page 28
Starfinder Menus
Object Menu
Almost all observing with Starfinder is performed using the Object menu. (
Note:
Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.
) See “GO TO SATURN,” page
20, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see “USING THE
GUIDED TOUR,” page 21.
Many Starfinder menu categories contain databases. A Starfinder database is a list of
viewable objects. When one of these objects is selected, Starfinder moves your tele-
scope (if properly aligned) and points it at the selected object.
Object Menu Options:
Solar System
is a database of the eight planets (Earth is not included) in order out
from the Sun, followed by the Moon, asteroids, and comets.
Constellation
is a database of all 88 Northern and Southern Hemisphere constella-
tions. When this menu option is chosen and a constellation name appears on the first
line of the screen, press GO TO once to change the second line to the name of the
brightest star in the constellation. Press GO TO a second time to slew the telescope
to that star. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the list of stars in the constellation,
from brightest to dimmest.
Deep Sky
is a database of objects outside our Solar System such as nebulae, star
clusters, galaxies, and quasars.
Star
is a database of stars listed in different categories such as named, double, vari-
able, or nearby.
User Objects
allows the user to define deep-sky objects of specific interest that are
not currently in the Starfinder database. See "APPENDIX C," page 42, for detailed
information.
Landmarks
stores the location of terrestrial points of interest in the permanent
Starfinder database.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be
located and aligned exactly as when the landmark was added to the
database.
•
Select
: To select a landmark already in the database, choose the Select option
and scroll through the list. Press ENTER to select a landmark, then press GO TO
and the telescope slews to the object.
•
Add:
To add a landmark, choose the Add option. Enter the name of the landmark.
Locate the object with the Arrow keys (the telescope must be aligned) and center
the landmark. Press ENTER.
Use the Landmark Survey option in the Utilities menu to sequentially view all land-
marks entered into Starfinder. See "LANDMARK SURVEY," page 32.
Identify
is an exciting feature for an observer who wants to scan the night sky and
start exploring.
After the telescope has been properly aligned, use the Starfinder Arrow keys to move
about in the sky, and then follow this procedure:
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope during
the Identify procedure. Do not loosen the telescope locks, or move the base,
or alignment will be lost.
