Celestron Personal Planetarium User Manual

USER MANUAL

SkyScout Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 2

Parts Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 2

Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 3

Menu Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 3

Navigating the SkyScout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 4

Identify Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 4

Locate Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 5

Locating Objects From The SkyScout Database . . . . . . . .pg 6

Playing Audio Narration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 6

Exploring Constellations and Asterisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 7

Field Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 7

GPS Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 8

a) Viewing GPS Information

Settings Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 8-9

a) About menu b) Enter Time/Location Information Manually c) Updating Time/Location Information

Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 9

a) Help Button b) Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 10

Updating your SkyScout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 10-11

a) Installing SkyScout Update Program

SkyScout Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 12

Appendix A - Time Zone Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 13

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 14

Introduction

The SkyScout is a revolutionary handheld device that uses advanced GPS technology with point-and-click convenience to identify and locate thousands of stars, planets, constellations and more.

Identify

Simply point the SkyScout at nearly any star in the sky and click the "target" button. The SkyScout will identify and display the object you are looking at.

Locate

To locate a star or planet, select the object's name from the menu and follow the directional arrows through the viewfinder. SkyScout shows you when you are on target. It's that easy!

Learn

Once you have targeted an object, the real fun begins. The SkyScout includes entertaining and educational audio and text information, including facts, history and mythology about the most popular celestial objects in the sky.

A fun learning tool for all ages, the SkyScout Personal Planetarium puts the knowledge of an expert astronomer in the palm of your hand.

Parts Identification

RUGGED DESIGN

Compact (2.5”H x 4”W x 7.4”L),

lightweight (15.2oz.), rubber

armoring and high-impact plastic

body for outdoor use

SKY TOUR/SD CARD SLOT

SkyTour cards provide interactive

guided tours of the night sky

(sold separately)

MENU NAVIGATION PAD

Intuitive menu for easy

on-screen navigation

HELP & MENU BUTTONS

Quickly access various

een menus

on-scr

EASY TO READ DISPLAY

Large display with red

LED-backlit display to maintain night vision

ONE-TOUCH CONTROLS

Provides quick access to “Identify”,

“Locate” and “GPS” functions

TARGET BUTTON

Identifies the celestial

object you are viewing

ON/OFF BUTTON

Requires 2 AA batteries

(user supplied)

VOLUME & BRIGHTNESS

Easy to adjust controls for audio

volume and display brightness

USB PORT

Download database

updates from your PC

(USB cable included)

VIEWFINDER

with LED

ectional ar

dir

3.5mm HEADPHONE JACK

for audio presentation

(headphones included)

ows

Your SkyScout comes with the following:

• SkyScout Personal Planetarium • Padded Case • Earphones

• Wrist Strap • USB Cable • Instructional CD-ROM

• Quick Setup Guide • 2 Battery Sleeves (inside battery compartment)

Never look directly at the sun with the naked eye or through the SkyScout. Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.

Setup

1. Installing the Batteries a) Use a flat head tool to loosen the screw on the battery compartment door. b) Remove the two battery sleeves from inside the compartment. c) Slide a battery into each of the sleeves and insert into the battery

compartment as shown. Make sure that the sleeves cover the entire length of the battery.

The battery sleeves are necessary to block out the magnetic field variations that are inherent in all batteries. These magnetic fields can cause inaccuracies when using the SkyScout.

2. Plug in the stereo jack of the included earphones into the audio output jack on the SkyScout.

3. Powering up the SkyScout a) Make sure you are outside with a clear view of the sky. This will allow you to get the

best possible GPS reception. Avoid standing too close to large metal objects, such

as automobiles as this may interfere with SkyScout's sensors. b) Hold down the c) When a GPS fix is acquired, SkyScout will display your exact

longitude and latitude. Select Continue to display the Main

Menu.

The SkyScout is now ready to begin identifying and locating objects in the sky. To power off the SkyScout, press the To conserve battery life, SkyScout will automatically power off if no button has been pressed for

a period of five minutes

Power Button until the display turns on.

Power button until the display turns off.

Menu Navigation

In addition to the three quick access menu keys (Identify, Locate and GPS), SkyScout has a Menu Navigation Pad that allows you to scroll through available menu options, select options or return back to the previous screen. You can use the Menu Navigation Pad not only to access the same menus as the quick access keys, but also to explore the other features of the Field Guide and Settings menus.

Locate mode icon

y life icon

Batter

Go back to the

evious menu

Scroll bar slider

On-screen information bars give you useful information about the status of the screen you are viewing.

Battery Life Indicator - Shows the current battery charge. When the indicator is solid black, the batteries are at maximum strength. When the indicator is clear, the batteries are low and need to be replaced.

Locate Mode Icon - Indicates that SkyScout is in Locate mode and is ready to guide you to the selected object. When this icon appears you will see a red arrow light up when you look through the viewfinder.

Manual Mode - Indicates that the GPS receiver cannot pick up satellite signals from your present location and that the time, date and location have been entered manually. If you have entered the Time/Location information manually, a letter “M” will appear in the upper left corner of the display.

Magnetic Sensor Warning - This icon is displayed whenever a magnetic field is detected that is different than expected for your current geographic location. This usually results from standing too close to a large metal object, for example an automobile.

Select highlighted

option or menu

Scroll up and down

ough menu options

thr

Scroll Bar Slider - Visible whenever there is a list of menu options or text that do not fit on a single screen.

Play Audio - Indicates that the Select button can be used to play an audio clip. Pause Audio - Indicates that the Select button can be used to pause an audio clip.

Navigating the SkyScout

SkyScout uses two illuminated targeting rings and a series of eight direction arrows to help you identify and locate objects. The targeting rings are located on each end of the viewfinder to assist in alignment with celestial objects.

To use SkyScout, hold it up so that the larger viewfinder window is pointed towards the sky while you are looking through the smaller viewfinder window. The orange “Target” button should be on top of the unit. To locate objects, SkyScout will illuminate the direction arrows inside the viewfinder to guide you to objects in the sky. As you get closer to the desired object, the arrows will blink rapidly until the object is in the viewfinder. Once the object is positioned in the viewfinder targeting rings, all the direction arrows will light up at once.

Identify Mode

To Identify Objects In The Sky

1. Press the Identify button on the control panel of SkyScout. The following message will appear.

2. Hold the SkyScout with the smaller viewfinder window closest to your eye and the larger window facing out towards the sky.

3. While looking through the viewfinder, aim the SkyScout at the object in the sky you wish to identify.

4. Align the two illuminated targeting rings so that one fits evenly inside the other.

5. Center the desired object inside the illuminated rings and press the Target button on the top of the SkyScout. When the target button is pressed, all eight of the direction arrows will briefly light up.

6. The screen will then display the name of the object you have targeted. If more than one object is identified, the SkyScout will display all identified objects in order of their brightness.

7. Use the Menu Navigation Pad to select one of the following possible options for that object: Audio description - Listen to an audio narration about the displayed object (not available for

all objects).

Text description - Read a text description about the displayed object (not available for all objects). Scientific data - View scientific data about the displayed object

Observing Tip

Since the SkyScout uses a zero-magnification viewfinder, it is not necessary to hold it close to your eye in order to see objects in the sky. It is often easiest to find objects if it is held at a comfor as well as the surrounding star patterns in the vicinity.

table distance fr

om your eye. This allows you to see both the object in the viewfinder

+ 10 hidden pages

Celestron Personal Planetarium User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual