41
Adv
anced AutoStar II F
eatures
Magnitude 3
Size
2'
Scrolling message
“This Globular Cluster is
10,000
light
years
away...”
Browse
This menu allows you to search the libraries for objects
with certain parameters, much like a search engine. “Edit
Parameters” lets you set various parameters for the search, and
“Start Search” activates the search. A typical search might be
performed as follows:
1. Select “Browse” from the Object menu. Press
ENTER. “Browse: Start Search” displays.
2. Press one of the Scroll Keys and “Browse: Edit
Parameters” displays. Press Enter.
3. “Edit Parameters: Largest (mins)” displays.
“Mins” stands for arc-minutes. Press ENTER.
4. “Largest (mins)” and a value displays. Using
the Number keys, enter a size in arc-minutes.
AutoStar II will search for objects up to this size
and no larger. Press Enter.
5. “Edit Parameters: Largest (mins)” displays again.
Press the Scroll Down key. “Edit Parameters:
Smallest (mins)” displays. Enter the value for
the smallest size of an object that AutoStar
II will search for in the database. Continue
with “Brightest”, “Faintest”, and “Minimum
Elevation”, using the procedure described in
steps 3 and 4.
6. After “Minimum Elevation”, “Object Type”
displays. Press “ENTER”. “+Black Hole” displays.
If you do not wish to have “Black Holes” in your
search, press ENTER and the “+” changes to a
“–”. Press the Scroll Down key to scroll to the
next item. “+Diffuse Nebula” displays. Continue
to scroll through the list and press ENTER if you
wish to change the “+” to a “–” or vice-versa.
7. After you have scrolled to the last item on the
“Object Type” list, press MODE twice and the
Scroll Down key once. “Browse: Start Search”
displays. Press ENTER. “Start Search: Next”
displays. Press Enter. AutoStar II searches
the database and displays the fi rst object
that matches the search parameters you
have entered. Use the scroll keys to display
information about the object. Press MODE
and “Start Search: Next” displays again.
Press ENTER and the next item matching the
parameters displays. Repeat this procedure
to display all the objects. Press GO TO to slew
telescope to a displayed object.
8. Press MODE repeatedly to leave this menu.
Alternate Alt-az Alignments
If you would rather set up your telescope without using automatic
alignment, AutoStar II offers alternative alignment methods for
both alt-az and equatorial mounting. During the One-Star and
Two-Star alt-az alignment procedures, you will (unlike the
Automatic alignment procedures) manually place the telescope
in the home position.
The procedures for equatorial (polar) alignment are discussed
in
Appendix C, page 57
; the three alternative alt-az alignment
methods are discussed below.
Easy Alignment
In this method, the AutoStar II sets the home position, and also
automatically picks two stars from its libraries for alignment.
During the procedure, AutoStar slews the telescope to a fi rst
alignment star. The user is asked to center the star in the
eyepiece. The process is repeated with a second star to complete
the alignment.
How to perform the Easy Align Procedure
1. Select Alignment. Select “Align: Easy” from the
Setup menu. Press ENTER.
2. Home Position. The telescope automatically sets
the following positions: home, level and North.
If so desired, you may turn off the sensors and
manually set these positions.
See CALIBRATE
Sensors, page 33 for more information.
3 . Star Alignment. AutoStar II chooses two stars
to align upon. The telescope slews to the fi rst
star for alignment. Should the alignment star
not appear in the fi eld of view in the eyepiece,
it should be easily recognized: It will be the
brightest star in the area of the sky where the
telescope is pointing. Use the Arrow keys to
