Instruction Manual ETX Premier Edition Telescope Series ® AutoStar® -- LNTTM -- SmartFinderTM TM CONTENTS WARNING! Never use a Meade ETX PE Telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. ® ® Caution: Use care to install batteries in the orientation indicated by illustration in the battery slots of the battery compartment. Follow battery manufacturer's precautions. Do not install batteries backwards or mix new and used batteries. Do not mix battery types. If these precautions are not followed, batteries may explode, catch fire or leak. Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. If you are anxious to use your telescope for the first time, read the QUICK-START GUIDE on pages 4 and 5. ® The name "Meade," "ETX," "AutoStar" and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent Office and in principal countries throughout the world. "LNT [Level North Technology]," "SmartFinder," "Deep Sky Imager," "LPI," and "Tonight's Best" are trademarks of Meade Instruments Corporation. Patents: US 6,304,376 US 6,392,799 US 6,563,636 D 422,610 Patent Pending © 2006 Meade Instruments Corporation. Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 Telescope Features ...................................................... 6 AutoStar Features .......................................................... 9 Getting Started ..............................................................12 Parts Listing ..............................................................12 How to Assemble Your Telescope & Tripod ..............12 Using SmartFinder, Aligning SmartFinder ................13 Choosing an Eyepiece ..............................................14 Observing ......................................................................15 Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually..........15 Terrestrial Observing ................................................15 Observing Using AutoStar's Arrow Keys ..................15 Slew Speeds ............................................................16 Astronomical Observing, Observe the Moon............16 To Track an Object Automatically ..............................16 Moving Through AutoStar's Menus......................16 Automatic Alignment............................................17 Using the Guided Tour, Go To Saturn, ..............18 Observe a Star Using Automatic Tracking ..........19 Basic AutoStar Operation ..............................................20 AutoStar Navigation Exercise ..................................20 Entering Data, Moving Through AutoStar's Menus ..21 AutoStar Menus ............................................................22 Menu Tree ................................................................22 Objects Menu ............................................................23 Event Menu, Glossary Menu ....................................24 Utilities Menu ............................................................25 Setup Menu ..............................................................26 Advanced AutoStar Operation ........................................29 Adding Observing Sites ............................................29 Finding Objects Not in the Database ........................30 Observing Satellites ..................................................30 Create Your Own Guided Tour ..................................31 Landmarks ................................................................34 Identify ......................................................................35 Advanced Alt/Az Alignment Methods........................36 Smart Drive Training (PEC) ......................................37 Browse ......................................................................38 Photography ..................................................................39 Photography with AutoStar Suite ..............................41 Optional Accessories......................................................42 Maintenance ..................................................................44 Troubleshooting ........................................................45 Specifications ................................................................47 Appendix A: Equatorial (Polar) Alignment ......................50 Equatorial Alignment, Celestial Coordinates ............50 Polar Mounting with #884 Deluxe Field Tripod..........50 Equatorial Mounting Procedure ................................51 To Track a Star When Polar Mounted........................51 Polar Alignment Modes, Locating Celestial Pole ......52 Setting Circles ..........................................................53 Appendix B: Latitude Chart ............................................54 Appendix C: Training the Drive ......................................55 Appendix D: Changing the LNT Module Battery ............56 Appendix E: Basic Astronomy ........................................57 QUICK-START GUIDE This Quick Start Guide demonstrates how to install the batteries and eyepiece, and how to observe using the AutoStar Arrow keys. If you wish to try out AutoStar's "Go To" capabilities, check out the list of page references at the bottom of the following page. 2 Remove the ETX telescope from its packaging and place it on a sturdy surface. Place the ETX on its side and remove the battery compartment cover (A) from the underside of the drive base. Insert eight (user-supplied) AA-size batteries into the battery compartment (B) oriented as shown in the battery compartment. Replace the cover and return the telescope to an upright position (if you wish to attach the telescope to the deluxe field tripod, see page 12). ® ...and the other end of the coiled cord into the coiled cord port at the bottom of AutoStar handbox (H), as shown above. Tighten (to a "firm feel" only, do not overtighten) the vertical lock (I) and the horizontal lock (J). See page 7 and 8 for more information. Place the 26mm eyepiece (C) into the eyepiece holder on the telescope and tighten the attachment thumbscrew (D) to a "firm feel" only. See page 7, for more information. Remove the dust cover (E) from the end of the telescope tube. Flip the Power Switch (F) on the computer control panel to the ON position. A version screen briefly appears, followed by "Welcome to AutoStar." The screen displays "Press 0 to align or press Mode for Menu." Make sure that the computer control panel power switch (F) is in the OFF position. Remove the AutoStar handbox and the coiled cord from the packing materials. Plug one end of the cord into the HBX port (G). ® 4 Enter Key To change the speed at which the telescope moves (known as the "slew" speed) press a NUMBER KEY from 1 through 9. 1 is the slowest speed and 9 is the fastest. Scroll Up Key Scroll Down Key Make sure that the flip mirror control (K) is in the "Up" position, as shown the diagram above. To begin automatic alignment, press "0." AutoStar then displays: "Location Option: 1-Zipcode 2-City". This option allows you to choose how you wish to enter the location of your observing site: you can enter your zip code or choose the site from a list of countries, states and cities. Press the number key "1" if you wish to enter by zip code. Then enter the five digits of the zip code of your observing site and press ENTER. Press the number key "2" if you wish to select your observing site from a list of country, states and cities. Follow the on-screen instructions. Finally "Telescope Models" displays. Using the SCROLL KEYS, cycle through the list of telescope models and press ENTER when your model displays. The display now displays "Press "0" for Tour or MODE for menu." See page 17 and 18 for more information about automatic alignment and Guided Tour. If AutoStar does not requests the Country/State, City and Telescope Model information, use the "Telescope Model" and "Site" options in the Setup menu to change this information. See pages 27 and 29 for more information. Sight along the side of the telescope's main tube to locate an object. If you wish to learn how to align the telescope's SmartFinder, see page 13. Arrow Keys Arrow Keys Use the telescope's focus knob (L) to bring the object into focus. Number Keys If you wish to learn more about observing with AutoStar and other features of your telescope, see: Page 13 to learn how to use SmartFinder Page 17 to learn how to perform an Automatic Alignment Page 18 to learn how to "Go To" Saturn" Page 18 to learn about Guided Tours Page 22 for a Menu tree of AutoStar's menus Pages 23 to 38 to learn more about AutoStar's menus You can now use the Arrow keys to slew (move) the telescope up, down, right or left. Practice using the ARROW KEYS to center objects in the eyepiece. 5 TELESCOPE FEATURES 2 19 E 17 1 5 9 16 B C D A B 13 10 11 12 Fig. 1a: Side View 10 Fig. 2 (Inset): Computer Control Panel. (A) On/Off switch; (B) Auxiliary ports; (C) Handbox port; (D) 12v connector; (E) Power indicator light. Features of the ETX-90PE, ETX105PE and ETX-125PE are identical, with the exception of the size of optical tube. 2 18 1 3 4 Fig. 1a, b and Fig. 2: The ETX Premier Telescope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Eyepiece SmartFinder Holder Thumbscrew 90° Eyepiece Holder Optical Tube Vertical (Dec.) Lock Fork Arms Focus Knob Horizontal (R.A.) Lock Computer Control Panel A. ON/OFF Switch B. Auxiliary Ports (2) C. Handbox Port D. 12v E. LED Base Housing Battery Compartment (bottom of base) Right Ascension (R.A.)/ Horizontal Setting Circle Flip-Mirror Control Knobs Photo Port Declination (Dec.)/Vertical Setting Circle SmartFinder Alignment Screws LNT Module Dust Cap (not visible) 6 16 15 8 14 7 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 13 Fig. 1b: Rear View 6 MEADE ETX: YOUR PERSONAL WINDOW TO THE UNIVERSE Caution: Using products other than standard Meade accessories may cause damage to the telescope's internal electronics and may void the Meade warranty. B Want to learn more about the eyepieces available for your ETX telescope? See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, pages The Meade Premier Edition ETX-90PE, ETX-105PE and the ETX-125PE are extremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes. With pushbutton controls, automatic tracking of celestial objects and diffraction-limited imaging, an ETX Premier telescope may be all the telescope ever required by many terrestrial and astronomical observers. Your ETX telescope reveals nature in an ever-expanding level of detail. Observe the feather structure of an eagle from 50 yards or study the rings of the planet Saturn from a distance of 800 million miles. Focus beyond the Solar System and observe majestic nebulae, ancient star clusters, remote galaxies and even stars recently discovered to have planets orbiting about them. Meade ETX Premier telescopes are instruments fully capable of growing with your interest and are ideal for both the casual observer and serious astronomer alike. Telescope Controls Become acquainted with all of these controls before attempting observations through the telescope. B C 42 and 43. Eyepiece: Place the supplied 26mm eyepiece into the 90° Eyepiece Holder (4, Fig. 1b) and tighten in place with thumbscrew (3, Fig.1b). SmartfinderTM Provides an easier way to sight on objects than the main telescope's eyepiece which has a narrow field of view. Comes pre-assembled on the telescope. Eyepiece Holder Thumbscrew: Tightens the eyepiece in place. Tighten to a firm feel only. 90° Eyepiece Holder: Holds the eyepiece upright for easy viewing. Optical Tube: The main optical component that gathers the light from distant objects and brings this light to a focus for examination with the eyepiece. Vertical (Dec.) Lock: Controls the manual vertical movement of the telescope. Turning the vertical lock counterclockwise unlocks the telescope enabling it to be freely rotated by hand about the vertical axis. Turning the vertical lock clockwise (to a firm feel only) prevents the telescope from being moved manually, but engages the vertical motor drive clutch for AutoStar operation. When polar aligned, the vertical lock serves as the Declination or Dec. lock. Note: The vertical lock knob is a knurled knob located on the fork arm to the right of the focus knob (8, Fig. 1b). Mounted beneath the knob is a circular scale without numbers. Do not confuse this scale with the Dec. setting circle (16, Fig. 1a) on the opposite fork arm which has a numbered scale used to locate astronomical objects. Fork Arms: Hold the optical tube in place. Note: The telescope base and fork mount are designed with internal "rotational limit stops." The horizontal limit stop prevents the telescope from rotating m ...