User manual MEADE 4500 Instruction Manual

[. . . ] Instruction Manual Model 4500: 4. 5" Equatorial Reflecting Telescope M E A D E 30 0 30 60 90 60 90 ADVANCED PRODUCTS DIVISION Meade Instruments Corporation World's Leading Manufacturer of Astronomical Telescopes for the Serious Amateur 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, California 92618 s (949) 451-1450 FAX: (949) 451-1460 s www. meade. com © 1995 Rev. B 4/95 ­2­ WARNING NEVER ATTEMPT TO OBSERVE THE SUN THROUGH YOUR MEADE TELESCOPE!OBSERVING THE SUN, EVEN FOR THE SHORTEST FRACTION OF A SECOND, WILL CAUSE INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE. WHEN OBSERVING DURING THE DAYTIME, DO NOT POINT THE TELESCOPE EVEN CLOSE TO THE SUN. Meade Limited Warranty Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and binocular is warranted by Meade Instruments Corp. [. . . ] 4) If steps (1) - (3) above were performed with reasonable accuracy, your telescope is now sufficiently wellaligned to the North Celestial Pole for visual observations. Once the mount has been polar-aligned as described above, the latitude angle need not be adjusted again, unless you move to a different geographical location (i. e. The only polar alignment procedure that need be done each time you use the telescope is to point the polar axis due North, as described in step (1) above. E. Using the Telescope With the telescope assembled, balanced and polar aligned as described above, you are ready to begin observations. Decide on an easy-to-find object such as the Moon, if it is visible, or a bright star to become accustomed to the functions and operations of the telescope. For the best results during observations, follow the suggestions below: ­ 10 ­ · To center an object in the main telescope, loosen the telescope's R. A. Use the aligned viewfinder to first sight-in on the object you wish to observe; with the object centered on the viewfinder's crosshairs, re-tighten the R. A. If you have purchased an assortment of eyepieces (see Section G on Calculating Power and Section J on Optional Accessories for higher and lower powers with the telescope), always start an observation with a low power eyepiece (e. g. the MA25mm eyepiece); get the object well-centered in the field of view and sharply focused. If the image starts to become fuzzy as you work into higher magnifications, then back down to a lower power; the atmospheric steadiness is not sufficient to support high powers at the time you are observing. Keep in mind that a bright, clearly resolved but smaller image will show far more detail than a dimmer, poorly resolved larger image. The MA25mm eyepiece included with the Model 4500 presents a wide field of view, ideal for general astronomical observing of star fields, clusters of stars, nebulae, and galaxies; it is also probably the best eyepiece to use in the initial finding and centering of any object. Once centered, the object can be focused by turning one of the knobs of the focusing mechanism (31). You will notice that the astronomical object in the field of view will begin to slowly move across the eyepiece field. This motion is caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis, as described in Section C, although the planets and stars, are, for practical purposes, fixed in their positions in the sky. The platform on which the telescope is sitting ( the Earth) rotates once every 24 hours under these objects. To keep astronomical objects centered in the field of the polar aligned telescope, simply turn the R. A. flexible cable control (3). These objects will appear to move through the field more rapidly at higher powers. Note that the Declination flexible cable control is used only for centering purposes, and not for tracking. Likewise, avoid observing sites where ground-based vibrations may resonate the tripod. Viewing from the upper floors of a building may also introduce image movement. You should allow a few minutes to allow your eyes to become "dark adapted" before attempting any serious astronomical observations. Use a red filtered flashlight to protect your night vision when reading star maps or inspecting the components of the telescope. [. . . ] With the star centered follow the method below: · Bring the star image slowly out of focus until one or more rings are visible around the central disc. If the collimation was performed correctly, the central star disk and rings will be concentric circles, with a dark ­ 15 ­ spot dead center within the out-of-focus star disk (this is the shadow of the secondary mirror), as shown in Fig. 11C. 11A), with an off-center dark shadow. ) · · · · If the out-of-focus star disk appears elongated (Fig. 11A), you will need to adjust the primary mirror Phillips-head tilt screws of the primary mirror cell (3, Fig. [. . . ]