SKY-WATCHER LightChariot 80AR-AZ, LightChariot 102AR-AZ, LightChariot 130N-AZ Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

8 0AR -AZ

10 2 AR- A Z

130 N - A Z

LightChariot

™

w w w . s k y w a t c h e r u s a . c o m

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

ASSEMBLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Assembling the LightChariot™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Attaching the Mount to the Tripod.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Attaching the Telescope Tube to the Mount. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Diagonal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Eyepiece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Focusing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The RedDot Finderscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RedDot Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RedDot Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

HAND CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Attaching the Hand Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Powering the LightChariot™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

The Hand Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Hand Control Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Alignment Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Alignment Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Astro-Tri-Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Auto Two-Star Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Two-Star Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

One-Star Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Solar System Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

SynScan™ Re-Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Object Catalog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Selecting an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Slewing to an Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Finding Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Tour Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Constellation Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Direction Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Rate Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Set Up Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Tracking Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Tracking Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

View Time-Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

User Defined Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Get R.A./DEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Goto R.A./DEC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Identify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Scope Setup Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Setup Time-Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Anti-backlash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Slew Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Filter Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Direction Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Select Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... continued

Utility Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Light Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Factory Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Get Alt-Az . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Goto Alt-Az . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Hibernate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Sun Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Scrolling Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

TELESCOPE BASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Focusing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Image Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Calculating Magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Determining Field of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

General Observing Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

CELESTIAL OBSERVING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Observing the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Lunar Observing Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Observing the Planets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Planetary Observing Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Observing the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Solar Observing Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Observing Deep Sky Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Seeing Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Sky Illumination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Seeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Care and Cleaning of the Optics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Collimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

APPENDIX A – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

APPENDIX B – GLOSSARY OF TERMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

APPENDIX C – RS-232 CONNECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

APPENDIX D – STANDARD TIME ZONES OF THE WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

SKY MAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

January - February Sky Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

March - April Sky Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

May - June Sky Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

July - August Sky Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

September - October Sky Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

November - December Sky Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

4

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your purchase of the Sky-Watcher USA LightChariot™! The LightChariot™ ushers in a whole
new generation of computer automated technology. Simple and friendly to use, the LightChariot™ is up and
running after locating just three bright objects. It’s the perfect combination of power and portability. If you
are new to astronomy, you may wish to start off by using the LightChariot™’s built-in Sky Tour feature, which
commands the LightChariot™ to find the most interesting objects in the sky and automatically slews to each
one. Or if you are an experienced amateur, you will appreciate the comprehensive database of over 4,000
objects, including customized lists of all the best deep-sky objects, bright double stars and variable stars. No
matter at what level you are starting out, the LightChariot™ will unfold for you and your friends all the wonders
of the Universe.

Some of the many standard features of the LightChariot™ include:

• Incredible 4°/second slew speed.

• Fully enclosed motors and optical encoders for position location.

• Computerized hand controller with 4,000 object database.

• Storage for programmable user defined objects; and

• Many other high performance features!

The LightChariot™’s deluxe features combined with Sky-Watcher USA’s legendary optical standards give amateur
astronomers one of the most sophisticated and easy to use telescopes available on the market today.

Take time to read through this manual before embarking on your journey through the Universe. It may take a
few observing sessions to become familiar with your LightChariot™, so you should keep this manual handy until
you have fully mastered your telescope’s operation. The LightChariot™ hand control has built-in instructions to
guide you through all the alignment procedures needed to have the telescope up and running in minutes. Use
this manual in conjunction with the on-screen instructions provided by the hand control. The manual gives
detailed information regarding each step as well as needed reference material and helpful hints guaranteed to
make your observing experience as simple and pleasurable as possible.

Your LightChariot™ telescope is designed to give you years of fun and rewarding observations. However, there are
a few things to consider before using your telescope that will ensure your safety and protect your equipment.

WARNING

• NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITH THE NAKED EYE OR WITH A TELESCOPE
(UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER SOLAR FILTER). PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE
EYE DAMAGE MAY RESULT.

• Never use your telescope to project an image of the sun onto any surface. Internal heat
build-up can damage the telescope and any accessories attached to it.

• Never use an eyepiece solar filter or a Herschel wedge. Internal heat build-up inside the
telescope can cause these devices to crack or break, allowing unfiltered sunlight to pass
through to the eye.

• Never leave the telescope unsupervised, either when children are present or adults who may
not be familiar with the correct operating procedures of your telescope.

5

4

5

80AR-AZ

3

2

1

7

13

12

6

8

11

10

L I G H T C H A R I O T 8 0 A R - A Z R E F R A C T O R T E L E S C O P E

1 Eyepiece
2 RedDot Finderscope
3 Optical Tube
4 80mm Objective Lens (inside)
5 Dew Shield
6 910mm Optical Focal Length
7 Mount
8 Battery Pack
9 Accessory Tray
10 Aluminum Tripod
11 SynScan Computer Hand Controller
12 Focuser
13 Diagonal

9

6

4

5

102AR-AZ

3

2

1

6

7

13

12

8

11

9

10

L I G H T C H A R I O T 1 0 2 A R - A Z R E F R A C T O R T E L E S C O P E

1 Eyepiece
2 RedDot Finderscope
3 Optical Tube
4 102mm Objective Lens (inside)
5 Dew Shield
6 600mm Optical Focal Length
7 Mount
8 Battery Pack
9 Accessory Tray
10 Aluminum Tripod
11 SynScan Computer Hand Controller
12 Focuser
13 Diagonal

7

2

3

130N-AZ

10

1

12

11

4

5

6

7

8

9

L I G H T C H A R I O T 1 3 0 N - A Z R E F L E C T O R T E L E S C O P E

1 Secondary Mirror
2 RedDot Finderscope
3 Eyepiece
4 1.25" Focuser
5 Optical Tube
6 130mm Primary Mirror (inside)
7 650mm Optical Focal Length
8 Accessory Tray
9 Aluminum Tripod
10 SynScan Computer Hand Controller
11 Battery Pack
12 Mount

8

ASSEMBLY

Assembling the LightChariot™

Your LightChariot™ comes in three major sections: the optical tube, fork arm and the tripod. These
sections can be attached in seconds using the quick release coupling screw located under the tripod
mounting platform. Remove all of the accessories from their individual boxes. Remember to save all
of the containers so that they can be used to transport the telescope. Before attaching the visual
accessories, the telescope tube should be mounted to its tripod. First, install the accessory tray onto
the tripod legs:

1. Remove the tripod from the box and spread the legs apart until the center leg brace is fully
extended.

2. Locate the accessory tray, and place it on top of the tripod center support brace in between the
tripod legs. (FIG. 1)

3. Insert the locking bolt from underneath the tripod support brace and thread it into the hole in the
center of the accessory tray. Do not over tighten.

FIG. 1

The accessory tray has a built-on hand control holder protruding from the side. The back of the hand
control has an opening that slides over the clip on the inside of the holder.

It is a good idea to adjust the height of the tripod before attaching the fork arm and tube. Minor
adjustments can be made later. To adjust the height of the tripod legs:

1. Loosen the tripod leg locking bolt located on the side of each leg. (FIG. 2)

2. Slide the inner portion of each leg down 6" to 8" inches.

3. Tighten the tripod locking bolts to hold each leg in place.

FIG. 2

9

Attaching the Mount to the Tripod

With the tripod properly assembled, fork arm can easily be attached using the quick release coupling
screw located underneath the tripod mounting platform:

1. Hold the telescope tube assembly by the fork arm and place the fork arm base inside the tripod
mounting platform.

2. Thread the coupling screw into the hole at the bottom of the fork arm base and hand tighten.

(FIG. 3)

FIG. 3

Attaching the Telescope Tube to the Mount

Locate the dovetail bar on the optical tube. Slide the dovetail bar into the clamp on the mount and
tighten it. (FIG. 4)

Your LightChariot™ is fully assembled and is ready to attach the accessories.

Dovetail bar

10

FIG. 4

The Diagonal

The diagonal diverts the light at a right angle from the light path of the telescope. For astronomical
observing, this allows you to observe in positions that are more comfortable than if you were to look
straight through (FIG. 4). To attach the diagonal:

1. Turn the thumbscrew on the eyepiece adapter at the end of the focuser barrel until it no longer
extends into (i.e., obstructs) the inner diameter of the focus barrel. Remove the protective dust cap
from the focuser barrel.

2. Slide the chrome portion of the diagonal into the eyepiece adapter.

3. Tighten the thumbscrew on the eyepiece adapter to hold the diagonal in place.

If you wish to change the orientation of the diagonal, loosen the thumbscrew on the eyepiece adapter until
the diagonal rotates freely. Rotate the diagonal to the desired position and tighten the thumbscrew.

Eyepiece

Diagonal

Eyepiece Adapter

Focuser

RedDot Finderscope

FIG. 4

The Eyepiece

The eyepiece, or ocular, is the optical element that magnifies the image focused by the telescope. The
eyepiece fits either directly into the focuser or into the diagonal. To install the eyepiece:

For LightChariot™ models 80AR-AZ and 102AR-AZ:

1. Loosen the thumbscrew on the diagonal so it does not obstruct the inner diameter of the eyepiece
end of the diagonal. Remove the protective dust cap from the diagonal’s barrel.

2. Slide the chrome portion of the low power 25mm eyepiece (20mm for the LightChariot™ model) into
the diagonal.

3. Tighten the thumbscrew to hold the eyepiece in place.

To remove the eyepiece, loosen the thumbscrew on the diagonal and slide the eyepiece out.

FIG. 5

11

For LightChariot™ model 130N-AZ:

1. Loosen the thumb screw on the eyepiece adapter at the end of the focuser barrel and remove the
protective dust cap from the focuser barrel.

2. Slide the chrome portion of the low power 25mm eyepiece into the eyepiece adapter.

3. Tighten the thumbscrew to hold the eyepiece in place. (FIG. 6)

To remove the eyepiece, loosen the thumbscrew on the eyepiece barrel and slide the eyepiece out.

FIG. 6

Eyepieces are commonly referred to by focal length and barrel diameter. The focal length of each
eyepiece is printed on the eyepiece barrel. The longer the focal length (i.e., the larger the number) the
lower the eyepiece power or magnification; and the shorter the focal length (i.e., the smaller the number)
the higher the magnification. Generally, you will use low-to-moderate power when viewing. For more
information on how to determine power, see the section on “Calculating Magnification.”

Barrel diameter is the diameter of the barrel that slides into the diagonal or focuser. The LightChariot™
uses eyepieces with a standard 1-1/4" barrel diameter.

Focusing

To focus your telescope, simply turn either of the focus knobs at the eyepiece end of the optical tube.
Turn the focus knob until the image is sharp. Once sharp, turn the knob towards you to focus on an
object that is closer than the one you are currently observing. Turn the knob away from you to focus on
a more distant object than the one you are currently observing.

The RedDot Finderscope

The RedDot Finderscope is the quickest and easiest way to point your telescope exactly at a desired
object in the sky (FIG. 7). It’s like having a laser pointer that you can shine directly onto the night
sky. The RedDot Finderscope is a zero magnification pointing tool that uses a coated glass window
to superimpose the image of a small red dot onto the night sky. While keeping both eyes open when
looking through the RedDot Finderscope, simply move your telescope until the red dot, seen through the
RedDot Finderscope, merges with the object as seen with your unaided eye. The red dot is produced by
a light-emitting diode (LED); it is not a laser beam and will not damage the glass window or your eye.
The RedDot Finderscope comes equipped with a variable brightness control, two axes alignment control
and mounting brackets. Before the RedDot Finderscope is ready to be used, it must be attached to the
telescope tube and properly aligned:

RedDot Finderscope Installation

For LightChariot™ models 80AR-AZ and 102AR-AZ:

1. Slide the RedDot Finderscope bracket into the dovetail mounting platform on top of the focuser
assembly.

12

Altitude

Adjustment

Control

Sight Tube

ON/OFF

Brightness

Control

Azimuth
Adjustment
Control

Dovetail
Tightening
Screws

RedDot Finderscope

FIG. 7

2. Orient the RedDot Finderscope so that the sight tube is facing towards the front of the tube.

3. Secure the RedDot Finderscope bracket by tightening the thumb screw on the mounting platform.

For LightChariot™ model 130N-AZ:

1. Remove the nuts from the studs where the RedDot Finderscope will mount.

2. Mount the RedDot Finderscope bracket by placing the bracket over the studs protruding from the
tube and tightening it down with the supplied nuts. Orient the RedDot Finderscope so that the
sight tube is facing towards the front of the tube.

RedDot Finderscope Operation

The RedDot Finderscope is powered by a long life 3-Volt lithium battery (#CR2032) located underneath
the front portion of the RedDot Finderscope. Like all finderscopes, the RedDot Finderscope must be
properly aligned with the main telescope before it can be used. This is a simple process using the azimuth
and altitude control knobs located on the side and bottom of the RedDot Finderscope. The alignment
procedure is best done at night since the LED dot will be difficult to see during the day. Note: Before
using the RedDot Finderscope, you must first remove the protective plastic cover over the battery.

1. To turn on the RedDot Finderscope, rotate the variable brightness control clockwise until you here
a “click”. To increase the brightness level of the red dot, continue rotating the control knob about
180º until it stops.

Remember to remove the plastic cover over the battery, and always turn the power off after you have

found an object. This will extend the life of both the battery and the LED.

2. Locate a bright star or planet and center it in a low power eyepiece in the main telescope.

3. With both eyes open, look through the glass window at the alignment star.

If the RedDot Finderscope is perfectly aligned, you will see the red LED dot overlap the alignment

star. If the RedDot Finderscope is not aligned, take notice of where the red dot is relative to the
bright star.

4. Without moving the main telescope, turn the RedDot Finderscope’s azimuth and altitude alignment
controls until the red dot is directly over the alignment star.

If the LED dot is brighter than the alignment star, it may make it difficult to see the star. Turn the
variable brightness control counterclockwise, until the red dot is the same brightness as the alignment
star. This will make it easier to get an accurate alignment. The RedDot Finderscope is now ready to be
used.

13

HAND CONTROL

Attaching the Hand Control

The SynScan™ computer hand controller has a phone jack type connector at the end of its cord (FIG.8).
Plug the phone jack connector into the outlet at the base of the telescope’s fork arm. Push the connector
into the outlet until it clicks into place and place the hand control into its holder as described previously
in the Assembly section of the manual.

Hand Controller
Outlet

Battery Pack
Outlet

ENTER

UNDO

ALIGN

M

MENU

CALD

1

3

2

NGC

UP

PLANET

4

6

5

STAR

DOWN

LIST

7

9

8

INFO

RATE

TOUR

0

Battery
Pack

FIG. 8

Powering the LightChariot™

The LightChariot™ can be powered by the supplied battery pack or an optional 12V AC adapter. The
power pack requires 8 user supplied AA size alkaline batteries. To power the LightChariot™, insert the
batteries into the battery pack and plug the round post into the 12V outlet located on the side of the fork
arm (FIG.8). Once the battery pack is plugged in, the LightChariot™ will power on and the hand control
will display the message “LightChariot Ready”.

In case of a loss of power, the optical tube can be moved by hand. However, when powered on,

the telescope should always be controlled via the hand control. The LightChariot™ will lose its star
alignment if moved by hand when powered on.

The Hand Control

The SynScan™ computer hand controller is designed to give you instant access to all the functions the
LightChariot™ has to offer (FIG.9). With automatic slewing to over 4,000 objects, and common sense
menu descriptions, even a beginner can master its variety of features in just a few observing sessions.
Below is a brief description of the individual components of the SynScan™ computer hand controller:

1. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Window: Has a dual-line, 16 character display screen that is backlit

for comfortable viewing of telescope information and scrolling text.

2. Align: Instructs the LightChariot™ to use a selected star or object as an alignment position.

3. Direction Keys: Allows complete control of the LightChariot™ in any direction. Use the direction

keys to center objects in the RedDot finderscope and eyepiece.

4. Catalog Keys: The SynScan™ has a key on the hand control to allow direct access to each of

the catalogs in its 4,000+ object database. The SynScan™ contains the following catalogs in its
database:

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Messier – Complete list of all Messier objects.
NGC – Many of the brightest deep sky objects from the Revised New General Catalog.

Caldwell – A combination of the best NGC and IC objects.

Planets – All 8 planets in our Solar System plus the Moon.
Stars – A compiled list of the brightest stars from the SAO catalog.
List – For quick access, all of the best and most popular objects in the LightChariot™

database have been broken down into lists based on their type and/or common name:

Named Stars Common name listing of the brightest stars in the sky.
Named Objects Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the most popular deep

sky objects.
Double Stars Alphabetical listing of the most visually stunning double,

triple and quadruple stars in the sky.

Variable Stars Select list of the brightest variable stars with the shortest

period of changing magnitude.

Asterisms A unique list of some of the most recognizable star patterns

in the sky.

1

7

2

ALIGN

ENTER

UNDO

8

3

M

1

NGC

PLANET

4

4

STAR

7

INFO

CALD

2

5

LIST

8

TOUR

MENU

3

UP

6

DOWN

9

RATE

0

9

10

11

5

6

12

FIG. 9SynScan™ Computer Hand Controller

15

5. Info: Displays coordinates and useful information about objects selected from the SynScan™

database.

6. Tour: Activates the tour mode, which seeks out all the best objects for a given month and

automatically slews the LightChariot™ to those objects.

7. Enter: Pressing Enter allows you to select any of the SynScan™ functions, accept entered

parameters and slew the telescope to displayed objects.

8. Undo: Undo will take you out of the current menu and display the previous level of the menu

path. Press Undo repeatedly to get back to a main menu or use it to erase data entered by
mistake.

9. Menu: Displays the many setup and utilities functions such as tracking rate and user defined

objects and many others.

10. Scroll Keys : Used to scroll up and down within any of the menu lists. A double arrow symbol

on the right side of the LCD indicates that the scroll keys can be used to view additional
information.

11. Rate: Instantly changes the rate of speed of the motors when the direction buttons are

pressed.

12. RS-232 Jack: Allows use with a computer and software programs for point and click slewing

capability.

Hand Control Operation

This section describes the basic hand control procedures needed to operate the LightChariot™. These
procedures are grouped into three categories: Alignment, Setup and Utilities. The alignment section deals
with the initial telescope alignment as well as finding objects in the sky; the setup section discusses
changing parameters such as tracking mode and tracking rate; finally, the last section reviews all of the
utility functions such as adjusting the telescopes slew limits and backlash compensation.

Alignment Procedure

In order for the LightChariot™ to accurately point to objects in the sky, it must first be aligned with two
known positions (stars) in the sky. With this information, the telescope can create a model of the sky,
which it uses to locate any object with known coordinates.

“Altazimuth” or “Alt-Az” refers to a type of mounting that allows a telescope to move in both
altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right) with respect to the ground. This is the
simplest form of mounting in which the telescope is attached directly to a tripod.

Alignment Procedure

In order for the LightChariot™ to accurately point to objects in the sky, it must first be aligned to known
positions (stars) in the sky. With this information, the telescope can create a model of the sky, which it
uses to locate any object with known coordinates. There are many ways to align the LightChariot™ with
the sky depending on what information the user is able to provide: Astro-Tri-Align™ uses your current
date, time and city to create an accurate model of the sky. Then the user can simply point the telescope
to any three bright celestial objects to accurately align the telescope with the sky. Auto Two-Star Align
will ask the user to choose and center the first alignment star, then the SynScan™ will automatically
select and slew to a second star for alignment. Two-Star Alignment requires the user to identify and
manually slew the telescope to the two alignment stars. One-Star Align is the same as Two-Star Align
however only requires you to align to one known star. Although not as accurate as the other alignment
methods, One-Star Align is the quickest way to find and track bright planets and objects in Altazimuth

16

mode. Finally, Solar System Align will display a list of visible daytime objects (planets and the moon)
available to align the telescope. Each alignment method is discussed in detail below.

The first time that the SynScan™ is used, it will request information to help identify the model of
telescope. Once powered on, the hand control will display the message Select Model. Use the Up and
Down menu keys (10) to scroll through the different LightChariot™ models. Press ENTER when your
LightChariot™ model is displayed on the hand control. This information will be retained for future use and
will not be displayed again. If for some reason the incorrect model was selected or you wish to use your
hand control on a different LightChariot™ model, the Select Model utility feature allows you to re-select
the proper LightChariot™ model from the displayed list (see Select Model later in this section).

Astro-Tri-Align™

Astro-Tri-Align™ is the easiest way to get your LightChariot™ aligned and ready to observe. Even if you
do not know a single star in the sky, the SynScan™ will have you aligned in minutes by asking for basic
information like the date, time and location. Then you simply need to aim the telescope to any three
bright celestial objects in the sky. Since Astro-Tri-Align™ requires no knowledge of the night sky it is not
necessary to know the name of the stars at which you are aiming. You may even select a planet or the
moon. The SynScan™ is then ready to start finding and tracking any of the objects in its 4,000+ object
database. Before the telescope is ready to be aligned, it should be set up in an outside location with all
accessories (eyepiece, diagonal and finderscope) attached and lens cover removed as described in the
Assembly section of the manual. To begin Astro-Tri-Align™:

1. Power on the LightChariot™ by plugging the battery pack into the outlet on the base of the fork
arm.

2. Press ENTER to choose Astro-Tri-Align™. Pressing the ALIGN key will bypass the other alignment
options and the scrolling text and automatically begins Astro-Tri-Align™.

3. The hand control display will then ask for the following time/site information:

Location The SynScan™ will display a list of cities to choose from. Choose the city from the database

that is closest to your current observing site. The city you choose will be remembered in the
hand controls memory so that it will be automatically displayed the next time an alignment
is done. Alternatively, if you know the exact longitude and latitude of your observing site,
it can be entered directly into the hand control and remembered for future use as well. To
choose a location city:

• Use the Up and Down scroll keys to choose between City Database and Custom Site.
City Database will allow you to select the closest city to your observing site from a list of
either international or U.S. location. Custom Site allows you to enter the exact longitude
and latitude of your observing site. Select City Database and press ENTER.

• The hand control will allow you to choose from either U.S. or international locations.
For a listing of U.S. locations by state and then by city, press ENTER while United
States is displayed. For international locations, use the Up or Down scroll key to select
International and press ENTER.

• Use the Up and Down Scroll buttons to choose your current state (or country if
International locations was selected) from the alphabetical listing and press ENTER.

• Use the Up and Down Scroll buttons to choose the closest city to your location from the
displayed list and press ENTER.

Time Enter the current time for your area. You can enter either the local time (i.e. 8:00), or you

can enter military time (i.e. 20:00).

17

• Select PM or AM. If military time was entered, the hand control will bypass this step.

• Choose between Standard time or Daylight Savings time. Use the Up and Down scroll
buttons (10) to toggle between options.

• Select the time zone that you are observing from. Again, use the Up and Down buttons
(10) to scroll through the choices. For time zone information, refer to the Time Zone map
in the appendix of this manual.

Date Enter the month, day and year of your observing session. The display will read: mm/dd /yy.

HELPFUL
HINTS

• If the wrong information has been input into the hand control, the UNDO button will
act as a backspace allowing the user to re-enter information.

• The next time that your LightChariot™ is aligned, the hand control will automatically
display the last location (either a city or longitude/latitude) that was entered. Press
ENTER to accept these parameters if they still apply. Pressing the UNDO button will
allow you to go back and select a new city location or longitude /latitude.

4. Use the arrow buttons on the hand control to slew (move) the telescope towards any bright celestial
object in the sky. Align the object with the red dot of the finderscope and press ENTER.

5. If the finderscope has been properly aligned with the telescope tube, the alignment star should now
be visible inside the field of view of the eyepiece. The hand control will ask that you center the bright
alignment star in the center of the eyepiece and press the ALIGN button. This will accept the star
as the first alignment position. (There is no need to adjust the slewing rate of the motors after each
alignment step. The SynScan™ automatically selects the best slewing rate for aligning objects in both
the finderscope and the eyepiece).

6. For the second alignment object, choose a bright star or planet as far as possible from the first
alignment object. Once again use the arrow button to center the object in the finderscope and press
ENTER. Then once centered in the eyepiece press the ALIGN button.

7. Repeat the process for the third alignment star. When the telescope has been aligned to the final
stars, the display will read “Match Confirmed”. Press UNDO to display the names of the three bright
objects you aligned to, or press ENTER to accept these three objects for alignment. You are now
ready to find your first object.

Tips for Using Astro-Tri-Align

TIPS

Remember the following alignment guidelines to make using Astro-Tri-Align™ as simple and accurate as
possible.

• Be sure to level the tripod before you begin alignment. The time /site information along with a level
tripod will help the telescope better predict the available bright stars and planets that are above the
horizon.

• Remember to select alignment stars that are as far apart in the sky as possible. For best results
make sure that the third alignment star does not lie in a straight line between the first two stars.
This may result in a failed alignment.

• Don’t worry about confusing planets for stars when selecting alignment objects. Astro-Tri-Align™
works with the four brightest planets (Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars) as well as the Moon. In
addition to the planets, the hand control has over 80 bright alignment stars to choose from (down
to 2.5 magnitude).

• Rarely Astro-Tri-Align™ will not be able to determine what three alignment objects were centered.

18

™

This sometime happens when a bright planet or the Moon passes near one of the brighter stars. In
situations like these it is best to try to avoid aligning to either object if possible.

• Be sure to center the objects with the same final movements as the direction of the GoTo Approach.
For example, if the scope normally finishes a GoTo with the front of the scope moving right and up,
you should center all three alignment objects in the eyepiece using the right and up arrow buttons
(the up/down arrows reverse at slew rates of 6 or lower). Approaching the star from this direction
when looking through the eyepiece will eliminate much of the backlash between the gears and assure
the most accurate alignment possible.

Auto Two-Star Align

As with Astro-Tri-Align™, Auto Two-Star Align requires you to enter all the necessary time/site information
as before. Once this information is entered, SynScan™ will prompt you to select and point the telescope
at one known star in the sky. The SynScan™ now has all the information it needs to automatically choose
a second star that will assure the best possible alignment. Once selected the telescope will automatically
slew to that second alignment star to complete the alignment. With the LightChariot™ set up outside with
all accessories attached and the tripod leveled, follow the steps below to align the telescope:

1. Once the LightChariot™ is powered on , Press ENTER to begin alignment.

2. Use the Up and Down scroll keys (10) to select Auto Two-Star Align and press ENTER.

3. The hand control will display the last time and location information that was entered into the hand
control. Use the Up and Down buttons to scroll through the information. Press ENTER to accept the
current information or press UNDO to manually edit the information (see Astro-Tri-Align™ section for
detailed instruction on entering time/site information).

4. The display will now prompt you to select a bright star from the displayed list on the hand control.
Use Up and Down buttons (6 and 9 on the keypad) to scroll to the desired star and then press
ENTER.

5. Use the arrow buttons to slew the telescope to the star you selected. Center the star in the finderscope
and press ENTER. Finally, center the star in the eyepiece and press ALIGN.

6. Based on this information, the SynScan™ will automatically display the most suitable second
alignment star that is above the horizon. Press ENTER to automatically slew the telescope to the
displayed star. If for some reason you do not wish to select this star (perhaps it is behind a tree or
building), you can either:

• Press the UNDO button to display the next most suitable star for alignment.

• Use the UP and DOWN scroll buttons to manually select any star you wish from the entire list of

available stars.

Once finished slewing, the display will ask you to use the arrow buttons to align the selected star with the
red dot of the finderscope. Once centered in the finder, press ENTER. The display will then instruct you
to center the star in the field of view of the eyepiece. When the star is centered, press ALIGN to accept
this star as your second alignment star. When the telescope has been aligned to both stars the display
will read “ALIGN SUCCESS”, and you are now ready to find your first object.

Two-Star Alignment

With the two-star alignment method, the SynScan™ requires the user to know the positions of two
bright stars in order to accurately align the telescope with the sky and begin finding objects. Here is an
overview of the two-star alignment procedure:

19

1. Once the SynScan™ is powered on, use the Up and Down scroll keys (10) to select Two-Star Align,
and press ENTER.

2. Press ENTER to accept the time/site information displayed on the display, or press UNDO to enter
new information.

3. The SELECT STAR 1 message will appear in the top row of the display. Use the Up and Down scroll
keys (10) to select the star you wish to use for the first alignment star. Press ENTER.

4. SynScan™ then asks you to center in the eyepiece the alignment star you selected. Use the direction
arrow buttons to slew the telescope to the alignment star and carefully center the star in the
finderscope. Press ENTER when centered.

5. Then, center the star in the eyepiece and press ALIGN.

HELPFUL
HINT

In order to accurately center the alignment star in the eyepiece, you may wish to decrease
the slew rate of the motors for fine centering. This is done by pressing the RATE key (11)
on the hand controller then selecting the number that corresponds to the speed you desire
(9 = fastest , 1 = slowest).

6. SynScan™ will then ask you to select and center a second alignment star and press the ALIGN key.
It is best to choose alignment stars that are a good distance away from one another. Stars that are
at least 40º to 60º apart from each other will give you a more accurate alignment than stars that are
close to each other.

Once the second star alignment is completed properly, the display will read Align Successful, and you
should hear the tracking motors turn-on and begin to track.

One-Star Align

One-Star Align requires you to input all the same information as you would for the Two-Star Align
procedure. However, instead of slewing to two alignment stars for centering and alignment, the SynScan™
uses only one star to model the sky based on the information given. This will allow you to roughly slew
to the coordinates of bright objects like the moon and planets and gives the SynScan™ the information
needed to track objects in altazimuth in any part of the sky. One-Star Align is not meant to be used to
accurately locate small or faint deep-sky objects or to track objects accurately for photography.

To use One-Star Align:

1. Select One-Star Align from the alignment options.

2. Press ENTER to accept the time/site information displayed on the display, or press UNDO to enter
new information.

3. The SELECT STAR 1 message will appear in the top row of the display. Use the Up and Down scroll
keys (10) to select the star you wish to use for the first alignment star. Press ENTER.

4. SynScan™ then asks you to center in the eyepiece the alignment star you selected. Use the direction
arrow buttons to slew the telescope to the alignment star and carefully center the star in the
finderscope. Press ENTER when centered.

5. Then, center the star in the eyepiece and press ALIGN.

6. Once in position, the SynScan™ will model the sky based on this information and display “ALIGN
SUCCESSFUL”.

Note: Once a One-Star Alignment has been done, you can use the Re-alignment feature (later in this
section ) to improve your telescope’s pointing accuracy.

20

Solar System Align

Solar System Align is designed to provide excellent tracking and GoTo performance by using solar system
objects (Sun, Moon and planets) to align the telescope with the sky. Solar System Align is a great way
to align your telescope for daytime viewing as well as a quick way to align the telescope for night time
observing.

WARNING

NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITH THE NAKED EYE OR WITH A TELESCOPE

(UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER SOLAR FILTER). PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE
EYE DAMAGE MAY RESULT.

1. Select Solar System Align from the alignment options.

2. Press ENTER to accept the time/site information displayed on the display, or press UNDO to enter
new information.

3. The SELECT OBJECT message will appear in the top row of the display. Use the Up and Down scroll
keys (10) to select the daytime object (planet, moon or sun) you wish to align. Press ENTER.

4. SynScan™ then asks you to center in the eyepiece the alignment object you selected. Use the
direction arrow buttons to slew the telescope to the alignment object and carefully center it in the
finderscope. Press ENTER when centered.

5. Then, center the object in the eyepiece and press ALIGN.

Once in position, the SynScan™ will model the sky based on this information and display “ALIGN
SUCCESSFUL”.

Tips for Using Solar System Align

TIPS

• For safety purposes, the Sun will not be displayed in any of the hand control’s customer object lists
unless it is enabled from the Utilities Menu. To allow the Sun to be displayed on the hand control,
do the following:

1. Press the UNDO button until the display reads “SynScan”

2. Press the MENU button and use the Up and Down keys to select the Utilities menu. Press ENTER.

3. Use the UP and Down keys to select Sun Menu and press ENTER.

4. Press ENTER again to allow the Sun to appear on the hand control display.

The Sun can be removed from the display by using the same procedure as above.

To improve the telescope pointing accuracy, you can use the Re-Align feature as described below.

SynScan™ Re-Alignment

The SynScan™ has a re-alignment feature which allows you to replace either of the original alignment
stars with a new star or celestial object. This can be useful in several situations:

• If you are observing over a period of a few hours, you may notice that your original two alignment
stars have drifted towards the west considerably. (Remember that the stars are moving at a rate
of 15º every hour). Aligning on a new star that is in the eastern part of the sky will improve your
pointing accuracy, especially on objects in that part of the sky.

21

• If you have aligned your telescope using the One-star align method, you can use re-align to align
to an additional object in the sky. This will improve the pointing accuracy of your telescope without
having to re-enter addition information.

To replace an existing alignment star with a new alignment star:

1. Select the desired star (or object) from the database and slew to it.

2. Carefully center the object in the eyepiece.

3. Once centered, press the UNDO button until you are at the main menu.

4. With “SynScan” displayed, press the ALIGN key on the hand control.

5. The display will then ask you which alignment star you want to replace.

6. Use the UP and Down scroll keys to select the alignment star to be replaced, and press ENTER. It
is usually best to replace the star closest to the new object. This will space out your alignment stars
across the sky. If you have used one of the single object alignment methods then it is always best to
replace the object that is “unassigned” with an actual object.

7. Press ALIGN to make the change.

Object Catalog

Selecting an Object

Now that the telescope is properly aligned, you can choose an object from any of the catalogs in the
SynScan’s database. The hand control has a key designated for each of the catalogs in its database.
There are two ways to select objects from the database; scrolling through the named object lists and
entering object numbers:

• Pressing the LIST key on the hand control will access all objects in the database that have common
names or types. Each list is broken down into the following categories: Named Stars, Named Object,
Double Stars, Variable Stars and Asterisms. Selecting any one of these options will display an alpha­numeric listing of the objects under that list. Pressing the Up and Down keys (10) allows you to scroll
through the catalog to the desired object.

• Pressing any of the catalog keys (M, CALD, NGC, or STAR) will display a blinking cursor below the
name of the catalog chosen. Use the numeric key pad to enter the number of any object within these
standardized catalogs. For example, to find the Orion Nebula, press the “M” key and enter “042”.

• Pressing the PLANET button will allow you to use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through
and select the eight planets as well as the moon.

When scrolling through a long list of objects, holding down either the Up or Down key will allow you to
scroll through the catalog at a rapid speed.

When entering the number for a SAO star, you are only required to enter the first four digits of the objects
six digit SAO number. Once the first four digits are entered, the hand control will automatically list all
the available SAO objects beginning with those numbers. This allows you to scroll through only the SAO
stars in the database. For example, in searching for the SAO star 40186 (Capella), the first four digits
would be “0401”. Entering this number will display the closest match from the SAO stars available in
the database. From there you can scroll down the list and select the desired object.

Slewing to an Object

Once the desired object is displayed on the hand control screen, you have two options:

• Press the INFO Key. This will give you useful information about the selected object such as magnitude,
constellation and fascinating facts about many of the objects.

22

• Press the ENTER Key. This will automatically slew the telescope to the coordinates of the object.
While the telescope is slewing to the object, the user can still access many of the hand control
functions (such as displaying information about the object).

If you slew to an object that is below the horizon, SynScan™ will notify you by displaying a message
reminding you that you have selected an object outside of your slew limits (see Slew Limits in the Scope
Setup section of the manual). Press UNDO to go back and select a new object. Press ENTER to ignore
the message and continue the slew. The SynScan™ hand control will only display objects that are below
the horizon if the Filter Limits are set below 0º in altitude. See Filter Limits in the Utility Feature section
of the manual for more information on setting the filter limits.

Caution: Never slew the telescope when someone is looking into the eyepiece. The telescope can move
at fast slew speeds and may hit an observer in the eye.

Object information can be obtained without having to do a star alignment. After the telescope is powered
on, pressing any of the catalog keys allows you to scroll through object lists or enter catalog numbers
and view the information about the object as described above.

Finding Planets

The SynScan™ can locate all 8 of our solar systems planets plus the Sun and the Moon. However, the
hand control will only display the solar system objects that are above the horizon (or within its filter
limits). To locate the planets, press the PLANET key on the hand control. The hand control will display
all solar system objects that are above the horizon:

• Use the Up and Down keys to select the planet that you wish to observe.

• Press INFO to access information on the displayed planet.

• Press ENTER to slew to the displayed planet.

To allow the Sun to be displayed as an option in the database, see Sun Menu in the Utilities section of
the manual.

Tour Mode

The SynScan™ includes a tour feature which automatically allows the user to choose from a list of
interesting objects based on the date and time in which you are observing. The automatic tour will
display only those objects that are within your set filter limits. To activate the Tour mode, press the
TOUR key on the hand control. The SynScan™ will display the best objects to observe that are currently
in the sky.

• To see information and data about the displayed object, press the INFO key.

• To slew to the object displayed, press ENTER.

• To see the next tour object, press the Down key.

Constellation Tour

In addition to the Tour Mode, the LightChariot™ telescope has a Constellation Tour that allows the user
to take a tour of all the best objects within a particular constellation. Selecting Constellation from the
LIST menu will display all the constellation names that are above the user defined horizon (filter limits).
Once a constellation is selected, you can choose from any of the database object catalogs to produce a
list of all the available objects in that constellation.

• To see information and data about the displayed object, press the INFO key.

• To slew to the object displayed, press ENTER.

• To see the next tour object, press the Up key.

23

Direction Buttons

The SynScan™ has four direction buttons in the center of the hand control which controls the telescope
motion in altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right). The telescope can be controlled at nine
different speed rates.

1 . . . . 2x

2 . . . . 4x

3 . . . . 8x

4 . . . 16x
5 . . . 32x

Nine Available Slew Speeds

Rate Button

Pressing the RATE key (11) allows you to instantly change the speed rate of the motors from high speed
slew rate to precise guiding rate or anywhere in between. Each rate corresponds to a number on the
hand controller key pad. The number 9 is the fastest rate (approximately 4º per second, depending on
power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars. The number 1 on
the hand control is the slowest rate (2x sidereal) and can be used for accurate centering of objects in
the eyepiece. To change the speed rate of the motors:

• Press the RATE key on the hand control. The LCD will display the current speed rate.

• Press the number on the hand control that corresponds to the desired speed.

The hand control has a “double button” feature that allows you to instantly speed up the motors without
having to choose a speed rate. To use this feature, simply press the arrow button that corresponds to
the direction that you want to move the telescope. While holding that button down, press the opposite
directional button. This will increase the speed to the maximum slew rate.

When using the Up and Down buttons on the SynScan™ for LightChariot™ 80, 102 or 130 the slower slew
rates (6 and lower) move the motors in the opposite direction than the faster slew rates (7- 9). This is
done so that an object will move in the appropriate direction when looking into the eyepiece (i.e. pressing
the up arrow button will move the star upwards in the field of view of the eyepiece). However, if any of
the slower slew rates (rate 6 and below) are used to center an object in the RedDot Finderscope, you may
need to press the opposite directional button to make the telescope move in the correct direction.

6 . . . . 0.5˚/sec

7 . . . . . . 1˚/sec

8 . . . . . . 2˚/sec

9 . . . . . . 4˚/sec

Set Up Procedures

The SynScan™ contains many user defined setup functions designed to give the user control over the
telescope’s many advanced features. All of the set up and utility features can be accessed by pressing
the MENU key and scrolling through the options:

Tracking Mode Once the LightChariot™ is aligned the tracking motors will automatically turn on

and begin tracking the sky. However, the tracking can be turned off for terrestrial
use:

Alt-Az This is the default tracking rate and is used when the

EQ North Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar aligned

EQ South Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar aligned

24

telescope has been properly aligned.

using an equatorial wedge in the Northern Hemisphere.

using an equatorial wedge in the Southern Hemisphere.

Off When using the telescope for terrestrial (land) observation

the tracking can be turned off so that the telescope never
moves.

Note : The EQ North and EQ South tracking modes are only needed with telescopes that can be polar
aligned, such as the SynScan™ 4, 5 and 8. The LightChariot™’s are exclusively Alt-Az mounted telescopes
and do not require equatorial tracking.

Tracking Rate In addition to being able to move the telescope with the hand control buttons,

the LightChariot™ will continually track a celestial object as it moves across the
night sky. The tracking rate can be changed depending on what type of object is
being observed:

Sidereal This rate compensates for the rotation of the earth by moving

the telescope at the same rate as the rotation of the earth,
but in the opposite direction. When tracking in Alt-Az mode,
the telescope must make corrections in both altitude and
azimuth.

Lunar Used for tracking the moon when observing the lunar

landscape.

Solar Used for tracking the Sun when solar observing using a

proper solar filter.

View Time-Site View Time-Site will display the last saved time and longitude/latitude entered in

the hand control.

User Defined Objects The SynScan™ can store up to 50 different user defined objects in its memory.

The objects can be daytime land objects or an interesting celestial object that
you discover that is not included in the regular database. There are several ways
to save an object to memory depending on what type of object it is:

Save Sky Object The SynScan™ stores celestial objects to its database by

saving its right ascension and declination in the sky. This
way the same object can be found each time the telescope
is aligned. Once a desired object is centered in the eyepiece,
simply scroll to the “Save Sky Obj” command and press
ENTER. The display will ask you to enter a number between
1-25 to identify the object. Press ENTER again to save this
object to the database.

Save Database This feature allows you to create your own custom
(Db) Object tour of database objects by allowing you to record

the current position of the telescope and save the name

of the object by selecting it from any one of the database
catalogs. These objects then can be accessed by selecting
GoTo Sky Object.

Save Land Object The LightChariot™ can also be used as a spotting scope

on terrestrial objects. Fixed land objects can be stored by
saving their altitude and azimuth relative to the location of
the telescope at the time of observing. Since these objects
are relative to the location of the telescope, they are only
valid for that exact location. To save land objects, once again
center the desired object in the eyepiece. Scroll down to the
“Save Land Obj” command and press ENTER. The display

25

will ask you to enter a number between 1-25 to identify
the object. Press ENTER again to save this object to the
database.

Enter R.A.–DEC You can also store a specific set of coordinates for an object

just by entering the R.A. and declination for that object.
Scroll to the “Enter RA-DEC “ command and press ENTER.
The display will then ask you to enter first the R.A. and then
the declination of the desired object.

GoTo Object To go to any of the user defined objects stored in the

database, scroll down to either GoTo Sky Obj or Goto Land
Obj and enter the number of the object you wish to select
and press ENTER. SynScan™ will automatically retrieve and
display the coordinates before slewing to the object.

To replace the contents of any of the user defined objects, simply save a new object using one of the
existing identification numbers; LightChariot™ will replace the previous user defined object with the
current one.

Get R.A. /DEC Displays the right ascension and declination for the current position of the

telescope.

Goto R.A. /DEC Allows you to input a specific R.A. and declination and slew to it.

Identify

Identify Mode will search any of the SynScan™ database catalogs or lists and display the name and
offset distances to the nearest matching objects. This feature can serve two purposes. First, it can be
used to identify an unknown object in the field of view of your eyepiece. Additionally, Identify Mode
can be used to find other celestial objects that are close to the objects you are currently observing. For
example, if your telescope is pointed at the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, choosing Identify and
then searching the Named Star catalog will no doubt return the star Vega as the star you are observing.
However, by selecting Identify and searching by the Named Object or Messier catalogs, the hand control
will let you know that the Ring Nebula (M57) is approximately 6° from your current position. Searching
the Double Star catalog will reveal that Epsilon Lyrae is only 1° away from Vega. To use the Identify
feature:

• Press the Menu button and select the Identify option.

• Use the Up /Down scroll keys to select the catalog that you would like to search.

• Press ENTER to begin the search.

Note : Some of the databases contain thousands of objects, and can therefore take a minute or two to
return the closest object.

Scope Setup Features

Setup Time-Site – Allows the user to customize the SynScan™ display by changing time and location

parameters (such as time zone and daylight savings).

Anti-backlash – All mechanical gears have a certain amount of backlash or play between the gears.
This play is evident by how long it takes for a star to move in the eyepiece when the hand control
arrow buttons are pressed (especially when changing directions). The SynScan™’s anti-backlash features
allows the user to compensate for backlash by inputting a value which quickly rewinds the motors just
enough to eliminate the play between gears. The amount of compensation needed depends on the

26

slewing rate selected; the slower the slewing rate the longer it will take for the star to appear to move
in the eyepiece. Therefore, the anti-backlash compensation will have to be set higher. You will need to
experiment with different values; a value between 20 and 50 is usually best for most visual observing,
whereas a higher value may be necessary for photographic guiding. Positive backlash compensation
is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from backwards to forwards. Similarly,
negative backlash compensation is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from
forwards to backwards. When tracking is enabled, the mount will be moving in one or both axes in either
the positive or negative direction, so backlash compensation will always be applied when a direction
button is released and the direction moved is opposite to the direction of travel.

To set the anti-backlash value, scroll down to the anti-backlash option and press ENTER. Enter a value
from 0-100 for both azimuth and altitude directions and press ENTER after each one to save these
values. SynScan™ will remember these values and use them each time it is turned on until they are
changed.

Slew Limits – Sets the limits in altitude that the telescope can slew without displaying a warning message.
The slew limits prevent the telescope tube from slewing to an object below the horizon or slewing to an
object that is high enough that the tube might hit one of the tripod legs. However, the slew limits can be
customized depending on your needs. For example, if you would like to slew to an object that is close to
the zenith and are certain that the tube will not hit the tripod legs, you can set the slew limits to 90º in
altitude. This will allow the telescope to slew to any object above the horizon without warning.

Filter Limits – When an alignment is complete, the SynScan™ automatically knows which celestial
objects are above the horizon. As a result, when scrolling through the database lists (or selecting the
Tour function), the SynScan™ hand control will display only those objects that are known to be above the
horizon when you are observing. You can customize the object database by selecting altitude limits that
are appropriate for your location and situation. For example, if you are observing from a mountainous
location where the horizon is partially obscured, you can set your minimum altitude limit to read +20º.
This will make sure that the hand control only displays objects that are higher in altitude than 20º.

OBSERVING
TIP!

If you want to explore the entire object database, set the maximum altitude limit to 90º and
the minimum limit to –90º. This will display every object in the database lists regardless of
whether it is visible in the sky from your location or not.

Direction Buttons – The direction a star moves in the eyepiece varies depending on the accessories
being used. This can create confusion when guiding on a star using an off-axis guider versus a straight
through guide scope. To compensate for this, the direction of the drive control keys can be changed. To
reverse the button logic of the hand control, press the MENU button and select Direction Buttons from
the Utilities menu. Use the Up/Down arrow keys (10) to select either the Azimuth buttons (left and right)
or Altitude buttons (up and down) and press ENTER. Pressing ENTER again will reverse the direction of
the hand control buttons from their current state. Direction Buttons will only change the eyepiece rates
(rate 1-6) and will not affect the slew rates (rate 7-9).

Select Model – The first time the LightChariot™ is powered on, the hand control display allows you to
select your LightChariot™ from a list of different models. If for some reason the incorrect model was
selected or you wish to use your hand control on a different LightChariot™ model, the Select Model
utility feature allows you to re-select the proper LightChariot™ model from the displayed list. Once
the correct LightChariot™ model has been selected the power needs to be restarted before beginning
the alignment procedure. The Select Model feature will return the hand control to its original factory
settings. Parameters such as backlash compensation values along with slew and filter limits will be
reset. However, stored parameters such as user defined objects will remain saved even after the model
has been changed.

27

Utility Features

Scrolling through the MENU options will also provide access to several advanced utility functions such
as anti-backlash compensation and slew limits.

Version – Selecting this option will allow you to see the version number of the hand control software.

Light Control – This feature allows you to turn off both the red key pad light and LCD display for daytime

use to conserve power and to help preserve your night vision.

Factory Setting – Returns the SynScan™ hand control to its original factory setting. Parameters such as
backlash compensation values, initial date and time, longitude/latitude along with slew and filter limits
will be reset. However, stored parameters such as PEC and user defined objects will remain saved even
when Factory Settings is selected. The hand control will ask you to press the “0” key before returning
to the factory default setting.

Get Alt-Az – Displays the relative altitude and azimuth for the current position of the telescope.

GoTo Alt-Az – Allows you to enter a specific altitude and azimuth position and slew to it.

Hibernate – Hibernate allows the LightChariot™ to be completely powered down and still retain its

alignment when turned back on. This not only saves power, but is ideal for those that have their
telescopes permanently mounted or leave their telescope in one location for long periods of time. To
place your telescope in Hibernate mode:

1. Select Hibernate from the Utility Menu.

2. Move the telescope to a desire position and press ENTER.

3. Power off the telescope. Remember to never move your telescope manually while in Hibernate
mode.

Once the telescope is powered on again the display will read Wake Up. After pressing Enter you have
the option of scrolling through the time /site information to confirm the current setting. Press ENTER to
wake up the telescope.

HELPFUL
HINT

Sun Menu

For safety purposes the Sun will not be displayed as a database object unless it is first enabled. The
enable the Sun, go to the Sun Menu and press ENTER. The Sun will now be displayed in the Planets
catalog as can be used as an alignment object when using the Solar System Alignment method. To
remove the Sun from displaying on the hand control, once again select the Sun Menu from the Utilities
Menu and press ENTER.

Scrolling Menu

This menus allows you to change the rate of speed that the text scrolls across the hand control display.

• Press the Up (number 6) button to increase the speed of the text.

• Press the Down (number 9) button to decrease the speed of the text.

Pressing UNDO at the Wake Up screen allows you to explore many of the features of the hand
control without waking the telescope up from hibernate mode. To wake up the telescope after
UNDO has been pressed, select Hibernate from the Utility menu and press ENTER. Do not use
the direction buttons to move the telescope while in hibernate mode.

28

SynScan

™

MENU ALIGNMENT LIST

TRACKING

MODE

ALT-AZ
EQ NORTH
EQ SOUTH
OFF

RATE

SIDEREAL
SOLAR
LUNAR

VIEW TIME-SITE

SCOPE SETUP

SETUP TIME-SITE
ANTI-BACKLASH
SLEW LIMITS
FILTER LIMITS
DIRECTION BUTTONS
SELECT MODEL

UTILITIES

SETUP TIME-SITE
ANTI-BACKLASH
SLEW LIMITS
FILTER LIMITS
DIRECTION BUTTONS
SELECT MODEL

USER OBJECTS

ASTRO-TRI-ALIGN

Saved Site
ENTER if OK
UNDO to Edit

Center Alignment Object 1

Center Alignment Object 2

Center Alignment Object 3

AUTO TWO-STAR ALIGN

Saved Site
ENTER if OK
UNDO to Edit

Select Star 1

Center Star 1

Center Star 2

TWO-STAR ALIGNMENT

Saved Site
ENTER if OK
UNDO to Edit

Select Star 1

Center Star 1

Select Star 2

Center Star 2

ONE-STAR ALIGNMENT

NAMED STAR
NAMED OBJECT
ASTERISM
TOUR
VARIABLE STAR
DOUBLE STAR
CALDWELL
MESSIER
NGC
SAO
SOLAR SYSTEM
CONSTELLATION

GOTO SKY OBJ
SAVE SKY OBJ
SAVE DB OBJ
ENTER RA & DEC
SAVE LAND OBJ
GOTO LAND OBJ

GET RA-DEC

GOTO RA-DEC

IDENTIFY

SELECT CATALOG

SynScan™ Menu Tree: showing the sub-menus associated with the primary command functions

Saved Site
ENTER if OK
UNDO to Edit

Select Star 1

Center Star 1

SOLAR SYSTEM ALIGN

Saved Site
ENTER if OK
UNDO to Edit

Select Object

Center Object

29

TELESCOPE BASICS

A telescope is an instrument that collects and focuses light. The nature of the optical design determines
how the light is focused. Some telescopes, known as refractors, use lenses. Other telescopes, known
as reflectors, use mirrors. The LightChariot™ 80 and 102 telescopes are refractor telescopes that use
an objective lens to collect its light. The LightChariot™ 130 is a reflecting telescope with a primary and
secondary mirror to gather and focus light.

Focusing

Once you have found an object in the telescope, turn the focusing knob until the image is sharp. To focus
on an object that is nearer than your current target, turn the focusing knob toward the eyepiece (i.e., so
that the focusing tube moves away from the front of the telescope). For more distant objects, turn the
focusing knob in the opposite direction. To achieve a truly sharp focus, never look through glass windows
or across objects that produce heat waves, such as asphalt parking lots.

Image Orientation

The image orientation of any telescope changes depending on how the eyepiece is inserted into the
telescope. When observing through the LightChariot™ 80 or 102 using a diagonal, the image will be right
side up, but reversed from left to right. When observing straight through, with the eyepiece inserted
directly into the telescope, the image will be inverted.

F

F

Original object orientation

When observing through the LightChariot™ 130, a reflecting telescope, the image will appear up-side­down when looking through the eyepiece.

For astronomical viewing, out of focus star images are very diffuse, making them difficult to see. If you
turn the focus knob too quickly, you can go right through focus without seeing the image. To avoid this
problem, your first astronomical target should be a bright object (like the Moon or a planet) so that the
image is visible even when out of focus.

Calculating Magnification

You can change the power of your telescope just by changing the eyepiece (ocular). To determine the
magnification of your telescope, simply divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of
the eyepiece used. In equation format, the formula looks like this:

Magnification =
Focal Length of Eyepiece (mm)

Reversed from left to right,
as viewed with a Diagonal

Focal Length of Telescope (mm)

F

Inverted image, as viewed

with the eyepiece directly

in telescope

FIG. 10

Let’s say, for example, you are using the 25mm eyepiece. To determine the magnification you simply
divide the focal length of your telescope (for example, the LightChariot™ 80 has a focal length of 910mm)
by the focal length of the eyepiece, 25mm. Dividing 910 by 25 yields a magnification of 36.4 power.

30

Although the power is variable, each instrument under average skies has a limit to the highest useful
magnification. The general rule is that 60 power can be used for every inch of aperture. For example,
the LightChariot™ 80 is 3.2" (80mm) in diameter. Multiplying 3.2 by 60 gives a maximum useful
magnification of 192 power. Although this is the maximum useful magnification, most observing is done
in the range of 20 to 35 power for every inch of aperture which is 64 to 112 times for the LightChariot™
80 telescope.

Determining Field of View

Determining the field of view is important if you want to get an idea of the angular size of the object you
are observing. To calculate the actual field of view, divide the apparent field of the eyepiece (supplied by
the eyepiece manufacturer) by the magnification. In equation format, the formula looks like this:

True Field =
Magnification

As you can see, before determining the field of view, you must calculate the magnification. Using the
example in the previous section, we can determine the field of view using the same 25mm eyepiece. The
25mm eyepiece has an apparent field of view of 56°. Divide the 56° by the magnification, which is 40
power. This yields an actual field of view of 1.4°.

To convert degrees to feet at 1,000 yards, which is more useful for terrestrial observing, simply multiply
by 52.5. Continuing with our example, multiply the angular field 1.4° by 52.5. This produces a linear
field width of 73.5 feet at a distance of one thousand yards. The apparent field of each eyepiece that
Sky-Watcher USA manufactures is found in the Sky-Watcher USA Accessory Catalog.

Apparent Field of Eyepiece

General Observing Hints

When working with any optical instrument, there are a few things to remember to ensure you get the
best possible image:

• Never look through window glass. Glass found in household windows is optically imperfect, and as a
result, may vary in thickness from one part of a window to the next. This inconsistency can and will
affect the ability to focus your telescope. In most cases you will not be able to achieve a truly sharp
image, while in some cases, you may actually see a double image.

• Never look across or over objects that are producing heat waves. This includes asphalt parking lots
on hot summer days or building rooftops.

• Hazy skies, fog, and mist can also make it difficult to focus when viewing terrestrially. The amount
of detail seen under these conditions is greatly reduced. Also, when photographing under these
conditions, the processed film may come out a little grainier than normal with lower contrast and
underexposed.

• If you wear corrective lenses (specifically glasses), you may want to remove them when observing
with an eyepiece attached to the telescope. When using a camera, however, you should always wear
corrective lenses to ensure the sharpest possible focus. If you have astigmatism, corrective lenses
must be worn at all times.

31

CELESTIAL OBSERVING

With your telescope set up, you are ready to use it for observing. This section covers visual observing
hints for both solar system and deep sky objects as well as general observing conditions which will affect
your ability to observe.

Observing the Moon

Often, it is tempting to look at the Moon when it is full.
At this time, the face we see is fully illuminated and
its light can be overpowering. In addition, little or no
contrast can be seen during this phase.

One of the best times to observe the Moon is during its
partial phases (around the time of first or third quarter).
Long shadows reveal a great amount of detail on the
lunar surface. At low power you will be able to see most
of the lunar disk at one time. Change to higher power
(magnification) to focus in on a smaller area. Choose
the lunar tracking rate from the LightChariot™’s MENU
tracking rate options to keep the moon centered in the

FIG. 11

eyepiece even at high magnifications.

Lunar Observing Hints

• To increase contrast and bring out detail on the lunar surface, use eyepiece filters. A yellow filter
works well at improving contrast while a neutral density or polarizing filter will reduce overall surface
brightness and glare.

Observing the Planets

Other fascinating targets include the five naked eye planets.
You can see Venus go through its lunar-like phases. Mars can
reveal a host of surface detail and one, if not both, of its polar
caps. You will be able to see the cloud belts of Jupiter and the
great Red Spot (if it is visible at the time you are observing).
In addition, you will also be able to see the moons of Jupiter as
they orbit the giant planet. Saturn, with its beautiful rings, is
easily visible at moderate power.

Planetary Observing Hints

• Remember that atmospheric conditions are usually the
limiting factor on how much planetary detail will be visible. So, avoid observing the planets when
they are low on the horizon or when they are directly over a source of radiating heat, such as a
rooftop or chimney. See the “Seeing Conditions” section later in this section.

• To increase contrast and bring out detail on the planetary surface, try using Sky-Watcher USA
eyepiece filters.

FIG. 12

Observing the Sun

Although overlooked by many amateur astronomers, solar observation is both rewarding and fun. However,
because the Sun is so bright, special precautions must be taken when observing our star so as not to
damage your eyes or your telescope.

32

Never project an image of the Sun through the telescope. Tremendous heat build-up may result inside
the optical tube. This can damage the telescope and/or any accessories attached to the telescope.

For safe solar viewing, use a Sky-Watcher USA solar filter (see Optional Accessories section of manual)
that reduces the intensity of the Sun’s light, making it safe to view. With a filter you can see sunspots as
they move across the solar disk and faculae, which are bright patches seen near the Sun’s edge.

Solar Observing Hints

• The best time to observe the Sun is in the early morning or late afternoon when the air is cooler.

• To center the Sun without looking into the eyepiece, watch the shadow of the telescope tube until it
forms a circular shadow.

• To ensure accurate tracking, be sure to select solar tracking rate.

Observing Deep Sky Objects

Deep sky objects are simply those objects outside the boundaries of our solar system. They include star
clusters, planetary nebulae, diffuse nebulae, double stars and other galaxies outside our own Milky Way.
Most deep sky objects have a large angular size. Therefore, low-to-moderate power is all you need to see
them. Visually, they are too faint to reveal any of the color seen in long exposure photographs. Instead,
they appear black and white. And, because of their low surface brightness, they should be observed
from a dark sky location. Light pollution around large urban areas washes out most nebulae making them
difficult, if not impossible, to observe. Light Pollution Reduction filters help reduce the background sky
brightness, thus increasing contrast.

Seeing Conditions

Viewing conditions affect what you can see through your telescope during an observing session. Conditions
include transparency, sky illumination, and seeing. Understanding viewing conditions and the effect they
have on observing will help you get the most out of your telescope.

Transparency

Transparency is the clarity of the atmosphere which is affected by clouds, moisture, and other airborne
particles. Thick cumulus clouds are completely opaque while cirrus can be thin, allowing the light from
the brightest stars through. Hazy skies absorb more light than clear skies making fainter objects harder
to see and reducing contrast on brighter objects. Aerosols ejected into the upper atmosphere from
volcanic eruptions also affect transparency. Ideal conditions are when the night sky is inky black.

Sky Illumination

General sky brightening caused by the Moon, aurorae, natural airglow, and light pollution greatly affect
transparency. While not a problem for the brighter stars and planets, bright skies reduce the contrast
of extended nebulae making them difficult, if not impossible, to see. To maximize your observing,
limit deep sky viewing to moonless nights far from the light polluted skies found around major urban
areas. LPR filters enhance deep sky viewing from light polluted areas by blocking unwanted light while
transmitting light from certain deep sky objects. You can, on the other hand, observe planets and stars
from light polluted areas or when the Moon is out.

33

Seeing

Seeing conditions refers to the stability of the atmosphere and directly affects the amount of fine detail
seen in extended objects. The air in our atmosphere acts as a lens which bends and distorts incoming
light rays. The amount of bending depends on air density. Varying temperature layers have different
densities and, therefore, bend light differently. Light rays from the same object arrive slightly displaced
creating an imperfect or smeared image. These atmospheric disturbances vary from time-to-time and
place-to-place. The size of the air parcels compared to your aperture determines the “seeing” quality.
Under good seeing conditions, fine detail is visible on the brighter planets like Jupiter and Mars, and
stars are pinpoint images. Under poor seeing conditions, images are blurred and stars appear as blobs.

The conditions described here apply to both visual and photographic observations.

Bad Excellent

Seeing conditions directly affect image quality. These drawing represent a point
source (i.e., star) under bad seeing conditions (left) to excellent conditions (right).
Most often, seeing conditions produce images that lie some where between these
two extremes.

FIG. 13

34

TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE

While your LightChariot™ telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that
will ensure your telescope performs at its best.

Care and Cleaning of the Optics

Occasionally, dust and/or moisture may build up on the lens of your telescope. Special care should be
taken when cleaning any instrument so as not to damage the optics.

If dust has built up on the corrector plate, remove it with a brush (made of camel’s hair) or a can of
pressurized air. Spray at an angle to the lens for approximately two to four seconds. Then, use an optical
cleaning solution and white tissue paper to remove any remaining debris. Apply the solution to the tissue
and then apply the tissue paper to the lens. Low pressure strokes should go from the center of the
corrector to the outer portion. Do NOT rub in circles!

You can use a commercially made lens cleaner or mix your own. A good cleaning solution is isopropyl
alcohol mixed with distilled water. The solution should be 60% isopropyl alcohol and 40% distilled
water. Or, liquid dish soap diluted with water (a couple of drops per one quart of water) can be used.

To minimize the need to clean your telescope, replace all lens covers once you have finished using it.
This will prevent contaminants from entering the optical tube.

Collimation

(For LightChariot™ 130)

The optical performance of your LightChariot™ telescope is directly related to its collimation, that is the
alignment of its optical system. Your LightChariot™ was collimated at the factory after it was completely
assembled. However, if the telescope is dropped or jarred severely during transport, it may have to be
collimated. The LightChariot™ 80 and 102 are refractor type telescopes that have fix optical systems
that should not come out of collimation. The LightChariot™ 130, however, has three collimation screws
that can be used to adjust the alignment of the primary mirror.

To check if your telescope is in collimation refer to FIG. 14. If you look into the eyepiece adapter (without
an eyepiece) at the top of the focuser, this is what you should see. If the reflection of your eye is off
center, then collimation is necessary.

The view of a collimated telescope as seen through the focuser of
the LightChariot™ 130 reflector models.

FIG. 14

35

Adjustments to the collimation of the telescope can be made by turning the collimation adjustment
knobs located at the rear of the optical tube. First loosen the three Phillips head screws on the rear
cell of the tube. Turn each collimation knobs, one at a time, until the reflected image of your eye in the
secondary mirror is centered in the primary mirror. Once the telescope is collimated, tighten the Phillips
head screws until you feel a slight resistance. Do not over tighten the screw.

If your telescope is out of collimation, the best way to re-collimate it is with a good collimation tool.
Sky-Watcher USA offers a Newtonian Collimation Tool with detailed instructions that make it an easy
chore.

Collimation adjustment screws. FIG. 15

36

APPENDIX A TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Optical Specifications

LightChariot™ 80 LightChariot™ 102 LightChariot™ 130

Design Refractor Refractor Reflector

Aperture 80mm 102mm 130mm

Focal Length 900mm 600mm 650mm

F/ratio of the Optical System 11.3 5.9 5

Objective Coatings Multi-Coated Multi-Coated Aluminum

Highest Useful Magnification 150x 200x 250x

Lowest Useful Magnification 13x 17x 20x

Eyepiece Magnification 36x (25mm) 24x (25mm) 26x (25mm)

90x (10mm) 60x (10mm) 65x (10mm)

Light Gathering Power 131x unaided eye 212x unaided eye 345x unaided eye

Field of View: Standard Eyepiece 1.4º 2.2º 2º

Linear Field of View (at 1000 yds) 74 feet 115 feet 105 feet

Optical Tube Length 35 inches 25 inches 24.5 inches

Electronic Specifications

Input Voltage 12 V DC Nominal

Batteries Required 8 AA Alkaline

Power Supply Requirements 12 VDC-750 mA (Tip positive)

Mechanical Specifications

Motor: Type / Resolution DC Servo motors with encoders, both axes / .26 arc sec

Slew speeds Nine slew speeds: 4º/sec, 2º/sec, 1º/sec, 0.5º/sec, 32x, 16x, 8x, 4x, 2x

Hand Control Double line, 16 character LCD, 19 fiber optic backlit LED buttons

Fork Arm Cast aluminum

Software Specifications

Software Precision 16 bit, 20 arc sec. calculations

Ports RS-232 communication port on hand control

Tracking Rates Sidereal, Solar and Lunar

Tracking Modes Alt-Az, EQ North & EQ South

Alignment Procedures Astro-Tri-Align, Auto Two-Star, Two-Star, One-Star, Solar System Align

Database 25 user defined programmable object. Enhanced info. on over 100 objects

Total Object Database 4,033 Objects

37

APPENDIX B GLOSSARY OF TERMS

A

Absolute magnitude . . . . . . The apparent magnitude that a star would have if it were observed from a

standard distance of 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light-years. The absolute magnitude of
the Sun is 4.8 at a distance of 10 parsecs, it would just be visible on Earth on
a clear moonless night away from surface light.

Airy disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . The apparent size of a star’s disk produced even by a perfect optical system.

Since the star can never be focused perfectly, 84 per cent of the light will
concentrate into a single disk, and 16 per cent into a system of surrounding
rings.

Alt-Azimuth Mounting . . . . . A telescope mounting using two independent rotation axes allowing movement of

the instrument in Altitude and Azimuth.

Altitude. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In astronomy, the altitude of a celestial object is its Angular Distance above or

below the celestial horizon.

Aperture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The diameter of a telescope’s primary lens or mirror; the larger the aperture, the

greater the telescope’s light-gathering power.

Apparent Magnitude. . . . . . A measure of the relative brightness of a star or other celestial object as perceived

by an observer on Earth.

Arc minute . . . . . . . . . . . . A unit of angular size equal to 1/60 of a degree.

Arc second . . . . . . . . . . . . A unit of angular size equal to 1/3,600 of a degree (or 1/60 of an arc minute).

Asterism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A small unofficial grouping of stars in the night sky.

Asteroid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A small, rocky body that orbits a star.

Astrology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . The pseudoscientific belief that the positions of stars and planets exert an

influence on human affairs; astrology has nothing in common with astronomy.
Astronomical unit (AU) . . . The distance between the Earth and the Sun. It is equal to 149,597,900 km,

usually rounded off to 150,000,000 km.

Aurora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The emission of light when charged particles from the solar wind slams into and

excites atoms and molecules in a planet’s upper atmosphere.

Azimuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The angular distance of an object eastwards along the horizon, measured from

due north, between the astronomical meridian (the vertical line passing through

the center of the sky and the north and south points on the horizon) and the

vertical line containing the celestial body whose position is to be measured.

B

C

D

E

Binary Stars . . . . . . . . . . . Binary (Double) stars are pairs of stars that, because of their mutual gravitational

attraction, orbit around a common center of mass. If a group of three or more

stars revolve around one another, it is called a multiple system. It is believed

that approximately 50 percent of all stars belong to binary or multiple systems.

Systems with individual components that can be seen separately by a telescope

are called visual binaries or visual multiples. The nearest “star” to our solar

system, Alpha Centauri, is actually our nearest example of a multiple star system,

it consists of three stars, two very similar to our Sun and one dim, small, red star

orbiting around one another.

Celestial Equator . . . . . . . . The projection of the Earth’s equator on to the celestial sphere. It divides the sky

into two equal hemispheres.

Celestial pole. . . . . . . . . . . The imaginary projection of Earth’s rotational axis north or south pole onto the

celestial sphere.

Celestial Sphere . . . . . . . . An imaginary sphere surrounding the Earth, concentric with the Earth’s center.

Collimation . . . . . . . . . . . . The act of putting a telescope’s optics into perfect alignment.

Declination (DEC) . . . . . . . The angular distance of a celestial body north or south of the celestial equator.

It may be said to correspond to latitude on the surface of the Earth.

Ecliptic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The projection of the Earth’s orbit on to the celestial sphere. It may also be

defined as “the apparent yearly path of the Sun against the stars”.

Equatorial mount . . . . . . . A telescope mounting in which the instrument is set upon an axis which is

parallel to the axis of the Earth; the angle of the axis must be equal to the

observer’s latitude.

38

F

Focal length . . . . . . . . . . . The distance between a lens (or mirror) and the point at which the image of an

object at infinity is brought to focus. The focal length divided by the aperture of

the mirror or lens is termed the focal ratio.

J

K

L

M

Jovian Planets . . . . . . . . . . Any of the four gas giant planets that are at a greater distance form the sun than

the terrestrial planets.

Kuiper Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . A region beyond the orbit of Neptune extending to about 1000 AU which is a

source of many short period comets.

Light-Year (ly) . . . . . . . . . . A light-year is the distance light traverses in a vacuum in one year at the speed

of 299,792 km/sec. With 31,557,600 seconds in a year, the light-year equals a

distance of 9.46 X 1 trillion km (5.87 X 1 trillion mi).

Magnitude. . . . . . . . . . . . . Magnitude is a measure of the brightness of a celestial body. The brightest

stars are assigned magnitude 1 and those increasingly fainter from 2 down to

magnitude 5. The faintest star that can be seen without a telescope is about

magnitude 6. Each magnitude step corresponds to a ratio of 2.5 in brightness.

Thus a star of magnitude 1 is 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 2,

and 100 times brighter than a magnitude 5 star. The brightest star, Sirius, has

an apparent magnitude of -1.6, the full moon is -12.7, and the Sun’s brightness,

expressed on a magnitude scale, is -26.78. The zero point of the apparent

magnitude scale is arbitrary.

Meridian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A reference line in the sky that starts at the North celestial pole and ends at the

South celestial pole and passes through the zenith. If you are facing South, the

meridian starts from your Southern horizon and passes directly overhead to the

North celestial pole.

Messier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A French astronomer in the late 1700’s who was primarily looking for comets.

Comets are hazy diffuse objects and so Messier cataloged objects that were not

comets to help his search. This catalog became the Messier Catalog, M1 through

M110.

N

O

P

Nebula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interstellar cloud of gas and dust. Also refers to any celestial object that has a

cloudy appearance.

North Celestial Pole . . . . . . The point in the Northern hemisphere around which all the stars appear to

rotate. This is caused by the fact that the Earth is rotating on an axis that passes

through the North and South celestial poles. The star Polaris lies less than a

degree from this point and is therefore referred to as the “Pole Star”.

Nova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Although Latin for “new” it denotes a star that suddenly becomes explosively

bright at the end of its life cycle.

Open Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . One of the groupings of stars that are concentrated along the plane of the Milky

Way. Most have an asymmetrical appearance and are loosely assembled. They

contain from a dozen to many hundreds of stars.

Parallax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parallax is the difference in the apparent position of an object against a

background when viewed by an observer from two different locations. These

positions and the actual position of the object form a triangle from which the

apex angle (the parallax) and the distance of the object can be determined if the

length of the baseline between the observing positions is known and the angular

direction of the object from each position at the ends of the baseline has been

measured. The traditional method in astronomy of determining the distance to a

celestial object is to measure its parallax.

39

Parfocal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Refers to a group of eyepieces that all require the same distance from the focal

plane of the telescope to be in focus. This means when you focus one parfocal

eyepiece all the other parfocal eyepieces, in a particular line of eyepieces, will

be in focus.

Parsec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The distance at which a star would show parallax of one second of arc. It is equal

to 3.26 light-years, 206,265 astronomical units, or 30,8000,000,000,000 km.

(Apart from the Sun, no star lies within one parsec of us.)

Point Source . . . . . . . . . . . An object which cannot be resolved into an image because it to too far away or

too small is considered a point source. A planet is far away but it can be resolved

as a disk. Most stars cannot be resolved as disks, they are too far away.

R

S

T

U

V

W

Z

Reflector . . . . . . . . . . . . . A telescope in which the light is collected by means of a mirror.

Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . The minimum detectable angle an optical system can detect. Because of

diffraction, there is a limit to the minimum angle, resolution. The larger the

aperture, the better the resolution.
Right Ascension: (R.A.) . . . The angular distance of a celestial object measured in hours, minutes, and

seconds along the Celestial Equator eastward from the Vernal Equinox.

Sidereal Rate. . . . . . . . . . . This is the angular speed at which the Earth is rotating. Telescope tracking

motors drive the telescope at this rate. The rate is 15 arc seconds per second or

15 degrees per hour.

Terminator. . . . . . . . . . . . . The boundary line between the light and dark portion of the moon or a planet.

Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . The totality of astronomical things, events, relations and energies capable of

being described objectively.

Variable Star . . . . . . . . . . . A star whose brightness varies over time due to either inherent properties of the

star or something eclipsing or obscuring the brightness of the star.

Waning Moon . . . . . . . . . . The period of the moon’s cycle between full and new, when its illuminated portion

is decreasing.

Waxing Moon. . . . . . . . . . . The period of the moon’s cycle between new and full, when its illuminated

portion is increasing.

Zenith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The point on the Celestial Sphere directly above the observer.

Zodiac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The zodiac is the portion of the Celestial Sphere that lies within 8 degrees on

either side of the Ecliptic. The apparent paths of the Sun, the Moon, and the

planets, with the exception of some portions of the path of Pluto, lie within this

band. Twelve divisions, or signs, each 30 degrees in width, comprise the zodiac.

These signs coincided with the zodiacal constellations about 2,000 years ago.

Because of the Precession of the Earth’s axis, the Vernal Equinox has moved

westward by about 30 degrees since that time; the signs have moved with it and

thus no longer coincide with the constellations.

40

APPENDIX C RS-232 CONNECTION

Using the included NSOL software you can control your LightChariot™ telescope with a computer via
the RS-232 port located on the computerized hand control and using an optional RS-232 cable. For
information about using NSOL to control your telescope, refer to the instructions sheet that came with
the CD and the help files located on the disk. In addition to NSOL, the telescope can be controlled using
other popular astronomy software programs. For detailed information about controlling LightChariot™ via
the RS-232 port, Communications protocols and the RS-232 cable, refer to the LightChariot™ section of
the Sky-Watcher USA web site at: http://www.skywatcherusa.com

41

APPENDIX D STANDARD TIME ZONES OF THE WORLD

APPENDIX A – STANDARD TIME ZONES OF THE WORLD

42

JANUARY - FEBRUARY SKY MAP

43

MARCH - APRIL SKY MAP

44

MAY - JUNE SKY MAP

45

JULY - AUGUST SKY MAP

46

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER SKY MAP

47

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER SKY MAP

48

NOTES

49

NOTES

50

w w w . s k y w a t c h e r u s a . c o m

Sky-Watcher U.S.A.
P.O. Box 2290
Costa Mesa, CA 92628
Toll Free: 1 [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.skywatcherusa.com

Copyright © 2008 Sky-Watcher USA. All rights reserved.

Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rule.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and

2) This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operations.

IM0001 090308 v1