Instruction Manual 8" LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope AutoStar® -- LNTTM -- SmartFinderTM The Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical System (2) (1) Ray (2) Ray (1) (2) (1) Focal Plane Secondary Mirror Primary Baffle Tube Field Stops Primary Mirror Correcting Plate Secondary Baffle (1) (2) In the Schmidt-Cassegrain design of the Meade LX90, light enters from the right, passes through a thin lens with 2-sided aspheric correction ("correcting plate"), proceeds to a spherical primary mirror, and then to a convex secondary mirror. The convex secondary mirror multiplies the effective focal length of the primary mirror and results in a focus at the focal plane, with light passing through a central perforation in the primary mirror. The Meade 8" LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain includes an oversize primary mirror of an 8.25" diameter, yielding a fully illuminated field-of-view significantly wider than is possible with a standard-size primary mirror. Note that light ray (2) in the figure would be lost entirely, except for the oversize primary. It is this phenomenon which results in Meade SchmidtCassegrains having off-axis field illuminations about 10% greater, aperture-for-aperture, than other Schmidt-Cassegrains utilizing standard-size primary mirrors. Field stops machined into the inside-diameter surface of the primary mirror baffle tube significantly increase lunar, planetary, and deep-space image contrast. These field stops effectively block off-axis stray light rays. CONTENTS WARNING! Never use a Meade® LX90 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 or SmartFinder as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 Telescope Features ...................................................... 6 AutoStar Features .......................................................... 9 Getting Started ..............................................................12 Parts Listing ..............................................................12 How to Attach the Tripod to the Telescope ..............12 How to Assemble Your Telescope ............................12 Choosing an Eyepiece ..............................................14 Using SmartFinder ..................................................14 Aligning SmartFinder and the Viewfinder ................15 Observing ......................................................................16 Observing By Moving the Telescope Manually ........16 Terrestrial Observing ................................................16 Observing Using AutoStar's Arrow Keys ..................16 Slew Speeds ............................................................17 Observe the Moon ....................................................17 Astronomical Observing............................................18 To Track an Object Automatically ..............................18 Alt/Az Home Position ..........................................18 Moving Through AutoStar's Menus......................18 Initializing AutoStar ..............................................18 Observe a Star Using Automatic Tracking ..........19 Automatic Alignment ................................................19 Go To Saturn ............................................................20 Using the Guided Tour ..............................................20 Basic AutoStar Operation ..............................................21 AutoStar Navigation Exercise ..................................21 Entering Data into AutoStar ......................................22 Navigating AutoStar ..................................................22 Menus and Menu Options ..............................................23 Complete AutoStar Menu Structure ..........................23 Objects Menu ............................................................24 Event Menu ..............................................................25 Glossary Menu..........................................................25 Utilities Menu ............................................................25 Setup Menu ..............................................................27 Advanced AutoStar Features..........................................30 Adding Observing Sites ............................................30 Finding Objects Not in the Database ........................31 Observing Satellites ..................................................32 How to Create Your Own Guided Tour ......................33 Landmarks ................................................................36 Identify ......................................................................37 Advanced Alt/Az Alignment ......................................37 Browse ......................................................................38 Photography with the LX90 ............................................39 Optional Accessories......................................................41 Maintenance ..................................................................43 Collimation ..........................................................43 Inspecting the Optics ..........................................44 Gauging the Movement of the Telescope ............44 Meade Customer Service....................................44 Specifications ......................................................45 Appendix A: Equatorial (Polar) Alignment ......................46 Appendix B: Helpful Charts ............................................52 Appendix C: Training the Drive ......................................53 Appendix D: Changing the LNT Module's Battery..........54 Appendix E: Basic Astronomy ........................................55 CAUTION: Use care to install batteries in the orientation indicated by illustration in the battery slots of the battery holder. 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," "LX90," "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 © 2004 Meade Instruments Corporation. QUICK-START GUIDE It is recommended that you attach the supplied tripod to the LX90 for observing. Perform the telescope and AutoStar setup indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. 1. Remove the field tripod from the shipping carton. Stand the tripod vertically with the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed. Grasp two of the tripod legs and, with the full weight of the tripod on the third leg, gently pull the legs apart to a fully open position. 4. Remove the spreader bar (see above figure) from the shipping carton. Slide the spreader bar onto the threaded rod and position the rod back through the tripod head. Place the "C" clip into the slot in the threaded rod ­ this clip holds the threaded rod in place. Position the spreader bar so that its three arms line up with the three tripod legs. 2. Thread in two lock-knobs on each leg (six total) near the foot of each tripod leg. Use the lockknobs to vary the height of the inner, extendible tripod leg sections. Tighten the locks to a firm feel only; do not overtighten. Threaded Rod "C" Clip 5. 3. Remove the threaded rod (see above figure) from the tripod head. A small piece of plastic holds the threaded rod in place. Remove the small plastic bag that is stapled to the threaded rod. This bag contains the "C" clip retainer and an extra clip. Take the LX90 from its packaging and place the entire telescope onto the top of the tripod head, inserting the threaded rod into the central hole in the bottom of the drive base of the telescope. Tighten the tension knob (see above figure) to a firm feel only; firm tightening of the tension knob is sufficient to result in rigid positioning of the tripod legs. 4 Battery Compartment Rib Slew Speeds: Speed 9: Fast . Arrow . . Keys Speed 5: Medium . . . Speed 1: Slow Number Keys 9. Battery Holder 6. Remove the covers from both battery compartments located on top of the drive base and carefully lift the battery holders from their compartments, being mindful of the connector wires. Insert four (user-supplied) C-cell batteries into each battery holder (eight batteries total), oriented as shown on the diagram on the battery holder. Return the battery holders to the battery compartment. See the diagram above. Replace the covers when you are done. Press the key prompted by AutoStar to accept the Sun warning. You can now use the Arrow keys to slew (move) the telescope up, down, right, or left. To change the telescope's slew speed, press the Number keys. "9" is the fastest speed and "1" is slowest speed. See page 17 for more details. R.A. Lock µ Dec Lock 10. Tighten, to a firm feel only, the Dec and R.A. locks (6 and 9, Fig. 1). Remove the dust cover from the end of the telescope tube. ¸ HBX Port ON/OFF AutoStar Coil Cable Port Thumbscrew Thumbscrew 7. Slide the computer control panel power switch to OFF, if necessary. Remove the AutoStar handbox and the AutoStar interface cable from the packing materials. Plug one end into the HBX port of the computer control panel and plug the other end into the Coil Cable port on the AutoStar handbox. (c) 00 Meade [2.0] AUTOSTAR 11. Remove the dust cap from the rear cell of the telescope. Thread the eyepiece holder into the rear cell thread. Slide the diagonal prism into the eyepiece holder and lock in place by turning the thumbscrew to a firm feel. Place the Super Plössl 26mm eyepiece into the diagonal prism and tighten the attachment thumbscrew to a firm feel only. 8. Flip the Power Switch on the computer control panel to the ON position. The copyright message lights on AutoStar's LCD display. Sight along the side of the telescope's main tube to locate an object. Use the telescope's focus knob (8, Fig. 1) to bring the object into focus. Practice using the AutoStar's Arrow keys to center an object in the telescope's field of view. 5 TELESCOPE FEATURES Side View A. B. C. D. E. Handbox Port LED ON/OFF Switch Auxiliary Ports (2) 12v Power Connector µ Computer Control Panel (not shown) 2! 2) ¹ ¸ ³ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Eyepiece Eyepiece Holder Thumbscrew Eyepiece Holder Diagonal Prism Optical Tube Dec. Lock Fork Arms Focus Knob R.A. Lock R.A. Setting Circle Dec. Setting Circle/Dec. Pointer LNT Module Computer Control Panel AutoStar handbox Dust Cover (not visible) Battery Compartment SmartFinder SmartFinder Alignment Screws Handbox Holder Viewfinder Viewfinder Alignment Screws ¿ Rear View Fig. 1: The LX90 Telescope and AutoStar Handbox. 6 LX90: Your Personal Window to the Universe The Meade LX90 is an extremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes with features similar to those available only with larger and more specialized imaging systems. With pushbutton controls, automatic tracking of celestial objects and software downloading capability, the LX90 telescope may be all the telescope ever required by many terrestrial and astronomical observers. Eyepiece: Place the Super Plössl 26mm eyepiece into the eyepiece holder or 90° diagonal prism (4, Fig. 1) and tighten in place with the thumbscrews. The eyepiece magnifies the image collected in the optical tube. Eyepiece Holder Thumbscrew: Tightens the eyepiece in place. Tighten to a firm feel only. CAUTION: Using products other than standard Meade accessories may cause damage to the telescope's internal electronics and may void the Meade warranty. Eyepiece Holder: Holds the eyepiece in place. Diagonal Prism: provides a more comfortable right angle viewing position. Slide the diagonal prism directly into the eyepiece holder (3, Fig. 1). ´ ² Optical Tube: The main optical component that gathers the light from distant objects and brings this light to a focus for examination through the eyepiece. Dec Lock: Controls the manual vertical movement of the telescope. Turning the Dec lock counterclockwise unlocks the telescope enabling it to be freely rotated by hand about the vertical axis. Turning the Dec lock cl ...