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Want to learn more about
using the Date menu?
See the
LXD75 TIPS
box,
page 24.
WARNING!
Never use
®
a Meade
LXD75-Series
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 dam-
age has occurred
until it is too late. Do
not point the tele-
scope or its viewfind-
er 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.
Browse allows you to search the library for objects with certain parameters, much like
a search engine. "Edit Parameters" lets you set various parameters for the search,
such as: Object Type, Minimum Elevation, Largest, etc. Once you have set the param-
eters of the search, select "Start Search" and press ENTER. Autostar will display the
results of the search.
Event Menu
The Event menu provides access to dates and times of astronomical events. The
Event database includes:
Sunrise and Sunset calculates the time that the Sun rises or sets on the current date.
Find rise and set times for other dates by entering a new date into the "Setup: Date"
menu.
Moonrise and Moonset calculates the time that the Moon rises or sets on the current
date. Find rise and set times for other dates by entering a new date into the "Setup:
Date" menu.
Moon Phases displays the date and time of the next Full, New, 1st Quarter, and 3rd
Quarter Moon.
Meteor Showers provides information on upcoming meteor showers, such as the
Perseids, the Leonids, etc. Also lists the dates of the showers and when they reach
maximum.
Note: Meteors are fast moving objects that cover large areas of the sky and
are usually best observed with the naked eye.
Solar Eclipse lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, annu-
lar, or partial) of eclipse, and the location and time of the first and last contacts of the
Moon's shadow. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available data.
Remember, never use a telescope to look at the Sun! See
Lunar Eclipse lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, par-
tial, penumbral) of eclipse. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display the available
data.
Min. (Minimum) of Algol is the minimum brightness of the dramatic eclipsing binary
star system, Algol. It is relatively close at a distance of 100 light years. Every 2.8 days
during a 10-hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in apparent magnitude as
one of the two stars passes behind the other. The combined magnitude of the two
stars thus dips from +2.1 to a minimum of +3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the sec-
ond star is hidden. Autostar calculates minimum magnitude time at mid-eclipse.
Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equi-
nox of the current year.
Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer
solstice of the current year.
Glossary Menu
The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for
common astronomical terms and Autostar functions. Access directly through the
Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in Autostar. A hypertext word
is any word in [brackets], usually found when using the Autostar Help function or
when reading a scrolling message such as a description of a planet or star. Press
ENTER whenever a hypertext word is on screen and Autostar goes to the glossary
entry for that word.
To access directly from the Glossary menu, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the
alphabet. Press ENTER on the desired letter. Scroll to the desired entry and then
press ENTER to read the description.
Utilities Menu
The Utilities menu provides access to several extra features within Autostar, including
a countdown timer and an alarm. The Utilities functions include:
Timer selects a countdown timer. This feature is useful for functions such as astropho-
tography and tracking satellites. To use the Timer, press ENTER, then choose "Set" or
"Start/Stop."
WARNING!
to the left.
2 7
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