Orion Sky Wizard Model 3 Instruction Manual
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Orion®
SkyWizard™ 3
#7803 Electronic Finder & Sky Catalog Model 3
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
Customer Support (800) 676-1343
E-mail: support@telescope.com
Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000
P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061
IN 050 Rev. B 0499
Congratulations! Your Orion Sky Wizard Model 3 will put the fun back in your telescope observing. It provides a
digital readout of celestial coordinates, a database of more than 10,000 of the most interesting deep sky subjects,
and the ability to guide the observer to astronomical objects. It’s designed to work with both altazimuth (including
Dobsonian) and equatorial telescope mounts. The catalog information is stored in permanent internal memory. The
celestial subjects are organized by catalog: Messier (M), NGC and IC, plus other lesser known catalogs. Many
interesting stars are in the ST (Star) list. You can add up to 27 objects in your own NEW catalog.
Sky Wizard is designed for ease of use. Simply turn it on, sight two stars, and let it guide you to celestial objects.
There is no need to polar align the telescope, input latitude, longitude, date or time (date needed for planets). It
provides virtually any telescope with a continuous digital display of celestial coordinates. The unique method of
alignment by two star sightings provides good pointing accuracy over the entire sky.
Finding an object is easy. Just select any subject from one of the catalogs and tell Sky Wizard to find it by using
the FIND function. The display will then give instructions on how to move your telescope. You can also point your
telescope at any object in the sky, with the IDENTIFY mode, Sky Wizard will search its database and tell you the
object’s identity.
At the beginning of each observing session, you align Sky Wizard with the current sky by selecting a bright star
from the SETUP menu (list of the brightest navigational stars), pointing the telescope at that star, and then pressing ENTER when the star is centered in the eyepiece. The procedure requires sighting on only one star for a
polar-aligned equatorial mount, but sighting a second star will improve accuracy. An altazimuth telescope requires
two star sightings for alignment. Additional sightings made during the observing session reduce cumulative errors.
Sky Wizard weighs only 8 ounces, including the internal battery, and may be conveniently mounted near the eyepiece. Sky Wizard connects electrically to the optical encoders with a plug-in connecting cable. The red LED display
is easy to read and does not interfere with night-adapted vision. A dimming button adjusts the brightness of the
display. Sky Wizard is especially useful under light-polluted skies where few visible stars are available to guide you
to deep-sky objects.
Sky Wizard is connected to your telescope with optical encoders. The encoders sense the rotation of the telescope
within 0.09° or 0.17°, which is precise enough to bring any object into a low-power field of view, and can track
telescope motion at rates as high as 160° per second. The encoders are attached by various methods depending
on your telescope model. Installation kits and encoders are sold separately from Sky Wizard to allow for this variation in attachment method. Instructions for mechanical installation of encoders are provided with the installation
kits.
Powered by a single 9-volt alkaline battery, Sky Wizard provides over 24 hours of operation with the display fully
dimmed. It can also operate from an external 12-volt DC power supply connected to the battery snap.
Table of Contents
1. Installation ............................................................................................................................ 3
2. Operation ............................................................................................................................. 4
3. Sample Observing Session ................................................................................................. 7
4. Computer Interface .............................................................................................................. 9
5. Object Catalog Listings ........................................................................................................... 9
6. SETUP Star List ................................................................................................................... 28
7. Troubleshooting Your Sky Wizard ......................................................................................... 28
8. Quick Reference ................................................................................................................... 29
2
Installation of Sky Wizard requires an Installation Kit for your particular
make of telescope. Please refer to the instructions provided with the
Installation Kit of the encoders and other hardware.
1. Installation
The INSTALL mode is used when Sky Wizard is first installed on your
telescope. INSTALL tells Sky Wizard what kind of telescope you are
using, the desired scroll rate for the subject description display, and
the resolution or gear ratio of the encoders. This information is contained in the Installation Kit’s instructions.
When entering the value of the gear ratios, you must go all the way
through the INSTALL sequence until the word INSTALL appears
again to update any changes. To start, press MODE. Scroll UP or
DOWN until the display reads INSTALL, then press ENTER.
Telescope Mount Type
The display first prompts you to select the type of telescope mount
used. The current mount type will be displayed. Press UP or DOWN
to select the desired mount.
Mount type choices:
• For telescopes on fork mounts such as Celestron and Meade
Schmidt-Cassegrains:
Equatorial fork mount: SCOPE EQ
Equatorial fork mount, perfectly aligned: SCOPE EP
• Fortelescopes onGerman-typeequatorialmounts(mountswith
a counterweight on a shaft balancing the weight of the optical
tube), such as the Great Polaris (GP) or Super Polaris mounts:
German-type equatorial mount: SCOPE GQ
German-type equatorial, perfectly aligned: SCOPE GP
• Fortelescopes onaltazimuthmounts,includingDobsonians and
other telescopes that move in vertical and horizontal planes:
(Choice of vertical or horizontal index is based on your preference, not on the telescope itself. See SETUP).
Altazimuth, horizontal index: SCOPE
Altazimuth, vertical index: SCOPE AV
• For a motor-driven “Poncet” type equatorial table such as that
sometimes used with a Dobsonian telescope:
Equatorial table, vertical index: SCOPE ET
When you have selected the correct type of mount, press ENTER to
advance to the next step.
Perfectly Aligned Option (EP or GP). For equatorial telescopes, you
can choose a ‘perfectly aligned’ telescope type if your telescope is on
a permanent mount known to be in good polar alignment, or if your
portable telescope can be easily polar aligned accurately. If you
choose a ‘perfectly aligned’ type, Sky Wizard does not ask for or
require an initial mount index, and uses only a single star to get ori-
entedwiththesky.The“Sync”functionhasnoeffect.EPorGPmode
will result in improved pointing accuracy, especially near the poles, if
your telescope is indeed perfectly aligned, by eliminating rounding
errors in the complex mathematical transformation normally needed
to adjust for polar alignment error.
Set Data Scroll Rate
This is the rate of which data scroll across the LED display window, e.g,
SCROLL 5. Set the flashing digit using the UP and DOWN buttons. 0
is very slow, 5 is about right and 9 is very fast. Press ENTER to set
your choice and go to the next step.
Select Chart Number
Sky Wizard’s database includes references to chart numbers in Wil
Tirion’s Sky Atlas 2000.0 and Uranometria 2000.0 by Tirion,
Rappaport, and Lovi, volumes 1 and 2. Choose which sky atlas chart
number you want displayed in the object descriptions.
Sky Atlas 2000.0 chart number: CHART SA
Uranometria chart number: CHART UA
Press ENTER to set your choice and go to the next step.
Encoder Settings
(See instructions w/ your install kit for correct
settings.)
The proper encoder settings (ratios) for your specific telescope mount
are located on a chart on the Installation Instructions that came with
the installation kit for your specific telescope. Simply input these
ratios in the Install mode by scrolling up and down and pressing
ENTER after each correct number that is blinking. Be sure to go all
the way through the install sequence (pressing ENTER each time)
until the word INSTALL reappears, to update any changes.
Custom Installation
(Skip this section if you have purchased an
Installation Kit for a specific telescope or you
already know the encoder ratios.)
The Sky Wizard needs to be told how many turns of an encoder indicate one turn of the telescope. If you have an altazimuth telescope, or
any mount where gears or pulleys are not used, you simply need to
enter the correct resolution for your encoders. The encoder resolution
(steps per revolution) is printed on the side of the encoders you
received with your installation kit. You will either have the larger high
resolution encoders (4000 steps/revolution) or the smaller standard
resolution encoders (2160 steps/revolution). Sky Wizard will display
the preset encoder resolution for encoder #1, AZ.
Example: AZ +02160
This is the correct number for standard resolution encoders. If you
have high resolution encoders, change this number to +04000. Adjust
the blinking digit using the UP and DOWN buttons. When the digit is
correctly displayed, press ENTER to set and advance to the next digit.
After all the digits are set for the first encoder, the display switches to
the second, DEC (Altitude on altazimuth scopes): AL +02160. Set it to
the required numbers in the same way as the first. If you are installing
Sky Wizard on an equatorial mount or with any kit that uses gears or
pulleys, you will need to figure the encoder ratio for your installation
kit. If you purchased an Orion installation kit for your telescope, the
instructions for that kit will list the required encoder settings to enter in
your Sky Wizard. Simply enter those settings as described.
Determining Encoder Settings (Ratios)
You don’t need to worry about this if you know the encoder ratios from
your Installation Kit Instructions. If you are custom-installing a Sky
Wizard and need to determine the proper encoder ratios, read on. Many
mountings will utilize gears to drive the optical encoders. This can
increase resolution and make the installation more convenient. It is necessary to set the ratio of each encoder to be driven by gears. If the
encoder is connected to the telescope using a belt and pulley or gears,
the ratios must be calculated. To determine the correct encoder ratios if
using gears, simply multiply the encoder resolution by the number of
teeth on the gear connected to the telescope. Divide that number by the
3
number of teeth on the gear connected to the encoder. For example, if
using a 4000 step encoder with an 84 tooth gear attached to it, and the
telescope axis has a 96 tooth gear attached, the final ratio would be:
4000 x 96/84=4571. If there are no gears or pulleys then the direct ratio
is 04000 (for 4000 step encoders) or 02160 (for 2160 step encoders).
Encoder Direction Test
The purpose of the encoder direction test is to make sure the encoders are set to the correct polarity, correct ratios, and that nothing is
slipping. It is very important to do this test at home before trying the
Sky Wizard at night. It is the last step in the installation procedure
before going out into the field. If you find that your Sky Wizard is way
off, you must do this test before calling for assistance.
Equatorial Telescopes: Point the telescope up and slightly toward the
South so the Dec. is at 0° on the original (mechanical) setting circles.
Rotate the original RA (mechanical) setting circles so RA=00. Turn Sky
Wizard off, then back on to clear it and press ENTER after Sky Wizard
reads DEC=0. Press MODE and scroll to ENC TEST mode. Press
ENTER and it should read ER=000, ED=+000.
Move the declination axis to 90° north. The display should now show
“ER=000 ED=+090”iftheDECaxis“sign”is correct.Ifnot,re-enter
the INSTALL mode and change the sign to negative for the DEC axis
(AL). If the numerical value is not ED=090, then the encoder ratio is
incorrect. Check your Installation Instructions to see if you have inputted the correct encoder ratios in the INSTALL Mode.
To check the RA axis, again point the telescope up and slightly toward
the South so the Dec. is at 0° on the original (mechanical) setting circles. Rotate the original RA (mechanical) setting circles so RA=00.
Turn Sky Wizard off, then back on to clear it and press ENTER after
the Sky Wizard reads DEC=0. Press MODE and scroll to ENC TEST
mode. Press ENTER and it should read ER=000, ED=+000. Move the
telescope toward the Western Horizon so the RA=18 Hrs. and it
should read ER=090 ED=+000. If it reads another value, such as
ER=270 then go back to the INSTALL and change the +/- sign and
repeat the test. If you get any other values, check the encoder ratios
in INSTALL mode. Also check that the encoder and hardware are
properly installed. Make sure all setscrews are tight.
Altazimuth Telescopes: Turn on Sky Wizard and position the telescope vertically as requested by the instrument in AV (telescope type)
or horizontal in AZ. Press ENTER, then the Mode button. Scroll to the
ENC TEST mode to display encoder angle. In AV mode, tilt the altitude
axis down approximately 45° from vertical. Move it up 45° in AZ. Check
thatthedisplay shows“AZ=000 AL=+045”.Ifthe displayisin agreement with the telescope position, then the altitude encoder polarity is
correct and no change to the gear ratio is required. If not, press the
MODE button, scroll to INSTALL, press ENTER. Repeat the Install
procedure until you get to the encoder ratio AL=+045. Then change the
+ sign to a - sign. Be sure to go all the way through the install mode
until the word INSTALL reappears to update the changes.
Press the MODE button and scroll to ENC TEST and press ENTER.
Move the telescope about the azimuth bearing from North towards
East. The azimuth should increase from 0° to 90° if you rotate the
telescope 90°. The display should now read “AZ=090 AL=-045”,
where the 45° is from the test of the altitude axis. If the values are off,
check the encoder ratios in the INSTALL mode. Make sure the encod-
ers and hardware are installed correctly. If the AZ is off, make sure the
bottomboltisNOTrotating.Adropof“superglue”ontheverybottom
bolt and washer will help (applied from the bottom, NOT top). If the
ALT is off, make sure the altitude bearing is rigid.
Startup Index Mark
Once you have finished running INSTALL to tell Sky Wizard about
your telescope, there is one final step which need only be done one
time. As mentioned in the SETUP command, you will see that your
telescope mount needs to be aimed to a particular position once each
time you set up to observe. The accuracy of Sky Wizard is dependent
upon your accurately setting the initial index mark, so take your time.
Equatorial Mounts: If your telescope has an Equatorial mount with
mechanical setting-circle dials, these will do nicely. First, verify the
declination setting circle is accurately set by aiming your telescope to
90° declination (telescope aimed up the polar axis). Rotate the tele-
scope in Right Ascension and look for any tube “wobble”.You can
verify this by looking through an aligned finder to see that stars rotate
around the middle of the field of view. If necessary, adjust the tube so
there is no wobble and reset the setting circle to 90°.
Another method for Fork Mounted Equatorial telescopes is to check
the Dec. Setting Circle using a bubble level. This should be done
inside using a carpenter’s level, before going out into the field. Take
the telescope off the wedge and put it on a level surface. Make sure
the drive base is level and the telescope is pointed straight up with
the corrector end away from the drive base and the Dec.=90. Place
the level across the front of the corrector cell, perpendicular to the
fork arms. Adjust the Dec. slow motion until it is level. Adjust the Dec.
setting circle to read exactly 90.
German-type Equatorial Mounts: These mounts have two possible
positions for the 0° declination setting required during initialization. It
is important to use the correct one, or the encoder sensing will be
backwards. The telescope should be aimed generally EASTWARD
when the declination is set to 0°. Determine which of the two zero
degree index marks corresponds to this direction and place an indicating mark there for future use. You can confirm that the setting
circles are accurate by pointing the telescope exactly North. Rotate
the telescope in RA only. Stars should rotate about the center of the
field of view. When this is achieved by adjusting the Dec. slow motion,
move the Dec. setting circle to exactly 90.
For Altazimuth or Dobsonian Telescopes: Put a simple index alignment mark on your scope to save time in the future. You can choose to
make the index mark with the telescope aiming either vertically or horizontally, depending on your choice in the INSTALL mode. A precisely vertical
orientation can be determined by rotating the telescope around the base
and looking for any tube “wobble”. Better yet, use a carpenter’s level.
Adjusttheangleuntilno“wobble”canbeseenwhilerotatingthetelescope.
Youcanalsoinstall a“stop”intherockerboxsothatthetelescopestops
at exactly the Vertical position. Alternately, a horizontal orientation can be
made by placing the telescope base on a very level surface, and then
leveling the telescope tube with a carpenter’s level. Mark a line on the
telescope bearing and on the body to use for an index mark.
2. Operation
Overview
S
ky Wizard has nine operating modes. Each mode or function runs a
computer program to perform a different task. Pressing the MODE
button shows the current mode. Change to a different mode by press-
4
ing either SELECT (up or down arrow) button. The SELECT buttons
are always used for scrolling through the list of available choices. The
UP button advances through the list in a forward direction, the DOWN
button moves backwards.The operating modes are: (Note: these are
not in order of display.)
CATALOG Display or choose an object in one of the catalogs.
ENC TEST Test mode - verifies encoder rotation & correct
installation.
FIND Tell Sky Wizard to display direction/distance to
the last object chosen in one of the catalogs.
IDENTIFY Identify the object (or nearest object) that your
telescope is pointing at.
INSTALL Run when you first install Sky Wizard on your
telescope.
RA DEC Displays celestial coordinates.
SETUP Run at the beginning of each observing session.
SYNC Tell Sky Wizard that the current object has been
exactlycentered-“tweaks”thecurrentalignment.
TIMER Use the built-in utility timer.
Power On Initialization
When you first turn on Sky Wizard, you need to aim the telescope to
a particular position so the angle of one encoder to the telescope is
known. This step is critical to accuracy. Depending on the type of mount
you have, the display shows one of the following messages: DEC=0,
LEVEL ME, or VERTICAL. Only with a perfect polar alignment (EP or
GP) does the Sky wizard go directly to SETUP.
Turn on Sky Wizard. It will briefly display the startup message ORION
SKY WIZARD V 3.51. The numbers displayed are the software version
number. Sky Wizard will display one of the following depending on the
mount type choice you made when you ran INSTALL. (See Installation,
page 4, for more information).
SET DEC=0: (Equatorial mount) Set telescope declination to the 0°
index mark, on the mechanical setting circles. You must verify that
your mechanical setting circles are exact your first time out. Aim telescope at celestial equator, 90° from the pole. (German Equatorial
mountings must have the encoder initialized with the declination axis
set at the east of the meridian zero declination, the optical tube on the
West side.)
SET LEVEL ME: (Altazimuth mount type AZ) Aim telescope tube
horizontally to your index mark (telescope aimed at the horizon if
scope base is level). The telescope tube must be exactly parallel with
the bottom of the rocker box. You must verify this is exact with a
bubble level your first time out.
SET VERTICAL: (Altazimuth mount type AV) Aim telescope tube
vertically to your index mark (telescope aimed directly overhead if
scope base is level). The telescope must be exactly perpendicular to
the bottom of the rocker box. You must verify this is exact with a
bubble level your first time out. After you have moved the telescope
to the correct initial position, press ENTER. Sky Wizard will then
switch to SETUP mode. (If you make a mistake in initializing the
mount alignment, turn Sky Wizard off and on again to restart. There
is no other way to repeat mount initialization.)
The initialization steps above are critical to the pointing accuracy of
the Sky Wizard. For example, an error of 1° on the initialization will
result in errors of up to 2°. To assure accurate initialization, follow the
steps carefully in Startup Index Mark.
SETUP Star Alignment
Before Sky Wizard can tell you where to point your telescope, it
needs to get its bearings on the sky. You must do this at the start of
each observing session. SETUP mode automatically accesses a
short list of 30 named navigational stars. The brightest stars from
both the Northern and Southern hemispheres are included. These
familiar bright stars cover the sky so at least two are visible at any
time. You’ll need to point your telescope to two known stars, tell Sky
Wizard which ones they are, and you’re ready to go.
To perform the setup star alignment:
1. Pick a bright known star from the list and center it in the eyepiece.
2. Press MODE. If SETUP is not displayed, use the arrow keys to
display SETUP. Press ENTER.
3. Scroll through the star list to find the name of the star that is cen-
tered in the eyepiece, then press ENTER.
4. Choose another bright star for the second alignment star and
repeat steps 1-3.
5. For best results the two stars should be at least 60° apart. Avoid
stars near the pole.
Note: only one star sighting is required for perfectly polaraligned equatorial telescopes; however a second sighting is
recommended.
After Sky Wizard determines the transformation resulting from star alignment, it displays a measure of how well the alignment agrees with the
stardata.This“warpfactor”is 0.0forperfectalignment,butanacceptable range is ±0.6. The display will show the warp for about 2 seconds.
This represents the error in degrees and tenths. Example: WARP=+0.4.
If the warp factor is greater than ±0.6, check to be sure you have correctly
identified the setup stars and repeat the setup operation. Make sure that
your Startup Index Mark is exact. Never assume, for example, that the
mechanical setting circles are exact for the Dec.=0 index mark. Always
double check the accuracy of the index mark, especially on your first night
out. If the warps are larger than ±10, check the encoder polarity and
encoder ratios on your installation kit instructions. Always do the ENC TEST
(Encoder Direction Test, see page 5) after installing Sky Wizard, before you
go out at night for the first time. (Note: if your telescope mount does not have
the two axes perfectly set at 90° apart, it may be impossible to reach an
acceptable warp factor. If this happens, correct the telescope mount.)
ENC TEST
Encoder test must be done after installing Sky Wizard on the telescope, before going out at night for the first time. This allows
verification that the encoders are functional and move the correct
direction and amount. The unit of measure is whole degrees. For an
equatorial mount the display will show ER=000 on the right ascension
axis, and ED=000 on the declination axis. The RA decreases from 0
to -90 as you move West. The Dec. increases from 0 to +90 as you
move the telescope from the Equator to the North Pole.
For an altitude/azimuth telescope mounting, the display identifies
AZ=000 as the azimuth axis, and AL=000 as the altitude axis. Azimuth
should be 0° for logical north, and increase to 90° for logical east.
Altitude is 0° when horizontal and +90° when vertical. Motion of the
telescope will change the encoder angles. For more details, see
Encoder Direction Test (on page 5).
RA/DEC
Displays right ascension and declination, which provides a continuous
display of telescope position. Example: RA=0742 D=+28.1. This example
shows a right ascension of 7 hours and 42 minutes, and a declination of
5
north 28.1 degrees (Note: the final digit in the declination is in tenths of a
degree.) Pressing ENTER will momentarily show the chart number of the
Sky Atlas 2000.0 sky map that covers the part of the sky where the telescope is currently pointing. Example: SA=08.
CATALOG
This mode retrieves information from one of Sky Wizard’s nine separate catalogs. Select this mode by pressing MODE, then either UP or
DOWN until CATALOG is displayed, then press ENTER. Press the
UP or DOWN arrows to select one of the catalogs, then press ENTER
when the catalog you prefer is displayed.
Catalogs available (and typical display):
Star catalog: ST001
Messier catalog: M001
NGC catalog: NGC0001
IC catalog: IC0001
Non-Stellar catalog: NS001
ESO catalog: E000-01
UGC catalog: U00001
NEW (programmable) user’s catalog: NEW01
The Planets catalog: PLANETS
The first time a catalog is used the display will show its first entry. For
example, the Messier catalog displays M001, which happens to be
the Crab Nebula. The “M” will be blinking.
The ST (Star) catalog contains many interesting stars, double stars
and red stars and includes all of the alignment stars. (The complete
list is included in the back of this manual.) First look up the object,
select CATALOG mode, choose ST, and enter the index number using
the arrow buttons to set the blinking digit, pressing ENTER to advance
to the next digit to be set. Press ENTER after setting the last digit and
the display will show the coordinates. For the famous double star
“Abireo”thefollowinginformationwouldappearonthedisplay:
Example CATALOG display for selecting an object from the star (ST) list:
Enter number: ST182
Coordinates: 0513+028
Description: ST182 MAG=4.5 SIZE=7.0
RHO ORION COLORED DOUBLE
STAR SA=11
The MESSIER catalog “M” contains the full historical list of 110
objects identified by the famous French astronomer Charles Messier.
These objects are the most popular objects observed by amateur
astronomers. (The catalog list includes objects now known to be
duplicates or asterisms, which are identified in the description.)
To view an object in the Messier Catalog, select CATALOG with the
MODE button and press ENTER. If you are already in CATALOG,
simply press the arrow buttons to switch between the nine groups and
press ENTER. The display will show M001. Enter the desired value of
the blinking digit using the arrow buttons and press ENTER to advance
to the next digit. When the last digit has been set, press ENTER and
the display will show the M number. Press ENTER again to show the
coordinates for the selected object. Press ENTER again for a scrolling
description which includes magnitude, popular name, constellation and
description. If you make a mistake, you must start over.
Example CATALOG display for selecting an object from the Messier (M)
list:
Catalog number: M027
Celestial coordinates: 2000+227
Description: M027 MAG=8.0 SIZE=480
DUMBBELL NEBULA VULPECULA
PLANETARY NEBULA IRREGULAR
SA=08
The NGC Catalog is the New General Catalog of deep-sky objects
compiled by the Danish astronomer J.L.E Dreyer more than 100 years
ago. It contains hundreds of excellent examples of each type of deepsky object and is the most well known and used catalog by amateur
astronomers beyond the already mentioned Messier (M) catalog.
The IC Catalog, the Index Catalog, contains objects which were
discovered in the decade or so after the NGC was first published. This
list contains objects similar to the NGC, but IC objects are typically
fainter and more difficult to observe.
The NON-STELLAR Catalog contains those objects not included in
either the popular NGC or IC catalogs. Multiple sources were used to
compile this list of 661 interesting astronomical objects.
The ESO and UGC Catalogs include selections from two professional scientific astronomical catalogs.
The NEW (User’s) Catalog is initially empty. It may be used to store
the coordinates of the observer’s favorite objects, for current positions
of an unexpected comet or nova, or for a variable star observing list.
Look up the coordinates of the new object in a magazine or other
publication. There is space for 27 objects in the memory. The objects
are kept in memory even when power is turned off.
First the object number is set in the same manner as selecting any
catalog object. After the object is selected, press ENTER and the
coordinates will be displayed. If you want to change the coordinates
press ENTER again. The first digit of the coordinates will blink, this
digit may be changed by pressing the UP and DOWN buttons to
increment or decrement the digit. When the first digit is set press
ENTER to go on to the next digit. Should you decide not to change
the coordinates, press MODE to exit. When you have finished setting
the digits, press ENTER, then MODE to exit or UP or DOWN to go to
another entry in the catalog.
Example CATALOG display for selecting an object from the NEW catalog:
Enter number: NEW15
Coordinates: 1930+275
The PLANETS Catalog consists of the major planets of the solar
system. The planetary positions are calculated according to the date.
While the date is not required for any other type of celestial subject,
it is necessary for calculating correct planet positions. Sky Wizard will
remind you to enter the date the first time you choose the Planets
catalog during an observing session.
Press MODE, scroll to CATALOG, press ENTER. Scroll to PLANETS
and press ENTER. When DAT E appears, press ENTER twice. The
last calendar date entered will be displayed. This date is used in the
planetary orbit calculations. The range of years is from 1950 to 2050.
Press ENTER again. The display order is Month, Date, and Year. The
digits may be set sequentially using the UP and DOWN buttons to set
each digit. Press ENTER when each digit is set to the desired value.
After setting all the digits of the date, press UP or DOWN to select a
planet.The UP and DOWN buttons will allow you to scroll through the
list of planets. Press enter to display the current coordinates of the
planet.
6
The CATALOG display for selecting a planet:
MERCURY
VENUS
MARS
JUPITER
SATURN
URANUS
NEPTUNE
PLUTO
FIND
The FIND mode provides steering directions to a pre-selected object
in the catalog. Pick an object from any of the catalog databases, then
press MODE to return the mode selector, and press UP or DOWN
until FIND is displayed, then press ENTER. FIND takes the last object
selected from the CATALOG, compares the object’s published coor-
dinates with the current telescope position, and displays steering
directions. The unit of measure is degrees from the current position.
Suppose, for example, we selected M27, but the telescope got
bumped a few degrees before we could see it. Use the FIND mode
and move the telescope as indicated to make the displayed deviation
zero. The example below shows 2.3 degrees left and 1.5 degrees up.
Press ENTER to obtain a scrolling description.
Guide display arrows: 2.3 1.5
Description: M027 MAG=8.0 SIZE=480
DUMBBELL NEBULA VULPECULA
PLANETARY NEBULA IRREGULAR
SA=08
As you move the telescope, the numbers will count down until the
object is re-centered and the distance displayed is 0.0 degrees. If the
distance back to the object is greater than 10 degrees in either direction, the steering will be in whole 1 degree increments. Once the
object is within 10 degrees of center the instrument will display finer
resolution steering directions of 0.1 degrees. The following sequence
of guiding displays shows how the guiding arrows and digits change
as the object is approached and then passed.
50 36 17 24 2.3 1.5 0•00•0 1.4 0.8
The guide mode displays guide directions based on the axes of
motion of the telescope mount. Thus an altazimuth mount will be
directed by the pointing arrows right, left, up, and down. Motion in one
axis will not cause the other deviation display to change.
Scrolling UP or DOWN while in FIND mode will tell Sky Wizard to
move in the previously selected catalog database.
If your telescope has a German-type equatorial mount, Sky Wizard
allows for the two possible ways to point at an object. Sky Wizard will
display the path from the current position that involves the least turn-
ing. Should the observer want to “flop” the telescope 180°, Sky
Wizard will guide you to that position as well.
bly include objects that are too faint to see with your telescope and
observing location. The display blinks every time it updates the
search, so if you are moving around in the sky while in the IDENTIFY
mode, it will provide information on the current, or nearest, object that
the telescope is pointed at. To do this, press Mode and scroll to
IDENTIFY. Each search takes about 3 seconds.
IDENTIFY choices:
Identify any type of object IDENT ANY MAG 10
Identify the star of Mag. 10 IDENT ST MAG 10
Globular cluster: IDENT GC MAG 10
Open cluster: DENT OC MAG 10
Galaxy: IDENT GX MAG 10
Planetary nebula: IDENT PN MAG 10
Nebula: IDENT NB MAG 10
Double star: IDENT 2* MAG 10
Red or colored star: IDENT R* MAG 10
In this example, we are searching for a double star, magnitude 6:
Set criteria: IDENT 2* MAG 10
Press ENTER to start search: SEARCHING
FOUND ST062
Press ENTER for description: ST062 MAG=5.8 SIZE=2.0
h162 PERSEUS TRIPLE STAR
CHALLENGE UA=061
When no object fits the search parameters, the first item in the catalog is displayed, (e.g. FOUND NGC0001)
TIMER
The Timer is a stopwatch function which measures elapsed time in
hours, minutes, and seconds. It is a real convenience to have an illuminated stopwatch right on the telescope for observing the planets or
comets. Press the MODE button and select the TIMER option using the
arrow buttons. Press ENTER to enter the TIMER mode. Press the
ENTER button to start, stop, or reset the timer. Time is shown in hours,
minutes, seconds.
SYNC
This function is to be used only when objects are not centered in the
field of view. It allows any star or object in the database to be used for
alignment. For example, center the Messier object M37 in the eyepiece. Enter CATALOG mode and select M37 in the M list, then press
MODE and scroll to SYNC mode. Press the ENTER button to choose
this as a new alignment fix. This function is useful for obtaining a new
alignment fix during the middle of an observing session to correct
small coordinate errors that may accumulate due to slight misalignments of the encoder installation. When you SYNC, Sky Wizard will
display the object as a reminder. Example: SYNC M037. If you SYNC
with the wrong subject, Sky Wizard may become disoriented and you
will need to run SETUP again to re-orient accurately to the sky.
IDENTIFY
The IDENTIFY mode provides another way to locate objects. Simply
point your telescope at any object and ask Sky Wizard to search its
database for an identity. This feature is particularly useful when
observing is restricted by cloud or sky conditions. The IDENTIFY
mode also allows you to enter a selection criteria: first, you may tell
Sky Wizard to search either all of its catalogs, or to search by the
object type of your choice. Then, tell it what magnitude to search for
by scrolling to any magnitude between 1 and 17. If you choose ANY
and Magnitude 17, it will search the entire database. This will proba-
3. Sample Observing
Session
Power On & Setup Alignment
Let’s pretend we are observing through our telescope with an equatorial
mount, not perfectly polar aligned. We turn on the Sky Wizard. It will
briefly display the startup message ORION SKY WIZARD V3.51 (3.51 is
the software version number - your unit may have a larger number). Then
it will display DEC=0, this indicates that you need to point the telescope
7
to declination equal to zero (using the mechanical setting circles), where
the optical axis is perpendicular to both the right ascension and declination axes. This means the telescope is pointed at the Celestial Equator.
(German-type Equatorial mountings must have the encoder initialized
with the declination axis set at the East-of-the-meridian zero declination.
Be sure to use the Dec.=0° mark which coincides with the telescope
aiming toward East.)
Press ENTER when the declination angle is set at 0°. The display will
then say MODE SETUP. Sky Wizard initially assumes that your equato-
rial telescope is properly polar aligned (EP or GP mount type), in which
case it is only necessary to sight a single star at the beginning of the
observing session. Position the telescope so that a familiar bright star is
centered in the eyepiece. Press ENTER and use the arrow buttons to
scroll through the list of 32 stars until you find the name of the star that
is in the eyepiece. Press the ENTER button again. The telescope is now
aligned. A second star may be sighted in another region of the sky to
increase accuracy in GP or EP mount types. With all other mount types,
you must sight on two stars. The first star sighting should be at least 60°
from the celestial pole, a second star should be between 60° and 120°
from the first star. It is best NOT to use Polaris for the second star.
A second star sighting is also required for an altazimuth telescope. It is
critical to ensure that the initialization index mark for either vertical or
horizontal has been checked for accuracy. This operation is described in
the INSTALL section of this manual.
For our example, we will use Regulus, the bright star at the base of
the backward question mark of Leo. In the SETUP mode, press
ENTER, the display will show the first star name in the list of 31 bright
stars. The first star in the list is Achernar, and the display will read
ALIGN ACHERNAR.
Using Regulus for our first star sighting, press the UP arrow button to
advance through the list of star names (scroll to the star you want). If you
went past Regulus while scrolling, simply press the DOWN arrow button
to back up. Release the button when the display reads REGULUS.
Press ENTER when Regulus is in the center of the field of view. Verify
the star is still centered in the eyepiece and press the ENTER button
to complete the alignment. The display will show the warp factor which
is a measure of the amount of agreement between the catalog angles
and the measured angles between sighted stars. WARP=-0.6.
Sighting a second star will improve accuracy, especially if there are any
alignment errors in the polar mounting. For optimal coverage of the sky,
pick a second star that is between 60° and 120° away from the first star.
After the first star sighting, simply press one of the arrow buttons to
advance to another star name. To find Mizar, for example, press the UP
arrow button until the display reads MIZAR. Center Mizar in the eyepiece and press the ENTER button. The second star sighting is now
complete. Press the MODE button to exit SETUP.
Press UP or DOWN to select the RA DEC mode for display, then
press ENTER. Sky Wizard will now display the celestial coordinates
for any telescope position. In our example the display now reads the
coordinates for Mizar since that is where the telescope is currently
pointed. The display reads RA=1324 D=+54.9.
Swing the telescope around and observe how quickly the instrument
tracks the telescope position. The high resolution encoders are very
sensitive to small motions. Sky Wizard can track motions as great as
100° per second, which is faster than you would probably move a delicate optical instrument. Sky Wizard locks on to the current position
instantly and provides a steady display of the computed celestial coordinates.
RA/DEC Mode
Let’s do some observing. We have a long session ahead if we want
to view all the Messier objects, over 300 interesting stars and the
entire list of user catalog objects. Fortunately, Sky Wizard will make
the search quite easy. It’s time to use the powerful database and the
smart function called FIND.
To star t, let’s just stay in RA DEC mode and swing the telescope
around to one of our favorites, M37 in the constellation Auriga. The
coordinates are 0552+326. We are currently positioned on Mizar at
1324+54.9. Experiment by moving the telescope around to increase
and decrease the two coordinates. Take a couple of minutes to master
this action as you become familiar with the relationship between the
telescope coordinate system and the celestial coordinate system.
When the display reads “RA=0552 D=32.6,” take a look through the
eyepiece. M37 is right there, a nice galactic cluster with red giant stars,
proof that the installation is functioning correctly and that the alignment
stars were carefully centered in the eyepiece during alignment.
Using the CATALOG
Now that we are pointed at M37, we would like to see the other Messier
object M36, but we forgot to bring our charts and handbooks. Press
MODE and select CATALOG, then press ENTER. We are now in the Sky
Wizard database. The display shows M001 when we enter this mode.
Press ENTER to choose the Messier catalog, then press the UP or
DOWN select buttons to enter the number 036. We set one digit at a time,
much like a digital wrist watch, by changing the value of the blinking digit.
CATALOG initial setting: M001
Setting digits to M36: M036
Press the ENTER button to advance to the next blinking digit and use
the UP or DOWN buttons to increment or decrement the value. Press
ENTER after setting the last digit and the display will show the coordinates.
M36 coordinates: 0536+341
M36 scrolling description: M036 MAG 6.0 SIZE=11 AURIGA
OPEN CLUSTER RICH SA=05
We now have the coordinates for M36. There are two ways to go from
here. We can remember the coordinates and switch to RA DEC mode
to steer the telescope, or use the FIND mode to give us steering
directions to the object from our current position. The FIND mode
indicates just how much motion is required for each axis of rotation.
Using the FIND Function
Press the MODE button and select FIND, using the arrow buttons to
scroll through the choices. The instrument remembers the object
“M036” as the last item selected, and shows the steering distances
in degrees from our current position. FIND shows 6c4 17a, indicating
that M36 lies 17° down and 6.4° to the left of our current position.
When the object is centered the distances displayed will be zero.
FIND directions: 6fi4 17fl
Object centered: 0•0 0•0
While in FIND mode, with M36 centered, press the ENTER button
again to see the name of the object which is of course M36. This
observing session is off to a good start.
Using the SYNC Function
While observing we notice that most of the objects are off toward the
same edge of the field of view when we zero the FIND display.
Probably we bumped the telescope base or were off a little when we
sighted a star. Another possibility is that the initialization was not
done correctly. We can have Sky Wizard slightly adjust the alignment
by simply centering the last object we located with FIND, then press
8
MODE and select SYNC, then press ENTER. The next object should
then be more accurately centered.
If SYNC makes things worse, you may have been aiming at the
wrong object. Just turn off Sky Wizard and align again from scratch.
4. Computer Interface
RS232 Computer Interface
Sky Wizard may be connected to your per-
RX
gnd
A 6-position modular connector is used for RS232 interface. There are
a few computer accessories that have a compatible cable. The interface cable is available separately. The cable used only 3 pins of the
6-position modular connector. Be careful to check the quality of a crimp
when low cost crimpers are used. Make sure all the pins are down
before inserting into the instrument, as this can damage the wires of
the connector.
Wire Signal DB25 DB9
yellow TX 2 2
green RX 3 3
red gnd 7 5
black +9 to 12 nc nc
You can make your own, only 3 wires used; TX, RX, ground. You will have
to check your computer manual for the connections on that end of the
cable. The TX pin at the computer must connect to the RX pin on the Sky
Wizard. The RX pin at the computer must connect to the TX pin on the Sky
Wizard. The ground (gnd) pin is connected straight across. The communication is at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity. The transmitter
depends on the personal computer providing a mark state, -5 to -12 volts,
when idle.
RS232 Commands
The serial data RS232 signals are provided in the simplest form. There are
only 3 wires that transmit, receive, and ground. A 6-position modular connector is used. It will be easier if the colors are connected as indicated. Be
careful that the connectors at both ends of the modular wire are connected straight-through, not crossed. The connection is most easily made
by using a modular to D-connector adapter available at electronic stores.
If it does not talk to your computer, try reversing the TX and RX wires.
The serial communication is very simple. Set up the computer to operate at 9600 baud, no parity, 1 stop bits. The instrument responds to
onlytwocommands.Thesecommandsareeachjustoneletter.“Q”is
a query, the instrument responds with the position of the telescope as
a pair of signed integers which correspond to the encoder positions.
“P”isadiagnosticcheckwhichhas 3digits.Thecorrectresponseis
sonal computer with a serial cable. This
allowsyoutousesoftwaresuchas“TheSky”
TX
from Software Bisque or other compatible
software programs. This interface operates
independently from the normal functions. The
system responds to requests from your computer and provides the encoder angles. The
software is responsible for transforming the
encoder angles into celestial coordinates.
RS232 Connections
“001”whichcorrespondstozeroencodererrorsandvoltagelevelon.
You may test this operation using a terminal program.
command:“Q”
response data:
azimuth altitude
format: +00000<tab> +00000<cr>
example: +01234 -00123
The“P”commandprovidesathreedigitstatusnumber,firstdigitisnumber
of altitude encoder errors, second is the number of azimuth encoder errors,
third is 0 for low battery and 1 for ok battery.
command:“P”
response data:
format: 000 <cr>
example: 021
5. Catalog Listings
Messier Catalog Database
Cat# Name RA h m.m Dec ° ' Size Mag Const Description
M001 Crab Nebula 05 34.5 +22 01 6 8.4 Tau nebula
M002 21 33.5 -00 49 12.9 6.5 Aqr globular cluster
highly resolved
M003 13 42.2 +28 23 16.2 6.4 CVn globular cluster
highly resolved
M004 16 23.6 -26 32 26.3 5.9 Sco globular cluster
highly resolved
M005 15 18.6 +02 05 17.4 5.8 Ser globular cluster
highly resolved
M006 Butterfly Cluster 17 40.1 -32 13 15 4.2 Sco open cluster rich
M007 17 53.9 -34 49 80 3.3 Sco open cluster
bright scattered
M008 Lagoon Nebula 18 03.8 -24 23 90 5.8 Sgr nebula with dust
and cluster
M009 17 19.2 -18 31 9.3 7.9 Oph globular cluster
M010 16 57.1 -04 06 15.1 6.6 Oph globular cluster
M011 Wild Duck Cluster 18 51.1 -06 16 14 5.8 Sct open cluster
dense
M012 16 47.2 -01 57 14.5 6.6 Oph globular cluster
M013 Great Hercules 16 41.7 +36 28 16.6 5.9 Her globular cluster
Cluster highly resolved
M014 17 37.6 -03 15 11.7 7.6 Oph globular cluster
M015 21 30.0 +12 10 12.3 6.4 Peg globular cluster
highly resolved
M016 Eagle Nebula 18 18.8 -13 47 35 6.0 Ser nebula with dust
M017 Swan Nebula 18 20.8 -16 11 46 6.0 Sgr nebula
M018 18 19.9 -17 08 9 6.9 Sgr open cluster
M019 17 02.6 -26 16 13.5 7.2 Oph globular cluster
M020 Trifid Nebula 18 02.3 -23 02 29 6.3 Sgr nebula with dust
M021 18 04.6 -22 30 13 5.9 Sgr open cluster rich
M022 18 36.4 -23 54 24 5.1 Sgr globular cluster
M023 17 56.8 -19 01 27 5.5 Sgr open cluster
M024 18 18.4 -18 25 5 11p Sgr open cluster
M025 18 31.6 -19 15 32 4.6 Sgr open cluster
M026 18 45.2 -09 24 15 8.0 Sct open cluster rich
mottle
highly resolved
highly resolved
and cluster
br ight scattered
highly resolved
dense
dense
br ight scattered
9
Loading...