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In order for the NexStar to accurately point to objects in the sky, it must first be aligned to two known positions
(stars) in the sky. With this information, the telescope can create a model of the sky, which it uses to locate any
object with known coordinates. There are many ways to align the NexStar with the sky depending on what
information the user is able to provide:
AutoAlign
will ask the user to input date and location information in order
to locate the alignment stars;
Two-Star Alignment
does not require the user to input date and location data, but
does require the user to identify and manually slew the telescope to the two alignment stars.
Quick-Align
will
ask you to input all the same information as you would for the AutoAlign procedure. However, instead of slewing
to two alignment stars for centering and alignment, the telescope bypasses this step and simply models the sky
based on the information given. And used in conjunction with the optional CN16 GPS accessory,
GPS Align
Mode
allows the NexStar to acquire all the necessary information needed to point itself to the required alignment
stars. Finally,
EQ North and EQ South
alignments are designed to assist you in aligning the NexStar when polar
aligned using an equatorial wedge. Each alignment method is discussed in detail below.
Auto-Align
AutoAlign allows the user to input all the necessary information needed to align the telescope. After choosing
AutoAlign, the NexStar will ask you to input first the date and local time information then it will ask for your
location. Once this information is received, NexStar will prompt you to move the telescope in altitude to line up
the two index marks on the fork arm. The final step is to rotate the telescope so that the tube is pointing towards
the north. The NexStar now has all the information it needs to choose two bright alignment stars and
automatically slew to them.
With the NexStar set up outside with all accessories attached, follow the steps below to AutoAlign the NexStar:
1. Once the NexStar is powered on , Press
ENTER
to begin alignment.
2. Use the Up and Down scroll keys (10) to select
AutoAlign
and press ENTER.
3. The hand control will then display the following information for you to accept or modify. Use the Up and
Down scroll buttons (10) to scroll through the information. If any of the parameters need to be updated,
press the UNDO button and enter the current information. If all the information is correct, press ENTER
to accept .
(Note: the NexStar will always retain the most recent time/site information entered into the hand control unless
the optional CN16 GPS accessory is being used. When using the CN16, the GPS receiver will update local time
and location information automatically)
Time
- Enter the current local time for your area. You can enter either the local time (i.e. 08:00), or you can
enter military time (i.e. 20:00 ).
•
Select PM or AM. If military time was entered, the hand control will bypass this step.
•
Choose between Standard time or Daylight Savings time. Use the Up and Down scroll buttons
(10) to toggle between options.
•
Select the time zone that you are observing from. Again, use the Up and Down buttons (10) to
scroll through the choices. Refer to Time Zone map in Appendix E for more information.
Date
- Enter the month, day and year of your observing session.
If the wrong information has been input into the hand control, the UNDO button will act as a backspace allowing
the user to re-enter information.
4. Finally, you must enter the longitude and latitude of the location of your observing site. Use the table in
Appendix C to locate the closest longitude and latitude for your current observing location and enter
those numbers when asked in the hand control, pressing ENTER after each entry. Remember to select
"West" for longitudes in North America and "North" for latitudes in the North Hemisphere. For
international cities, the correct hemisphere is indicated in the Appendix listings.
5. The hand control will then prompt you to move the optical tube to its
north and index
position:
Helpful
Hint
