M
USING NORTHSTAR FOR THE FIRST TIME (Continued)
Now imagine that you are a parent trying to impress your children (or vice versa). Ten minutes into your first
observing session you are already learning astronomical objects.
This is a great educational tool !!!!
To find the object, just press the “GO” button and that object will be right in the telescope’s eyepiece!
By pressing the BACK button, you move back to the previous level each time the button is pressed. Press the
button three times and you are back at the main level menu. The display will read:
SELECT MODE
EXPLORE ][
SCROLL UP or SCROLL DOWN to select
SELECT MODE
SKY TOUR ][.
Press ENTER.
This mode will take you through the best and brightest objects for each month. If you have done the ALIGN
EARTH alignment and entered the date, it will automatically take you to the current month. Don’t know what
some of these obscure objects and abbreviations mean? Just press the ENTER key for more information.
Press the BACK button until you get back to the main menu:
SELECT MODE
SKY TOUR ][.
SCROLL UP or SCROLL DOWN until the display reads:
SELECT MODE
IDENTIFY ][
PRESS ENTER
This mode will default to the level
IDENTIFY ANY
By selecting this option with the ENTER key, it will IDENTIFY the object that you are currently viewing OR the
closest object to where your telescope is currently pointed. You also have the options to choose other types of
IDENTIFY menus. These will IDENTIFY the closest CLUSTERS, NEBULAS, etc. to your current
telescope position.
To select the final mode press ENTER at the display:
SELECT MODE
TELESCOPE ][
The display reads something like:
RA18:53 DEC+38.7
AZ280 ALT+62 LYR
The TELESCOPE mode gives you dynamic real-time information on your telescope’s current position in terms
of astronomical coordinates. Play around with this mode by moving the telescope around. Notice the three
letter abbreviation in the lower right portion of the display. This dynamically displays the current
CONSTELLATION that the telescope is pointing at. These names are abbreviated in this mode. Definitions
for the abbreviations will be in the catalog index.
16.
