Meade 60EQ-D User Manual

Instruction Manual

Polaris 60EQ-D: 2.4" (60mm) Equatorial Refracting Telescope

POLARIS

Meade Instruments Corporation

6001 OAK CANYON, IRVINE, CALIFORNIA 92618-5200 U.S.A.	© 2000
[phone] ■ FAX: [phone] ■ www.meade.com	Rev. A
	6/02

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WARNING:

NEVER ATTEMPT TO OBSERVE THE SUN THROUGH YOUR TELESCOPE! OBSERVING THE SUN, EVEN FOR THE SHORTEST FRACTION OF A SECOND, WILL CAUSE INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE, AS WELL AS PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE TELESCOPE ITSELF. WHEN OBSERVING DURING THE DAYTIME, DO NOT POINT THE TELESCOPE EVEN CLOSE TO THE SUN.

Limited Warranty

Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only and is non-transferable. Meade products purchased outside North America are not included in this warranty, but are covered under separate warranties issued by Meade international distributors.

RGA Number Required: Prior to the return of any product or part, a Return Goods Authorization (RGA) number must be obtained from Meade by writing, or by calling [phone]. Each returned part or product must include a written statement detailing the nature of the claimed defect, as well as the owner’s name, address, and phone number.

This warranty is not valid in cases where the product has been abused or mishandled, where unauthorized repairs have been attempted or performed, or where depreciation of the product is due to normal wear-and-tear. Meade specifically disclaims special, indirect, or consequential damages or lost profit which may result from a breach of this warranty. Any implied warranties which cannot be disclaimed are hereby limited to a term of one year from the date of original retail purchase.

This warranty gives you specific rights. You may have other rights which vary from state to state.

Meade reserves the right to change product specifications or to discontinue products without notice.

This warranty supersedes all previous Meade product warranties.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. 5
Standard Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	5
Unpacking and Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	5
Aligning the Viewfinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	6
Balancing the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	6
Understanding Celestial Movements and Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	6
Lining Up With The Celestial Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.7
Polar Alignment of the Equatorial Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	8
Using the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	8
Applications of the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	9
Calculating Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	10
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	10
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	11
Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	11

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			21
13			10				33
15		12
17						22
			28
20	14
			24
						POLARIS	29
19					35
18	27	23
		4			34
						11
			8
			7
		9		16		15
		6
	30						17
		5	36
		25	32
			26	3
31			2
						1

Figure 1: Polaris 60EQ-D 2.4" Equatorial Refracting Telescope

1.	Accessory tray	19.	Counterweight safety washer
2.	Tripod legs	20.	Counterweight lock
3.	Leg brace/accessory tray supports	21.	Declination axis
4.	Tripod-to-mount base attachment point	22.	Object lens cell
5.	Diagonal mirror	23.	Azimuth adjustment lock
6.	Eyepiece	24.	Latitude adjustment lock
7.	Viewfinder bracket	25.	Focuser draw tube
8.	Viewfinder	26.	Focuser knob
9.	Viewfinder collimation screws	27.	Right ascension control cable
10.	Optical tube saddle plate	28.	Declination control cable
11.	Main optical tube	29.	Dew shield/lens shade
12.	Declination lock	30.	Adjustable sliding inner leg extension
13.	Declination setting circle	31.	Sliding leg extension thumbscrew lock
14.	Right ascension lock	32.	Tripod-to-mount attachment bolts
15.	Polar axis	33.	Front lens dust cap
16.	Right ascension setting circle	34.	Optical tube mounting bolt wing nuts
17.	Counterweight shaft	35.	Optical tube mounting bolts
18.	Counterweight	36.	Eyepiece holder/lock screw