Meade 60AZ-A2 User Manual

TELESTAR INSTRUCTION MANUAL

60mm | 2.4" Altazimuth Refracting Telescope

60AZ-A2

www.meade.com

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INTRODUCTION

Your telescope is an excellent beginner’s

instrument, and is designed to observe

objects in the sky and also on land. It can be

your personal window on the universe or

allows you to intimately study the behavior of

nesting birds on a distant hillside.

The telescope is shipped with the following

parts:

• Optical tube

• Aluminum tripod with an accessory tray

• Two 1.25" eyepieces: MA25mm (28X),

MH9mm

• 2x 1.25" Barlow lens

• Diagonal mirror

• 5x24mm 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 700mm, and

its objective lens has a diameter of 60mm.

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 will help later on to calculate

magnification.

Setting up your telescope involves these

simple steps:

• Assemble your tripod

• Attach the accessory tray

• Attach the optical tube to the mount

• Attach the viewfinder

• Attach the diagonal mirror and

eyepiece

• Align the viewfinder

Study the the picture on the next page

and become acquainted with the parts

of your telescope. Then proceed to

“Assemble your Tripod.”

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FIGURE 1

Figure 1: Telestar 60AZ-A2 Altazimuth Refracting Telescope

Inset A: Accessory Tray Mounting Bolt Hole

Inset B: Tripod Leg

Inset C: Viewfinder Assembly

1. Eyepiece

2. Viewfinder (see Inset C)

3. Viewfinder alignment screws (see Inset C)

4. Optical tube assembly

5. Vertical lock knobs

6. Horizontal lock knob

7. Tripod legs

8. Leg brace supports

9. Leg brace

10. Mount base attachment

11. Tripod attachment bolts and wing nuts

12. Accessory tray mounting bolt hole (see Inset A)

13. Diagonal mirror

14. Objective lens cell

15. Focuser drawtube and thumbscrews

16. Altitude rod slow motion fine adjustment control

17. Altitude rod

18. Altazimuth mount

19. Adjustable sliding center leg extension

(see Inset B)

20. Tripod leg lock thumbscrew (see Inset B)

21. Dew shield/lens shade

22. Front lens cap

23. Focusing knob

24. Viewfinder bracket (see Inset C)

25. Viewfinder bracket mounting thumbscrews

(see Inset C)

26. Accessory tray

Inset A

Inset B

Inset C

c d

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Fig. 3

Fig. 2

ASSEMBLE YOUR TRIPOD

The tripod is the basic support for your

telescope. Its height may be adjusted so that

you can view comfortably.

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1. Make sure that as you attach the legs (7)

to the mount that the leg braces (9) are

facing inward.

2. Line up the holes at the top of one of the

legs with the holes in the mount (10). See

Fig. 2.

3. Thread one of the 2-inch bolts through

the holes.

4. Thread a wingnut over the bolt and hand-

tighten 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 (20) to unlock the leg lock.

b. Slide the inner portion of the leg (19) in

or out to the desired length.

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

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 OPTICAL TUBE TO THE MOUNT

The optical tube gathers distant light which

is focused in the eyepiece.

1. Remove the two lock knobs (5) from the

optical tube.

2. Slide the altitude rod (17) into the hole in

the altitude adjustment control . Tighten

to a firm feel. See Fig. 4.

3. Place the optical tube (4) between the

forks of the mount, oriented as shown in

Fig. 4.

2” Screw

tripod

leg

mount

washer

wingnut

finger tighten the

hex nut

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Fig. 4

onto two bolts on the optical tube.

Remove the thumbscrews from the tube.

2. Line up the two holes on the viewfinder

bracket over the two bolts. Slide the

bracket over the bolts. See Fig. 1, inset C.

3. Replace the thumbscrews onto the bolts

and tighten to a firm feel.

ATTACH THE DIAGONAL MIRROR AND

EYEPIECE

The diagonal mirror reflects the light from

the optical tube to a more comfortable

viewing position.

1. Slide the diagonal mirror (13) into the

focuser drawtube(15).

2. Tighten the drawtube thumbscrew to hold

the diagonal mirror securely.

3. Slide the MA 25mm eyepiece (1) into

diagonal mirror.

4. Tighten the diagonal mirror thumbscrew

to hold the eyepiece securely.

ALIGN THE 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

4.Thread a lock knob (5) through each

of the holes in the forks of the mount

and tighten to a firm feel.

ATTACH THE VIEWFINDER

An eyepiece (1) has a narrow field of view. A

viewfinder (2) has a wider field of view,

which makes it easier to locate objects. The

5x24mm viewfinder has crosshairs to make

it easier to line up more precisely with a

target.

1. Note the two thumbscrews (25) threaded

slide rod

through

hole

lock

knob

lock

knob

place tube between

forks

pole or a distant mountain or tower. Look

through the eyepiece in the diagonal

mirror and turn the focuser knob (23)

until the image is sharply focused. Center

the object precisely in the eyepiece’s field

of view.

2. Look through the viewfinder. Turn one or

more of the viewfinder’s alignment

screws (3) until the crosshairs are

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.

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