Celestron NexStar 102SLT Instruction Manual Download

Page: 1 / 48

Summary of Contents for NexStar 102SLT

Page 1: ...T TI IO ON N M MA AN NU UA AL L N N e e x x S S t t a a r r 6 6 0 0 N N e e x x S S t t a a r r 8 8 0 0 N N e e x x S S t t a a r r 1 1 0 0 2 2 N N e e x x S S t t a a r r 1 1 1 1 4 4 N N e e x x S S t t a a r r 1 1 3 3 0 0 ...

Page 2: ... Sky Align 14 Auto Two Star Align 16 Two Star Alignment 16 One Star Align 17 Solar System Align 17 NexStar Re Alignment 18 Object Catalog 18 Selecting an Object 18 Slewing to an Object 19 Finding Planets 19 Tour Mode 19 Constellation Tour 19 Direction Buttons 20 Rate Button 20 Set Up Procedures 20 Tracking Mode 20 Tracking Rate 21 View Time Site 21 User Defined Objects 21 Get RA DEC 21 Goto R A De...

Page 3: ... Planetary Observing Hints 28 Observing the Sun 28 Solar Observing Hints 29 Observing Deep Sky Objects 29 Seeing Conditions 29 Transparency 29 Sky Illumination 29 Seeing 29 TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE 31 Care and Cleaning of the Optics 31 Collimation 31 OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES 32 APPENDIX A TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 34 APPENDIX B GLOSSARY OF TERMS 35 APPENDIX C RS 232 CONNECTION 38 APPENDIX D TIME ZONE MAPS...

Page 4: ...nual before embarking on your journey through the Universe It may take a few observing sessions to become familiar with your NexStar so you should keep this manual handy until you have fully mastered your telescope s operation The NexStar hand control has built in instructions to guide you through all the alignment procedures needed to have the telescope up and running in minutes Use this manual i...

Page 5: ...artment 10 Star Diagonal 4 Hand Control 11 Eyepiece 5 Tripod 12 Star Pointer Finderscope not shown 6 Tripod Leg Extension Clamp 13 Dovetailed Mounting Clamp 7 Accessory Tray 14 Telescope Tube The NexStar SLT Refractor Telescope NexStar 60 Shown 12 1 2 11 10 7 3 4 9 14 5 6 8 13 ...

Page 6: ...ry Mirror 8 Accessory Tray 3 Fork Arm 9 On Off Switch 4 Battery Compartment 10 Collimation Adjustment Knobs 5 Tripod 11 Optical Tube 6 Hand Control 12 Star Pointer Finderscope NexStar SLTReflecting Telescope NexStar 114 Shown 1 2 3 4 6 7 10 11 12 8 5 9 ...

Page 7: ... visual accessories the telescope tube should be mounted to its tripod First install the accessory tray onto the tripod legs 1 Remove the tripod from the box and spread the legs apart until the center leg brace is fully extended 2 Locate the accessory tray and place it on top of the tripod center support brace in between the tripod legs see figure 2 1 3 Rotate the accessory tray so that the centra...

Page 8: ...1 Loosen the tube clamp tightening knob 2 Slide the dovetail mounting bar of the telescope tube into the fork arm clamp Make sure that the logo on the side of the tube is right side up when the tube is aligned with the fork arm 3 Tighten the tube clamp knob by hand to secure the tube to the fork arm Your NexStar is fully assembled and is ready to attach the accessories T Th he e S St ta ar r D Di ...

Page 9: ...ter the focal length i e the smaller the number the higher the magnification Generally you will use low to moderate power when viewing For more information on how to determine power see the section on Calculating Magnification Barrel diameter is the diameter of the barrel that slides into the star diagonal or focuser The NexStar uses eyepieces with a standard 1 1 4 barrel diameter F Fo oc cu us si...

Page 10: ...inter finderscope 1 Before using the StarPointer you must first remove the protective plastic cover between the battery and the battery clip 2 To turn on the Star Pointer slide the On Off switch to the 1 On position To increase the brightness level of the red dot slide the switch to the 2 On position 3 Locate a bright star or the Moon and center it in a low power eyepiece in the main telescope 4 W...

Page 11: ...12v AC adapter To install batteries into the NexStar 1 Squeeze the tabs on both sides of the battery compartment cover while lifting upward 2 Insert 8 AA batteries in to battery compartment holders 3 Place the battery compartment cover over the batteries and push down until the cover snaps in place 4 Flip the power switch to the On position The light on the power button should come on In case of a...

Page 12: ...y on the hand control to allow direct access to each of the catalogs in its 4 000 object database The NexStar contains the following catalogs in its database Messier Complete list of all Messier objects NGC Many of the brightest deep sky objects from the Revised New General Catalog Caldwell A combination of the best NGC and IC objects Planets All 8 planets in our Solar System plus the Moon and Sun...

Page 13: ... lists A double arrow symbol on the right side of the LCD indicates that the scroll keys can be used to view additional information 11 Rate Instantly changes the rate of speed of the motors when the direction buttons are pressed 12 RS 232 Jack Allows use with a computer and software programs for point and click slewing capability H Ha an nd d C Co on nt tr ro ol l O Op pe er ra at ti io on n This ...

Page 14: ...any of the objects in its 4 000 object database Before the telescope is ready to be aligned it should be set up in an outside location with all accessories eyepiece diagonal and finderscope attached and lens cover removed as described in the Assembly section of the manual To begin Sky Align 1 Power on the NexStar by flipping the switch located on the side of the fork arm to the on position Once tu...

Page 15: ...ain use the arrow button to center the object in the finderscope and press ENTER Then once centered in the eyepiece press the ALIGN button 6 Repeat the process for the third alignment star When the telescope has been aligned to the final stars the display will read Match Confirmed Press UNDO to display the names of the three bright objects you aligned to or press ENTER to accept these three object...

Page 16: ...y select any star you wish from the entire list of available stars Once finished slewing the display will ask you to use the arrow buttons to align the selected star with the red dot of the finderscope Once centered in the finder press ENTER The display will then instruct you to center the star in the field of view of the eyepiece When the star is centered press ALIGN to accept this star as your s...

Page 17: ... A Al li ig gn n Solar System Align is designed to provide excellent tracking and GoTo performance by using solar system objects Sun Moon and planets to align the telescope with the sky Solar System Align is a great way to align your telescope for daytime viewing as well as a quick way to align the telescope for night time observing Never look directly at the sun with the naked eye or with a teles...

Page 18: ...that the telescope is properly aligned you can choose an object from any of the catalogs in the NexStar s database The hand control has a key designated for each of the catalogs in its database There are two ways to select objects from the database scrolling through the named object lists and entering object numbers Pressing the LIST key on the hand control will access all objects in the database ...

Page 19: ...lus the Sun and Moon However the hand control will only display the solar system objects that are above the horizon or within its filter limits To locate the planets press the PLANET key on the hand control The hand control will display all solar system objects that are above the horizon Use the Up and Down keys to select the planet that you wish to observe Press INFO to access information on the ...

Page 20: ...tar 60 and 80 the slower slew rates 6 and lower move the motors in the opposite direction than the faster slew rates 7 9 This is done so that an object will move in the appropriate direction when looking into the eyepiece i e pressing the up arrow button will move the star upwards in the field of view of the eyepiece However if any of the slower slew rates rate 6 and below are used to center an ob...

Page 21: ...r own custom tour of database objects by allowing you to record the current position of the telescope and save the name of the object by selecting it from any one of the database catalogs These objects then can be accessed by selecting GoTo Sky Object Save Land Object The NexStar can also be used as a spotting scope on terrestrial objects Fixed land objects can be stored by saving their altitude a...

Page 22: ...r value may be necessary for photographic guiding Positive backlash compensation is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from backwards to forwards Similarly negative backlash compensation is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from forwards to backwards When tracking is enabled the mount will be moving in one or both axes in either the positive or negative...

Page 23: ...l CN 16 GPS accessory Allows you to turn off the GPS module If you want to use the NexStar database to find the coordinates of a celestial object for a future date you would need to turn the GPS module off in order to manually enter a date and time other than the present Light Control This feature allows you to turn off both the red key pad light and LCD display for daytime use to conserve power a...

Page 24: ...Sun go to the Sun Menu and press ENTER The Sun will now be displayed in the Planets catalog as can be used as an alignment object when using the Solar System Alignment method To remove the Sun from displaying on the hand control once again select the Sun Menu from the Utilities Menu and press ENTER Scrolling Menu This menus allows you to change the rate of speed that the text scrolls across the ha...

Page 25: ...bject 2 Center Alignment Object 1 UNDO to Edit SKY ALIGN Saved Site ENTER if OK Center Star 2 Center Star 1 Select Star 1 UNDO to Edit AUTO TWO STAR ALIGN Saved Site ENTER if OK CENTER STAR 2 SELECT STAR 2 CENTER STAR 1 SELECT STAR 1 UNDO to Edit TWO STAR ALIGNMENT Saved Site ENTER if OK Center Star 1 Select Star 1 UNDO to Edit ONE STAR ALIGNMENT Saved Site ENTER if OK Center Object Select Object ...

Page 26: ...ope When observing through the NexStar 60 80 or 102 using the diagonal the image will be right side up but reversed from left to right When observing straight through with the eyepiece inserted directly into the telescope the image will be inverted When observing through the NexStar 114 or 130 a reflecting telescope the image will reversed mirror image when looking through the eyepiece For astrono...

Page 27: ...ltiply by 52 5 Continuing with our example multiply the angular field 1 4 by 52 5 This produces a linear field width of 66 feet at a distance of one thousand yards The apparent field of each eyepiece that Celestron manufactures is found in the Celestron Accessory Catalog 93685 G Ge en ne er ra al l O Ob bs se er rv vi in ng g H Hi in nt ts s When working with any optical instrument there are a few...

Page 28: ...h he e P Pl la an ne et ts s Other fascinating targets include the five naked eye planets You can see Venus go through its lunar like phases Mars can reveal a host of surface detail and one if not both of its polar caps You will be able to see the cloud belts of Jupiter and the great Red Spot if it is visible at the time you are observing In addition you will also be able to see the moons of Jupit...

Page 29: ...he atmosphere which is affected by clouds moisture and other airborne particles Thick cumulus clouds are completely opaque while cirrus can be thin allowing the light from the brightest stars through Hazy skies absorb more light than clear skies making fainter objects harder to see and reducing contrast on brighter objects Aerosols ejected into the upper atmosphere from volcanic eruptions also aff...

Page 30: ... directly affect image quality These drawing represent a point source i e star under bad seeing conditions left to excellent conditions right Most often seeing conditions produce images that lie some where between these two extremes ...

Page 31: ...NexStar telescope is directly related to its collimation that is the alignment of its optical system Your NexStar was collimated at the factory after it was completely assembled However if the telescope is dropped or jarred severely during transport it may have to be collimated The NexStar 60 80 and 102 are refractor type telescopes that have fixed optical systems that should not come out of colli...

Page 32: ...m and 40mm X Cel This 6 element design allows each X Cel Eyepiece to have 20mm of eye relief 55 field of view and more than 25mm of lens aperture even with the 2 3mm In order to maintain razor sharp color corrected images across its 50 field of view extra low dispersion glass is used for the most highly curved optical elements The excellent refractive properties of these high grade optical element...

Page 33: ...opular astronomy software programs Sky Maps 93722 Celestron Sky Maps are the ideal teaching guide for learning the night sky You wouldn t set off on a road trip without a road map and you don t need to try to navigate the night sky without a map either Even if you already know your way around the major constellations these maps can help you locate all kinds of fascinating objects T adapter 93625 A...

Page 34: ...x 25mm 73x 9mm 40x 25mm 111x 9mm 26x 25mm 62x 9mm Optical Tube Length 28 inches 34 inches 23 inches 19 inches 21 inches E E El lle e ec c ct t tr r ro o on n ni iic c c S S Sp p pe e ec c ci iif f fi iic c ca a at t ti iio o on n ns s s Input Voltage 12 V DC Nominal Batteries Required 8 AA Alkaline Power Supply Requirements 12 VDC 750 mA Tip positive M M Me e ec c ch h ha a an n ni iic c ca a al l...

Page 35: ...red from due north between the astronomical meridian the vertical line passing through the center of the sky and the north and south points on the horizon and the vertical line containing the celestial body whose position is to be measured B Binary Stars Binary Double stars are pairs of stars that because of their mutual gravitational attraction orbit around a common center of mass If a group of t...

Page 36: ...tar Polaris lies less than a degree from this point and is therefore referred to as the Pole Star Nova Although Latin for new it denotes a star that suddenly becomes explosively bright at the end of its life cycle O Open Cluster One of the groupings of stars that are concentrated along the plane of the Milky Way Most have an asymmetrical appearance and are loosely assembled They contain from a doz...

Page 37: ...xing Moon The period of the moon s cycle between new and full when its illuminated portion is increasing Z Zenith The point on the Celestial Sphere directly above the observer Zodiac The zodiac is the portion of the Celestial Sphere that lies within 8 degrees on either side of the Ecliptic The apparent paths of the Sun the Moon and the planets with the exception of some portions of the path of Plu...

Page 38: ...out using NSOL to control your telescope refer to the instruction sheet that came with the CD and the help files located on the disk In addition to NSOL the telescope can be controlled using other popular astronomy software programs For detailed information about controlling NexStar via the RS 232 port Communication protocols and the RS 232 cable refer to the NexStar SLT section of the Celestron w...

Page 39: ...39 APPENDIX D MAPS OF TIME ZONES ...

Page 40: ...40 ...

Page 41: ......

Page 42: ......

Page 43: ......

Page 44: ......

Page 45: ......

Page 46: ......

Page 47: ...ndling or unauthorized repair Further product malfunction or deterioration due to normal wear is not covered by this warranty CELESTRON DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WHETHER OF MERCHANTABILITY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN THE SOLE OBLIGATION OF CELESTRON UNDER THIS LIMITED WARRANTY SHALL BE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE COVERED PRODUCT IN ACCORDANCE...

Page 48: ...ducts or instructions may change without notice or obligation This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rule Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference and 2 This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operations 22076 INST 04 05 Printed in China 10 00 ...

Search results

Summary of Contents for NexStar 102SLT

Reviews:

Related manuals for NexStar 102SLT

Brands by name

Popular brands

Celestron NexStar 102SLT, Instruction Manual

Search results

Summary of Contents for NexStar 102SLT

Reviews:

Related manuals for NexStar 102SLT

Brands by name

Popular brands