Meade DS-2000 LNT User Manual

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Instruction Manual

DS-2000 Series Reflecting and Refracting Telescopes

AutoStar®— LNT™— SmartFinder

™

MEADE.COM

™

Refracting Telescopes use a large objective lens as their primary

Eyepiece

2-Element Objective Lens

Eyepiece

Concave Mirror

Secondary Mirror

light-collecting element. Meade refractors, in all models and apertures, include achromatic (2-element) objective lenses in order to reduce or virtually eliminate the false color (chromatic aberration) that results in the telescopic image when light passes through a lens.

Reflecting Telescopes use a concave primary mirror to collect light and form an image. In the Newtonian type of reflector, light is reflected by a small, flat secondary mirror to the side of the main tube for observation of the image.

Refracting Telescope

In the refracting telescope, light is collected by a 2-element objective lens and brought to a focus at F.

Reflecting Telescope

In contrast, the reflecting telescope uses a concave mirror for this purpose.

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 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.

CAUTION:

Use care to install batteries as indicated by the battery compartment. Follow battery manufacturer's precautions. Do not install batteries backward or mix new and used batteries. Do not mix battery types. If these precautions are not followed, batteries may explode, catch fire, or leak. Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty.

If you are anxious to use your DS Astro Telescope for the first time, before a thorough reading of this instruction manual, see the QUICK-START GUIDE on page 4.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DS-2000EC users

for information about your supplied Electronic Controller. Autostar information does not apply.

DS-2000EC users may obtain the #494 Autostar handbox as an optional accessory. See page 42 for more information.

The name

™ “LPI” and “Tonight’s Best” are trademarks of Meade Instruments Corporation.

Patents: US 6,392,799 Other Patent Pending

“Meade

, see APPENDIX E, page 41,

,” “AutoStar,” and the Meade logo are

CONTENTS

k-Start Guide .......................................................... 4

Quic

Telescope Features ...................................................... 7

Autostar Features .......................................................... 9

Getting Started ..............................................................11

acking List ..............................................................11

How to Assemble Your Telescope ............................11

Using Smartfinder ....................................................12

Aligning Smartfinder ............................................13

Choosing an Ey

The Barlow Lens ......................................................14

Observing ......................................................................14

Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually..........14

Terrestrial Observing ................................................15

Observing Using Autostar's Arrow Keys ..................15

Slew Speeds ............................................................15

Observe the Moon ....................................................16

Astronomical Observing............................................16

To Track an Object Automatically ..............................16

Moving Through Autostar’s Menus ......................16

Initializing Autostar ..............................................17

Observe a Star Using Automatic Tracking ..........18

Automatic Alignment ................................................18

Go To Saturn ............................................................19

Take a Guided Tour ..................................................19

Basic Autostar Operation................................................20

Autostar Navigation Exercise ....................................20

Entering Numbers and Text into Autostar ................21

Navigating Autostar ..................................................21

Adjusting the Speed of a Scrolling Message ............21

Menus and Menu Options ..............................................22

Complete Autostar Menu Structure ..........................22

Object Menu..............................................................23

Event Menu ..............................................................24

Glossary Menu..........................................................24

Utilities Menu ............................................................24

Setup Men Optional Accessor

Caring for Your Telescope ..............................................30

Collimation ................................................................30

Meade Customer Service ........................................32

Specifications

Appendix A: Celestial Coordinates ................................35

Locating the Celestial Pole ......................................35

Appendix B: To Find Objects Not in the Database ........36

Appendix C: Observing Satellites ..................................37

Appendix D:

Appendix E: Battery Replacement ................................39

Appendix F: How to Manually Set the Time and Date ..40 Appendix G:

Optional #494 A

Basic Astronomy ............................................................43

epiece ............................................14

..............................................................

......................................................

ies

............................................................

aining the Dr

Electronic Controller

utostar for DS-2000EC Users ........42

ive ......................................38

(DS-2000EC Users Only)..

26 29

QUICK-START GUIDE

1. Open the tripod: Remove the tripod from the giftx and stand vertically. Gently pull the legs apart

bo to a fully open position. Turn the center tripod lock knob to secure and stabilize the tripod. Tighten to a firm feel.

tripod lock knob before collapsing the tripod at the end of your viewing session.

Caution: Make sure you loosen the

4 & 5

4. Remove 4 screws from the mounting arm Locate the four screws on the mounting

shaft:

shaft. Remove the screws using a "+" (Phillips head) screwdriver.

5. Attach the cradle to the mounting arm: Line up

the cradle with the mounting arm shaft. The cradle contains a molded "key" that fits into a slot on the shaft. Line up the key and the slot, and slide the cradle onto the shaft. This automatically lines up the mating threads on the cr the shaft. Replace the four screws you removed in step #4 into the mating threads as depicted in the diagram above.

adle with the ones on

2. Attach the mounting arm assembly: Place the mounting arm assembly into the tripod base. Reach underneath and thread the mounting knob through the tripod base and into the mounting

. Tighten to a firm feel only, do not

m assemb

ar overtighten. While observing, you may wish to slightly loosen this knob and rotate the mounting arm assembly with attached optical tube (

step #6 belo

) around the hor

ontal axis

see

3. Remove the optical tube assembly from the

cradle rings:

shipped with the cr need to be remo the mounting arm. Loosen the cradle lock knob until you can open the cr optical tube assemb

The optical tube assembly is

ings

Remo

adle r

The r

ings

e the

ings attached.

adle r

ed so the

ly from the cr

y can be attached to

ings

adle r

6. Attach and balance the optical tube: Replace the optical tube into the cradle ring. Tighten the cradle rings lock knob so that it holds the optical tube loosely; do not tighten the cradle ring lock knob at this point.

ou find a position where the tube remains

until y horizontal ( Tighten the cradle rings lock knob to a firm feel.

Slide the tube back and forth

i.e., without tipping up and down).

7a. Attach the 90° diagonal prism (refractor models

only, see inside front cover): Pull out to remove the plastic dust cover from the eyepiece holder (A). Slide the tube of the diagonal prism (B) into the telescope’s eyepiece-holder and tighten the thumbscrews (C) to a firm feel only to secure.

7b.

Insert the eyepiece: Remove the supplied 25mm or 26mm eyepiece (D) from its container and place it in the diagonal prism ( els only; see Fig. 7a) or directly into the eyepiece holder (reflector models only; see Fig. 7b). Tighten the thumbscrews (F) to a firm feel only. Remove the dust cove tube assembly. Use the focus knobs (E) to bring objects into focus.

r from the end of optical

refractor mod-

w Speed:

Sle

Medium

Slow

utostar:

Fast

. . .

9. Connect A switch (H) on the computer control panel is in the OFF position. Plug the coil cord of the Autostar Controller into the HBX port (I) puter panel; the red LED lights when power is supplied to the panel.

10. Change Speeds: Press the key prompted by Autostar to accept the Sun warning. You can now use the Arrow keys (J) to move the telescope up, down, right, or left. To change one of the telescope's nine slew speeds, briefly press the SPEED/? key (K). Each press decreases the slew speed down one level, and then will cycle back to the fastest speed.

tain that the power

Be cer

. Turn on the com-

8. Inser

t batteries:Open the batter

by lifting the cover and pulling it away from the drive base.

Remove the battery holder from the compartment and carefully lift the 9v connector out from the

er y

Whene

tment.

compar

, to saf

ies connector (G) from the battery holder before removing the batteries.

Inser holder, oriented as shown on the diagram on the battery slots of the battery holder. Connect the 9v connector plug to the batter replace the batter compartment. Replace the cover.

eguard the wires

t eight AA-size batteries into the battery

y holder bac

y compartment

ou replace the batter

, disconnect the 9v

y holder

k into the battery

Carefully

11. Sight along the tube: Sight along the side of the

telescope's main tube to locate an object. Practice using the Autostar Arrow keys to center an object in the telescope's field of view.

If you wish to attach Smartfinder, see page 11.

If you wish to initialize Autostar, see page 17.

go to page 18.

ou wish to align the telescope

If y

If you wish to use Autostar to view Saturn, go to page 19.

Features of the DS-2000 Series telescopes are virtually identical. Certain features of your telescope may look different than, or be positioned slightly different than the one pictured here, but the functionality of the features is the same.

1. Focus Knob

2. Eyepiece Holder

3. 90° Diagonal Prism

(refractors only)

4. Eyepiece Holder

Thumbscrew

5. Eyepiece

6. Focus Lock Knob

Smartfinder-LNT Module

Smartfinder

Alignment Screws

Smartfinder Lens

10. Altitude Setting Circle

and Lock

11. Dew Shield

12. Dust Cap

13. Optical Tube

14. Cradle Ring Lock Knob

15. Cradle Ring

16. Mounting Arm and Shaft

17. Computer Control Panel

18. Accessory Tray

hment Bolts

Attac

19. Accessory Tray

k Knob

ripod Loc

20.

21. Tripod Legs Locks

ripod Legs

22.

23. Tripod Base

24. Azimuth Setting Circle

25. Battery Compartment

26. Base Lock Knob

Inner Suppor

27.

t Struts

(not visible)

Fig. 1b (Inset): (E) Altitude Setting

Circle; (F) Altitude Lock

A B

Fig. 1: DS-2000 Series Telescope.

Fig. 1c (Inset): Computer Control Panel. (A)

TELESCOPE FEATURES

ake the time to become acquainted with all of these controls before attempting observations

T through the telescope.

A Focus Knob:

precise image focus. Rotate the focus knob clockwise to focus on distant objects, and coun-

kwise to focus on nearby objects.

tercloc

Moves the telescope’s focus drawtube in a finely-controlled motion

to achieve

2 Eyepiece Holder: Holds the eyepiece in place. On refractor models, also holds the 90°

diagonal prism in place.

3 90° Diagonal Prism (refractor models only): Holds the eyepiece upright for easy viewing.

Results in an upright, but reversed viewing of land objects.

epiece Holder Thumbscrew:Tightens the eyepiece in place.Tighten to a firm feel only.

4 Ey 5 Eyepiece: Place the supplied eyepiece into the eyepiece holder (reflector models only) or

the 90° Diagonal Prism ( screw (

4, Fig.1).

refractor models only, 3, Fig. 1) and tighten in place with thumb-

6 Focus Lock Knob: Designed to prevent the focuser drawtube from moving when a heavy

accessory, such as a camera, is attached to the focuser assembly. For normal observing with an eyepiece and diagonal prism, it is not necessary to use the lock knob.

Smartfinder - LNT Module: Provides an easier way to initially sight objects than the main telescope eyepiece which has a narrower field of view. pages 12-13.

You may blink the red dot off and on. See

8 Smartfinder Alignment Screws: Adjust these screws to align the Smartfinder. See page

13 for more information.

9 Smartfinder Lens: The red dot is projected onto this lens. J Altitude Setting Circle and Lock

A) Altitude

B) Altitude Lock: Controls the manual vertical movement of the telescope. Turning

the Altitude lock counterclockwise unlocks the telescope enabling it to be freely tilted by hand on the vertical axis. Turning the Altitude lock clockwise (to a firm feel only) prevents the telescope from being moved manually and engages the vertical motor drive clutch for Autostar operation (

Setting Circle: Displays Altitude (vertical) coordinates (A, Fig. Ib).

B, Fig. Ib).

K Dew Shield: Reduces dew formation on the telescope's primary lens (refractor models only). L Dust Cap: Pull to remove the dust cap from the front lens of the telescope.

Note: The dust cap should be replaced and the power turned off to the telescope after each observing session. Verify that any dew that might have collected during the observing session has evaporated before replacing the dust cap.

M Optical Tube: The main optical component that gathers the light from distant objects and

brings this light to a focus for observation with the eyepiece.

N Cradle Ring Lock Knob: Tighten to a firm feel to hold the optical tube securely in place. O Cradle Ring: Holds optical tube in place. Attaches to the mounting arm shaft (16, Fig. 1) P Mounting Arm and Shaft: Holds the optical tube assembly. Attaches to the tripod base

(

23, Fig. 1).

Q Computer Control Panel (Fig. Ic)

Handbox (HBX) Port:Plug the #494 Autostar handbox (AT models) or

Electronic Controller (EC models)

LED:The red power indicator light illuminates when power is supplied to the con-

nected handbox and to the telescope’s motor drive.

C. ON Switch: Press to turn the Computer Control Panel and Autostar ON or OFF.

Note: Always remove the batteries if they are not to be used for a long period of time.

D. Auxiliary (AUX) Port:

sories. See

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 29.

Provides connection for current and future Meade acces-

into this port.

the

R Accessory Tray Attachment Bolts - Attach to wing nuts to fasten tray to the tripod. See

page 11 for more information.

Note: It is not necessary to remove the tray each time you collapse the tripod. The tray is designed to be collapsed with the legs.

S Accessory Tray - Conveniently holds extra eyepieces, Autostar handbox, and other acces-

sories.

V Tripod Lock Knob - Tighten to a firm feel to secure tripod legs.

Caution: Loosen the tripod lock knob before collapsing tripod at the end of a viewing session.

V Tripod Legs Locks (3) - Lift the lock up to loosen inner section of a tripod leg and extend

the inner leg to desired height. Press the lock down to lock the leg in place.

V Tripod Legs - Spread the legs out as far as they will open for a secure viewing platform.

V Tripod Base - Holds the mounting arm assembly (16, Fig. 1) in place.

V Azim

V Battery Compartment - Install eight user-supplied AA batteries in this compartment. See

V Base Lock Knob (not visible in photo) - Attaches mounting arm assembly to tripod base.

V Inner Support Struts (3) - Make the tripod more secure and stable.

uth Setting Circle -

page 12 for more information.

Loosen before moving the optical tube on the horizontal axis. See page 11 for more information.

ys Azimuth (horizontal) coordinates.

Displa

ystal Displa

Liquid Cr

2. ENTER Key

MODE K

4. GOTO Key

5. Arrow Keys

6, 7. Scroll Keys

Speed/? Key

Coil Cord

2: #494 Autostar Handbox.

Fig.

y (LCD)

DS-2000 TIPS

TE:

NO DS-2000EC users

, see APPENDIX E, page 39, for information about y

our supplied Electronic Controller. Autostar information does not apply.

DS-2000EC users

y obtain the #494

ma Autostar handbox as an optional accessory. See page 42 for more information.

AUTOSTAR FEATURES

The #494 Autostar controls the DS-2000AT Series Telescopes. Nearly all telescope operations are accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar’s buttons. Some of the major features of Autostar are:

N Automatically move the telescope to any of the 1400 objects stored in the database or man-

ually enter the astronomical coordinates of any celestial object.

N Take a guided tour of the best celestial objects to view on any given night of the year.

N Access a glossary of astronomical terms.

N Calculate which eyepiece to use for optimum viewing of a celestial object.

The Autostar Computer Controller provides control of virtually every telescope operation.

utostar has soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

A is backlit with a red LED (Light Emitting Diode) for easy viewing in the dark. The backlit display, key arrangement, and sequential database make Autostar extremely user friendly.

NOTE: Autostar does not require batteries; the telescope’s batteries supply power to Autostar.

1 2-Line LCD Display - Provides an visual interface between Autostar and the telescope.

Top line: Displays a menu.

•

Bottom line: Displays a menu option or information about an object or subject,

• depending on what operation is being performed.

2 ENTER Key - Selects a choice or accesses the next menu or level. This is similar to a

Return key on a computer. See

MENUS AND MENU OPTIONS, page 22.

NOTE: If ENTER is pressed and held for two seconds or more and then released, Autostar emits a beep and “ENTER to Sync” is displayed. "ENTER to Sync" can only be used after the telescope has been aligned and is pointing at an object. If the "ENTER to Sync" feature is accessed by mistake, press MODE to return to the previous screen. See

HIGH PRECISION, page 27, for more

details about this feature.

3 MODE Key - Returns to the previous

menu or level.The MODE key is similar to the ESCAPE key on a computer.

NOTE: Pressing MODE while in the “Select Item” level moves Autostar to the topmost screen: “Select Item:

”

Object.

If MODE is pressed and held

NOTE:

for two seconds or more, the following information displays :

• Azimuth and Altitude (astronomical) coordinates

• Altitude (vertical) and Azimuth (horizontal) coordinates

• Local Time and Local Sidereal Time (LST)

• Timer and Alarm Status

Press MODE again to return to the previous menu.

4 GO TO Key - Slews (moves) the tele-

scope to a selected object. While the

MOVING THROUGH AUTOSTAR'S MENUS, page 16 and

Join an Astronomy Club

Attend a Star Party

A fun way to learn more about astronomy is to join an astronomy club. Check your local newspaper, school, library, or telescope dealer to find out if there’s a club in your area.

At club meetings, you will meet other astronomy enthusiasts with whom you will be able to share your discoveries. Clubs are an excellent way to

n more about obser

lear where the best observing sites are, and to compare notes about telescopes, eyepieces, filters, tripods, and so forth.

Often, club members are excellent astrophotographers. Not only will you be able to see examples of their ar up some DS-2000 telescope.

Many groups also hold regularly scheduled Star

ties at which y

P with many different telescopes and other pieces of astronomical equipment. Magazines such as

Sky &

for many popular Star Parties around the United States and Canada.

t, but you may even be able to pick

ks of the tr

“tr

elescope

ving the sky, to find out

to try out on your

ade”

ou can chec

and Astronomypr

k out and obser

int schedules

DEFINITION:

Throughout this manual, you will notice the term "Alt/Az." Alt/Az

Fasten wingnuts

uth

)

t for

(shor just means that your telescope moves up and down and from side to side. Alt/Az is one of many methods used by amateur astronomers to locate celestial objects.

Fig. 3 Attach Tray to the tripod: Thread the wingnuts to the bolts (bottom view).

altazim

telescope is slewing, the operation may be aborted at any time by pressing any key except GO TO. Pressing GO TO again resumes the slew to the object.

The GO TO key also allows you to perform a " ing alignment after the telescope slews to an alignment star, but the star is not visible in the eyepiece when the telescope finishes its search. Press GO TO when the slew is finished and the telescope starts slewing in a spiral pattern at a very slow speed around the search area. Look through the eyepiece and when the object does become visible, press MODE to stop the spiral search. Then use the Arrow keys to center the object.

spiral search." A spiral search is useful dur-

5 Arrow Keys - Move the telescope in a specific direction (up, down, left, and right), at any

one of nine different speeds. Speed selection is explained in following operations are also available with the Arrow keys:

• Data Entry - Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to scroll through the letters of the alphabet and numerical digits. The Down Arrow key starts with the letter "A" and the Up Arrow key starts with the digit "9." The Left and Right Arrow keys are used to move the cursor left and right across the LCD display.

Alt/Az Alignment - Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move the telescope ver-

• tically up and down. The Left Arrow key moves the telescope horizontally counterclockwise, while the Right Arrow key moves it clockwise.

SLEW SPEEDS, page 15. The

6,7 Scroll Keys - Allows you to scroll through menu options. The menu is displayed on the

top line of the screen and the options within the menu are displayed, one at a time, on the second line. Press and hold a Scroll key to move quickly through the options.

The Scroll keys also scroll through the letters of the alphabet and numerical digits.

NOTE: The Scroll Down key and the Down Arrow key move forward through the alphabet & digits (A to Z, 0 to 9). The Scroll Up key and the Up Arrow key move backward (Z to A, 9 to 0). Common symbols are also available in the list.

Tip: When a message is scrolling across the display, press and hold the Up Scroll key to increase the scrolling speed or press and hold the Down Scroll key to decrease the scrolling speed.

8 Speed/? Key - Pressing the Speed/? key cycles through the nine slew speeds that move

the telescope. Each time the Speed/? key is pressed briefly, the current slew speed is shown for about two seconds on the display. See

The Speed/? key also accesses the "Help" file. "Help" provides on-screen information on how to accomplish whatever task is currently active.

NOTE: Pressing the Speed/? key very briefly changes the slew speed. Holding down the Speed/? key longer (one to two seconds) accesses the Help function.

SLEW SPEEDS, page 15.

Fig. 4: Secure the tripod: turn the tripod lock knob.

Fig. 5: Attach the mounting arm to the tripod base.

If you have a question about an Autostar operation, e.g., INITIALIZATION, ALIGNMENT, etc., hold down the Speed/? key and follow the directions that scroll on the second line of

the LCD screen.

When a word appears in [brackets], press ENTER to access the Autostar Glossary. A definition or more detailed information is displayed. Press MODE to return to the scrolling Autostar Help display.

When satisfied with the Help provided, press MODE to return to the original screen and continue with the chosen procedure.

9 Coil Cor

telescope computer control panel.

(not sho

wn)

- Plug the A

utostar coil cord into the HBX por

t (

Fig.

) of the

Fig. 6: Attach cradle to mounting arm.

Fig. 7: Attach and balance the optical tube.

Fig. 8a: Attach Smartfinder to the reflector optical tube assembly.

Fig. 8b: Attach Smartfinder to the reflector optical tube assembly.

GETTING STARTED

Packing List

Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first opening the packing box, note carefully the parts listed on your giftbox.

How to Assemble Your Telescope

The telescope attaches directly to the tr “Altazimuth” (“Altitude-Azimuth,” or “vertical-horizontal”) format. The telescope in this configuration moves up and down and from side to side.

1. Open the tripod: After removing the field tripod from its shipping carton, stand the tripod vertically, with the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed. Gently pull the legs apart to a fully open position.

Attach the tray to the tripod: Place the tray (19, Fig. 1) over the inner support strut that

2. contains two bolt holes. Line up the bolts holes on the tray with the bolt holes on the strut. Slide the two included bolts through the top of bolt holes ( with the included wing nuts on the bottom side of the tray (Fig. 3). Tighten to a firm feel only.

Note: The tray does not have to be removed when you collapse the tripod at the end of a viewing session— just loosen the tray’s center lock knob.

3. Secure the tripod: Turn the center tripod lock knob (Fig. 4) to help stabilize and secure the tripod.

Caution: Make sure that you loosen the tripod lock knob before collapsing the tripod.

4. Attach the mounting arm assembly to the tripod base: There are three pads in the tri- pod base ( allow the mounting arm assembly to move more easily inside the base.

Place the mounting arm assembly into the tripod base and continue to hold onto the arm assembly. With your other hand, reach underneath the base and thread the mounting lock knob ( to a firm feel only; do not overtighten. While observing, you may wish to loosen this knob and rotate the mounting arm assembly and optical tube ( axis.

Remove the optical tube assembly from the cradle rings: The optical tube assembly is

5. shipped with the cradle rings attached. The rings need to be removed before they can be attached to the mounting arm. Loosen the cradle lock knob (14, Fig. 1) until you can open the cradle rings. Remove the optical tube assembly (

6. Remove 4 screws from the mounting arm shaft: Locate the four screws on the mount- ing shaft. Remove the screws using a "+" (Phillips head) screwdriver. Set the screws aside.

7. Attach the cradle to the mounting arm: Line up the cradle with the mounting arm shaft. The cradle contains a molded "key" that fits into a slot on the shaft. Line up the key and the slot, and slide the cr the cradle with the ones on the shaft. Replace the four screws into the mating threads using the Phillips head screwdriver ( telescope so that it doesn't strike the base or pass beyond approximately 90° upright when you use the Autostar handbox.

Attach and balance the optical tube: Replace the optical tube into the cradle ring.Tighten

8. the cradle ring lock knob so that it holds the optical tube loosely; do not tighten the cradle ring lock knob at this point. Slide the tube back and forth until you find a position where the tube remains horizontal ( lock knob to a firm feel. See Fig. 7. Adjust the length of the tripod legs to a comfortable viewing height using the leg locks (21, Fig. 1).

Attach Smartfinder: Using a Phillips head screwdriver, thread the two attachment screws in

9. the bracket into the mating threads located on the optical tube. See Figs. 8a and 8b.

The lens for the SmartFinder is shipped with a protective film to protect the lens coating. Do not remo

23, Fig. 1) and three pads on the mounting arm assembly (16, Fig. 1).These pads

26, Fig. 1) through the tripod base and into the mounting arm assembly base. Tighten

adle onto the shaft. This automatically lines up the mating threads on

i.e., without slightly tipping up or down). Tighten the cradle rings

e this film until Step d) of this procedure

First peel back the film from just the “tongue” of the SmartFinder lens.

ipod. The telescope in this way is mounted in an

18, Fig. 1) and tighten the bolts

see step #8) on the horizontal

13, Fig. 1) from the cradle rings.

Fig. 6). The key and slot on the shaft set limit stops for the

Fig. 9: Attach Smartfinder lens; slide “tongue” into slot.

Fig. 10: Attach the diagonal prism (1), tighten prism thumbscrews (2), insert the eyepiece (3), tighten eyepiece thumbscrews (4) (Refractor models).

Insert the tongue into the SmartFinder slot. Angle the tongue towards the front of the

b).

LNT module as you slide it into place. See

Fig. 9.

c) You may need to wiggle the lens/tongue a bit to slide the tongue into place. You will

“click” in place. for a view of the underside of the LNT. Notice that the tongue

hear it has slid in over the small plastic molded post.

d) Remove the remainder of the plastic film from the lens, but avoid touching the lens as

you do so—you may scratch the lens or leave fingerprints.

10.

Attach the 90° diagonal prism (refractor models only): Pull out to remove the plastic dust cover from the eyepiece holder. Slide the tube of the diagonal prism (

3, Fig. 1) into the telescope’s eyepiece-holder (2, Fig. 1) and tighten the thumbscrews (to a firm feel only) to secure the diagonal prism in place.

11. Insert the eyepiece: Remove the supplied eyepiece (3, Fig. 10) from its container and place it in the diagonal prism (

2, Fig. 11, reflector models only). Tighten the thumbscrews (2 and 4, Fig. 10, refrac-

holder (

tor models only only

) to a firm feel only.

Insert batteries: The telescope’s battery compartment (1, Fig. 12) is located on top of the

12.

) to a firm feel only. Tighten the thumbscrew (3 , Fig. 11, reflector models

refractor models only; 1, Fig. 10) or directly into the eyepiece

drive base. Open the battery compartment by lifting the cover and pulling it away from the drive base.

Remove the battery holder from the compartment and carefully lift the 9v connector out from the compartment. Take care not to accidentally detach the wires of the battery connector from the base. Whenever you replace the batteries, to safeguard the wires, disconnect the 9v connector from the battery holder before removing the batteries.

Insert eight AA-size batteries into the battery holder, oriented as shown on the diagram on the battery slots of the battery holder. Connect the 9v connector plug to the battery holder. Carefully replace the battery holder back into the battery compartment. Replace the cover.

Fig. 11: Insert the eyepiece (1) into the eyepiece holder (2), tighten eyepiece thumbscrew (3) (Reflector models).

Fig. 12: Insert eight AA-size batteries inside the battery

tment:

compar (1) Battery compartment (2) Battery holder (3) 9v connector

CAUTION: Use care to install batteries as indicated by the battery compartment. Follow battery manufacturer's precautions. Do not install batteries backwards or mix new and used batteries. Do not mix battery types. If these precautions are not followed, batteries may explode, catch fire, or leak. Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. Always remove the batteries if they are not to be used for a long period of time.

14. Connect Autostar and Smartfinder: Be certain that the power switch on the computer control panel ( into the HBX port ( Fig.1c). T Also see

TE:

supply po

15. Remo

ve the dust cover:

C, Fig. 1c) is in the OFF position. Plug the coil cord of the Autostar Controller

A, Fig. 1c). Plug the coil cord of the Smartfinder into the AUX port (D,

n on the po

the red LED lights when power is supplied to the panel.

witch;

er s

Fig.13.

utostar handbo

The A

er to Autostar.

x does not require batter

Pull out the dust cover (12,

the telescope’

ies;

Fig. 1

) from the optical tube assem

s batter

ies

bly (13, Fig. 1).

Assembly of the basic telescope is now complete.

Using SmartFinder

As with most astronomical telescopes, an eyepieces presents a narrow field of view to the

As a result it is sometimes difficult to locate objects just using your eyepiece. The

obser

tFinder has a projected red dot that helps y

Smar scope.

o turn on Smar

tFinder’

s red dot (contin

1. Press and hold MODE for two seconds. R.A and Dec. coordinates display. ey until “Finder Set: Set” displays.

eep pressing the Scroll Do

wn k

3. Press ENTER. “Finder Set: Intensity” displays.

ou to locate objects as you move your tele-

uous, without blinking):

DS-2000 TIPS

Fig. 13: Connect Autostar to the HBX port and Smartfinder to AUX port.

NEVER point the telescope

directly at or near the Sun at any time! Observing the Sun, even for the smallest fraction of a second, will result in instant and irreversible eye damage, as well as physical damage to the telescope itself.

Fig. 15: 25mm and

9mm e

epieces

4. Press the Scroll Down key. “Finder: Blink On” displays. Press ENTER. A time value, in seconds, displays. For example, “00.5” may

5. display. “00.5” is the amount of time, in seconds, that the red dot will blink “on.” (For this example, you may select or enter any value except “00.0.”) Press ENTER.

6. Press the Scroll Down key. “Finder: Blink Off” displays.

7. Press ENTER. Use the Number keys to enter “00.0” or press the Scroll Down

ey until “00.0” displays. “00.0” is the amount of time in seconds that the

k red dot will remain

“off.” This value, along with the value you chose in the “Finder: Blink On” menu, allows the red dot to remain on without blinking. “00.0” means there is no “off” time, so the dot will remain on continuously, without blinking.

8. Use these menus to set other blink rates. For example, If you select “00.1” in the Blink Off menu, and “00.2” in the Blink On menu, the red dot will blink on for .2 seconds and then blink off for .1 second, and then repeat the cycle until

you change the values again.

9. Press and hold MODE to exit this function.

Aligning Smartfinder

Because the main telescope has a fairly narrow field of view, locating objects directly in the main telescope can sometimes be difficult. Smartfinder (7, Fig. 1) projects a small red dot that permits you to more easily locate objects. When Smartfinder and optical tube are aligned to each other, both point to the same position in the sky. An object located in the viewfinder is therefore in the eyepiece of the main telescope.

To align Smartfinder:

It is recommended that you perform steps 1 through 4 of this procedure during the daytime and step 5 at night.

1. Loosen the tripod base lock knob (

26,

Fig. 1) and the Altitude lock (10, Fig. 1),

so that the telescope can move freely.

2. If you have not already done so, place a low-power (

e.g., 25mm) eyepiece in the diagonal prism of the main telescope (

3, Fig. 1) and point the tele-

scope at an easy-to-find land object

.g.,

the top of a telephone pole or

( sign). Turn the focuser knob (

1, Fig. 1) to focus the image in the eyepiece. Center the object precisely

3. Re-tighten the tripod base lock knob (

26,

Fig. 1) and the Altitude lock (10, Fig. 1)

so that the telescope does not mo

during the procedure.

4. Looking through Smartfinder. Turn the s two alignment screws (

tfinder’

Smar Fig. 1) until Smartfinder’s red dot points precisely at the same object as centered in the eyepiece. Smartfinder is

w aligned to the main telescope

5. Check this alignment on a celestial

object, such as the Moon or a br

ight star, and make any necessary refinements.

Too Much Power?

Can you ever have too much power? If you’re referring to eyepiece power (magnification), yes, you can! The most common beginner’s mistake is to “overpower” a telescope by using too high of a magnification, 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 (see below). Powers above 200X should be emplo steadiest atmospheric conditions.

Autostar can calculate the best eyepiece for you to use.Try out the “Eyepiece Calc” feature in the Utilities men

Most observers should have three or four additional e of reasonable magnifications possible with the DS-2000 telescopes. See “OPTIONAL

CCESSORIES

Fig.

magnification.

epieces to achie

”

14a & 14b:Jupiter

ed only under the

page 29.

xample of too m

;

ve the full range

uch

tant Note:

Impor

you look through your telescope’ the image might look

ange at first.

str

ou have a

If y

telescope

appear right-side-up, but reversed left-for-right. This will not make a difference when observing astronomical objects, and in fact, all astronomical telescopes present inverted images.

During terrestrial observing, when a corrected image (rightside up and correct leftfor-right) is desirable, an optional Meade 45° Erecting Prism is available. See the

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page

29, or consult the Meade Telescope Catalog.

No means of correcting the image is available for reflecting telescopes— the image will appear upside down and reversed left-for-right.

When

s eyepiece,

refracting

, objects will

Choosing an Eyepiece

A telescope’s eyepiece magnifies the light gathered by the optical tube. Each eyepiece has a focal length, expressed in millimeters, or “mm.”The smaller the focal length, the higher the magnification. an eyepiece with a focal length of 25mm.

Your telescope comes supplied with a low-powered 25mm or 26mm eyepiece which gives a wide, comfortable field of view with high image resolution. Always begin your observations with this eyepiece.

Low power eyepieces offer a wide field of view, bright, high-contrast images, and eye relief during long observing sessions. After an object is located and centered in the eyepiece, try switching to a higher po

The power, or magnification of a telescope is determined by the focal length of the telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece being used. To calculate eyepiece power, divide the telescope's focal length by the eyepiece's focal length. For example, you may wish to use a 25mm eyepiece with the DS-2000 model DS-2114S. Look up the focal length of the DS-2114S under

SPECIFICATIONS: DS-2114S, page 33. The focal length is listed as 1000mm.

Telescope focal length divided by Eyepiece focal length = Eyepiece power

The eyepiece power, or magnification is therefore 40X (approximately).

For example, an eyepiece with a focal length of 9mm has a higher magnification than

wer eyepiece to enlarge the image.

NOTE: Viewing conditions vary from night-to-night and from site-to-site. Turbulence in

the air, even on an apparently clear night, can distort images. If an image appears fuzzy and ill-defined, return to a lower power eyepiece for a more well-resolved image.

1000 v 25 = 40

The Barlow Lens

Some Meade telescopes include a power multiplier called a Barlow lens. Consisting of a lens mounted in a 4"-long (10cm) tube, the Barlow doubles or triples the power obtained when an eyepiece is used alone. In the example above, a 25mm eyepiece results in 40X magnification with the DS-2114S telescope; when this same eyepiece is used in conjunction with a 2x Barlow lens, power is doubled to 80X. To use the Barlow, insert it into the diagonal prism (

models only) or eyepiece holder, followed by the eyepiece.

refractor

OBSERVING

Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually

If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a mountain top or a bird, you can observe

26,

yepiece.

Fig.

) and Altitude loc

, trees, and other structures. Use

TO TRACK AN OBJECT AUTO-

k (6,Fig.

TO SATURN

), so

, page 19).

y merely pointing the telescope and looking through the e

ipod base lock knob (

Loosen the telescope’

1. that the telescope can mo

our telescope at distant street signs

oint y

to help site-in on an object.

tfinder

Smar

3. Center the object using Smartfinder and then in the telescope eyepiece. When the object

centered in y

4. Practice focusing objects with the focus knob (

5. Once you get a feel for how your telescope moves and focuses, try to view something more challenging, like a bird or a distant moving train.

ou can also observe stars and objects in the night sky using this method, but note that objects

Y begin to slowly drift across the eyepiece field.This motion is caused by the rotation of the Earth. As you become familiar with the Autostar handbox operation, you can counteract the drift using the automatic tracking feature in the Autostar Setup menu (see

TICALLY

, page 18), or b

s tr

ve freely.

, mountains

epiece, re-tighten the base and Altitude locks.

our e

1, Fig. 1).

y using Autostar's GO TO capabilities (see

NOTE:

Do not look through the telescope's eyepiece while it is rapidly moving. Children should

ays have adult

alw supervision while observing.

TIP: When a message is scrolling across the display, press and hold the Up Arrow key to increase the scrolling speed or press and hold the Do

wn Arrow key to decrease the scrolling speed.

Terrestrial Observing

DS-2000 refracting telescopes are excellent high-resolution, terrestrial (land) telescopes (reflecting telescopes are designed primarily for astronomical observations). Viewing terrestrial objects requires looking along the Earth's surface through heat waves.These heat waves often cause degradation of image quality. Lower power eyepieces, such as a 25mm eyepiece, magnify these heat waves less than higher power eyepieces. Therefore, lower power eyepieces provide a steadier, higher quality image. If the image is fuzzy or ill-defined, reduce to a lower power

yepiece, where the heat waves do not have such an effect on image quality. Observing in early

e morning hours, before the ground has built up internal heat, produces better viewing conditions than dur

ing late afternoon hours.

Observing Using Autostar's Arrow Keys

You may observe land and astronomical objects using Autostar's Arrow keys to move the telescope.

1. Tighten the Altitude lock (

2. Make sure the telescope power switch is in the OFF position. Plug Autostar into the HBX port of the Control Panel.

Flip the telescope power switch to the ON position.

utostar is activated and a copyright message displays briefly, followed by a short beep.

A Then Autostar takes a few moments to start up the system.

4. A message displays that warns not to look at the Sun. At the end of this message, press the key prompted by Autostar to signify that the message has been read and understood.

5. The Arrow keys are now activated. Press the Arrow keys ( telescope up, down, right, or left.

6. Press the SPEED/? key ( press this key, the speed will change. See SLEW SPEEDS, page 15, for more information.

10, Fig. 1) and tripod base lock knob (26, Fig. 1).

5, Fig. 2) to slew (move) the

8, Fig. 2) to change the telescope’s slew speed. Each time you

7. Use the red dot viewfinder (

7, Fig. 1) to locate an object and practice using the Autostar’s

Arrow keys to center the object in the telescope eyepiece's field of view.

8. Use the telescope’s focus knob (

1, Fig. 1) to bring the object into focus.

Slew Speeds

Autostar has nine slew speeds that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate (this is the speed at which stars move) and have been calculated to accomplish specific functions. Pressing the SPEED/? key changes the slew speed, which is then shown for about two seconds on Autostar’s display.

le speeds are:

ailab

The nine a

N Speed 1

N Speed 2

N Speed 3

N Speed 4

N Speed 5

N Speed 6

N Speed 7

N Speed 8

N Speed 9 = Max = (Maximum speed possible, dependent on battery power)

= 2

= 8

= 16

16x

= 32

32x

= 64

64x

= 120

0.5

= 240

= 480

x sidereal (0.5 arc-min/sec or 0.008°/sec)

x sidereal (2 arc-min/sec or 0.033°/sec)

x sidereal (4 arc-min/sec or 0.067°/sec)

x sidereal (8 arc-min/sec or 0.13°/sec)

/sec)

x sidereal (16 arc-min/sec or 0.27

x sidereal (30 arc-min/sec or 0.5

x sidereal (60 arc-min/sec or 1

x sidereal (120 arc-min/sec or 2

/sec)

°/sec)

/sec)

DS-2000 TIPS

Fig. 16: The Moon is an excellent object for beginners to observe.

Speeds 1,

2, or 3:

Best used f

or fine centering of an object in the field of view of a higher power

eyepiece, such as a 12mm or a 9mm eyepiece.

Speeds 4,

5, or 6:

les centering an object in the field of a low-to-moderate power eye-

Enab

piece, such as a standard 25mm eyepiece.

Speeds 7 or 8: Best used for rough centering of an object in the eyepiece.

Speed 9: Mo

ves the telescope quickly from one point in the sky to another.

Observe the Moon

oint your telescope at the Moon (note that the Moon is not visible every night) and practice

P using the Arrow keys and the slew speeds to view different features. The Moon contains many interesting features, including craters, mountain ranges, and fault lines. The best time to view the Moon is during its crescent or half phase. Sunlight strikes the Moon at an angle during these periods and adds a depth to the view. No shadows are seen during a full Moon, causing the overly bright surface to appear flat and rather uninteresting.

Consider the use of a neutral density Moon filter when observing the Moon. Not only does it cut down the Moon's bright glare, but it also enhances contrast, providing a more dramatic image.

Astronomical Observing

Used as an astronomical instrument, your telescope has many optical and electromechanical capabilities. It is in astronomical applications where the high level of optical performance is readily visible.

To Track an Object Automatically

As the Earth rotates beneath the night sky, the stars appear to move from East to West. The speed at which the stars move is called the sidereal rate.You can setup your telescope to move at the sidereal rate so that it automatically "tracks" the stars and other objects in the night sky. In other words, if the telescope is not tracking an astronomical object, the object will drift out of the eyepiece field of view. The tracking function automatically keeps an object more or less centered in the telescope’s eyepiece.

To track objects, you must first initialize Autostar and then select "Targets: Astronomical" from the Autostar Setup menu. You must also learn how the Autostar keypad operates in order to move through the Autostar menus.

Moving Through Autostar’s Menus

Autostar’s menus are organized for quick and easy navigation.

N Press ENTER to go deeper into

Autostar's menu levels.

N Press MODE to mo

top menu level.

N Press the Scroll keys to move through

the options a

N Press the Arro

ters and digits

The Arro

w k

the telescope.

ve back toward the

or each level.

le f

ailab

ys to enter char

w k

ac-

ys are also used to move

Which One’s the Alignment Star?

If Autostar has chosen an alignment star with which you are unfamiliar, how can you be sure if the star in y alignment star?

The rule of thumb is that an alignment star is usually the brightest star in that area of the

When you view an alignment star in an

sky eyepiece, it stands out dramatically from the rest of the stars in that portion of the sky.

ou have an obstruction, such as a tree or

If y a b star, or if you have any doubts at all about the star that has been chosen, no problem. Just press the Scroll Down key and Autostar will find another star to align upon.

uilding b

loc

yepiece is really the

our e

king your view of the alignment

Fig. 17: Altitude lock and setting circle.

DEFINITION: Initialization

procedure that ensures that Autostar operates correctly. When you first use Autostar, it doesn't yet know where the observation location site is .

Time and Date information is set at the factory (and do not need to be entered by the observer). This information is held by a long-life battery. See page 39, for more information.

During the procedure, you will enter the observation location. Autostar uses location, plus time and date information to precisely calculate the location of celestial objects (such as stars and planets) and to move your telescope correctly for various

utostar oper

is a

APPENDIX E,

ations

Initializing Autostar

This section descr Autostar or after performing a RESET (see

Tighten Loc

Plug in Autostar: Make sure the telescope power switch is in the OFF position. Plug Autostar into the HBX port of the Control Panel.

urn on Autostar:

7. Set Your Location or Zip Code: The Location screen displays.This screen asks you if you

a. If you chose the zip code option, the leftmost “0” is highlighted. Use the Scroll keys to scroll

b. If you chose the location option, the next screen asks for the country or state/province (list-

8. AutoStar then requests the telescope model number. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through

Warning:A message displays that warns you not to look at the Sun. At the end of this

Sun

message, press the key prompted by Autostar to signify that the message has been read and understood.

Bypass Getting Started: The Getting Started menu displays a scrolling message. Press ENTER (

Daylight Savings Time: The next screen requests the status of Daylight Savings Time. Press one of the Scroll keys to toggle between the YES/NO settings. When the desired setting displays, press ENTER.

NOTE: When multiple choices are available within a menu option, the current option

is usually displayed first and highlighted by a right pointing Arrow (>).

wish to choose either the zip code of your observing location or the location ( the city and state or country of your observing location). Press Up to select the zip code option or down to enter the city and state.

Note: The location settings (country/state/province and city, or zip code) are only asked for the first time you turn on the control panel. If you wish to change this setting later on, use the Site menu. See

through the digits. When you reach the desired number, use the Right Arrow key to move to the next digit position. Repeat this process until all 5 digits of your zip code are entered. Press ENTER.

ed alphabetically) of the observing site. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of countries, states, and provinces. Press

ENTER when the correct location displays. The next screen asks for the city (listed alphabetically) closest to the observing site. Use

the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of cities. Press ENTER when the correct city appears on screen.

the database of models. Press ENTER when your model number displays. System initialization is complete. The Easy Alignment feature begins automatically after

the control panel is initialized.

ibes how to initialize Autostar. Perform this procedure the first time you use

RESET, page 28).

ks:

Tighten the Altitude loc

Flip the telescope po

2, Fig. 2) to bypass the Help tutorial.

k (

Fig. 1

10,

wer switch to the ON position.

SITE, page 28, for more information.

tripod base lock knob (

) and

i.e.,entering

26,

Fig.

Observe a Star using the Automatic Tracking Feature

In this e capability automatically keeps the star centered in your telescope's eyepiece.

xample

Set in Home P

(

9, Fig. 1) and tripod base lock knob (26, Fig. 1) are secured as described previously.

Plug in Autostar: Make sure the telescope power switch is in the OFF position. Plug

Autostar into the HBX port of the Control Panel.

urn on Autostar:

Sun Warning: A message displays that warns not to look at the Sun. At the end of this mes-

, press the key prompted by Autostar to signify that the message has been read and

sage understood.

Select Daylight Savings: Set Daylight Savings, if prompted.

Select Setup:

osition:Lev

Flip the telescope po

Align Option:Press MODE (2,Fig.

utostar Arro

, the A

w keys are used to find a star, and then Autostar's tracking

el the optical tube and point it Nor

wer switch to the ON position.

th. Make sure that the Altitude Lock

"Setup:

Align" displa

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Autostar requests the Zip Code or

y/State, City, and

Countr Telescope Model

ormation only the first

inf time Autostar is activated. If you wish to change this information, use the "Site" and "Telescope Model" options in the Setup menu. See pages 26 and 27 for more information.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

While performing the automatic tracking procedure, only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope. Once the telescope has been set in the Alt/Az home position, do not loosen the telescope locks ( and 26, Fig. 1), or move the base manually, or alignment will be lost.

7. Select Setup: displays. Press ENTER (

Select Targets: Astronomical Option: "Targets: Terrestrial" displays. Press either of the

8. Scroll keys once (

Locate a Bright Star:

9. Use Smartfinder ( ed, bright star for the purposes of this example. Use Autostar's Arrow keys to center the star in the e

10. To Start Tracking: Once the star is centered, press ENTER to select "Astronomical." The telescope's tracking motors then engage. It may take the tracking motors several seconds to begin tracking. When they do, it may be necessary to once again center the star in the eyepiece. The tracking motors will then keep the star you have chosen in the center of the eyepiece.

If you wish to track another star, use the Arrow keys to slew the telescope to the star. Center the star. The tracking motors will then keep that star in the center of the eyepiece.

To Stop Tracking: Press ENTER. "Setup: Targets" displays. Press ENTER. "Targets:

11. Astronomical" now displays. Press either of the Scroll keys once. plays. Press ENTER. Tracking is now turned off.

Targets Option:

6 or 7, Fig. 2). "Targets: Astronomical" now displays.

Use the Arrow keys (5,Fig. 2

15, Fig. 1) to help line up on the star. You may choose any unobstruct-

yepiece.

Press the Scroll Do

2, Fig. 2).

wn key repeatedly until "Setup:Targets"

) to locate a br

ight star in the night sky.

"Targets: Terrestrial" dis-

Automatic Alignment

The fastest and easiest way to locate objects with Autostar's GO TO capabilities is to use Automatic Alignment.

Autostar automatically picks two stars from its database for the Automatic Alignment procedure. During this procedure, Autostar slews the telescope to a first alignment star. The user is asked to verify that the telescope is pointed at the chosen star and then prompted to center the star in the eyepiece. The process is repeated with a second star to complete the alignment.

NOTE: Before aligning the telescope, first verify that INITIALIZING AUTOSTAR, page 17, has been performed. See MOVING THROUGH AUTOSTAR’S MENUS, page 16, if you wish to learn how to operate Autostar’s keys.

How to Automatically Align the Telescope

If you have just applied power to Autostar, perform steps 1 through 3. If you have already performed the initialization procedure, go to step 4.

Sun Warning: Press the key prompted by Autostar to accept.

Getting Started: Press ENTER to continue.

Daylight Savings: Select “Yes” or “No,” then press ENTER.

displays. Press ENTER.

Alignment Option Screen:

Select Alignment : “Align: Automatic” displays. Press ENTER.

Autostar Detects North and Level: When you press Enter, Autostar calculates North and

or the telescope

el is f

where le Le the telescope—it is just detecting where these positions are. When it is finished calculating,

Star Alignment - Autostar then chooses two stars to align upon.When the telescope slews to the first star for alignment, it may not appear in the field of view in the eyepiece. The alignment star should be easily recogniz where the telescope is pointing. Use the Arrow keys to move the telescope until the star is visible and centered in the eyepiece. Press ENTER. Repeat procedure for the second alignment star

While it is calculating, it does not necessarily move to point North or actually level

”

el.

displa

“Searching....

”

“Setup:

ys as it begins Star Alignment.

Align”

While it is calculating, it displa

ed and be the br

ightest star in the area of the sky

“Calc Nor

th” and “Calc

When the procedure is performed correctly, "Alignment Successful" displays. If Autostar does not display this message, perform this procedure again.

TE:Autostar locates alignment stars based on the date, time, and location

entered. The alignment stars may change from night to night. All that is required is for the observer to center the selected stars in the eyepiece when prompted.

NOTE: The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search." A spiral search is useful when the telescope slews to an object, but that object is not visible in the eyepiece after the telescope finishes its search. (This sometimes occurs during an alignment procedure.) Press GO TO when the slew is finished and the telescope

ts slewing in a spiral pattern at a very slow speed around the search area. Look

star through the eyepiece and when the object does become visible, press MODE to stop the spir

al search. Then use the Arrow keys to center the object.

Three other methods of alignment are a These methods are included in case the observer prefers to pick out his or her own alignment

stars. See page 25 for more information.

vailable to the observer: Easy, Two-Star and One-Star.

Go To Saturn

After performing the Easy Align procedure, the motor drive begins operating and the telescope is aligned for a night of viewing. Objects in the eyepiece should maintain their position even though the Earth is rotating beneath the stars.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Once aligned, only use GO TO or the Arrow keys to move the telescope. Do not loosen the telescope locks ( manually, or alignment will be lost.

This exercise shows how to select a celestial object (Saturn) for viewing from Autostar’s database.

NOTE: Saturn is not visible all the time and you may need to choose another object from Autostar's Object database; however, the procedure, as described below, remains the same; just choose a different object in step #3.

1 After the telescope is aligned, “Select Item: Object” displays. Press ENTER.

2. “Object: Solar System” displays. Press ENTER.

3. “Solar System: Mercury” displays. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Solar System: Saturn” displays.

4. Press ENTER. “Calculating” displays. Then “Saturn” and a set of coordinates displays. Note that Saturn’s (and other planets’) coordinates change throughout the year.

5. Press GO TO. “Saturn: Slewing...” displays and the telescope slews until it finds Saturn.You may need to use the Arrow keys to center Saturn precisely in the eyepiece. Autostar then automatically moves the telescope so that it "tracks" Saturn (or whatever other object you may have chosen);

i.e., Saturn remains centered in the eyepiece.

10 and 26, Fig. 1), or move the base

Take a Guided Tour

onight’s Best” Guided Tour.

xample demonstr

This e

1. After observing Saturn, press MODE twice so that “Select Item: Object” displays again. Press the Scroll Do

2. Press ENTER.

NOTE: If you wish to try out other Guided Tours, press the Scroll Down key to scroll through other tour choices. When the tour you wish to select displays, press ENTER.

4. “Tonight’s Best: Searching...” displays. After calculating, “Tonight’s Best: Jupiter” displays.

NOTE: Different objects may be displayed on a tour list on any given night.

Press ENTER to displa to the object.

5. Press MODE to return to the Tour list. Press the Scroll keys to scroll through the list. Press ENTER when y

6. Press and hold down MODE for two seconds to exit the Guided Tour menu.

ates using

wn k

“Guided

ou find the ne

“T

“Select Item: Guided Tour” displays.

y twice

our: Tonight’s Best” displays. Press ENTER.

mation about the object.

y inf

xt object y

ou wish to obser

Press GO TO to move the telescope

Select Item: Setup

Select Item:

Utilities

Select Item:

Glossary

Select Item:

uided Tour

Select Item:

ent

SETUP MENU

Quick, easy alignment

rmits all telescope operations with only a 2-minute setup.

ILITIES MENU

Calculate eyepiece m

agnifications;

set timer alerts;

reate your own

andmark survey.

LOSSARY

hat is an elliptical galaxy?

How far away is the Sun?

xpand your knowledge of

astronomy by displaying terms

nd definitions, and other information.

BJECT MENU

Want to see Mars? The Orion nebula?

he Andromeda galaxy? Select from

over 1400 database objects and press

O TO to move the telescope

automatically to an object.

EVENT MENU

Display the time of

past, present, and future

stronomical events,

such as Moon phases

or meteor showers.

UIDED TOUR

Autostar escorts you

n a tour of tonight's

best celestial objects

t your viewing location.

Select Item:

bject

MEADEMEADE

Autostar

he Universe of

Object Event  Guided Tours Glossary Utilities Setup



Fig. 19: Menus set in a

Select Item

Solar System

Select Item Object

ENTER

loop.

Fig. 20: Autostar levels.

BASIC AUTOSTAR OPERATION

Fig. 18: The Autostar Universe: The six primary categories listed in the Select Item menu of Autostar.

It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop (Fig. 19).This means that pressing the Scroll Down key (7, Fig. 2) cycles down through all the available options within a given category, then returns to the first option. The Scroll Up key ( options in the opposite order. Note that this capability is a quick way to get to an option that is near the bottom of the list. The following example demonstrates this capability.

Example:

To navigate to the “Select Item: Setup” menu option when the “Select Item: Object” menu is displayed:

1. Press the Scroll Down key four times or the Scroll Up key once.

Autostar displays two lines of information. The top line shows the current menu level. The second line displays an option which may be selected within that menu level. Some options are choices that select the next menu level down. The Scroll keys move up and down within the list of available options, showing one option at a time.

When the desired option is displayed on the second line, press the ENTER key to choose that

wn one menu level.

e do

option and mo

Press the MODE k

ve a level (

y to lea

e.g., the wrong men

IMPORTANT NOTE: No matter how many levels into Autostar are traveled, each

el, until the top level, "Select Item," is

press of the MODE k reached.

Once in the Select Item le

y mo

es up a le

el, press MODE to retur

"Select Item: Object."

6, Fig. 2) cycles up through the

u option is chosen).

n to the topmost level,

Autostar Navigation Exercise

o demonstr

T Sunset time so an evening observing session can be planned.

ate how the Autostar menu structure works, the following exercise calculates

TE:To perf

with the current date, time, and location of the observing site. To enter the current date, time, and location information of your observing site, see

AUTOSTAR

orm an accurate calculation, Autostar must be properly initialized

, page 17, before proceeding with this exercise.

INITIALIZING

TIP: When multiple

DS-2000 TIPS

choices are available within a menu option, the option that is currently selected is usually displayed first and highlighted by a right pointing arrow (>).

o Calculate Sunset time:

1. Press the MODE key several times, until “Select Item: Object” is displayed.

Press the Scroll Down key once to display the “Event” option in the “Select Item” menu.

3. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Event" option and move down a level. "Event: Sunrise" is displayed.

Press the Scroll Down key once to display the "Sunset" option in the Event menu.

5. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Sunset" option and move down another level.

6. Autostar calculates the Sunset time based on the current date, time, and location. Autostar then displays the results of the calculation.

7. Press MODE once to start moving back up through the Autostar levels. The first level up is the Event menu.

8. Press MODE again to move up another level. This is the top level, "Select Item."

9. Press MODE again to return to the starting point of "Select Item: Object."

Entering Numbers and Text into Autostar

To enter numbers and text:

N Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to

scroll through numbers 0 - 9 and the alphabet. The Down Arrow key begins with the letter "A;" the Up Arrow key begins with digit "9."

To move the cursor across the display:

N Use the Right or Left Arrow key (5, Fig. 2)

to move the cursor from one number to the next in the display

N Press ENTER when the desired informa-

tion has been entered.

Navigating Autostar

Autostar's menus are organized for quick and easy navigation:

N Press ENTER to go deeper into

Autostar's menu levels.

N Press MODE (3, Fig. 2) to move back

toward the top menu level.

N Press the Scroll keys to move up and

wn through the options or lists

N Press the Arrow keys to move the cursor

across the displa

N Press the Help (?) key to access on-line

help

Adjusting the Speed of a

Scrolling Message

N Press and hold the Scroll Up key to

increase the scrolling speed when a message is scrolling across the display.

N Press and hold the Scroll Down key to

decrease the scrolling speed when a message is scrolling across the displa

One of the most exciting resources for astronomy is the Internet. The Internet is full of websites with new images, discoveries, and the latest astronomical information. For example, when comet Hale-Bopp made its approach to our Sun in 1998, astronomers around the world posted new photos daily.

You can find websites for virtually any topic relating to astronomy on the Internet. Try the following key word searches: NASA, Hubble, HST, astronomy, Messier, satellite, nebula, black hole, variable stars, extrasolar, Chandra, gamma burster, comets, Astronomy Day, etc.

Check out Meade’s website for the latest product and technical information.You can download the latest software revisions, links to other astronomical sites, coordinates of celestial objects, and the latest satellite tracking information f more information. You’ll find our website at:

Here are some other sites you might find useful:

• Sky & http://www.skypub.com/

•

Astronomy:

http://www.astronomy.com/astro/

• The Starfield: http://users

• Astronom http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.goc/apod/

• Heaven’s Above (satellite information): http://www.heavens-above.com/

• Photographic Atlas of the Moon:

http://www

• Hubble Space Telescope Public Pictures

http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html

Surf the Web

utostar handbox. See page 37 for

or the A

.com/

http://www

http://www.meade4M.org

Telescope

y Picture of the Da

.meade

.nac.net/gb

.lpi.ursa.edu/research/lunar_orbiter

Tonight's Best

How Far is Far

Star's Life

Downloaded Tours

User-created Tours

Solar System

Mercury

Etc

Moon

teroids

omets

Constellations

Andromeda

Etc

Dee

amed

Obj

ect

ala

ies

bulae

ssier

Etc

Star

amed

atalog

ble

aria

ble

Etc

Satellite

lect

lete

dit

User

Obj

ects

lect

lete

dit

Landmar

lect

lete

dentify

Sunrise

Sunset

Moonrise

Moonset

Moon

Phases

xt Full Moon

xt N

ew Moon

xt 1st Q

xt 3rd

Meteor Sho

wers

uadrantids

rid

ta A

uarids

lta A

uarids

erseids

rio

nids

urids

Leonids

eminids

sids

Solar

cli

ses

Lunar

cli

ses

Aut

umn

uino

ernal

uino

inter Solstice

Summer Solstice

To u

Objects

...

Accretion Dis

Etc

B...

C...

...

E...

...

R...

...

Timer

Star t &

Sto

Alarm

& O

yepiece

alc

eld of

iew

Magnification

ggest

Dis

lay

tions

arning

etting Started

Brightness Ad

ontrast Ad

Beep

Slee

Sco

ord

Align

asy

ne Star

Two Star

Date

Time

Daylight Sa

ving

Te lescope

Telesco

pe Model

cal Length

z/R

atio

Dec

atio

unt

z/R

ercent

Dec

ercent

ain Dri

ing R

ate

erse L

erse U

Cali

rat

e Sensors

uiet Sle

ation

Min A

ali

rat

e Motor

recision

Ta r

gets

tronomical

rrestr

ial

Site

lect

lete

dit

Downlo

Statistics

eset

Select Item:

Object

Select Item:

ent

Select Item:

Guided Tour

Select Item:

Glossary

Select Item:

Utilities

Select Item

Setu

MENUS AND MENU OPTIONS

Fig. 21: The Complete Autostar Menu Structure.

Object Menu

Almost all observing with Autostar is performed using the Object menu category. (NOTE:

Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.)See GO TO SATURN, page 19, for an

xample of observing using the Object menu. Also see

y Autostar menu categories contain databases. An Autostar

Man

AKE A GUIDED TOUR

database is a list of vie objects, such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae, and so forth. When one of these objects is selected from a database, Autostar moves your telescope (if properly aligned) and points it at the selected object.

The Object Menu options include:

Solar System is a database of the eight planets (Ear

th is not included) in order out from the

Sun, followed by the Moon, asteroids, and comets.

Constellation is a database of all 88 Northern and Southern Hemisphere constellations. When this menu option is chosen and a constellation name appears on the first line of the screen, press GO TO once to change the second line to the name of the brightest star in the constellation. Press GO TO a second time to slew the telescope to that star. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the list of stars in the constellation, from brightest to dimmest.

Deep Sky is a database of objects outside our Solar System such as nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and quasars.

Star is a database of stars listed in different categories such as named, double, variable, or nearby.

Satellite is a database of Earth-orbiting objects such as the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, and geosynchronous orbit satellites.

User Objects allows the user to define and store in memory deep-sky objects of specific interest that are not currently in the Autostar database. See "Appendix B" for more information.

Landmarks stores the location of terrestrial points of interest in the permanent Autostar database.

IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the landmark was added to the database.

N Select: To select a Landmark already in the database (see ADD below), choose the

"Select" option and scroll through the list. Press ENTER to select a Landmark, then press GO TO and the telescope slews to the object.

N Add: To add a Landmark, choose the "Add" option. Enter a name for the Landmark. Locate

and center the Landmark in the eyepiece, then press ENTER.

Identify is an exciting feature for an observer who wants to scan the night sky and start exploring. After the telescope has been properly aligned, use the Autostar Arrow keys to move about

Then follow this procedure:

in the sky

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope during the Identify procedure. Do not loosen the telescope locks or move the base or alignment is lost.

When a desired object is visible in the eyepiece, keep pressing MODE until the “Select

Item:

Object” menu is displayed. Press ENTER to select this menu.

2. Scroll through the Object menu options until the “Object: Identify” screen appears.

3. Press ENTER. Autostar searches the database for the identity of the object being

observed.

If the telescope is not directly on an A

utostar database object, the nearest database object is located and displayed on the screen. Press GO TO and the telescope slews to that object.

page 19.

wable

WARNING! Never use a

Meade DS2000 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 dama

ge has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope or its

wfinder at or near

vie the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or its vie

wfinder as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.

Event Menu

ent menu provides access to dates and times of astronomical events. The Event data-

The Ev base includes:

Sunrise and Sunset calculates the time that the Sun rises or sets on the current date. Find rise and set times for other dates by entering a new date into the “Setup: Date” menu. See

DATE, page 26.

Moonrise and Moonset calculates the time that the Moon r

ise and set times for other dates by entering a new date into the “Setup: Date” menu. See

Find r

DATE, page 26.

Moon Phases displays the date and time of the next Full, New, 1st Quarter, and 3rd Quarter

Moon.

Meteor Showers provides information Leonids,

Solar Eclipse lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, annular, or partial) of eclipse, and the location and time of the first and last contacts of the Moon's shadow. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available data. Remember, never use a telescope to look at the Sun! See “WARNING!” to the left.

Lunar Eclipse lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, partial, penumbral) of eclipse. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available data.

Min. (Minimum) of Algol is the minimum brightness of the dramatic eclipsing binary star system, Algol. It is relatively close at a distance of 100 light years. Every 2.8 days during a 10-hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in apparent magnitude as one of the two stars passes behind the other. The combined magnitude of the two stars thus dips from +2.1 to a minimum of +3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden. Autostar calculates minimum magnitude time at mid-eclipse.

Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the current year.

Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of the current year.

etc. Also lists the dates of the showers and when they reach maximum.

NOTE: Meteor showers cover large areas of the sky and are usually best observed with the naked eye.

on upcoming meteor showers, such as the Perseids, the

ises or sets on the current date.

Glossary Menu

The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common astronomical terms and Autostar functions. Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in Autostar. A usually found when using the Autostar Help function or when reading a scrolling message such as a descr Autostar goes to the glossary entry for that word.

To access directly from the Glossary menu, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the alphabet. Press ENTER on the desired letter the description.

iption of a planet or star. Press ENTER whenever a hypertext word is on screen and

. Scroll to the desired entry and then press ENTER to read

hypertext word is any word in [brackets],

Utilities Menu

The Utilities menu provides access to several extra features within Autostar, including a count-

The Utilities functions include:

wn timer and an alar

Timer selects a countdo

king satellites

and tr then choose

Set:

N Star

OFF beeps sound and the timer is deactiv

“Set”

Enter the time to be counted do

t/Stop:Activ

When ON is displayed, press ENTER to activate the timer. When the timer runs out, four

wn timer. This feature is useful for functions such as astrophotography

, press ENTER,

See

t/Stop."

“Star

ates the timer set pre

OBSER

VING SA

TELLITES

wn, in hours

Use the Scroll k

viously

ated.

page 37.

utes

, min

o use the

, and seconds, then press ENTER.

Timer

ys to toggle between ON and

DS-2000 TIPS

Alarm selects a time for an alarm signal as a reminder. To use the Alarm, press ENTER, then choose "Set" or "Star

Enter the time of day for the alarm to sound, in hours, minutes, and seconds, then press

Set:

t/Stop."

ENTER.

N Star

t/Stop:Activates the alarm set previously. Use the Scroll keys to toggle between ON

and OFF. When ON is displayed, press ENTER to activate the alarm. When the alarm time

ives, Autostar beeps. Press ENTER to deactivate the alarm.

arr

Eyepiece Calc calculates information about an eyepiece for the specific telescope to which Autostar is connected.

N Field of View: Scroll through a list of available eyepieces. When an eyepiece is selected,

the field of view is calculated.

N Magnification: Scroll through a list of available eyepieces. When an eyepiece is selected, the

magnification is calculated.

N Suggest: Autostar calculates and suggests the best eyepiece for viewing, based on the tel-

escope and the object being viewed.

Display Options enables or disables Autostar’s two initial displays. If both displays are disabled, Autostar begins with the Date display.

N Sun

N Getting Started: Turns the “Getting

Warning:Turns the “Sun Warning” message on or off.

Started” message on or off.

Brightness Adj: Adjusts the brightness of the display using the Scroll keys. When complete, press ENTER.

Contrast Adj: Adjusts the contrast of the display using the Scroll keys. When complete, press ENTER.

NOTE: This feature is usually

only required in very cold weather.

Beep: Turns the beep on or off.

Sleep Scope is a power saving option that

shuts down Autostar and the telescope without forgetting its alignment. With "Sleep Scope" selected, press ENTER to activate the Sleep function. Autostar goes dark, but the internal clock keeps running. Press any key, except ENTER, to re-activate Autostar and the telescope.

Park Scope is designed for a telescope that

ed between observing sessions.

is not mo Align the telescope one time function to par

, then use this

k the telescope. Next time it is powered up, enter the correct date and time – no alignment is required. Pressing ENTER causes the telescope to move to its pre-determined Park position. Once parked, the screen prompts to turn off power.

k Scope" option is cho

TE:

When the "P

IMPORTANT

sen and the display prompts you to turn off

, Autostar is unable to

the telescope's po

be returned to operation without turning the

wer off and then back on.

Observing Considerations

• Try to pick an observing site away from street and house lights, and car headlights. While this is not always possible, the darker the site, the better.

• Give your eyes about ten minutes to adjust to the darkness before observing. Give your eyes a rest from observing every ten or fifteen minutes to relieve eyestrain.

• Tr y not to use a standard flashlight. Seasoned observers use red LED flashlights or tape red cellophane over their flashlights for setup and map reading so

y don’t ha

the their e to shine br observers in the area. Never shine a flashlight into a telescope while someone is observing!

• Dress warmly. It gets chilly when you’re sitting for prolonged periods, even on some summer nights.

Practice setting up your equipment during

• the da

amiliar with it before going to a dark site.

• Use your 25mm eyepiece to view terrestri-

al objects and wider areas of space, such as open star clusters. Use your higher power eyepieces when you wish to view something up close, such as craters on the Moon or the rings of Saturn.

w y

Kno

•

y out an unf

to tr the da

ve to continually readjust

es to the darkness. Be careful not

ight lights if there are other

y or in a lighted area to become

our observing site. If you’re going

amiliar site, check it out in

or obstructions and pitfalls.

ylight f

Nor

Set to 0

Fig. 22: To set the telescope in the home position, first line up zero with the molded pointer to level the optical tube. Then point the telescope North.

Note: The time and date information is kept by a high precision internal clock, which is set

actory and

at the f held by a long-life lithium battery.

Replace the internal clock’s battery with a CR2023 lithium

y. This battery is

batter located in the battery compartment.

Both batter available from Meade, photographic supply houses or any place lithium batteries are sold.

ies are

Cord Wrap, when set to "On," moves the telescope in such a way as to prevent the cords and

les attached to your telescope assembly from getting wound around the assembly and tan-

cab gled as the telescope slews to objects. "Off" is the default setting.

Setup Menu

Manual Alignment Menus: The telescope must be initialized and aligned before Autostar can

find stars in the sky. If you wish to align the telescope manually, you may do by choosing Easy Two Star Align, Two Star Align or One Star Align from the Set up menu. Otherwise Autostar performs the default alignment, Automatic Alignment. See

Unlike the Automatic Alignment procedure, the observer must set the telescope into the home position before choosing one of the manual alignment methods:

1. Loosen the telescope’s Altitude lock

2. Level the optical tube: Line up 0° on the Altitude setting circle with the molded triangular pointer next to the circle. See

Tighten the Altitude lock (

Fig.17) to a fir

m feel only.

4. Point the telescope North. Use a compass or the North Star, Polaris as a guide to locating North. See

During

EASY TWO-STAR ALIGN, Autostar automatically chooses two bright stars from its data-

. The user is then requested to center the stars in the eyepiece and press ENTER.

base

Fig. 31, page 35. Also, See Fig. 22.

Two-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. Autostar displays a database

of bright stars and two stars are chosen by the observer from the database for alignment. It is recommended that you choose stars with which you are familiar the first trying out this method.

One-Star Alignment also requires some knowledge of the night sky. One-Star Alignment is identical to Easy: Align (see EASY (TWO-STAR) ALIGN, above), except Autostar displays a data- base of bright stars and only

one star is chosen by the observer. The accuracy of One-Star Alt/Az Alignment, unlike the Two-Star Alignment procedures, depends on how well the observer levels the telescope and how close to North the telescope is pointed when setting the Home Position (

Fig. 16). Because the Two-Star Alignment methods use two stars to align upon, they

are more precise than One-Star Alignment.

Date changes the date used by Autostar. This function is useful to check events in the past or future. For example, set the Date menu for a day three months in the future. Then check the "Select Item: Event" menu for the Sunset time on that date. See

Time changes the time entered into Autostar. Setting the correct time is critical for Autostar to properly calculate locations and e

vents. Time may be set to 24-hour mode (military time) by

selecting the "blank" option which follows the "AM" and "PM" options.

Daylight Saving is used to enable or disable Daylight Savings time.

NOTE: Daylight Savings Time may be referred to by different names in various areas of the world. Check local time to verify.

al options, including:

elescope

N Model: Allo

N Focal Length: Displa

N Az Ratio and Alt Ratio:

accesses the se

ou to select the telescope model connected to A

ws y

of the telescope's motors

N Az P

ercent:The Az (Azimuth) Percent allows you to change the azimuth backlash,

ocal length of the selected telescope

ys the f

The Az (Azim

uth) r

. Do not alter these numbers.

way the Arrow keys move the telescope along the azimuth (horizontal) axis. If you enter a

alue near 100, the telescope tube responds more quic

y and also sle

100%) as y

ou enter a value near 0, it takes longer for the tube to respond as you hold down an Arrow

ou hold do

wn an Arro

w k

key and also slews the tube more slowly. Experiment with this option. Try changing the percent value until you get a "feel" for the Arrow keys that is comfortable for you.

ercent:The Alt (Altitude) Percent operates identical to the AZ Percent option (see

Alt P

above), but allows you to change the altitude backlash, the telescope when mo

ving along the altitude (v

page 18.

Fig. 1b (inset).

EVENT MENU, page 24.

utostar.

atio and Alt (Altitude) r

kly (it responds immediately at

ws (moves) the tube more quickly. If

i.e., the way the Arrow keys move

tical) axis

atio refers to the gears

i.e.,the

N Train Drive: Trains the Altitude and Azimuth motors to locate objects with more precision.

If you are experiencing any problems with pointing accuracy, follow the procedure described in

APPENDIX D: TRAINING THE DRIVE, page 38, to insure accurate pointing

and tracking.

N Tracking Rate: Changes the speed at which the telescope tracks targets in the sky.

a. Sidereal: The def

ault setting for Autostar; sidereal rate is the standard rate at which

stars move from East to West across the sky due to the rotation of the Earth.

b. Lunar: Choose this option to properly track the Moon over long observing sessions.

Custom: Allows entry of user-defined tracking rates.

N Reverse L/R: Reverses the functions of the Left and Right Arrow keys (i.e., the Right key

moves the telescope to the left

N Reverse UP/DOWN: Reverses the functions of the Up and Down Arrow keys (i.e., the Up

key moves the telescope down

N Calibrate Sensors: This menu allows you to improve your telescope's pointing accuracy

to alignment stars. It calibrates to correct slight mechanical misalignment due to transport, vibration, or aging. It is recommended that calibration be performed after the LNT Module

ge 39for more information).

ies are changed (see

batter

When this menu is selected, the telescope slews to Polaris. AutoStar then prompts you to center Polaris and to press ENTER. AutoStar uses the position of Polaris to fine tune the position of North and also for detecting level.

N Quiet Slew: Sets the maximum slew rate to 1.5° for quieter operation.

N Max Elevation: Allows you to enter a value in degrees that sets a limit as to how far the

optical tube can swing upward during a programmed slew. (Note that it does not prevent you from performing a manual slew past this limit.) This is useful when you have a camera or other peripheral attached to the telescope—you can prevent it from striking the telescope base.

N Min AOS (Acquisition of Signal): Allows you enter a value in degrees. This value repre-

sents the altitude at which your telescope begins to slew when acquiring a satellite track. This is useful when you are observing satellites, but a tall tree or building is obstructing the telescope. For example, you might begin to track the satellite at 15° altitude, instead of 5°. See

OBSERVING SATELLITES, page 37, for more information

about satellites.

N Calibrate Motor: If the telescope motors appear to have a problem, use this option to

retest the motors before performing a Reset. This option is also used if an Autostar unit is moved between telescopes, to match Autostar to the new telescope. To calibrate the motors, select this option and press ENTER.

N High Precision: If High Precision is turned on, when looking for a faint celestial object (i.e.,

a nebula or galaxy), Autostar first slews to a nearby bright star and displays "ENTER to Sync." Center the star in the eyepiece, then press ENTER. At that point the telescope has a high precision alignment to that part of the sky and it then slews to the object that was originally requested.

If "Astronomical" is

ets

witches betw

s selected, the telescope tr tered in the e

yepiece. If "Terrestrial" is selected, the tracking motor is turned off. To learn how

een Astronomical targets and

king motor is activ

to track an object automatically, see

al options including:

Site pro

N Select:

vides access to se

vailable sites (see

all a

ys the currently selected obser

Displa

ADD belo

ial targets

errestr

ated and an

y object y

page 18.

ving site

. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through

w). Press ENTER when the site you wish to select displays.

ou observe will remain cen-

Use this option when you move to a different geographic location.

N Add: Allows you to add new observing sites to the database (up to six sites may be stored).

Scroll through the list of Countr

Then choose the desired city in the same manner

pla

ies/States

Press ENTER when the site y

ou wish to add dis

Time Zone Shift

Atlantic -4 Hours Eastern -5 Hours Central -6 Hours Mountain -7 Hours Pacific -8 Hours Hawaii -10 Hours

able 1: Time Zone Shift.

N Delete: Deletes a stored site from the database.

N Edit:

Edits a selected site, including: the name, latitude, longitude, and time zone. Time Zone refers to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone shift. Users West of Greenwich, England use “-” hours, East of Greenwich use “+” hours. For the United States, look up the time zone shift in

Table 1.

NOTE: Autostar compensates for daylight savings time, if selected. See SETUP

MENU: DAYLIGHT SAVING, page 26.

Download transfers information from a personal computer or another Autostar. During the operation, the warning “Downloading Do Not Turn Off” appears.

TE:

wnload function requires the optional #506 Astrofinder Software and

The Do Cable Connector Kit. See the instruction sheet included with the kit for more information on how to download. Also see

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 29.

Statistics provides basic statistical data about Autostar, including:

N Characters Free: Shows how much room is available in user-defined object memory.

N Version: Shows the current version of the Autostar software.

Reset completely resets Autostar. Most values entered into the menus revert to factory defaults.

Autostar requires initialization again after a Reset before proceeding with observations. See

TIALIZING AUTOSTAR, page 17.

INI-

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the DS-2000 Series Telescopes. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the quality of the instrument itself.

Consult the Meade General Catalog or www.meade.com for complete details on these

and other accessories.

Eyepieces

resolution imaging with all DS2000 telescope models SP 12.4mm eyepieces.

#126 2x Barlow Lens (1.25"): Doubles each eyepiece power while maintaining excellent image corrections. For example, a 9mm eyepiece used with the model DS-2060 yields a power of 78X; when used in conjunction with the #126 Barlow lens, the same eyepiece yields 156X.

#937 2" Diagonal Mirror: Large-barrel 2" eyepieces (e.g., MH 50mm, below) permit wide fields of view impossible to achieve with eyepieces of smaller barrel diameter. The focusers of all DS-2000 Series telescopes, except for the DS-2060 models, include 2" eyepiece-holders to accept the oversize #937 Diagonal Mirror, which in turn accepts eyepieces of 2" barrel diameter. An adapter is included to allo the #937 is required only on DS-2000 refracting telescopes ( telescopes (

MH 50mm Wide-Field Eyepiece (2" Optical Diameter): Ideal for spectacular low-power scanning of star fields in the Milky Way or for the study of broad diffuse nebulae, the wide-field MH 50mm eyepiece is a highly desirable accessory for all DS-2000 Series Telescopes (except for the DS-2060mm models, which cannot accept large-barrel eyepieces). On the DS-2070, for example, the MH 50mm ocular yields an actual field of view of 2.5° at 14X. On DS-2000 refractors, use with the #937 Diagonal Mirror.

#928 45° Erecting Prism: The 90° diagonal provided with DS-2000 Series refractors results in upright-but-reversed viewing of land subjects. The #928 45° Erecting Prism (1.25") orients the image correctly in terrestrial applications and results in a comfortable 45° viewing angle. For use with refractors only.

Camera Adapter: DS-2000 Series Telescopes may be used for through-the-telescope photography of the Moon and planets or for terrestrial objects. For eyepiece-projection photography with any of these telescopes, use the Basic Camera Adapter (1.25").

: For higher and lower magnifications, Meade Series 4000 Super Plössl (SP) yield high-

. A useful selection includes the SP 9.7mm and

w for the use of standard 1.25"-barrel eyepieces in the 2" Diagonal Mirror as well. (Note that

e.g., DS-2070, etc.); DS-2000 reflecting

e.g., DS-2114S) do not require a diagonal mirror for the use of 2" eyepieces.)

#1240 Electric Focuser: Attaches easily and quickly to any DS-2000 model for smooth, vibrationfree focusing. Each focuser includes coarse and microfine speeds. The standard equipment hand controller accepts one (user-supplied) 9-volt battery; alternately, the focuser may be operated through the Electronic Controller or Autostar handbox.

#506 AstroFinder™ Software and Cable Connector Kit: Displays more than 15,000 celestial wonders – galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, stars, and planets – on your PC, enabling even the beginner to locate and identify objects to observe with the telescope or to print out star charts for use in observing sessions. Operates with any Windows™-based personal computer. The Cable Connector Kit permits connection of any DS-2000 telescope model, Autostar, and PC, for downloading of new software to Autostar or for updating of Earth satellite or other celestial object positions. This kit is included with each AstroFinder Software package.

Electronic Eyepiece™: Now everyone can easily share views from an eyepiece – of the Moon, plan-

, and land objects – on a tele

, stars

ets VCR's, and camcorders. This easy-to-set up and easy-to-use monochrome CMOS imager offers built-

ast control adjustment f

in contr

utoStar Suite

The A

AutoStar and PC into even more powerful and easy-to-use astronomical instrument. Capture great images of the the Moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky objects, plus terrestrial targets first time out. With Magic Eye software-assisted focusing.The AutoStar Suite Software includes imaging and planetarium tools. Includes a cable to connect your telescope to your PC.

Atomic

ATUM port of your telescope’s LNT Module.The Atomic Time Updater Module allows your telescope to update the LNT Module with the signal from the NIST atomic clock in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Time Updater Module (A

with Meade LPI

or v

vision screen and allo

arying astronomical and terrestrial lighting conditions.

(Lunar Planetar

™

TUM).

Plug in the cab

ws for direct connection to monitors,

y Imager)

le of the Atomic

our DS2000 telescope

ns y

tur

Time Update Module into the

CARING FOR YOUR TELESCOPE

Your DS-2000 telescope is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding observations. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your telescope will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include:

Avoid cleaning the telescope’s optics: a little dust on the front surface of the telescope’s

correcting lens causes virtually no degradation of image quality and should not be considered reason to clean the lens

b. When absolutely necessary, dust on the front lens should be removed with gentle strokes

of a camel hair brush or blown off with an ear syringe (available at any pharmacy). DO NOT use a commercial photographic lens cleaner.

c. Organic materials (

ts distilled water to 1 part isopropyl alcohol. You may also add 1 drop of biodegrad-

3 par able dishwashing soap per pint of solution. Use soft, white facial tissues and make short, gentle strokes. Change tissues often.

CAUTION: Do not use scented or lotioned tissues or damage could result to the optics.

d. If used outdoors on a humid night, water condensation on the telescope surfaces will prob-

ably result. While such condensation does not normally cause any damage to the telescope, it is recommended that the entire telescope be wiped down with a dry cloth before the telescope is packed away. Do not, however, wipe any of the optical surfaces. Rather, simply allow the telescope to sit for some time in the warm indoor air, so that the wet optical surfaces can dry unattended.

e. If your telescope is not to be used for an extended period, perhaps for one month or more,

it is advisable to remove the batteries from the telescope. Batteries left in the telescope for prolonged periods may leak, causing damage to the telescope’s electronic circuitry.

f. Do not leave the telescope inside a sealed car on a warm summer day; excessive ambi-

ent temperatures can damage the telescope’s internal lubrication and electronic circuitry.

e.g., fingerprints) on the front lens may be removed with a solution of

Collimation

DS-2000 refracting telescopes are optically aligned (collimated) at the factory prior to shipment, and it is never necessary to re-collimate the optics of these models. Meade DS-2114mm and DS-2130mm reflecting telescope models are also factory-aligned, but may occasionally require re-alignment, particularly if the telescope has received rough handling in shipment. Before using one of these models for the first time, check the alignment of the optics as outlined in this section. alignment procedure is not difficult to follow.

The optical systems of Meade DS-2000 reflecting telescopes include the following parts: primary mirror ( mirror-vanes image is brought to a focus at (

2. ter within the drawtube ( located on the outside surface of the main tube and slide the entire secondary mirror-holder system up or do dr

Good optical alignment is essential for telescope performance, and in any case the

1, Fig. 23); secondary mirror (2, Fig. 23); secondary mirror-holder (3, Fig. 23); secondary

(4, Fig. 23) and (1, Fig. 24); primary mirror-tilt screws (5, Fig. 23). The telescope’s

Confirm alignment - To confirm optical alignment look down the focuser drawtube (1, Fig.

) with the eyepiece removed. The edge of the focuser drawtube frames reflections of the

y mirror (

imar

Fig.

) holding the secondar

ly aligned, all of these reflections appear concentr

proper

viation from concentricity of any of these telescope parts with the eye requires

y de

An adjustments to the secondary mirror-holder (

, as described below.

Secondary mirror-vane adjustments: If the secondary mirror (1, Fig. 27) is left or right of cen-

wn in the slotted holes of the main tube until the secondar

If the secondar

wtube

Fig.

2, Fig. 27), slightly loosen the 3-vane adjustment/lock knobs (1, Fig. 24)

y mirror (

6, Fig. 23).

), the secondar

y mirror

, and the obser

Fig.

y mirror (3,

) is abo

Fig.

), the three (“spider”) v

s eye (

er’

ic (centered), as shown in

Fig. 24) and/or the primary mirror cell (Fig.

e- or belo

w-center within the dr

Fig.

y mirror is centered in the

anes (4,

With the optics

Fig.26.

wtube

Fig. 23.

Fig. 24.

Fig. 25.

Fig. 26. Fig. 27.

Fig. 28.

29.

Fig.

thread inward one of the adjustment/lock knobs (1, Fig. 24) while unthreading another of these knobs. Only make adjustments to two knobs at a time until the secondary mirror appears as in Fig. 28.

Secondary mirror-holder adjustments: If the secondary mirror (1, Fig. 28) is centered in the

3. focuser drawtube (

), the three “+” (Phillips head) secondary mirror-tilt screws (2, Fig. 24) should be slight-

Fig. 28

ly unthreaded to the point where the secondary mirror-holder ( axis parallel to the main tube. Grasp the secondary mirror-holder (avoid touching the mirror surface!) with your hand and rotate it until, looking through the drawtube, you can see the primary mirror centered as well as possible in the reflection of the secondary mirror. With the rotation of the secondary mirror-holder at this best-possible position, thread in the three Phillips head

, Fig. 24

ws (

scre three Phillips head screws to refine the tilt-angle of the secondary mirror, until the entire primary mirror can be seen centered within the secondary mirror’s reflection. With the secondary mirror thus aligned the image through the dr

Primary mirror adjustments: If the secondary mirror (1, Fig. 29) and the reflection of the pri-

4. mary mirror ( your eye and the reflection of the secondary mirror ( mary mirror tilt requires adjusting, using the Phillips head screws of the primary mirror cell (3,

). These primary mirror-tilt screws are located behind the primary mirror, at the lower end

Fig. 25

of the main tube. See several turns (use either a hex wrench or pliers) the three hex-head primary mirror lock screws

2, Fig. 25) which are also located on the rear surface of the primary mirror cell and which alter-

( nate around the cell’s circumference with the three Phillips head screws. Then by trial and error turn the primary mirror Phillips head tilt screws ( way to turn each screw to center the reflection of your eye in the drawtube. (An assistant is helpful in this operation.) With your eye centered as shown in primary mirror lock screws (

The telescope’s optical system is now aligned, or collimated. This collimation should be rechecked from time to time, with small adjustments (per steps 1, 2, and/or 3, above) effected as required to keep the optics well-aligned.

2, Fig. 28), but the primary mirror is only partially visible in the reflection (3,

3, Fig. 24) can rotate about its

k the rotational position. Then, if necessary, make adjustments to these

) to loc

awtube appears as in

2, Fig. 29) appear centered within the drawtube (3, Fig. 29), but the reflection of

4, Fig. 29) appear off-center, then the pri-

Fig. 25. Before adjusting the primary mirror-tilt screws, first unscrew by

3, Fig. 25) until you develop a feel for which

2, Fig. 25) to re-lock the tilt-angle of the primary mirror.

Fig.29.

Fig. 26, turn the three hex head

Meade Customer Service

If you have a question concerning your DS-2000 Telescope, contact the Meade Instruments Customer Service Department at:

Telephone: (800) 626-3233

, Monda

Time

acific

actor

PM, P

actory servicing or repairs, write or call

Customer Ser

ely e

unlik the Meade Customer Ser giving full particulars as to the nature of the problem, as well as your name, address, and daytime telephone number. The great majority of servicing issues can be resolved by telephone,

oiding retur

vice hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00

ent that y

our DS-2000 telescope requires f

vice Depar

n of the telescope to the f

tment first, before returning the telescope to the factory,

y through F

riday. In the

SPECIFICATIONS

DS-2060

Optical design......................................................................................Refractor

Clear aperture ....................................................................................60mm

ocal length ........................................................................................700mm

Focal ratio ..........................................................................................f/11.7

Resolving po Max po

Mounting..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Alignment

w Speeds ......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

Sle

Tripod ..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

Optical

Batteries (user-supplied) ....................................................................8 x AA

DS-2070

Optical design......................................................................................Refractor

Clear aperture ....................................................................................70mm

ocal length ........................................................................................700mm

Focal ratio ..........................................................................................f/10

Resolving po Max po

Mounting..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Alignment

w Speeds

Sle

Tripod ..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

Optical T

Batteries (user-supplied) ....................................................................8 x AA

DS-2080

Optical design......................................................................................Refractor

Clear aperture ....................................................................................80mm

Focal length ........................................................................................900mm

Focal ratio ..........................................................................................f/11.3

Resolving power..................................................................................1.4 arc secs

Max power ..........................................................................................275X

Mounting..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Alignment ..........................................................................................Altazimuth

Slew Speeds ......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

Tripod ..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

Optical Tube Dimensions ....................................................................3.25" x 34"

Batteries (user-supplied) ....................................................................8 x AA

wer..................................................................................1.9 arc secs

wer ..........................................................................................200X

..........................................................................................Altazimuth

Tube Dimensions ....................................................................2.5" x 27"

wer..................................................................................1.6 arc secs

er ..........................................................................................250X

..........................................................................................Altazimuth

......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

ube Dimensions ....................................................................3.0" x 27"

DS-2090

Optical design......................................................................................Refractor

Clear aperture ....................................................................................90mm

Focal length ........................................................................................800mm

Focal ratio ..........................................................................................f/8.8

Resolving power..................................................................................1.3 arc secs

er ..........................................................................................300X

Max po

Mounting..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Alignment ..........................................................................................Altazimuth

Slew Speeds ......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

ipod

Optical Tube Dimensions ....................................................................3.5" x 31"

Batteries (user-supplied) ....................................................................8 x AA

DS-2114

Optical design

Clear aperture ....................................................................................114mm

ocal length ........................................................................................910mm

ocal ratio ..........................................................................................f/8

Resolving power..................................................................................1.0 arc secs

Max po Mounting

Alignment ..........................................................................................Altazimuth

w Speeds ......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

Sle

Tripod ..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

Optical

Batter

......................................................................................Reflector

wer ..........................................................................................325X

..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Tube Dimensions ....................................................................5.5" x 34"

ies (user-supplied) ....................................................................8 x AA

DS-2114S

Optical design

Clear aperture ....................................................................................114mm

ocal length ........................................................................................1000mm

Focal ratio ..........................................................................................f/8.8

Resolving power..................................................................................1.0 arc secs

Max po

Mounting..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Alignment ..........................................................................................Altazimuth

w Speeds ......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

Sle

Tripod ..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

Optical Tube Dimensions ....................................................................5.5" x 18"

Batteries (user-supplied) ....................................................................8 x AA

......................................................................................Reflector

wer ..........................................................................................325X

DS-2130

Optical design......................................................................................Reflector

Clear aperture ....................................................................................130mm

Focal length ........................................................................................1020mm

Focal ratio ..........................................................................................f/7.9

Resolving power..................................................................................0.9 arc secs

Max power ..........................................................................................350X

Mounting..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Alignment ..........................................................................................Altazimuth

Slew Speeds ......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

Tripod ..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

Optical Tube Dimensions ....................................................................5.7" x 38"

Batteries (user-supplied) ....................................................................8 x AA

DS-2130S

Optical design......................................................................................Reflector

Clear aperture ....................................................................................127mm

Focal length ........................................................................................1000mm

Focal ratio ..........................................................................................f/7.9

Resolving po

Max power ..........................................................................................350X

Mounting..............................................................................................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az

Alignment ..........................................................................................Altazimuth

Slew Speeds ......................................................................................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments

Tripod ..................................................................................................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray

Optical Tube Dimensions ....................................................................5.7" x 18"

ies (user-supplied)

Batter

..................................................................................0.9 arc secs

....................................................................

8 x AA

#494 Autostar

Processor ............................................................................................68HC11, 8MHz

Flash Memor

Keypad ................................................................................................10 key alphanumeric

Display ................................................................................................2 line, 16 character LCD

Backlight..............................................................................................Red LED

RS-232 ................................................................................................Yes

Coil Cord ............................................................................................24"

Database ............................................................................................more than 1400 objects

Length..................................................................................................5.60" (14.2cm)

Width (LCD end)..................................................................................3.08" (78cm)

Width (Connector end) ........................................................................2.10" (53.5cm)

Depth ..................................................................................................0.93" (23.5cm)

....................................................................................

512KB, reloadable

Earth’s

Rotation

0 Dec.

South  Celestial  Pole

Right Ascension

Star

Celestial  Equator

-90 Dec.

+90 Dec.

orth  Celestial  Pole (

Vicinity 

of Polaris)

APPENDIX A

Polaris

Little Dipper

Big Dipper

Cassiopeia

Celestial Coordinates

It is helpful to understand how to locate celestial objects as they move across the sky.

A celestial coordinate system w maps an imaginary sphere surrounding the Earth upon which all stars appear to be placed. 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 EastWest direction, parallel to the Earth’s equator. Similarly, imaginary lines have been drawn to form a latitude and longitude grid on the celestial sphere. These lines are known as

Ascension

and Dec

lination

The celestial map also contains two poles and an equator just like a map of the Earth. The poles of this coordinate system are defined as those tw south poles (i.e.,the Ear the North Celestial Pole (

th's axis), if extended to infinity, would cross the celestial sphere. Thus,

1, Fig. 30) is that point in the sky where an extension of the North Pole intersects the celestial sphere. This point in the sky is located very near the North Star, Polaris. The celestial equator (

2, Fig. 30) is a projection of the Earth’s equator onto the celestial sphere.

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 could locate Los Angeles, California, by its latitude (+34°) and longitude (118°). Similarly, you could locate the constellation Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) by its Right Ascension (11hr) and its Declination (+50°).

Right Ascension (R.A.): 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 are determined by longitude lines). The "zero" line was arbitrarily 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 24 primary lines of R.A., located at 15-degree 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.

Declination (Altitude): This celestial version of latitude is measured in degrees, minutes,

•

and seconds (e.g., 15° a plus (+) sign (

27' 33"). Dec. locations north of the celestial equator are indicated with

.g.,

the Dec. celestial equator are indicated with a min is –90°). Any point on the celestial equator (such as the the constellations of Orion, Virgo, and Aquar

ius) is

said to ha

e a Declination of z

as created that

of the Nor

Right

Fig. 30: Celestial Sphere.

o points where the Earth’s north and

th celestial pole is +90

us (–) sign (

, sho

ero

.g.

, the Dec.

wn as 0° 0' 0."

Dec. locations south of the

of the South celestial pole

Locating the Celestial Pole

o get basic bear

ings at an obser (West) each day. After the site is dark, face North by pointing your left shoulder toward where the Sun set. To precisely point at the pole, find the North Star (Polaris) by using the Big Dipper as a guide (

Fig. 31).

IMPORTANT NOTE: For almost all astronomical observing requirements, approximate settings are acceptable. Do not allow undue attention to precise alignment of the telescope to interfere with your basic enjoyment of the instrument.

ving location, take note of where the Sun rises (East) and sets

Fig. 31: Locating Polaris.

TIP: Entering R.A. and

Coordinates of

Dec. an object without using the menus:

If you do not wish to

vigate through the

na menus, a more direct way to enter coordinates is to press and hold MODE for two seconds or more. R.A. and Dec. coordinates display. Press GO TO. "Object Position" and a set of coordinates displays. Enter the R.A. and Dec. coordinates of any celestial object using the Up and Down Arrow keys, overwriting the coordinates currently displayed. As soon as the coordinates are entered, Autostar slews the telescope to the coordinates. Note that the telescope must be initialized and aligned for this procedure to operate properly.

However, if you wish to store the coordinates of an object in memory, use the method descr

ight.

the r

ibed at

APPENDIX B

Using Autostar to Find Objects Not in the Database

Although Autostar contains a database of more than 1400 celestial objects (stars, nebulae, planets, etc.) that you can observe, you may eventually want to view objects that are not part of the database dinates in the "User: Objects" option of the Object menu and allows automatic slewing of the telescope to the user-entered coordinates.

In order to use this menu option, you first need to look up the R.A and Dec. coordinates of the object or objects you wish to observe. Check out your local library, computer store, bookstore, CD Roms, Internet, or magazines (such as of celestial objects. The objects/coordinates you enter become part of your own permanent database, called "User Objects."

To enter coordinates of an object into the "User: Objects" option of the Object menu:

1. Make sure Autostar has been initialized and the telescope has been aligned.

2. After the telescope is aligned, "Select Item: Object" displays. (If necessary, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the menus, as previously described, to find this option.) Press ENTER.

"Object: Solar System" displays. Keep pressing the Scroll Up key until "Object: User Object"

3. displays and press ENTER.

4. "User Object: Select" displays. Press the Scroll Down key once. "User Object: Add" displays. Press ENTER.

5. "Name" displays on the top line and a blinking cursor on the second line. Use the Arrow keys, as previously described, to enter the name of the object you wish to add to the database. When you are finished, press ENTER.

6. "Right Asc.: 00.00.0" displays. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to enter the digits for the Right Ascension coordinate of your object. When you are finished, press ENTER.

7. "Declination: +00°.00'" displays. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to enter the digits for the Declination coordinate of your object. If necessary, use the Scroll Keys to change "+" to "." When you are finished, press ENTER.

8. Autostar then prompts you to enter the size of the object. This step is optional. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to enter the size (in arc-minutes), if so desired, and press ENTER to go to the next display. If you do not wish to enter this information, simply press ENTER.

9. Autostar then prompts you to enter the magnitude of the object. This step is also optional. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to enter this information, if so desired, and press ENTER to go to the next display. "User Object: Add" displays again.

To GO TO a user-entered object:

In this procedure, you will choose an object from the User Object list and GO TO the object.

1. With "User Object: Add" displayed, press the Scroll Up key once. "User Object: Select" displa

2. Use the Scroll keys (if necessary) to scroll to the desired object. Press ENTER.

3. The name of the object and the Right Ascension and Declination coordinates display.

Press GO

. Autostar provides a feature that allows you to enter an object's R.A and Dec. coor-

Sky & Telescope or Astronomy), to find coordinates

ys. Press ENTER.

O and the telescope slews to the object.

APPENDIX C

Observing Satellites

In this procedure, you will prepare your telescope to observe a satellite pass.

1. Go to the "Object: Satellite" menu option and press ENTER.

2. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of satellites.

3. Select a satellite from the list and press ENTER.

"Calculating...." and then "Tracking..." displays. If the satellite is going to make a pass,

4. "Located" displays.

5. Use the Scroll keys to display data about the pass: aos – acquisition of signal and los – loss of signal. If you subtract the aos from the los, you can calculate how long the satellite will be visible. Location information also displays.

6. "Alarm" displays after the location information. Press ENTER and Autostar automatically sets the alarm to sound a minute before the satellite's scheduled appearance. You may return to regular observations until the alarm goes off.

7. When the alarm goes off, return to the Satellite menu and press a Scroll key until the desired satellite is on the top line of the display.

8. Press GO TO. Autostar slews the telescope to where the satellite should appear. The motor drive stops and a countdown is displayed.

NOTE: If the scheduled appearance position of the satellite is obstructed (i.e., by a building, tree, or hill), press ENTER and Autostar starts to move the telescope along the expected satellite track. When the track clears the obstruction, press ENTER again to pause the telescope, then continue with this procedure.

9. With about 20 seconds left on the countdown timer, start watching through the telescope viewfinder for the satellite to enter the field of view.

10. When the satellite enters the viewfinder field of view, press ENTER. The telescope starts to track with the satellite.

11. Use the Autostar Arrow keys to center the object in the viewfinder, then look through the eyepiece to view the object.

Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including the Space Shuttle) are launched. Visit the Meade website ( and instructions on how to download this data to Autostar. If orbital parameters are more than one month old, the satellite pass may not happen at the time predicted by Autostar. Downloading requires the optional #506 AstroFinder™ Software and Cable Connector Kit. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 29.

NOTE: Satellite observing is an exciting challenge. Most satellites are in low orbit,

tr sky and are only in the field of vie telescope r Viewing in the middle of the night can be problematic because the satellite may pass overhead, but not be visible as it is in the Earth's shadow.

www.meade.com) approximately once a month to get updated information

elling at appro

ximately 17,500 mph. When visible, they move quickly across the

utes, requiring Autostar to slew the

w min

or a f

w f

. Best viewing is near Sunrise or Sunset when the sky is still dark.

apidly

DS-2000 TIPS

Press > until it is centered

ress < until it

is centered

rain Drive

Az. Train

Train Drive Alt. Train

Drive Setup For this op. . .

Center reference object

ENTER

Scope slews left. Bring target back to center using t

he Right Arrow key.

Scope slews right. B

ring target back

o center using

he Left Arrow key.

Menu returns to Az. training.

Altitude (vertical) training.

Reminder to  use terrestrial target.

Train Drive Az. Train

Select Item Object

Press until it is centered

ENTER

MODE

Center target using Arrow keys.

Scope slews down. Bring target back to center using the Up Arrow key.

Scope slews up. Bring target back to center using the Down Arrow key.

Multiple presses.

ENTER

elect Item

Object

Select Item

Setup

Setup Align

Setup Telescope

ENTER

Press the scroll  up key once.

ccess the Setup

enu.

Multiple presses.

Access the  Telescope menu.

ENTER

Telescope Telescope Model

Telescope Train Drive

Train Drive Az. Train

Drive Setup For this op. . .

Center reference object.

ENTER

Multiple presses.

Choose the Train Drive option.

Azimuth  (horizontal) training.

Reminder to  use terrestrial target.

Center target using Arrow keys.

ENTER

Verify that AUTOSTAR  INITIALIZATION is  c

omplete.  Press MODE until  Select Item is displayed.

APPENDIX D

Training the Drive

Train the telescope motors using Autostar. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy prob-

Fig. 32 depicts the complete Drive Training procedure.

lems.

NOTE: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the drive. Complete this

exercise once every 3 to 6 months to maintain the highest level of telescope pointing accuracy.

This manual gives only the briefest introduction to astronomy. If you are interested in pursuing further studies, a few topics are suggested below that are worth reading up on. Try looking up some of these topics in the Autostar glossary.

Fig. 32: Training the Drive Procedure.

Also below is a small sampling of books, magazines, and organizations that you might find helpful.

opics

1. How is a star born? How does a solar system form?

2. How is the distance to a star measured? What is a light year? What is red shift and blue shift?

3. How are the craters on our Moon formed? How old is the Moon and Earth? How old is the Sun?

What is a black hole? A neutron star?

5. What are stars made of? Why are stars different colors? What is a white dwarf? A red giant? Have we ever seen the surface of a star besides our own Sun?

6. What is a nova? A supernova?

7. What are comets? Minor planets? Meteors? Meteor showers? Where do they come from?

8. What is a planetary nebula? A globular cluster?

9. What is the Big Bang? Is the universe expanding or contracting, or does it always remain the same? What is dark matter?

10. What is an extrasolar planet? What is an accretion (or protoplanetary) disk?

11. What is the difference between an elliptical, a spiral, and an irregular galaxy?

Books

1. The Guide to Amateur Astronomy by Jack Newton and Philip Teece

The Sky:

Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consolmagno & Dan Davis

A User’s Guide by David Levy

4. Astrophotography for the Amateur by Michael

vington

gazines

1. Sky & Telescope Box 9111, Belmont, MA 02178

Astronomy

x 1612,

auk

esha,

WI 53187

Organizations:

1. Astronomical League Ex

ecutiv

e Secretar

5675 Real del Norte, Las Cruces, NM 88012

2. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific 390 Ashton Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112

3. The Meade 4M Community

.meade4M.org.

www

And watch Jack Horkheimer,

Star Gazer, on your local

PBS station.

Top

Alignment

screw

Side Alignment screw

Fig. 33: The LNT Module, with alignment screws and Atomic Time Update port visible.

Top Alignment screw

Atomic Time Update Port

Side

Spring

Fig. 34: Interior side view of LNT Module.

Cover

Alignment screw hole

Top Alignment screw hole

Battery

APPENDIX E

Changing the LNT Battery

The LNT Module uses a lithium coin CR2023 battery that will last about 5 years and is installed with the or will need to recalibrate the telescope’s sensors and reset the time and date.You will need a ne Module, although this is not necessary.

To replace the battery:

1. Remove the top alignment screw cap/long bolt from the LNT Module. See Fig.

2. Remove the side alignment screw cap/long bolt from the LNT Module. Take note

3. Carefully lift the top section of the unit from the bottom section. Do not remove

4. Remove the old battery. Note the spring.

5. Insert the new (user-supplied) battery. Take care to orient the battery so that the

6. Replace the top spring in place and the LNT Module cover.

7. Replace the top bolt and tighten the cap to a firm feel.

8. Hold the side spring in place with your fingers and slide the spring between

9. Next, follow the instructions included with the Atomic Time Update Module

w battery. Also, you may use Meade’s optional Atomic Time Update

33.

that there are two springs inside the LNT. One spring sits between the top and bottom of the unit. The second spring is on the side of the unit that rests between the bottom and the top sections. One long bolt passes through the top

ing and the other long bolt passes through the side spring. Set the springs

spr aside as y

Important Note: Note there is some wiring inside the LNT Module. Be careful not to pull on the wiring. If it is necessary to move the wiring aside, do so carefully.

the bottom section or disassemble the rest of the unit.

side with the battery markings is facing the top.

between the top and bottom sections. The spring should line up with the mounting holes for the side long bolt. Slide the long bolt through the side hole, then through the spring and finally through the bottom of the LNT Module and tighten to a firm feel.

optional accessory to reset the clock.

Enter the date and time manually using the Date and Time options in the Setup menu.

Note: You may find it useful to recalibrate the LNT Module sensors after changing the batter

men

iginal LNT Module assembly. After you replace the battery, you

ou will need to replace it later in this assembly . See

ou will find the Calibrate Sensors in the Setup: Telescope

Fig.

33 and 34

Side Alignment screw hole

ior top vie

35 Inter

Fig. SmartFinder unit.

w of

Spr

ing

APPENDIX F

How to manually set the date to March 6, 2005:

1. Press ON/OFF to turn on the control panel. Press the button prompted by the control panel to show that the Sun warning has been

2. read and understood. Press ENTER to bypass Getting Started message.

3. Keep pressing MODE until “Select Item: Object” displays.

4. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Select Item: Setup” displays. Press ENTER.

5. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Setup: Date” displays. Press ENTER.

6. "Enter Date: 01-JAN-2003" displays. "0" is highlighted by a blinking cursor. Press the Right Arrow key to move to the next position.

"1" is now highlighted. Press the Scroll Up key until "6" displays in this position. Press the

7. Right Arrow key to move to the next position.

8. "JAN" is now highlighted. Press the Scroll Up key until "MAR" displays. Press the Right Arrow key to move to the next position.

9. "2" is now highlighted.The date display now reads "06 MAR 2003." Press the Right Arrow key three times until the “3” is highlighted.

10. Press the Scroll Up key until "5" displays in this position. Press ENTER. The date is now entered.

How to manually set the time to 11:30 p.m.:

If you have just set the date, “Setup: Date” displays. Press DOWN once and “Setup: Time” displays. Then proceed to step #6. below.

If you have not yet turned on your control panel, begin with step #1.

1. Press ON/OFF to turn on the control panel.

2. Press the button prompted by the control panel to show that the Sun warning has been read and understood. Press ENTER to bypass Getting Started message.

3. Keep pressing MODE until “Select Item: Object” displays.

4. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Select Item: Setup” displays. Press ENTER.

5. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Setup: Time” displays. Press ENTER.

6. "Enter Time: 08:00:00AM" displays.The leftmost "0" is highlighted. Press the Scroll Up key until "1" displays. Press Press the Right Arrow key to move to the next position.

7. "8" is highlighted. Press Press the Scroll Up key until "1" displays. Press the Right Arrow key to move to the next position.

8. "0" is highlighted. Press Press the Scroll Up key until "3" displays.

9. Keep pressing the Right Arrow key until "AM" is highlighted. Press the Scroll Up key until "PM" displays. Press ENTER.

The time displa

10.

y now reads "11:30:00PM." The time is now entered.

APPENDIX G

Fast

Medium

Moder

Slo

ate

7 6

Fig. 36: Electronic Controller. (1) Arrow Keys; (2) Indicator Lights; (3) SPEED Key; (4) Coil Cord; (5) MODE Key; (6) OUT Key; (7) IN Key.

Electronic Controller (DS-2000EC Users Only)

DS-2000 "EC" models come equipped with an Electronic Controller handbox, rather than the Autostar Handbox. The Electronic Controller provides you with the means to control the telescope motors from a compact handbox. The Electronic Controller (Fig. 36) has soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel, even through gloves.

Functions of the Electronic Controller include:

N Slewing (moving) the telescope's optical tube assembly to an object.

N When used with the optional #1240 Electric Focuser, moves the focus of the eyepiece. See the

#1240 Electric Focuser Instruction Sheet for more information.

1 Arrow Keys (1, Fig. 36): Press one of the four Arrow keys to slew the telescope (i.e., up, down,

left, and right) at any one of four slew speeds (see

Important Note: If you reverse directions while using the Arrow keys to slew to objects, there may be a slight pause as the telescope motors compensate for the reversal of the internal gears.

2 Indicator Lights (2, Fig. 36): The four red LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights indicate the current

slew speed of the telescope.

SPEED KEY below).

3 SPEED Key (3, Fig. 36): Press the SPEED key to change the speed at which the telescope

slews to an object. Each press of the SPEED key changes the slew speed to the next setting. If the controller is already on the slowest slew speed (light 4), pressing the SPEED key cycles back to the highest speed (light 1). Slew speeds are signified by the indicator lights

Fig. 36

(2,

4 Coil Cord: Plug into the HBX connector of the Computer Control Panel.

5 MODE Key (5, Fig. 36): Not used with the DS-2000 telescopes.

6 OUT

SORIES

7 IN K

SORIES

elescope Mounting

A mount allo ing. The Electronic Controller is factory pre-set to the Alt/Az mode.

Altazim

izontal (azimuth) directions, and is ideal for terrestrial applications and for casual astronomical observation. The Electronic Controller Arrow keys permit pushbutton movements (slewing) of the telescope. To manually track objects with the telescope in the Altazimuth configuration, press the Arrow keys of the Electronic Controller as necessary to keep an object centered.

, page 29), press the OUT key to move the focus point outward.

(7,

, page 29), press the IN key to move the focus point inward.

ws a telescope to mo

uth (Alt/Az) mounting

(6,

Fig.

When using the optional #1240 Electr

ve on its axes. All DS-2000 telescopes use an Altazimuth mount-

ement of the telescope tube in v

mits mo

per

ic F

ocuser (see

OPTIONAL

ertical (altitude) and hor-

slower

CCES

Slew Speeds

The Electronic Controller has four slew speeds that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate (see page 15 for more information). Press the Speed key to change the slew speed. Note each slew speed corresponds to one of the four LED's of the Electronic Controller.

Light 1 (top LED): The f another.

Light 2: Best for centering an object in the viewfinder.

Light 3: Best for centering an object in the field of a low-to-moderate-power eyepiece, such as the

standard SP 26mm.

Light 4: The slowest speed. Use to center an object in the field of view of high-power eyepieces, such as a 9mm eyepiece.

The four available speeds are:

Light 1 = 1200 x sidereal (300 arc-min/sec Light 2 = 180 x sidereal (45 arc-min/sec Light 3 = 32 x sidereal (8 arc-min/sec Light 4 = 8 x sidereal (2 arc-min/sec

The two slowest speeds (8x and 32x sidereal) can be used for pushbutton (manual) tracking of astronomical objects while observing through the eyepiece.

To move the telescope using the Electronic Controller:

1. Set the telescope on a level surface.

2. Insert a low-power eyepiece ( 3, Fig. 1) and tighten the eyepiece thumbscrew.

(

3. Tighten the Altitude lock (

4. Verify that the power switch (

5. Plug in the Electronic Controller coil cord (

Computer Control panel.

6. Flip the power switch to ON. The power indicator (

lights and all four speed indicators (

7. Press any key on the Electronic Controller and the telescope slews momentarily in the vertical

and horizontal directions to test the motors.

8. When the test is complete, light 1 remains on; lights 2, 3, and 4 turn off.

9. Use the four Arrow keys (

slew speed, press the SPEED key.

10. Fine-adjust the position of the object with the Electronic Controller Arrow keys so that it is cen-

tered in the viewfinder. The object is now ready to be viewed through the telescope’s eyepiece.

astest speed. Use to move the telescope quickly from one point in the sky to

or 5°/sec)

or 0.75°/sec) or 0.13°/sec) or 0.034°/sec)

e.g., 25mm) into the eyepiece holder (2, Fig. 1) or diagonal prism

10, Fig. 1) and the tripod base lock knob (26, Fig. 1), if necessary.

C, Fig. 1c) on the telescope’s Computer Control panel is OFF.

4, Fig. 36) to the HBX port (A, Fig. 1c) on the

B, Fig. 1c) on the Computer Control panel

2, Fig. 36) blink rapidly.

1, Fig. 36) to slew the telescope to the desired object. To change the

Optional #494 Autostar™Computer Controller for DS-2000EC Users

One of the most impor Autostar Computer Controller turns your DS-2000EC model into an automatic celestial object locating system. Just plug Autostar into the telescope’s HBX port in place of the standard-equipment Electronic Controller Autostar’s 1400-object database.

Best of all, the Meade A fascinating celestial objects the very first night out. Study Saturn and its ring system; the primary cloud belts of Jupiter as well as its four major satellites; the moon-like phases of Mercury and Venus; prominent features on Mars.The Moon stands out in stark, almost three-dimensional detail — craters, mountain r ters ation of f

Any of Autostar’s database objects can be called up and entered on the hand controller display in seconds automatically slews to the object and places it in the field of view. Autostar moves the telescope to automatically tr

ere pre

anges, and fault lines. In our galaxy, the telescope displays hundreds of nebulae, star clus-

le and m

, doub

orm and structure.

The obser

viously unreachab

tant advances in telescope control in the past 25 years, the Meade #494

e any object in the

, do a quic

ultiple stars

ver then simply presses the GO TO pushbutton and watches as the telescope

k (follow) the object across the sky. Autostar brings into easy access objects that

k telescope alignment, and y

utostar is easy to use. Even the most novice observer will locate dozens of

le stars — plus doz

iab

, and v

ut the most dedicated of amateur astronomers

or all b

le f

ou are ready to obser

ens of external galaxies in all their vari-

37: The Moon.

Fig. Note the deep shadows in the craters.

BASIC ASTRONOMY

In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than your DS-2000 model, turned it skyward instead of looking at the distant trees and mountains. What he saw, and what he realized about what he saw, has forever changed the way mankind thinks about the universe. Imagine what it must have been like being the first human to see moons revolve around the planet J Galileo correctly realized Earth's movement and position around the Sun, and in doing so, gave

th to modern astronomy. Yet Galileo's telescope was so crude, he could not clearly make out

bir the rings of Saturn.

Galileo's discoveries laid the foundation for understanding the motion and nature of the planets, stars, and galaxies. Building on his foundation, Henrietta Leavitt determined how to measure the distance to stars, Edwin Hubble gave us a glimpse into the possible origin of the universe, Albert Einstein unraveled the crucial relationship of time and light, and 21st-century astronomers are currently discovering planets around stars outside our solar system. Almost daily, using sophisticated successors to Galileo's telescope, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Telescope, more and more mysteries of the universe are being probed and understood. We are living in the golden age of astronomy.

Unlike other sciences, astronomy welcomes contributions from amateurs. Much of the knowledge we have on subjects such as comets, meteor showers, variable stars, the Moon, and our solar system comes from observations made by amateur astronomers. So as you look through your Meade DS-2000 telescope, keep in mind Galileo. To him, a telescope was not merely a machine made of glass and metal, but something far more—a window through which the beating heart of the universe might be observed.

Autostar Glossary

Be sure to make use of Autostar’s Glossary feature. The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions of common astronomical terms. Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in Autostar. See

SARY MENU

Objects in Space

Listed below are some of the many astronomical objects that can be seen with the DS-2000 Series Telescope:

The Moon

The Moon is, on average, a distance of 239,000 miles (380,000km) from Earth and is best observed during its crescent or half phase when Sunlight strikes the Moon’s surface at an angle. It casts shadows and adds a sense of depth to the view ( during a full Moon, causing the overly bright Moon to appear flat and rather uninteresting through the telescope. Be sure to use a neutral Moon filter when observing the Moon. Not only does it protect your eyes from the bright glare of the Moon, but it also helps enhance contrast, providing a more dramatic image.

Brilliant detail can be observed on the Moon, including hundreds of lunar craters and maria, described below.

Craters are round meteor impact sites covering most of the Moon’s surface. With no atmosphere on the Moon, no weather conditions exist, so the only erosive force is meteor strikes. Under these conditions, lunar craters can last for millions of years.

Maria (plur areas are large ancient impact basins that were filled with lava from the interior of the Moon by the depth and force of a meteor or comet impact.

welve Apollo astronauts left their bootprints on the Moon in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Ho smallest lunar f mile across

al for mare) are smooth, dark areas scattered across the lunar surface. These dark

, no telescope on Ear

upiter or to see the changing phases of Venus! Because of his observations,

, page 24, for more information.

Fig. 37). No shadows are seen

le to see these footprints or any other artifacts. In fact, the

th is ab

eatures that ma

y be seen with the largest telescope on Ear

th are about one-half

GLOS-

Fig. 38: Jupiter and its four largest moons. The moons can be observed in a different position every night.

Fig. 39: Saturn has the most extensive ring structure in our Solar System.

Fig. 40: The Pleiades is one of the most beautiful open clusters.

Planets

Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. To locate the planets on a given day or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and Telescope or

Astronomy.

You can also consult Autostar for information about planets. Scroll to the "Object: Solar System" menu and scroll through the lists of planets. When a planet you are interested in displays, press ENTER. Use the Scroll keys to display information about the planet, such as the planet's coordinates, and the rise and set times (

Tip: enter a date in the Date menu and

you can determine if a planet(s) will be visible during the night of the entered date by checking

ise and set times). Listed below are the best planets for viewing through the DS-2000

its r Series.

Venus is about nine-tenths the diameter of Earth. As Venus orbits the Sun, observers can see it go through phases (crescent, half

, and full) much like those of the Moon. The disk of Venus appears white as Sunlight is reflected off the thick cloud cover that completely obscures any surface detail.

Mars is about half the diameter of Earth, and appears through the telescope as a tiny reddishorange disk. It may be possible to see a hint of white at one of the planet’s Polar ice caps. Approximately every two years, when Mars is closest to Earth in its orbit, additional detail and coloring on the planet's surface may be visible.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and is 11 times the diameter of Earth.The planet appears as a disk with dark lines stretching across the surface. These lines are cloud bands in the atmosphere. Four of Jupiter’s moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) can be seen as “star-like” points of light when using even the lowest magnification (

Fig. 38). These moons orbit Jupiter so that the number of moons visible on any given night changes as they circle around the giant planet.

Saturn is nine times the diameter of Earth and appears as a small, round disk with rings extending out from either side (Fig. 39). In 1610, Galileo, the first person to observe Saturn through a telescope, did not understand that what he was seeing were rings. Instead, he believed that Saturn had “ears.” Saturn’s rings are composed of billions of ice particles ranging in size from a speck of dust to the size of a house. The major division in Saturn's rings, called the Cassini Division, is occasionally visible. Titan, the largest of Saturn’s moons can also be seen as a bright, star-like object near the planet.

Deep-Sky Objects

Star charts can be used to locate constellations, individual stars and deep-sky objects. Examples of various deep-sky objects are given below:

Stars are large gaseous objects that are self-illuminated by nuclear fusion in their core. Because of their vast distances from our solar system, all stars appear as pinpoints of light, irrespective of the size of the telescope used.

Nebulae are vast interstellar clouds of gas and dust where stars are formed. Most impressive of these is the Great Nebula in Orion (M42), a diffuse nebula that appears as a faint wispy gray cloud. M42 is 1600 light years from Earth.

Open Clusters are loose groupings of young stars, all recently formed from the same diffuse nebula. The Pleiades is an open cluster 410 light years away (Fig. 40).

Constellations are large, imaginary patterns of stars believed by ancient civilizations to be the celestial equivalent of objects, animals, people, or gods. These patterns are too large to be seen through a telescope. To learn the constellations, start with an easy grouping of stars, such as the Big Dipper in Ursa Major. Then, use a star chart to explore across the sky.

Galaxies are large assemblies of stars, nebulae, and star clusters that are bound by gravity. The most common shape is spiral (such as our own Milky Way), but galaxies can also be ellip-

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the closest spiral-type galaxy to

en irregular b

tical, or e our o

v This galaxy appears fuzzy and cigar-shaped.

wn.

constellation Andromeda, located betw

egasus

lobs

It is 2.2 million light years away in the

een the large “W” of Cassiopeia and the great square of

(800) 626-3233

www.meade.com

MEADE 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. and Canada. 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 calling (800) 626-3233<None>. 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 supercedes all previous Meade product warranties.

14-7186-01 05/05

Meade DS-2000 LNT User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual