18
To Track an Object Automatically
As the Earth rotates beneath the night sky, the stars appear to move from East to West. The
speed at which the stars move is called the sidereal rate. You can setup your telescope to move
at the sidereal rate so that it automatically tracks the stars and other objects in the night sky. If
the telescope is not tracking an astronomical object, the object will drift out of the eyepiece field
of view. The tracking function automatically keeps an object more or less centered in the
telescope’s eyepiece.
To automatically track objects, you must first set the telescope up in the home position, then
initialize AutoStar, and finally select “Targets: Astronomical” from the AutoStar Setup menu. You
must also learn how the AutoStar keypad operates in order to move through the AutoStar
menus.
Setting the “Alt/Az” Home Position using Magnetic North
1.
Loosen the RA lock
(Pg.7, Fig. 1, 9)
and point the telescope in the direction of Magnetic
North.
Note:
To find magnetic North, place the included bubble level/compass
(Pg. 9, Fig. 1a, 20)
into
the diagonal prism
(Pg. 7, Fig. 1, 4)
and adjust the horizontal direction of the telescope until
it points in the same direction as the colored side of the compass needle.
2.
Tighten the RA lock to a firm feel.
3.
Loosen the Dec. lock
(Pg. 7, Fig. 1, 6)
and adjust the vertical position of the telescope to
the level position.
Note: The bubble/level compass can be used to find the level position by placing the bubble
level/compass into the diagonal prism and adjusting the telescope tube until the bubble in
the compass is placed inside the painted circle on the compass window.
4.
Tighten the Dec. lock to a firm feel.
5.
The telescope is now in the Magnetic North Home Position.
Setting the “Alt/Az” Home Position using True North
1.
Loosen the RA lock
(Pg.7, Fig. 1, 9)
and point the telescope in the direction of True North.
See “Locating the Celestial Pole” on page 50 for more information.
2.
Tighten the RA lock to a firm feel.
3.
Loosen the Dec. lock
(Pg. 7, Fig. 1, 6)
and adjust the vertical position of the telescope to
the level position.
Note:
The bubble/level compass can be used to find the level position by placing the bubble
level/compass into the diagonal prism and adjusting the telescope tube until the bubble in
the compass is placed inside the painted circle on the compass window.
4.
Tighten the Dec. lock to a firm feel.
The telescope is now in the True North Home Position
Moving Through AutoStar’s Menus
The AutoStar database is organized in levels for quick and easy navigation.
•
Press ENTER to go deeper into AutoStar’s menu levels.
•
Press MODE to move back toward the top menu level.
•
Press the Scroll keys to move up and down through the options available for each
level.
•
Press the Arrow keys to enter characters and digits.
The Arrow keys are also used to move the telescope.
Initializing AutoStar
This section describes how to initialize AutoStar. Perform this procedure the first time you use
AutoStar or after performing a RESET
(see “RESET” page 30).
1.
Make sure that the Dec. and R.A. locks
(Pg. 7, Fig.1, 6 & 9)
are secured as described on
page 8.
2.
Verify that AutoStar is properly connected to your telescope. See “HOW TO ASSEMBLE
YOUR TELESCOPE” page 14.
3.
Turn the telescope power switch to the ON position.
The AutoStar beeps and the display screen is activated. Then AutoStar takes a few moments
Important Note:
Press any key on the
AutoStar handbox to
abort the GPS fix.
Press MODE
repeatedly until “Select
Item” displays and use
the AutoStar menu
options to choose a
manual alignment or to
find an AutoStar option,
such as “Brightness”.
Definition:
Initialization
is a
procedure that
ensures that AutoStar
operates correctly.
When you first use
AutoStar, it doesn’t yet
know where the
observation location
site is or the time or
date of the observation
session.
During the
Easy
Alignment
procedure,
the system calculates
these parameters
automatically.
AutoStar uses this
information to
precisely calculate the
location of celestial
objects (such as stars
and planets) and to
move your telescope
correctly for
various operations.
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