holde r , o rien ted as shown o n the di[...]

5 T ighten, to a firm feel only , the R.A. and Dec. locks. Re m ov e t he d u st cov er f ro m t he e n d o f t he telescope tube. Sight along the side of the telescope’ s main tube to locate an object. Rotate the mirror lock knob ( Fig. 1, 9 ) towards the “Unlock” position, until it feels loose—the telescope is shipped with the mirror lock[...]

TELESCOPE FEA TURES AutoStar II Hand Controller . See page 10. (not shown, on left fork arm) Fig. 1 : The LX200-ACF T elescope; Computer Control Panel (inset); AutoStar II Handbox (inset). C A B D E F G G H B c d f e g h i j 1) 1! 1@ 1# 1$ 1% 1^ 1& 1* 1( 2) 2! 2@ 2# (not shown) 2$ - 7 - (not shown)[...]

LX200-ACF: YOUR PERSONAL WINDOW TO THE UNIVERSE The Meade LX200-ACF models are extremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes. W ith pushbutton controls, precision GPS alignment, true-level and North electronic sensors, automatic tracking of celestial objects, periodic error correction for both axes, and a library of 145,000 + objects in the AutoS[...]

1# Computer Control Panel (see Fig. 1 inset): A. ON/OFF Switch : T urns the computer control panel and AutoStar II ON or OFF . The red power indicator LED next to the switch illuminates when power is supplied to the AutoStar II handbox, the microfocuser , and to the telescope’ s motor drives (the LED can be turned of f in the Panel Light menu; se[...]

Fig. 2: The AutoStar II Handbox. AUTOST AR II FEA TURES 1 2 4 7 9 J 8 3 5 6 K Want to learn more about downloading the latest updates of AutoStar II software from the Meade website ? See page 32. T our the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Control of the LX200-ACF telescope models is through the operation of the standard AutoStar II system. Nea[...]

The AutoStar II system provides control of virtually every telescope function. The AutoStar II handbox has soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is backlit with red LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) for easy viewing in the dark. The backlit display , key arrangement, and sequential menu structure make AutoSta[...]

5 SS : Press to display the Solar System library . 6 ST AR: Press to display the Star library . 7 RET (Reticle): Press to display the Reticle Control menu. 8 IC : Press to display the Index Catalog library . 9 NGC (New General Catalog): Press to display the NGC catalog library . 0 LIGHT : Press to turn on and of f the red utility light on the top o[...]

Parts Listing Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first opening the packing box, note carefully the following parts: W LX200-ACF T elescope with fork mount system W AutoStar II handbox and interface coil cord; handbox holder W 8 x 50mm viewfinder assembly W Eyepiece holder and 1.25" diagonal pri[...]

SC Optional Accessory Users: If using any of the optional accessories (such as the Of f-Axis Guider , T -Adapter , etc.; see page 44) with the LX200-ACF SC models, slide the supplied SC accessory adapter ( Fig. 8, L ) into the microfocuser . Line up the groove on the side of the adapter with either of the microfocuser thumbscrews (Fig. 5a and 5b) a[...]

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 foca[...]

Fig. 9: Viewfinder Assembly . Collimation Screws Mounting Slot V iewfinder Eyepiece T rack Fig. 10: Viewfinder collimation screws and eyepiece. Fig. 1 1a & 1 1b: Jupiter; examples of the right amount of magnification and too much magnification. Thumb- screws Mounting and Adjusting the V iewfinder T o align the viewfinder , perform steps 1 throu[...]

Impor tant Note: Obje cts appear upside - dow n and revers ed left-for - rig ht when ob served in the v i e w f i n d e r . Obje cts viewed throug h the telescope eyep i ece when inserte d into the diago nal prism and micro focuser assembly appe ar right-sid e-up, but revers ed left-fo r - r i g h t . This image in version is of no consequ ence whe[...]

9. Bring the object into focus (see below). Focusing the Eyepiece Using the Microfocuser (16 " Model) The L X 2 0 0 - A C F zero i mage-s hift m icro focuse r ( P g. 7 Fig. 1, 24 ) allows yo u to obta in th e mo st prec ise image fo cus poss ible during vis ual, photo grap hic, and CCD ap plic ation s, ma inta ining prec ise and “ j iggle-fr[...]

Observe the Moon Point your telescope at the Moon (note that the Moon is not visible every night) and practice using the Arrow keys, the microfocuser and the slew speeds to view dif ferent features. The Moon contains many interesting features, including craters, mountain ranges, and fault lines. The best time to view the Moon is during its crescent[...]

5. “Automatic Alignment” displays. The system now performs the following routines (press any AutoStar II key to abort Automatic Alignment; see IMPORT ANT NOTE , at the bottom left of page 19.) : Caution: As the telescope performs the following operations, it will swing and rotate. Keep a safe distance from the telescope. The telescope now finds[...]

6. The telescope now slews to the second alignment star . AutoStar displays “Center Brightest Star: Press ENTER” displays. Use the Arrow keys to center the alignment star in the eyepiece. When the second alignment star is centered, press “ENTER”. 7. “Alignment successful” displays. If “Alignment Unsuccessful” displays, perform the p[...]

5. Press MODE to return to the T our list. Press the Scroll keys to scroll through the list. Press ENTER when you find the next object you wish to observe. 6. Press and hold down MODE for two seconds to leave the Guided T our menu. Other Guided T ours are available, such as “How Far is Far” and “A Star’ s Life”. If you have programming sk[...]

It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop ( Fig. 14 ) . This means that pressing the Scroll Down key ( pg. 10, Fig. 2, 7 ) cycles down through all the available options within a given category , then returns to the first option. The Scroll Up key ( Fig. 2, 7 ) cycles up through the options in the opposite order . Note tha[...]

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 II calculates the Sunset time based on the current[...]

AUTOST AR II’ s MENUS - 25 -[...]

Object Menu Almost all observing with AutoStar II is performed using the Object menu category . ( Note: Exceptions include Guided T our and Landmark Survey . ) See GoT o SA TURN , page 21, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see USING THE GUIDED T OUR , page 21. Auto Star II con tains ma ny libraries of viewa ble objects , such [...]

Identify: An exciting feature for an observer who wants to scan the night sky and start exploring. After the telescope has been properly aligned, use the AutoStar II Arrow keys to move about in the sky . Then follow this procedure: Important Note: Only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope during the Identify procedure. Do not loosen the telesco[...]

Glossary Menu The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common astronomical terms and AutoStar II functions. Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in AutoStar II. A hypertext word is any word in [ brackets ], usually found when using the AutoStar II Help function o[...]

Sleep Scope: A power saving option that shuts down AutoStar II and the telescope without forgetting its alignment. W ith “Sleep Scope” selected, press ENTER to activate the Sleep function. AutoStar II goes dark, but the internal clock keeps running. Press any key , except ENTER, to re-activate AutoStar II and the telescope. Park Scope: Designed[...]

(Note that it does not prevent you from performing a manual slew past this limit.) This is useful when you have a camera or other peripheral attached to the telescope—you can prevent it from striking the telescope base. 90 (straight up) is the maximum value that can be entered. W Mount Lower Limit: Allows you enter a number from 0 to 90 that sets[...]

W Reverse L/R: Reverses the functions of the Left and Right Arrow keys for controlling the telescope’ s motion ( i.e. , the Right key moves the telescope to the left ). W Reverse U/D: Reverses the functions of the Up and Down Arrow keys for controlling the telescope’ s motion ( i.e. , the Up key moves the telescope down ). W Home Sensors: T urn[...]

W Software: Sends only the basic AutoStar II software. This is useful if one user has downloaded a new version of AutoStar II software from the Meade website ( www .meade.com ) and wants to pass this software along to friends. W All: Everything—user-defined information and AutoStar II software—is sent to another AutoStar II. Download: T ransfer[...]

A D V A N C E D A U T O S T A R I I F E A T U R E S Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic operations of AutoStar II described earlier in this manual. The following examples assume that you have a basic knowledge of AutoStar II and understand how to scroll to a desired menu or menu option, and how to ent[...]

1 1. Press MODE. “Site: Edit” displays. 12. Using the Arrow keys, scroll to “Site: Select”. The site you have just edited displays. Press ENTER to select the site. Creating User Objects In this procedure, you will enter coordinates of celestial objects that do not appear in any of the AutoStar II libraries. Y ou will enter the object’ s n[...]

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 “T racking...” display[...]

as those in the Landmark database. Be sure to change this option back to “Astronomical” when you wish to view celestial objects again. 3. Press MODE once. “Select Item: Setup” displays. 4. Press the Scroll Down key once and “Select Item: Object” displays. Press ENTER. “Object: Solar System” displays. 5. Press the Scroll Up key twice[...]

In this procedure, you will center an object you wish to have identified by AutoStar II in the telescope eyepiece and use the “Identify” menu to find out information about the object or the nearest object to it in the AutoStar II database. 1. Center the object you wish to have identified in the telescope’ s eyepiece. 2. Navigate to the “Obj[...]

Alternate Alt/Az Alignments If you would rather set up your telescope without using automatic alignment, AutoStar II offers alternative alignment methods for both alt/az and equatorial mounting. During the One-Star and T wo-Star alt/az alignment procedures, you will (unlike the Automatic and Easy alignment procedures) manually place the telescope i[...]

Note: AutoStar II locates alignment stars based on the date, time, and location entered. The alignment stars may change from night to night. All that is required is for the observer to center the selected stars in the eyepiece when prompted. Tip: Try a Spiral Search The GO TO key also allows you to perform a “spiral search”. A spiral search is [...]

Periodic Error Correction (PEC T raining) If you wish to perform high-precision astrophotography , you may wish to “train” your telescope in order to keep objects that you are imaging dead center in the telescope’ s mirror during the photographic exposure. Periodic error correction (PEC) helps to remove the slight perturbations from center th[...]

2 Fig. 19: LX200-ACF with #62 T -Adapter: (1) camera adapter , (2) T - mount, (3) camera body . Fig. 20: Example of vignetting. 1 PHOTOGRAPHY & DIGIT AL IMAGING 3 Y ou ma y perf orm th rough-th e-tele scope imagi ng wit h any ca mera bod y w ith a removable lens. Y ou may connect a camera to a #62 T -Adapter which is then connected to the micro[...]

Photography with a Digital Camera Some digital cameras present problems for the astrophotographer: Many models have lenses that cannot be removed, dif ficulties in attaching to a telescope, possible vignetting, lack manual focusing and shorter exposure times. Shorter exposure times is one of the biggest drawback. Long exposures with digital cameras[...]

• Magic Eye software-assisted focusing. • Automatic and manual exposure control from .001 seconds to 1 hour . • Automatically takes multiple exposures. The AutoStar Suite Software includes powerful tools to help you get the most from your Meade LX200-ACF telescope: • Sophisticated planetarium program with over 19 million objects. • Select[...]

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the LX200-ACF telescope models. 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. Meade Series 4000 Eyepieces: Fig. 25: Series[...]

Seri es 4000 8 - 24mm Zoom Eyepie ce: The inter nal zoom optics of this eyepi ece move on smoot h, precisel y machi ned surf aces which mai ntain opti cal collim ation at all zo om set t ings. A scal e graduat ed i n 1mm uni ts indi cates the zoom f ocal leng th in operat ion. An excell ent addi tion to any eyepiece set . #140 2x Barlow Lens: A 3- [...]

Fig. 30: Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece. errors with an illuminated reticle eyepiece; position corrections can then be ef fected using AutoStar II. Piggyback Brackets: Piggyback photography is one of the most popular and easiest ways to get started in astrophotography . Attach your 35mm camera, with its own 35mm-to-250mm lens, atop your LX200-ACF in [...]

MAINTENANCE LX200-ACF telescopes are precision optical instruments designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding applications. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your LX200-ACF will rarely , if ever , require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include a. A void cleaning the telescope’ s optics: A little dust on the front [...]

W ith the star or hot spot centered, de-focus the image. Y ou will notice that the out of focus star image looks like a ring of light surrounding a dark central spot; the dark central spot is in fact the shadow of the secondary mirror . T urn the focus knob until the ring of light fills about 10% of the eyepiece field-diameter . If the dark central[...]

i. As a final check of alignment, examine the star image in focus with the higher power eyepiece as suggested (h), under good viewing conditions. The star point should appear as a small central dot (commonly referred to as an “Airy disc”) with a diffraction ring surrounding it. T o give a final precision collimation, make extremely slight adjus[...]

8" f/10 LX200-ACF Specifications Optical design .............................................. Advanced Coma-Free Clear aperture .............................................. 203mm (8") Focal length ................................................ 2000mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ................f/10 Resolving power ..............[...]

12" f/10 LX200-ACF Specifications Optical design .............................................. Advanced Coma-Free Clear aperture .............................................. 305mm (12") Focal length ................................................3048mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ................f/10 Resolving power .............[...]

16" f/10 LX200-ACF Specifications Optical design .............................................. Advanced Coma-Free Clear aperture .............................................. 406.4mm (16") Focal length ................................................4064mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ................f/10 Resolving power ...........[...]

Equatorial Alignment In equatorial (or “polar”) Alignment, the telescope is oriented so that the horizontal and vertical axes of the telescope are lined up with the celestial coordinate system. In order to equatorial align your telescope, it is essential to have an understanding of how and where to locate celestial objects as they move across t[...]

Fig. 38 Section of Right Ascension Setting Circle. Fig. 37: Declination Setting Circle. Fig. 39a: Equatorial Wedge for 8" LX200-ACF models. Fig. 39b: The Ultrawedge is available for larger LX200-ACF models. Using setting circles requires a developed technique. When using the circles for the first time, try hopping from one bright star (the cal[...]

Lining Up with the Celestial Pole Objects in the sky appear to revolve around the celestial pole. (Actually , celestial objects are essentially “fixed”. Their apparent motion is caused by the Earth’ s rotation). During any 24 hour period, stars make one complete revolution about the pole, making concentric circles with the pole at the center [...]

setting circle and slightly loosen the two bolts located under the knob. Now turn the circle unit until it reads 89.2°, the Declination of Polaris. Then tighten down the two bolts and replace the knurled knob. Should you wish to use the manual setting circles, the R.A. setting circle ( Fig. 38 ) must be calibrated manually on the Right Ascension o[...]

AutoStar II Polar Alignment AutoStar II provides three dif ferent (manual) methods for polar alignment: Easy , One- Star and T wo-Star . Easy Polar Alignment T wo alignment stars are chosen by AutoStar II based on the date, time, and location. First, choose “Polar” from the “Setup: T elescope: Mount” menu. The rest of the procedure is ident[...]

APPENDIX B: LA TITUDE CHAR T Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the World T o aid in the polar alignment procedure (see page 53), latitudes of major cities around the world are listed below . T o determine the latitude of an observing site not listed on the chart, locate the city closest to your site. Then follow the procedure below: Northern hemis[...]

APPENDIX C: CREA TE YOUR OWN GUIDED TOUR Cre ating y our own Guide d T our c an be a n extre mely us eful too l. Y ou c an prep rogra m a scrip t of ob jects you wish to v iew and stu dy on any g iven nig ht. Y ou can a lso crea te a vi ewing scrip t for stud ents or for a frie nd. Mo re comm ands will be add ed from tim e-to -time to the list belo[...]

TITLE TEXT USER NGC IC SAO MESSIER CALDWELL PLANET MOON SA TELLITE ASTEROID COMET LUNAR ECLIPSE METEOR SHOWER DEEP SKY CONSTELLA TION ST AR LANDMARK DEFINE PICK ONE/PICK END AUT O SLEW ON/OFF #END Description String: Description of an object. Must be surrounded by quotation marks. If the description is longer than one line, each line must end with [...]

PLANET “name” Enter PLANET and then the name of the desired planet in quotes. AutoStar II provides the user with a description of the selected planet from its database. For example: PLANET “Pluto” MOON This command accesses information about the Moon from the AutoStar II database. SA TELLITE “name” Enter SA TELLITE and then the name of [...]

“They contain 50,000 to 100,000 stars and are located on the fringes of our “galaxy”.” PICK ONE AUT O SELECT MESSIER 13 AUT O SELECT MESSIER 15 AUT O SELECT MESSIER 92 AUT O SELECT MESSIER 4 AUT O SELECT MESSIER 68 AUT O SELECT NGC 1234 AUT O SELECT TEXT “None A vailable” “I’m sorry . There are no bright globular” “clusters visi[...]

T rain the telescope motors using AutoStar II. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy problems. Fig. 43 depicts the complete Drive T raining procedure. Note: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the drive. Complete this exercise once every 3 to 6 months to maintain the highest level[...]

APPENDIX E: THE MOON MENU The Moon option of the Object menu allows you to observe the moon in a way never possible before. Y ou will be able locate many specific features of the lunar surface, including hundreds of craters, mare, valleys, and mountains. One special feature allows you to view all six Apollo landing sites. While you won’t be able [...]

APPENDIX F: 16" LX200-ACF FEA TURES Figure 45: 16" LX200-ACF Computer Control Panel. 16" LX200-ACF Unique Features The 16" LX200-ACF contains, for the most part, the same features (covered earlier in this manual) as all other LX200-ACF telescope models. The following features are unique to the 16" model. Control Panel Featu[...]

Caution: Next to the focus assembly are two red slot-head bolts, used only for safety reasons in shipment. Remove these bolts before attempting to turn the focus knob. In its place, insert the rubber plugs provided as a dust protector (these rubber plugs are included with your hardware package). The 16" LX200-ACF should never be commercially s[...]

T o collapse the tripod (after removing the telescope) for storage, follow these steps: a. Loosen the tension knob and rotate the spreader bar 60° from its assembled position, so that one spreader bar arm is located between each adjacent pair of tripod legs. b. Move the spreader bar to the top of the threaded rod. T ighten the tension knob, lockin[...]

c. Lock the OT A in place using the four 3/8 " -16x3/4 " bolts. Thread up the four bolts into the bottom of the Dec. castings, two on each side. Using the supplied hex key , tighten to a firm feel only ( Fig. 55 ). Attaching the Power and Data Cords Several power and data cords are supplied with the 16 " LX200-ACF . These should all [...]

APPENDIX G: 14" LX200-ACF FEA TURES 14" LX200-ACF Unique Features The 14" LX200-ACF contains, for the most part, the same features (covered earlier in this manual) as all other LX200-ACF telescope models. The following features are unique to the 14" model: Battery Compartment On newer models, the battery compartment is the same [...]

APPENDIX H: DE-ROT A TOR AND MICROFOCUSER ASSEMBL Y For LX200-ACF T elescopes Equiped with a Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser When using a de-rotator , it is important to attach the microfocuser so that it is backed of f slightly from the de-rotator . If the microfocuser is flush against the de-rotator , the assembly will not work properly . This is t[...]

APPENDIX I: Smart Mount Introduction Smart Mount improves the pointing accuracy of your LX200-ACF telescope’ s “Go T o” system. Despite careful ef forts to calibrate and align telescopes, they may fail to precisely center objects. Smart Mount allows your telescope to learn about, and then correct for , any systematic pointing errors, regardle[...]

Permanently Mounted Scopes For permanently mounted telescopes, it is not necessary to have more than one model unless the weight and balance of auxiliary equipment introduces balance or flexure changes that significantly af fect pointing. The best practice is to train the Smart Mount and then run a couple of sessions with Update enabled. Thereafter[...]

1. Remove the field tripod from the shipping carton. Stand the tripod vertically with the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed. Grasp two of the tripod legs and, with the full weight of the tripod on the third leg, gently pull the legs apart to a fully open position. 3. Remove the threaded rod (see above figure) from the tripo[...]

In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than your LX200-ACF , 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 [...]

Planets Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. T o locate the planets 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 II for information about planets. Scroll to the “Object: Solar System” menu and scroll through the lists of plane[...]

14-7206-02 0309 MEADE LIMITED W ARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part th[...]