iOptron GoToNova 8401 User Manual
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Manual
GoToNovaTM 8401 Hand-Held Controller
www . iOptron . com
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WARNING!
NEVER USE A SMARTSTAR TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT THE SUN!
Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.
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TIP:
For beginner users without a lot of knowledge in astronomy please refer to the Quick Start Reference. It contains enough information to get you started so you can enjoy the night sky without knowing all the jargon and math.
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CONTENTS
Chapter. 0 Quick Start Reference
0.1GoToNovaTM Features
0.2Getting Started
Chapter. 1 Set Up And Align
1.1Basic Symbols
1.2Set Up
1.3Align
Chapter. 2 Select And Slew
2.1Planets, sun, moon
2.2Deep Sky Objects
2.3Comets
2.4Asteroids
2.5Stars
2.6User Objects
2.7Enter Position
2.8Land Marks
2.9Watch List
Chapter. 3 Other Functions
3.1Sync To Target
3.2Electronic Focuser
3.3PEC option
3.4Set up tracking
3.5User objects
3.6Auto guide
3.7Park scope
3.8To park position
3.9The Equatorial Mode
Chapter. 4 How to Observe
4.1Observe manually
4.2Observe using arrow keys
4.3the Moon
4.4Tracking
Appendix
A.Menu Structure
B.Messier Catalog
C.Modern Constellations
D.Celestial Coordinates
E.Specifications
F.Products List
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For beginner users without a lot of knowledge in astronomy please refer to the Quick Start Menu. It contains enough information to get you started so you can enjoy the night sky without knowing all the jargon and math.
For more serious users we assume that you know some astronomy basics in reading this manual. Please refer to Appendix A for a more detailed menu structure.
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Chapter 0 Quick Start Reference
0.1 GoToNovaTM Features: (8401)
LCD Display
Menu |
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Back |
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Up |
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Left |
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Right |
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Down |
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Enter |
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Help |
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Light |
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Stop/0 |
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The 8401 GoToNovaTM hand held controller operates the SmartStarTM A series telescopes. The user interface is simple and easy to learn. It can automatically reposition your telescope to any of the 130,000 objects stored in the database with the push of a button.
LCD Display: 8-line big screen, it displays all the information Back Key: Move back to the previous screen.
Menu Key: Return to the Main Menu.
Enter Key: Confirms an input, goes to the next menu, selects a choice, slews the telescope to a selected object.
Arrow Keys: Moves the cursor, moves the telescope in a specific direction.
Number Keys: Adjusts numerical values. Speed Key: Adjusts the speed.
Light Key: Adjusts the light.
Help Key: For help.
Useful Links
Sky and Telescope
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/
Astronomy http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx
The Hubble Site
http://hubblesite.org/
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TIP:
A GPS module makes life a lot easier. It automatically sets the time and location for you.
TIP:
The controller automatically skips those stars below the horizon of your current time and location.
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0.2 Getting Started
For most beginner users who may not need a lot of astronomical detail this chapter gives just enough information to set up the controller. After the easy-to-follow setup you will be ready to point your telescope to wherever you want in the night sky.
After assembling the telescope [Refer to our Assembling Chart] turn on the power button located on the mount. You will see the iOptron logo displayed for a few seconds. Then you will see the zero position screen. By default, it works in Alt-Az mode:
TR.A. |
1h36m 2s |
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TDEC |
90°0’ 0” |
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R.A. |
19h52m 5s |
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DEC |
47°31’16” |
64X |
Lgst |
7h52m38s |
Stop |
Alt. |
0°0’ 0” |
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Azi. |
0°0’ 0” |
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2007-07-10 14:25:23 |
N |
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When the power is turned on you will see “G_ON” (GPS turned on) in the upper right corner of the screen. In about a minute, after the internal GPS communicate with the satellites, you will see “G_OK” on the screen. Both time and location are automatically set. If there is no GPS module connected you will need to set up time and location manually. Press MENU button. Then you will see this screen:
Select and slew
Sync. To target
Electric Focuser
Set up controller
Align
PEC option
Set up tracking
User objects
Auto guide
Park scope
To park position
Select “Set up controller”
Set up Local Time
Set up Site
Set N/S Hemisphere
Set Display contrast
Set Eyepiece light
Set Backlight
Set Anti-backlash
Set key Beep
Set Mount Type
Reset All
Upgrade Firmware
Set Gear Ratio
Set Language
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TIP:
Spend some time familiarize yourself with those bright stars in the night sky
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Press ENTER to select “Set up local time”, and you will see this screen:
Set Local Time:
2007-06-18 14.49.18
Daylight Time saving√
Use the LEFT and RIGHT keys to move the cursor, and use the number keys to adjust the numbers. When the correct local time has been entered, press ENTER. Then you will see this screen:
Set up site Info: Longi: W071d27m47s Latit: N42d15m40s 300 Min. behind UT
Again, use the LEFT and RIGHT keys to move the cursor, and use the number keys to adjust the values. You need the longitude and latitude values of your location. These values can be obtained from the internet (for example: http://www.latlong.com/) or your GPS device. The last line is the time zone information. Check your time zone and enter properly. For example, Boston lags Universal Time (UT) by 5 hours, which means 300 Minutes behind UT. Use the UP or DOWN key to switch between “ahead of” and “behind”.
Press MENU button, then you will see this screen:
Select and slew
Sync. To target
Electric Focuser
Set up GOTONOVA
Align
PEC option
Set up tracking
User objects
Auto guide
Park scope
To park position
From the main menu, select “Align”. The system provides
“one-star align”, |
“two-star align” and “Three Star Align”. |
Select “one-star align”. You will see this screen: |
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Alphard |
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A 39°43.3′ |
Z 221°20.0′ |
Center the target then press “ENTER” 2X
Use “UP” and “DOWN” arrow buttons to select a star and press ENTER. Use SPEED button to select a speed, and use arrow buttons to center the star in your telescope. Press ENTER when finished. Now your GoToNovaTM is ready to direct you to any location in the night sky (provided that the object is in the database and above the horizon). Simply choose any object in the menu and press ENTER. Although not required, we strongly suggest that you double check your initial alignment with additional bright objects in the night sky, For example, in the menu, select “Venus” (if it is indeed in the sky) and press ENTER. When the motor stops check to see if
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Venus is in the center of your eye piece. If your previous steps were correct, it should be.
You may need to make some minor adjustments to center the object. Otherwise, use “two-star align”.
What’s Next?
Most beginner users are now ready to explore the night sky without needing to refer to the manual any further. The function you will need most is “Select and slew” in the main menu. From there you can select and explore planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, comets, asteroids, etc.-- virtually all of the most common celestial objects are included.
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Appendix:
Check Appendix D for a brief introduction of celestial coordinate systems
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Chapter.1 Set Up And Alignment
1.0 Basic Symbols
R |
Right ascension |
D |
Declination |
A |
Altitude |
Z |
Azimuth |
Cele |
Sidereal speed |
Sola |
Solar speed |
Moon |
Lunar speed |
Land |
Land mode |
nnX |
Slewing speed |
1.1 Set Up
By default, the mount works in Alt-az mode. Turn on the power button located on the mount. You will see the iOptron logo screen. Then you will see the zero position screen:
TR.A. |
1h36m 2s |
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TDEC |
90°0’ 0” |
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R.A. |
19h52m 5s |
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DEC |
47°31’16” |
64X |
Lgst |
7h52m38s |
Stop |
Alt. |
0°0’ 0” |
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Azi. |
0°0’ 0” |
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2007-07-10 14:25:23 |
N |
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When the power is turned on you will see “G_ON” (GPS turned on) in the upper right corner of the screen. In about a minute, after the internal GPS communicate with the satellites, you will see “G_OK” on the screen. Both time and location are automatically set. Setup is finished in Alt-az mode.
If there is no GPS connected refer to 0.2 Getting Started on how to manually set up time and location.
The mount can also work in equatorial mode. Tilt the mount to the appropriate angle and point it to the polar star. Go to “Set up GotoNova”, select “Set Mount Type”, and select Equatorial mode.
1.2 Align
1.2.1One-Star Align
From the main menu, select “Align”. The system provides for “one-star align” and “two-star align”.
Select “one-star align”. You will see this screen:
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Alphard
A 39°43.3′ Z 221°20.0′ Center the target then
press “ENTER” 2X
Use “UP” and “DOWN” arrow buttons to select a star and press ENTER. Use SPEED button to select a speed, and use arrow buttons to center the star in your telescope. Press ENTER when finished.
1.2.2Two-Star Align
If your mount is not horizontal one-star align is usually not accurate enough. You will need to do two-star align. Select “Two-star align” from the previous menu. Select one bright star from the menu. Use the arrow buttons to center it in the telescope and press ENTER. Select a second bright star and use the arrow keys to center the second star. Press ENTER. Two-star align is finished.
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