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MEADE INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Polaris Series German Equatorial Telescopes

POLARIS SERIES

www.meade.com

Summary of Contents for POLARIS 114

Page 1: ...MEADE INSTRUCTION MANUAL Polaris Series German Equatorial Telescopes POLARIS SERIES www meade com...

Page 2: ...rsible damage to your eye Eye damage is often painless so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun Do not look th...

Page 3: ...to bring the incoming light to focus and are called reflectors The lens or mirror diameter of the telescope is one of the most important pieces of information about the telescope The size of the lens...

Page 4: ...nsion lock see Fig 3 23 Declination lock see Fig 3 24 Red dot viewfinder 25 Front dust cover not shown 26 Eyepiece holder slots see Inset A 27 Right Ascension setting circle 28 Declination setting cir...

Page 5: ...Eyepiece 20 Red dot viewfinder On Off switch see Inset B 21 Declination axis see Fig 3 22 Right Ascension lock see Fig 3 23 Declination lock see Fig 3 24 Red dot viewfinder 25 Front dust cover not sho...

Page 6: ...ide 3 Hold the counterweight 5 firmly in one hand and slide the counterweight onto the counterweight shaft 6 so it is about 2 from the bottom of the shaft 4 Secure in place by tightening the counterwe...

Page 7: ...has a narrow field of view The red dot viewfinder 24 has a wider field of view which makes it easier to locate objects Once the red dot viewfinder is aligned to the optical tube the red dot can be use...

Page 8: ...the right ascension lock 22 The telescope mount will turn freely about the polar axis Rotate the telescope about the polar axis so that the counterweight shaft 6 is parallel to the ground horizontal 2...

Page 9: ...tial objects are mapped onto an imaginary sphere surrounding the lock knob 7 before rotating the RA axis to prevent the counterweight from sliding unexpectedly When the telescope is balanced proceed t...

Page 10: ...located at 15 degree intervals along the celestial equator Objects located further and further East of the zero R A grid line 0hr 0min 0sec carry higher R A coordinates Declination Dec This celestial...

Page 11: ...objects in the telescopic field of view for perhaps 20 to 30 minutes POLARALIGNMENTOFTHEEQUATORIAL MOUNT To line up the Meade Polaris German TOO MUCH POWER Can you ever have too much power If the typ...

Page 12: ...library and read some books about the stars and planets Read about astronomers of old Many of them had telescope no bigger than the one you are using right now Galileo who is one of the first astrono...

Page 13: ...he most obvious features are craters In fact you can see craters within craters Some craters have bright lines about them These are called rays and are the result of material thrown out of the crater...

Page 14: ...you will be able to see One of the most fascinating sights of Jupiter are its moons The four largest moons are called the Galilean moons after the astronomer Galileo who observed them for the first ti...

Page 15: ...our own system of planets it s time to really travel far from home and look at stars and other objects You can observe thousands of stars with your telescope At first you may think stars are just pinp...

Page 16: ...viewing conditions Use the high power 9mm eyepiece to view details when observing the Moon and planets If the image become fuzzy switch back down to a lower power Changing eyepieces changes the power...

Page 17: ...y will appear sharper and have greater contrast Try reducing power change your eyepiece if your image is fuzzy or shimmers Keep in mind that a bright clear but smaller image is more interesting than a...

Page 18: ...GOOD TIME ASTRONOMY IS FUN SPECIFICATIONS POLARIS 70 Optical tube design Refractor Optical tube focal length 900mm Objective lens diameter 70mm 2 8 Focal ratio f 12 9 Mount Small German Equatorial POL...

Page 19: ...ers that s 7 8 feet across The focal ratio helps determine how fast the photographic speed of a telescope is The lower the focal ratio number the faster the exposure F 5 is faster than f 10 The slower...

Page 20: ...ng does become necessary use a camel s hair brush or compressed air gently to remove dust If the telescope s dust cover is replaced after each observing session cleaning of the optics will rarely be r...

Page 21: ...ze a properly collimated instrument and can adjust the collimation yourself if necessary A CORRECT COLLIMATION The properly collimated aligned mirror system in the Meade Polaris telescope assures the...

Page 22: ...justments to the secondary mirror assembly and or the primary mirror cell Fig 12 B SECONDARY MIRROR HOLDER ADJUSTMENTS If the secondary mirror 1 Fig 15 is centered in the draw tube 2 Fig 15 but the pr...

Page 23: ...cell locking screws 3 Fig 13 to re lock the tilt angle adjustment NOTE Some models have large thumb knobs for the primary mirror cell tilt knobs 2 Fig 13 Other models have Phillips head screws as the...

Page 24: ...viewfinder lens clock wise If the red dot does not illuminate the battery may need replacing OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES Additional Eyepieces 1 25 barrel diameter only For higher or lower viewing magnificati...

Page 25: ...overed under separate warranties issued by Meade international distributors RGA Number Required Prior to the return of any product or part a Return Goods Authorization RGA number must be obtained from...

Page 26: ...DRAWING OF IMAGE OBSERVER OBJECT NAME DATE TIME OBSERVED CONSTELLATION EYEPIECE SIZE SEEING CONDITIONS EXCELLENT GOOD POOR NOTES OBSERVATION LOG...

Page 27: ...DRAWING OF IMAGE OBSERVER OBJECT NAME DATE TIME OBSERVED CONSTELLATION EYEPIECE SIZE SEEING CONDITIONS EXCELLENT GOOD POOR NOTES OBSERVATION LOG...

Page 28: ...ww w meade com Meade Instruments Corp 27 Hubble Irvine California 92618 1 800 626 3233...

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