Meade 114EQ-ASTR User Manual

MEADE INSTRUCTION MANUAL

114mm | 4.5" Equatorial Reflecting Telescope

114EQ-ASTR

www.meade.com

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 1

WARNING!

Never use a Meade®Telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or SmartFinder™as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 2

INTRODUCTION

Your telescope is an excellent beginner’s instrument, and is designed to observe objects in the sky. It can be your personal window on the universe .

The telescope is shipped with the following parts:

• Optical tube

• Aluminum tripod with an accessory tray

• Two 1.25" eyepieces: MA9mm, MA25mm

• Red Dot viewfinder with bracket

• Telescope mount

• Hardware used in the assembly: 3 bolts (2" long) with wing nuts and washers 3 screws (1/2" long) with nuts

The tube has a focal length of 1000mm, and its objective lens has a diameter of 114mm. The lens diameter is one of the most important pieces of information about the telescope. The size of the objective lens determines how much detail you will be able to see in your telescope. The focal length information will help later on to calculate magnification.

Setting up your telescope involves these simple steps:

• Assemble your tripod

• Attach the accessory tray

• Attach the red dot viewfinder

• Attach the eyepiece

• Attach the counterweight

• Prepare mount

• Attach the optical tube to the mount

Study the the picture on the next page and become acquainted with the parts of your telescope. Then proceed to “Assemble your Tripod.”

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 3

FIGURE 1

Figure 1: Mead 114EQ-ASTR Equatorial Reflecting Telescope

Inset A: Accessory Tray Inset B: Red Dot Viewfinder Assembly Inset C: Tripod Leg

1. Tripod legs

2. Equatorial Mount

3. Right ascension control cable

4. Declination control cable

5. Counterweight

6. Counterweight shaft

7. Counterweight lock knob

8. Counterweight safety washer

9. Latitude adjustment lock (see Fig.5)

10. Polar axis (see Fig. 5)

11. Azimuth adjustment knob

12. Main optical tube (OTA)

13. Optical tube saddle plate (see Fig. 5)

14. Red dot viewfinder bracket mounting

thumbscrews (see Inset B)

15. Focuser

16. Eyepiece holder thumbscrew

17. Eyepiece

18. Red dot viewfinder bracket

(see Inset B)

19. Declination axis (see Fig. 5)

20. Right Ascension lock (see Fig. 5)

21. Declination lock (see Fig. 5)

22. Red dot viewfinder

23. Telescope front dust cover (not shown)

24. Leg brace (see Inset A)

25. Right Ascension setting circle

26. Declination setting circle (see Fig. 5)

27. Latitude dial (see Fig. 5)

28. Sliding leg extension (see Inset C)

29. Focus knobs

30. Attachment wingnuts

31. Azimuth base (see Fig. 5)

32. Red dot viewfinder alignment screws (see Inset B)

33. Azimuth circle (see Fig. 5)

34. Tripod leg Phillips-head fastener screws (see Fig. 5)

35. Tripod-to-mount wingnuts

36. Accessory tray (see Inset A)

37. Leg brace support (see Inset A)

38. Sliding leg extension lock (see Inset C)

Inset B

Inset C

Inset A

(not shown)

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 4

ASSEMBLE YOUR TRIPOD

The tripod is the basic support for your telescope. Its height may be adjusted so that you can view comfortably. NNoottee:: NNuummbbeerr iinn bbrraacckkeettss,, ee..gg..,, ((33)),, rreeffeerr ttoo FFiigg.. 11..

1. Make sure that as you attach the legs (1) to the mount that the leg braces (24) are facing inward.

2. Line up the holes at the top of one of the legs with the holes in the mount. See Fig. 2.

3. Thread one of the 2-inch bolts through the holes.

Meade accessories, such as the Barlow lens.

1. Line up the holes at the end of one of the leg brace supports (8) with the holes in one of the leg braces (9).

2. Thread one of the one-half inch bolts through the holes.

3. Thread a hex nut over the end of the bolt.

4. Finger tighten the bolt and hex nut. See Fig. 3.

5. Repeat with the two other leg braces.

6. Thread the accessory tray (26) over the center mounting bolt to a firm feel.

ATTACH THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER

An eyepiece (17) has a narrow field of view. A viewfinder (22) makes it easier to locate objects. The red dot viewfinder has a red dot

b. Slide the inner portion of the leg (39) in

or out to the desired length. Repeat for the other two legs.

c. Rotate and tighten the leg lock

thumbscrew to relock the leg lock.

d. Repeat for the other two legs.

ATTACH THE ACCESSORY TRAY

The tray helps stabilize the tripod and is also a convenient holder of eyepieces and other

4. Thread a wingnut over the bolt and handtighten to a firm feel.

5. Attach the remaining two legs to the mount in the same manner.

6. Spread the legs out evenly apart.

7. Set the height of your tripod:

a. Rotate and loosen the leg lock

thumbscrew (38) to unlock the leg lock.

Fig. 4

Fig. 2

2” Screw

tripod leg

mount

washer

wingnut

Fig. 3

finger tighten the

hex nut

Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 5

to make it easier to line up more precisely with a target.

1. Note the two thumbscrews (16,

Fig. 4) thread onto two bolts on the optical tube. Remove the thumbscrews from the tube.

2. Line up the two holes on the red dot viewfinder bracket over the two bolts. Slide the bracket over the bolts.

3. Replace the thumbscrews onto the bolts and tighten to a firm feel.

INSERT THE EYEPIECE

1. Slide the MA25mm eyepiece (17) into eyepiece holder on the focuser (15).

2. Tighten the eyepiece holder thumbscrew (16) to hold the eyepiece securely.

ATTACH THE COUNTERWEIGHT

1. Hold the counterweight (5, Fig. 5) firmly in one hand, and slide the counterweights onto the counterweight shaft (6, Fig. 5).

2. Thread the shaft into the base of the declination axis (19,Fig. 5). Be sure to

the shaft.

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ATTACH THE OPTICAL TUBE TO THE MOUNT

1. Insert the two bolts on the bottom of the optical tube (4) into the bolt holes on the saddle plate (13)

2. Tighten the attachment wingnuts (42) to a firm feel.

PREPARE MOUNT

1. Attach the flexible cables (3) and (4) (See Fig. 6). These cables are secured in place with a firm tightening of the thumbscrews located at the attachment ends of each cable.

2. Tilt the polar axis of the telescope to roughly a 45° angle with the horizon: Loosen the latitude adjustment lock (9) so you can move the mount to the desired position.

3. Re-tighten the latitude adjustment lock (9) to secure the mount in place.

Fig. 5

support the counterweight with one hand while performing this step.

3. Slide the counterweight to a position about 2" from the bottom of the shaft.

4. Secure in place by tightening the counterweight lock (7, Fig. 5).

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Make sure the safety washer and

screw (8, Fig. 5) always remain in place on

(not shown)

Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 6

SUN WARNING

NEVER USE YOUR

TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT THE SUN!

LOOKING AT OR NEAR THE SUN WILL CAUSE

INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO

YOUR EYE. EYE DAMAGE IS OFTEN

PAINLESS, SO THERE IS NO WARNING TO

THE OBSERVER THAT DAMAGE HAS

OCCURRED UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE. DO NOT

POINT THE TELESCOPE OR ITS VIEWFINDER

AT OR NEAR THE SUN. DO NOT LOOK

THROUGH THE TELESCOPE OR ITS

VIEWFINDER AS IT IS MOVING. CHILDREN

SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE ADULT SUPERVISION

WHILE OBSERVING.

BALANCING THE TELESCOPE

In order for the telescope to move smoothly on its mechanical axes, it must first be balanced as follows:

1. Loosen the right ascension lock (20, Fig.

5). The telescope mount will turn freely about the polar axis. Rotate the telescope about the polar axis so that the counterweight shaft (6) is parallel to the horizon (horizontal).

2. Loosen the counterweight's locking thumbscrew (7) and slide the counterweights (5) along the shaft until the telescope does not drift up or down. Retighten the counterweight lock (7). The telescope is now balanced.

ALIGN THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER

Perform the first part of this procedure during the daytime and the last step at night.

1. Point the telescope at an easy-to-find land object such as the top of a telephone pole or a distant mountain or tower. Look through the eyepiece and turn the focuser knob (29) until the image is sharply

focused. Center the object precisely in the eyepiece’s field of view.

2. Look through the red dot viewfinder. Turn one or more of the viewfinder’s alignment screws (32, Inset B) until the red dot is precisely over the same object as you centered in the eyepiece.

3. Check this alignment at night on a celestial object, such as the Moon or a

bright star, and use the viewfinder’s alignment screws to make any necessary refinements.

UNDERSTANDING CELESTIAL MOVEMENTS AND COORDINATES

Understanding where to locate celestial objects and how those objects move across the sky is the key to enjoying the hobby of astronomy. Most amateur astronomers practice "star-hopping" to locate celestial objects. They use star charts or astronomical software to identify bright stars and star patterns as "landmarks" in their search for astronomical objects. Another technique for locating objects is to use the setting circles that are provided on your telescope.

THE MEADE 4M COMMUNITY

You haven’t just bought a telescope, you have embarked on an astronomy adventure that never ends. Share the journey with others by accepting your free membership in the 4M community of astronomers.

Go to www.Meade4M.org to activate your membership today.

Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 7

UNDERSTANDING HOW CELESTIAL OBJECTS MOVE

Due to the Earth's rotation, celestial bodies appear to move from East to

West in a curved path through the skies. All stars and celestial objects are mapped

onto an imaginary sphere surrounding the Earth. This mapping system is similar to

the system of latitude and longitude on Earth surface maps.

In mapping the surface of the Earth, lines of longitude are drawn between the North and South Poles and lines of latitude are drawn in an East-West direction, parallel to the Earth's equator. Similarly, imaginary lines have been drawn to form a latitude and longitude on the celestial sphere. These lines are known as

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and

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The celestial map also contains two poles and an equator just like a map of the Earth. The celestial poles are defined as those two points where the Earth's North and South poles, if extended to infinity, would cross the celestial sphere. Thus, the North Celestial Pole is that point in the sky where the North Pole crosses the celestial sphere. The North Star, Polaris, is located very near the North Celestial Pole.

So just as an object's position on the Earth's surface can be located by its latitude and longitude, celestial objects may also be located using Right Ascension and Declination. For example: You can locate

Fig. 6

Rotation of the Earth

0 Dec.

South Celestial Pole

Right Ascension

Star

Celestial Equator

-90 Dec.

+90 Déc.

North Celestial Pole (Vicinity of Polaris)

Jupiter’s four brightest moons are easily visible in a telescope. When Galileo Galilei first observed them rotating around Jupiter in 1610, he

saw proof that the earth wasn’t

the center of everything in the

universe, as many then

supposed.

Los Angeles, California, by its latitude (+34°) and longitude (118°). Similarly, you can locate the Ring Nebula (also known as "M57") by its Right Ascension (18hr) and its Declination (+33°).

•• RRIIGGHHTT AASSCCEENNSSIIOONN ((RR..AA..))::

This Celestial version of longitude is measured in units of hours (hr), minutes (min), and seconds (sec) on a 24 hour "clock" (similar to how Earth's time zones ar determined by longitude lines). The "zero" line was chosen to pass through the constellation Pegasus, a sort of cosmic Greenwich meridian. R.A. coordinates range from 0hr 0min 0sec to 23hr 59min 59sec. There are

Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 8

24 primary lines of R.A., located at 15degree intervals along the celestial equator. Objects located further and further East of the zero R.A. grid line (0hr 0min 0sec) carry higher R.A. coordinates.

•• DDeecclliinnaattiioonn ((DDeecc..))::

This celestial version of latitude is measured in degrees, arcminutes, and arc-seconds (e.g., 15° 27' 33"). Dec. locations North of the celestial equator are indicated with a plus (+) sign (e.g., the Dec. of the North celestial pole is +90°). Any point on the celestial equator (such as thee constellations of Orion, Virgo, and Aquarius) is said to have a Declination of zero, shown as 0° 0' 0". All celestial objects therefore may be located

with their celestial coordinates of Right Ascension and Declination.

LINING UP WITH THE CELESTIAL POLE

Objects in the sky appear to revolve around the celestial pole. (Actually, celestial objects are essentially "fixed" and their apparent motion is caused by Earth's rotation). During any 24 hour period, stars make one complete revolution about the pole, circling with the pole at the center. By lining up the telescope's polar axis with the North Celestial Pole (or for observers located in Earth's Southern Hemisphere with the South Celestial Pole), astronomical objects may be followed, or "tracked," by moving the telescope about one axis, the polar axis.

If the telescope is reasonably well aligned with the pole very little use of the telescope's Declination flexible cable control is necessary. Virtually all of the required telescope tracking will be in Right Ascension. For the purposes of casual visual telescopic observations, lining up the telescope's polar axis to within a degree or two of the pole is more than sufficient: with

this level of pointing accuracy, the telescope can track accurately by slowly turning the telescope's R.A. flexible cable control and keep objects in the telescopic field of view for perhaps 20 to 30 minutes.

POLAR ALIGNMENT OF THE EQUATORIAL MOUNT

To line up the Polaris 114 EQ-AR with the pole, follow this procedure:

1. Release the Azimuth lock (11) of the Azimuth base, so that the entire telescope-

Fig. 7

TOO MUCH POWER?

Can you ever have too much power? If the type of power you’re referring to is eyepiece magnification, yes you can! The most common mistake of the beginning observer is to “overpower” a telescope by using high magnifications which the telescope’s aperture and atmospheric conditions cannot reasonably support. Keep in mind that a smaller, but bright and well-resolved image is far superior to one that is larger, but dim and poorly resolved. Powers above 400x should be employed only under the steadiest atmospheric conditions.

Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 9

Little Dipper

Big Dipper

Polaris

Cassiopeia

+ 19 hidden pages