Celestron CPC Series manual

I I N N S S T T R R U U C C T T I I O O N N M M A A N N U U A A L L[...]

2 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... ........................................ 4 W ARNING ....................................................................................................................................................................... [...]

3 TELESCOPE BASI CS ............................................................................................................... .................................. 27 Image Orie ntatio n ................................................................................................................................................... 27 Focusing [...]

4 Congratulations on your purchase of the Celestron CPC telescope ! The CPC GPS ushers in the next generation of computer automated telescopes. The CPC series us es GPS (Global Positioning Syst em) technology to take the guesswork and effort out of aligning and finding celestial objects in the sk y. Simple and easy to use, the CPC with its on-board[...]

5 – The CPC comes com pletely pre-ass embled and can be opera tional in a matt er of minutes. The CP C and its access ories are conveniently packaged in one reusable shipp ing carton while the tripod comes in its own box. Inclu ded with your CPC are 1 Control Panel (see be low ) 8 Optical Tube 2 Focus Knob 9 Schmidt Corrector Lens 3 Star Diagonal[...]

6 The CPC telescop e comes completel y pre-assembled and can be operational in a matt er of minutes. The CP C and its accessories are conveniently pack aged in one reusable shipp ing carton while the tripod comes in its own box. Included with your telescope ar e the following: • 40mm Eyepiece – 1¼" • 1¼" Star Diagonal • 8x50 Fin[...]

7 A A d d j j u u s s t t i i n n g g t t h h e e T T r r i i p p o o d d H H e e i i g g h h t t The tripod that comes with your CPC telescope is adjustable. Th ere is a bubble level located on the top of the tripod head to a ssist you in leveling the tripod. To adjust th e height at which the tripod stands: 1. Loosen the extension cl am p on one [...]

8 2. Rotate the telescope base on the tripod head until the thre e feet on the bottom of the base fall into t he feet recesses on the top of the tripod head. 3. Thread the three attached mounting bolts fro m underneath the tripod head into the bo ttom of the telescope base. Tighten all three bolts. You are now ready to attach the visual acc essorie[...]

9 T T h h e e E E y y e e p p i i e e c c e e The eyepiece, is the optical el ement that magnifi es the image fo cused b y the telescope. The eyepie ce fits into eith er the visu al back directly or the star diagonal. To install th e eyepiece: 1. Loosen the thumbscrew on the star diagonal so it does not obstruct the in ner diameter of th e eyepiece[...]

10 With the bracket fi rmly attached to t he te le scope, you are ready to attach the finder to the bracke t. 1. Slide the O-Ring over the back of the fi nderscope and position it on the tube to ward the objective end of the finderscope. 2. Slide the eyepie ce end of the fin derscope into th e front ring of the bracket (the front ring is the one wi[...]

11 P P o o w w e e r r i i n n g g t t h h e e C C P P C C The CPC can be powered by the supplied 12v car ba tter y adapter or optiona l pow er supply (see Optional Accessories section in the back of this manual). 1. To power the CPC with the car battery adapter, simply pl ug the round post into the designated 12v power outlet located on the drive [...]

12 The CPC is controlled b y Celestron’s NexStar hand contro ller de signed to giv e you instant a ccess to all the fun ctions the CPC has to offer. With automatic slew ing to over 40,000 objects, and common se nse menu descriptions, even a beginner can master its variety of features in ju st a few observing sessions. Below is a brie f descrip ti[...]

13 Named Stars Common name listing of the bri ghtest stars in the sk y. Named Objects Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the most popular deep sky objects. Double Stars Numeric-alphabetical listing of the most visually stunning double, triple and quadruple stars in th e sky. Variable Stars Select list of the brightest variable stars with the shorte[...]

14 all these calculat ions and automaticall y entering the information f or you, the user sim ply needs to aim the teles cope to any three bright celestial objects in t he sky. Since Sky Align re quires no knowledge of the night sky it is not necessary to know the name of the stars that you are aiming. You may even select a planet or th e moon. The[...]

15 loosening both clutches. However the following alignmen t stars still need to found and center ed using the hand control. • Remember to sel ect alignment st ars that ar e as far apart in the sk y as possible. F or best resul ts make sure that the third alignment s tar does not lie in a st raigh t line between th e first two stars. Th is may re[...]

16 T T w w o o S S t t a a r r A A l l i i g g n n m m e e n n t t With the two-star alignment method, the CPC requires the us er to know the positions of two bright stars in order to accurately align the telescope with the sky and begin finding objects. Here is an overview of the two-star alignment procedure: 1. Once the CPC is powered on, use the[...]

17 1. Select Solar System Align from the alignment options. 2. Press ENTER to accept the time/site information displa yed on the display, or wait until the telescop e has downloaded the information fro m the GPS satellites. 3. The SELECT OBJECT message will appear in the top row of th e display. Use the Up and Down scroll keys (10) to select the da[...]

18 EQ Two-Star Align The EQ Two-Star Align follows most of the same steps as the Alt-Az Two-Star Align. This alignment method does not require the user to align the altitude i ndex markers or point towards the Meridian, but it does require the user to locate and align the telescope on two bright stars. When selecting align ment stars it is best to [...]

19 CCD Objects. Selecting an y one of these catalo gs will displa y a numeric-alphabeti cal listing of the obj ects under that list. Pressing the Up and Down keys (10) allows you to scroll through the catalog to the desired object. When scrolling through a long li st of objects, holding down either the Up or Down key will allow you to scrol l throu[...]

20 C C o o n n s s t t e e l l l l a a t t i i o o n n T T o o u u r r In addition to the Tour Mode, th e CPC telesc ope has a Constellation Tour that allo ws th e user to take a tour of all the best objects within a parti cular constellation. Se lecting Constellation from the LIST menu will di splay all the constellati on names that are above the [...]

21 a flat surface or tripod without the use of an equatorial wedge. The telescope must be al igned with two stars before it can track in altazim uth (Alt-Az). EQ North Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar aligned using an equatorial wedge in th e Northern Hemisphere. EQ South Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar al igned u[...]

22 Enter R.A. - Dec: You can also store a specific set of coordin ates for an object just b y entering the R.A. and declination for that object . Scroll to the " Enter RA-DEC " command and press ENTER. The display will then ask you to enter first the R.A. and then th e declination of the desired object. GoTo Object: To go to any of the us[...]

23 S S c c o o p p e e S S e e t t u u p p F F e e a a t t u u r r e e s s Setup Time-Site - Allows the user to customize th e CPC displa y by changing tim e and location param eters (such as time zone and daylight s avings). Anti-backlash – All mechanical gears have a certain amount of backlash or play between the gears. This play is evident by [...]

24 If you want to explore the entire objec t database, set the maximum altitude limit to 90º and the minimum limit to –90º. This will display every object in the database lists reg ardless of whether it is visible in the sky from you r location. Direction Buttons – The direction a star mo ves in the eyepiece varies dep ending on the acce ssor[...]

25 Get Alt-Az - Displays the relati ve altitude and a zimuth for the current posi tion of the telescop e. Goto Alt-Az - Allows you to enter a specific a ltitude and azim uth position and slew to it. Hibernate - Hibernate allows the CPC to be completel y powered down and still retain its al ignment when turned back on. This not only saves pow er, bu[...]

26 ALT- A Z EQ NO RTH EQ SOUT H OF F MOD E SIDE REAL SOLA R LUNA R RATE TRACKIN G VIE W TIME-SITE SE TUP TIM E-SIT E ANTI - BACKLAS H SLE W LI MIT S FILTER LIM IT S DIRECTIO N BUTTO NS GOTO AP PROAC H AUT OGU ID E R AT E CORDW RA P SCOPE SETU P GPS O N/ OF F WED GE A LI GN PEC LIG HT CO NTROL FACTO RY SETTING VER SIO N GET A LT - A Z GOTO A LT- A Z[...]

27 Figure 5-1 A A c c u u t t a a w w a a y y v v i i e e w w o o f f t t h h e e l l i i g g h h t t p p a a t t h h o o f f t t h h e e S S c c h h m m i i d d t t - - C C a a s s s s e e g g r r a a i i n n o o p p t t i i c c a a l l d d e e s s i i g g n n Actual image orientation as seen with the unaided eye Inverted image, as viewed with the[...]

28 Figure 5-3 The emblem on the en d of the focus knob shows the correct rotational d irection for focusing the CPC . the primary mirror only slightly. Therefore, it will take many turns (about 30) to go from close focus (approximately 60 feet) to infinity. For astronomical viewing, out of focus star im ages are very diffuse, making them difficult [...]

29 • Never look across or over objects that ar e producing heat waves. This includes asphalt p arking lots on hot summer days or building rooftops. • Hazy skies, fog, and mist can also make it difficult to focus when viewing terrestrially. The amount of detail seen under these conditions is greatly reduced. Also, when photographing under these [...]

30 Up to this point, this manual cove red the assembly and basic operation of your CPC telescope. However, to und erstand your telescope more thoroughly, you need to know a little about th e night sky. This section deals with observational astronomy in general and includes information on th e night sky and po lar alignment. T T h h e e C C e e l l [...]

31 M M o o t t i i o o n n o o f f t t h h e e S S t t a a r r s s The daily motion of the Sun across the sky is familiar to even the most casual observer. Th is daily trek is not the Sun moving as early astronomers thought, but the re sult of the Earth 's rotation. The Earth's rotation also causes the stars to do the same, scribing out a[...]

32 P P o o l l a a r r A A l l i i g g n n m m e e n n t t ( ( w w i i t t h h o o p p t t i i o o n n a a l l W W e e d d g g e e ) ) Even though the CPC can precisely track a celestial object while in the Alt-Az position, it is still necessary to align the pol ar axis of the telescope (the fork arm) to the Earth's axis of rotation in order t[...]

33 changes during the year and throughout the course of the night (s ee Figure 6-5). When the Big Dipper is low in the sky (i.e., near the horizon), it may be difficult to locate. During th ese times, look for Ca ssiopeia (see Figure 6-6). Observer s in the southern hemisphere are not as fortunate as those in the northern hemisphere. The stars arou[...]

34 Make the appropriate adjustm ents to the polar axis to elim inate an y drift. Once you have eliminated all th e drift, move to the star near the eastern horizon. The star should be 20 d egrees above the hor izon and with in five degrees of the celestial equator. • If the star drifts south, th e polar axis is too low. • If the star drifts nor[...]

35 With your telescope set up, you are read y to use it for observing. This section covers visual observing hints for both solar s ystem and deep sky objects as well as genera l observing conditions which will affect your ability t o observe. O O b b s s e e r r v v i i n n g g t t h h e e M M o o o o n n Often, it is tempting to look at the Moon w[...]

36 O O b b s s e e r r v v i i n n g g t t h h e e S S u u n n Although overlooked by many amateur astronomers, solar obser vation is both rewarding and fun. However, because the Sun is so bright, special precautions must be taken when observing our st ar so as not to damage your eyes or your telescope. Never project an image of the Sun thr ough th[...]

37 S S e e e e i i n n g g Seeing conditions refers to the stabilit y of the atmosphere and di rectly affects the amount of fine detail seen in ext ended objects. The air in our atmosphere acts as a lens which bends and distorts inco min g light rays. The amount of ben ding depends on air density. V arying temperature l ayers have diff erent densit[...]

38 After looking at the night sky for a while you may want to try photographing it. Several forms of celestial photography are po ssible with your telescope, including short exposure prim e focus, eyepiece projection, long exposure deep sky, terrestrial and even CCD im aging. Each of these is discussed in moderate de tail with enough information to[...]

39 6. Advance the film and repeat the process. Lunar Phase ISO 50 ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 400 Crescent 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/15 Quarter 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125 Full 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 The exposure times listed in table 8-1 should be used as a starti ng point. Always make exposures that are longer and shorter t han the recommended time. Also, ta ke a few photos[...]

40 Advance the film and you are ready for your next exposure. Don't forget to take photos of varyi ng duration and keep accurate r ecords of what you have done. Record the date, te lescope, exposure duration, eyepiece, f/rati o, film, and some comments on the seeing co nditions. The following table lists exposures for eyepiece projection with [...]

41 12. Close the camer a's shutter. P P e e r r i i o o d d i i c c E E r r r r o o r r C C o o r r r r e e c c t t i i o o n n ( ( P P E E C C ) ) PEC for short, is a system th at improves the tracking ac curacy of the drive b y reducing the number of user correct ions needed to k eep a guide star centered in the eyepiece. PEC is designed to [...]

42 • Konica 3200 (color print) • Fujichrome 1600D (color slide) • 3M 1000 (color slide) • Scotchchrome 400 • T-Max 3200 (black and white print) • T-Max 400 (black and white print) As you perfect your technique , try specialized films, that is films that are de signed or specially treated for celestial photog raphy. Here are some popular[...]

43 Lunar or small planetary nebulae-- f/10 imaging is more chal lenging for long expos ure, deep-sky im aging. Guiding needs to be very accurate and the exposure times need to be much longer, about 25 times longer than f/2. There ar e only a select few objects that work well at f/10. The mo on images fine because it is so bright, but planets are st[...]

44 While your CPC telescope requires little m aintenance, th ere ar e a few things to remember t hat will ensure your telescope performs at its best. C C a a r r e e a a n n d d C C l l e e a a n n i i n n g g o o f f t t h h e e O O p p t t i i c c s s Occasionally, dust and/or moisture ma y build up on the corrector plate of your telescope. Speci[...]

45 Figure 9-3 A collimated telescope should appear symmetrical w ith the central obstruction centered in the star's diffraction patte rn. To accomplish this, you need to tighten the secondary collim ati on screw(s) that move the star across the field toward the direction of the skewed light. Th ese screws are located on the secondary mirror h [...]

46 You will find that additional accessories enhance you r viewin g pleasure and expand the usefulness of y our telescope. For ease of reference, all the acce ssorie s are listed in alphabetical order . Barlow Lens - A Barlow lens is a negative le ns that increases the focal length of a tele scope. Used with any eyepiece, it doubles the magnificati[...]

47 Moon Filter (#94119-A) - Celestron’s Moon Filter is an eco nomical eyepiece filter for reducing the brigh tness of the moon and improving contrast, so greater detail can be observed on the lun a r surface. Th e clear aperture i s 21mm and the transmis sion is about 18%. PowerTank (#18774) – 12v 7Amp hour rechargeable pow er supply. Comes wit[...]

48 Appendix A - T echnical S pecifications Optical Specification CPC 800 - #11073 CPC 925 - #11074 CPC 1100 - #11075 Design Schmidt-Cassegrain Catadioptric Schmidt-Casse grain Catadioptric Schmidt-Cassegrain Catadioptric Aperture 8" (203.2mm) 9.25" (235mm) 11" (279mm) Focal Length 2032mm 2350mm 2800mm F/ratio of the Optical System 10[...]

49 Appendix B - Glossary of T erms A - Absolute magnitude The apparent magnit ude that a star would have if it were observed from a standard distance of 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light-years. The absolute magnitude of the Sun is 4.8. at a distan ce of 10 parsecs, it would just be visible on Earth on a clear moonless night away fro m surface light. Airy d[...]

50 J - Jovian Planets Any of the four gas giant planets that are at a greater distance form the sun than the t errestrial planets. K - Kuiper Belt A region beyond the orbit of Neptune extend ing to about 1000 AU which is a source of many short period comets. L - Light-Year (LY) A light-year is the distan ce light traverses in a vacuum in one year a[...]

51 telescope at this rate. The rate is 15 ar c seconds per second or 15 degrees per hour. T - Terminator The boundary line be tween the light and dark porti on of the moon or a planet. U - Universe The totality of astronomi cal things, events, relatio ns and en ergies capable of being described objectively. V - Variable Star A star whose brightness[...]

52 A A P P P P E E N N D D I I X X C C L L O O N N G G I I T T U U D D E E S S A A N N D D L L A A T T I I T T U U D D E E S S LONGITUDE L ATITUDE degrees min degrees min AL ABAM A Anniston 85 51 33 34.8 Auburn 85 26.4 32 40.2 Birmingham 86 45 33 34.2 Centreville 87 15 32 54 Dothan 85 27 31 19.2 Fort Rucker 85 43.2 31 16.8 Gadsden 86 5.4 33 58.2 Hu[...]

53 LONGITUDE L ATITUDE degrees min degrees min Melbourne 80 37.8 28 6 Miami 80 16.8 25 49.2 Naples 81 4.8 26 7.8 Nasa Shuttle 80 40.8 28 37.2 Orlando 81 19.2 28 25.8 Panama City 85 40.8 30 12 Patrick AFB 80 3.6 28 13.8 Pensacola 87 19.2 30 21 Ruskin 82 3.6 27 58.2 Saint Peters 82 40.8 27 55.2 Sanford 81 15 28 46.8 Sarasota 82 33 27 24 Tallahassee 8[...]

54 LONGITUDE L ATITUDE degrees min degrees min Wurtsmith 83 2.4 44 27 Ypsilanti 83 31.8 42 13.8 MINNESOTA Albert Lea 93 22.2 43 40.8 Alexandria 95 22.8 45 52.2 Bemidji Muni 94 55.8 47 30 Brainerd-Crw 94 7.8 46 24 Detroit Laks 95 52.8 46 49.2 Duluth 92 10.8 46 49.8 Ely 91 49.2 47 54 Fairmont 94 25.2 43 39 Fergus Falls 96 4.2 46 18 Grand Rapids 93 31[...]

55 LONGITUDE L ATITUDE degrees min degrees min OKLAHOMA Altus AFB 99 16.2 34 40.2 Ardmore 97 1.2 34 18 Bartlesville 9 6 0 36 45 Clinton 99 1.2 35 21 Enid 97 4.8 36 22.8 Fort Sill 98 2.4 34 3 9 Gage 99 46.2 36 18 Hobart 99 3 35 0 Lawton 98 25.2 34 34.2 Mcalester 95 46.8 34 52.8 Norman 97 28.2 35 13.8 Oklahoma 97 3.6 35 24 Page 94 37.2 34 40.8 Ponca [...]

56 LONGITUDE L ATITUDE degrees min degrees min Walla Walla 118 16.8 46 6 Wenatchee 120 1.2 47 24 Whidbey Is 122 39 48 21 Yakima 120 31.8 46 34.2 WEST VIRGINIA Beckley 81 7.2 37 46.8 Bluefield 81 13.2 37 18 Charleston 81 3.6 38 22.2 Clarksburg 80 13.8 39 16.8 Elkins 79 51 38 52.8 Huntington 82 33 38 22.2 Lewisburg 80 2.4 37 52.2 Martinsburg 77 58.8 [...]

57 Appendix D - RS-232 Connection Using the included NexRemote software you can control your C PC telescope with a computer via the RS-232 port located on the co mputerized hand control and usin g the RS-232 cable (#93920). Fo r information about using NexRemote to control your telescope, ref er to the instruction shee t that came with the NexRemot[...]

58 APPENDIX E – MAPS OF TIME ZONES[...]

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66 Observational Dat a Sheet Yearly Meteor Showers Shower Date Peak Hourly Rate Quadrantids Jan 01-Jan 05 4-Jan 60-200 Lyrids Apr 16-Apr 25 21-Apr 15 pi-Puppids Apr 15-Apr 28 23-Apr Var. eta-Aquarids Apr 19-May 28 5-May 60 June Bootids Jun 26-Jul 02 27-Jun Var. July Phoenicids Jul 10-Jul 16 13-Jul Var. Southern delta-Aquarids Jul 12-Aug 19 27-Jul 2[...]

67 CELESTRON TWO YEAR WARRANTY A. Celestron warrants this telescope to be free from defects in materials and workma nship for two years. Celestron will repa ir or replace such product or part thereof which, upon inspe ction by Celestron, is found t o be defective in materials or workmanship . As a condition to the obligation of Celest ron to repair[...]

Celestron 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212-5835 Web site at http //www.celestron.com Copyright 2005 Celestron All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation .) Item # 11073- INST $10.00 04-05[...]