Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 1 www.meade.com POLARIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL 60mm | 2.4" Altazimuth Refracting Telescope 60AZ-AR Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 2 Polaris 60 AZ - AR The tube has a focal length of 700mm, and its objective lens has a diameter of 60mm. The lens diameter is one of the most important pieces of information about the The telescope is shipped with the following parts: · Optical tube · Aluminum tripod with an accessory tray · Two 1.25" eyepieces: MA25mm (28X), MH9mm (78X) · 2X - 1.25" Barlow lens · Diagonal mirror · Red Dot viewfinder with bracket · Telescope mount · Hardware used in the assembly: 3 bolts (2" long) with wing nuts and washers 3 screws (1/2" long) with nuts 3/10/06 11:48 AM INTRODUCTION Your telescope is an excellent beginner's instrument, and is designed to observe objects in the sky and also on land. It can be your personal window on the universe or allows you to intimately study the behavior of nesting birds on a distant hillside. Page 3 Study the the picture on the next page and become acquainted with the parts of your telescope. Then proceed to "Assemble your Tripod." Setting up your telescope involves these simple steps: · Assemble your tripod · Attach the accessory tray · Attach the optical tube to the mount · Attach the red dot viewfinder · Attach the diagonal mirror and eyepiece · Align the red dot viewfinder telescope. The size of the objective lens determines how much detail you will be able to see in your telescope. The focal length information will help later on to calculate magnification. 1 Polaris 60 AZ - AR 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 2 Eyepiece Red dot veiwfinder (see Inset C) Red dot viewfinder alignment screws (see Inset C) Optical tube assembly Vertical lock knobs Horizontal lock knob Tripod legs Leg brace supports Leg brace Mount base attachment Tripod attachment bolts and wing nuts Accessory tray mounting bolt hole (see Inset A) Diagonal mirror Objective lens cell Focuser drawtube and thumbscrews Altitude rod slow motion fine adjustment control Altitude rod Altazimuth mount Adjustable sliding center leg extension (see Inset B) Tripod leg lock thumbscrew (see Inset B) Dew shield/lens shade Front lens cap Focusing knob Red dot viewfinder bracket (see Inset C) Red dot viewfinder bracket mounting thumbscrews (see Inset C) Accessory tray 3/10/06 11:48 AM FIGURE 1 Figure 1: Polaris 60AZ-AR Altazimuth Refracting Telescope Inset A: Accessory Tray Mounting Bolt Hole Inset B: Tripod Leg Inset C: Viewfinder Assembly Page 4 Inset C Inset B Inset A Polaris 60 AZ - AR The tripod is the basic support for your telescope. Its height may be adjusted so that you can view comfortably. Note: Number in brackets, e.g., (3), refer to Fig. 1. 1. Make sure that as you attach the legs (7) to the mount that the leg braces (9) are facing inward. 2. Line up the holes at the top of one of the legs with the holes in the mount (10). See Fig. 2. 3. Thread one of the 2-inch bolts through the holes. 4. Thread a wingnut over the bolt and handtighten to a firm feel. 5. Attach the remaining two legs to the mount in the same manner. 6. Spread the legs out evenly apart. 7. Set the height of your tripod: a. Rotate and loosen the leg lock thumbscrew (20) to unlock the leg lock. b. Slide the inner portion of the leg (19) in or out to the desired length. Repeat for the other two legs. 3/10/06 11:48 AM ASSEMBLE YOUR TRIPOD Page 5 The tray helps stabilize the tripod and is also a convenient holder of eyepieces and other Meade accessories, such as the Barlow lens. 1. Line up the holes at the end of one of the leg brace supports (8) with the holes in one of the leg braces (9). 2. Thread one of the one-half inch bolts through the holes. 3. Thread a hex nut over the end of the bolt. ATTACH THE ACCESSORY TRAY 2" Screw Fig. 2 c. Rotate and tighten the leg lock thumbscrew to relock the leg lock. d. Repeat for the other two legs. tripod leg mount washer wingnut 4. Finger tighten the bolt and hex nut. See Fig. 3. 3 5. Repeat with the two other leg braces. 6. Thread the accessory tray (26) over the center mounting bolt to a firm feel. Fig. 3 ATTACH THE OPTICAL TUBE TO THE MOUNT The optical tube gathers distant light which is focused in the eyepiece. 1. Remove the two lock knobs (5) from the optical tube mount. 2. Slide the altitude rod (17) into the hole in the altitude adjustment control . Tighten to a firm feel. See Fig. 4. finger tighten the hex nut Polaris 60 AZ - AR slide rod through hole An eyepiece (1) has a narrow field of view. The red dot veiwfinder (2) has a red dot to make it easier to line up more precisely with a target. lock knob 3/10/06 11:48 AM Fig. 4 ATTACH THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER 3.Place the optical tube (4) between the forks of the mount, oriented as 4 shown in Fig. 4. 4.Thread a lock knob (5) through each of the holes in the forks of the mount and tighten to a firm feel. place tube between forks lock knob Page 6 1. Note the two thumbscrews (25) threaded onto two bolts on the optical tube. Remove the thumbscrews from the tube. 2. Line up the two holes on the red dot viewfinder bracket over the two bolts. Slide the bracket over the bolts. See Fig. 1, inset C. 3. Replace the thumbscrews onto the bolts and tighten to a firm feel. ATTACH THE DIAGONAL MIRROR AND EYEPIECE The diagonal mirror reflects the light from the optical tube to a more comfortable viewing position. 1. Slide the diagonal mirror (13) into the focuser drawtube(15). 2. Tighten the drawtube thumbscrew to hold the diagonal mirror securely. 3. Slide the MA 25mm eyepiece (1) into diagonal mirror. 4. Tighten the diagonal mirror thumbscrew to hold the eyepiece securely. Perform the first part of this procedure during the daytime and the last step at night. 1. Point the telescope at an easy-to-find land object such as the top of a telephone pole or a distant mountain or tower. Look through the eyepiece in the diagonal mirror and turn the focuser knob (23) until the image is sharply focused. Center the object precisely in the eyepiece's field of view. 2. Look through the red dot viewfinder. Turn one or more of the viewfinder's alignment screws (3) until the red dot precisely over the same object as you centered in the eyepiece. ALIGN THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER Polaris 60 AZ - AR Your telescope is altazimuth mounted. Altazimuth is just a complicated way of saying that your telescope moves up and down and from side to side. Other telescopes may be mounted in different ways. 1. Slightly loosen one of the star-shaped altitude control knobs (5). Loosening this knob allows you to move the telescope up and down. 2. Slightly loosen the horizontal lock knob (6). Loosening this lock allows the telescope to be moved from side to side. 3. Once an object is found, re-tighten the control knobs. You can then use the slow motion control (16) to make smooth and precise movements as you can follow (or "track") an object as it moves in the eyepiece. 3/10/06 11:48 AM 3. Check this alignment at night on a celestial object, such as the Moon or a bright star, and use the red dot viewfinder's alignment screws to make any necessary refinements. TO MOVE THE TELESCOPE Page 7 THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE We have one very important rule that you should always follow when using your telescope: Have a good time when you're observing. You may not know everything that there is to know about a telescope or what all the sights in the universe are, but that's OK. Just point and observe at first. SUN WARNING NEVER USE YOUR 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 OR ITS VIEWFINDER AT OR NEAR THE SUN. DO NOT LOOK THROUGH THE TELESCOPE OR ITS VIEWFINDER AS IT IS MOVING. CHILDREN SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE ADULT SUPERVISION WHILE OBSERVING. Have Fun! You will begin to grow and learn more about astronomy the more you observe. Go to the library and read some books about the stars and planets. Read about astronomers of old. Many of them had telescope no bigger than the one you are using right now. Galileo, who is one of the first astronomers to use a telescope, discovered four of the moons of Jupiter with a telescope about the same size as yours (and his didn't even focus very well!). You haven't just bought a telescope, you have embarked on an astronomy adventure that never ends. Share the journey with others by accepting your free membership in the 4M community of astronomers. Go to www.Meade4M.com to activate your membership today. You will enjoy your telescope even more as you learn more about it. But don't be scared off by difficult terms or complicated procedures. Don't panic! Just relax and enjoy your scope. THE MEADE 4M COMMUNITY 5 Polaris 60 AZ - AR Unlock the lock knobs: To move the telescope, you will need to unlock the horizontal (6) and vertical (5) lock knobs (just Pick out an easy object to observe: A distant mountain, a large tree, a lighthouse or skyscraper make excellent targets. Point the optical tube so it lines up with your object. Observe during the daytime: Try out your telescope during the daytime at first. It is easier to learn how it operates and how to observe when it is light. 6 Can you ever have too much power? If the type of power you're referring to is eyepiece magnification, yes you can! The most common mistake of the beginning observer is to "overpower" a telescope by using high magnifications which the telescope's aperture and atmospheric conditions cannot reasonably support. Keep in mind that a smaller, but bright and well-resolved image is far superior to one that is larger, but dim and poorly resolved. Powers above 400x should be employed only under the steadiest atmospheric conditions. OBSERVING TOO MUCH POWER? 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 8 Look through the eyepiece: Once you have the object lined up in the red dot viewfinder, look through the optical tube's eyepiece. If you have aligned your red dot viewfinder, you will you see the object in your eyepiece. Try out the coarse and fine adjustment controls: Practice using the fine adjustment control (16) to move the telescope. These can come in very handy, especially when you wish to move the telescope in very small (fine control) steps. Focus: Look through the eyepiece and practice focusing on the object you have chosen. rotate to unlock or lock; when locking, only tighten to a "firm feel," do not overtighten). Use the red dot viewfinder: If you have not done so, align the viewfinder (2) with the telescope's eyepiece (1) as described earlier. Look through the red dot viewfinder until you can see the object. It will be easier to locate an object using the viewfinder rather than locating with the eyepiece. Line up the object using the viewfinder's red dot. Observe the Moon: When you feel comfortable with the viewfinder, the eyepieces, the locks and the adjustment controls, you will be ready to try out the telescope at night. The Moon is the best object to observe the first time you go out at night. Pick a night when the Moon is a crescent. No shadows are seen during a full Moon, making it appear flat and uninteresting. Use a neutral density filter (often called a "moon filter") when observing the Moon. Neutral density filters are available from Meade as an optional accessory and enhance contrast to improve your Look for different features on the Moon. The most obvious features are craters. In fact you can see craters within craters. Some craters have bright lines about them. These are called rays and are the result of material thrown out of the crater when it was struck by a colliding object. The dark areas on the Moon are called maria and are composed of lava from the period when the Moon still had volcanic activity. You can also see mountain ranges and fault lines on the Moon. Polaris 60 AZ - AR Beyond the planets are clouds of comets, icy planetoids and other debris left over from the birth of our sun. Recently astronomers have found large objects in this area and they may increase the number of planets in our solar system. 3/10/06 11:48 AM The four planets closest to the Sun are rocky and are called the inner planets. Mercury, Nine planets (maybe more!) travel in a fairly circular pattern around our Sun. Any system of planets orbiting one or more stars is called a solar system. Our Sun, by the way, is a single, yellow dwarf star. It is average as far as stars go and is a middle aged star. Observe the Solar System: After observing the Moon, you are ready to step up to the next level of observation, the planets. There are four planets that you can easily observe in your telescope: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. observation of lunar features. Spend severa ...