Meade Starfinder 16 User Manual

Instruction Manual

16" Meade®Starfinder Dobsonian Telescope

™

Meade Instruments Corporation

WARNING

NEVER ATTEMPT TO OBSERVE THE SUN T H ROUGH YOUR MEADE TELESCOPE! OBSERVING THE SUN, EVEN FOR THE SHORT E S T FRACTION OF A SECOND WILL CAUSE INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE. WHEN OBSERVING DURING THE DAYTIME, DO NOT POINT THE TELESCOPE EVEN CLOSE TOTHE SUN.

ALL MEADE TELESCOPES ARE UNDER CONTINUOUS T E C H N I C A L REVIEW, AND SPECIFICATIONS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SHIP OUR LATEST MODELS.

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 by calling (949) 451-1450. 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 can not be disclaimed are hereby limited to a term of one year from the date of original retail purchase.

This warranty gives you specific rights. You may have other rights which vary from state to state. Meade reserves the right to change product specifications or to discontinue products without notice. This warranty supersedes all previous Meade product warranties.

Meade Instruments Corporation 6001 Oak Canyon Irvine, CA 92618-5200

(949) 451-1450 FAX: (949) 451-1460

are trademarks registered with the United States Patent Office.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

B. Assembly and Set-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1. Assembling the Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2. Optical Tube Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

C. Balancing the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

D. Aligning the Viewfinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

E. Collimation of the Optical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

F. Tips On Using a Dobsonian Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

G. Magnifying Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

H. Seeing Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

I. Observing Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

J. Care of Optics and Main Tube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

K. Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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1. Focuser

2. Eyepiece

3. Viewfinder (Optional)

4. Optical Tube Assembly

5. Mirror Cell

6. Mount

7. Altitude Bearing

8. Azimuth Bearing

Figure 1

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Congratulations on your purchase of the Meade Starfinder Dobsonian 16 Telescope! Your new instrument features the professional-quality optics of Meade Starfinder Reflectors, a precision rack-and-pinion focuser, high-quality mounting, and many other features generally found only on more expensive telescopes. The Meade Starfinder Dobsonian 16 is ideal for those just starting out in amateur astronomy, as well as the more serious visual observer.

In order to get the most enjoyment from your new telescope, please take a few minutes to read through this manual. We also suggest that you obtain some basic sky charts and books that will help you to learn your way around the sky and show you how to find interesting objects to observe. Soon you will be using your Meade Starfinder Dobsonian 16 to observe the Moon, planets, galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae; all in stunning high-resolution detail.

CAUTION: DO NOTOBSERVE THE SUN WITH YOUR MEADE TELESCOPE! Observation of the Sun will cause serious and irreversible eye damage. Under no condition should the observer point the telescope at or near the Sun or attempt to observe the Sun through the telescope.

A. UNPACKING

Your telescope has been carefully packed in three cartons as follows:

Carton #1: Optical tube assembly with the secondary mirror mounted on its housing attached; focuser;

eyepiece (MA 25mm); related hardware. Carton #2 The primary mirror mounted in its cell; hardware for the mirror cell. Carton #3: Dobsonian Mount (unassembled); related hardware.

Remove and identify each part from the cartons, using Figure 1. CAUTION: The primary mirror must be handled with extremely special care. Never touch its reflective

surface or place the mirror where it could be damaged. Save all original packing materials; if it is ever necessary to ship the telescope, these materials will help to assure that no shipping damage will occur.

B. ASSEMBLY AND SET-UP

Assembly of your Meade Starfinder Dobsonian telescope should only take a few minutes, and require simple hand tools. A phillips screwdriver, pliers, and an adjustable wrench should be all that are required.

1. Assembling the Mount

Use the following steps to assemble the mount.

1. Attach nine self-adhesive Rubber Feet (1, Fig. 2) to the underside of the Ground Plate (2, Fig. 2), the round piece with the Teflon pads. Six of the Feet should be placed around the outside edge of the Ground Plate, evenly spaced, approximately 1/.2 inch from the edge. The remaining three feet should be placed in a triangle formation around the center hole, evenly spaced, approximately four inches from the center.

Two extra Rubber Feet have been supplied for use as “bumpers” where the telescope tube hits the Front Board (3, Fig 2.) at the travel limits. Place one in the center of the top ledge, and one in the center on the inside near the bottom (see Fig. 2). The exact position for these two bumpers will be obvious with the telescope mounted on the base.

2. Attach the two Side Boards (4, Fig. 2) to the Front Board (3, Fig. 2), and the two Side Braces (14, Fig.

2) to the using the supplied Wood Screws (5, Fig. 2), through the pre-drilled holes. Do not fully tighten the screws yet.

3. Attach the Front Board/Side Board assembly to the Base Plate (6, Fig 2) using the supplied Wood Screws, through the predrilled holes. Snugly tighten all screws, including those previously installed. CAUTION: Do not overtighten the wood screws. However, the screws should be tightened sufficiently so that the head of the screw is flush with the wood surface.

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