4. Getting Started
In order to experience the full GOTO capability of GOTONOVA
®
technology it is very important to set up the
mount correctly before observation.
4.1. Setting the Mount and Performing Polar Alignment
Assemble your GEM45 mount according to Section 3.1. Make sure the mount is leveled. Turn the mount
power switch on. When the GPS receiver is connected to satellites, the hand controller LCD will display
GPS OK and the mount will have the correct time and site information (this can also be entered manually as
previously described). Mount an OTA and accessories, and carefully balance the mount on both R.A. and
DEC axes. Perform the polar alignment.
After the mount is powered on, perform
MENU
=> “
Zero Position
” => “
Goto Zero Position
” to check the
Zero Position, i.e. with the counterweight shaft pointing to ground, OTA at the highest position with its axis
parallel to the polar axis and the telescope pointing to the Celestial Pole. If the mount is not at the Zero
Position, you may perform
Search Zero Position
or
Set Zero Position
to set the Zero Position.
4.2. Manual Operation of the Mount
The mount can now be used to observe astronomical objects using the HC. Use the
arrow keys (►, ◄,
▼
,
and
▲
) to point the telescope to the desired part of the sky. Use the number keys to change the slewing
speed. Press the
STOP/0
button to start tracking.
4.3. One Star Alignment
After the mount set up, perform a
“
One Star Align
” to correct the Zero Position discrepancy, or linear error.
Press
MENU
=>
“
Alignment
” => “
One Star Align
” to perform “
One Star Align.
” The hand controller will
display an alignment star. Select a different star using the
▲ or ▼ keys. Then press
ENTER
. After the
mount slews to the target, use the arrow keys to center it in your eyepiece. Then press
ENTER
. (More
details on the alignment function are given in section 5.3)
4.4. GOTO the Moon and Other Objects
Now the mount is ready for GOTO operation which, using advanced GOTONOVA
®
technology, will
automatically slew to, and track, a huge range of celestial targets. We will use the Moon as an example.
Press
MENU
=>
“
Select and Slew
”. Select a category, in this example “
Solar System
”, and then select an
object of interest, in this case
“
Moon
”. Press
ENTER
and the telescope will slew to the moon and
automatically start tracking. If the target is not centered in your eyepiece, use the arrow keys to center it.
Then use
MENU
=> “
Sync to Target
” for better performance.
4.5. Star Identification Function
The 8407+ hand controller has a star identification function. After setting the correct local time and location
and completing polar alignment, slew the telescope to a bright star manually or using the GOTO function.
Press the Help(
?
) key to identify the star that the telescope is pointing to, as well as nearby bright stars if
there is any.
