Celestar Manual
Telescope Basics
25
YOUR FIRST LOOK
With the telescope fully assembled and all the accessories attached, you are ready for your first look. Your
first look should be done in the daytime when it is easier to locate the locking clamps and slow motion
knobs. This will help to familiarize you with your Celestar 8, thus making it easier to use at night.
Daytime Observing
As mentioned in the introduction, your Celestron Celestar telescope works well as a terrestrial spotting
scope. When not used to examine objects in the night sky, it can be used to study objects here on Earth.
WARNING ! NEVER POINT YOUR TELESCOPE AT THE SUN UNLESS YOU HAVE THE
PROPER SOLAR FILTER. PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE MAY RESULT
AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO YOUR TELESCOPE. ALSO, NEVER LEAVE YOUR TELESCOPE
UNATTENDED DURING A DAYTIME OBSERVING SESSION, ESPECIALLY WHEN
CHILDREN ARE PRESENT.
1.
Find a distant object that is fairly bright.
2.
Insert a low power eyepiece (i.e. one with a long focal length 25mm) into the telescope.
3.
Release the R.A. and DEC clamps and point the telescope in the direction of the object you selected.
4.
Locate the object in your finder.
5.
Move the telescope by hand until the object is centered in the finder.
6.
Lock the R.A. and DEC clamps to hold the telescope in place.
7.
Look through the main optics and the object will be there (if you aligned the finder first).
8.
Use the slow motion knobs to center the object if needed. Remember, you should not use the drive for
terrestrial viewing.
Try using different optional eyepieces to see how the field changes with various magnifications.
Nighttime Observing
Looking at objects in the sky is quite different from looking at objects on Earth. For example, many
objects seen in the daytime are easy to see with the naked eye and can be located in the telescope by using
landmarks. In the night sky, many objects are not visible to the naked eye. To make things easier, you are
better off starting with a bright object like the Moon or one of the planets. Here is a quick description to
get you started. A more detailed description is found under the section on “Visual Observing.”
1.
Orient the telescope so that the polar axis is pointing as close to true north as possible. (The fork arms
indicate which direction the polar axis is pointing.) You can use a land mark that you know faces
north to get you in the general direction.
2.
If you are observing with the Celestar 8, shim the Wedgpod legs until the mount is leveled. If you are
using the Celestar Deluxe 8, extend or retract each of the three tripod legs until it is at your preferred
height and the mount is leveled.
