Basic Autostar Operation; Autostar Navigation Exercise - Meade ETX Premier Instruction Manual

Meade etx premier: instruction manual
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Object
Event
Guided Tours
Glossary
Utilities
Setup
Fig. 27a: Menus set in a loop.
Setup
Align
Date
Time
Daylight Saving
Telescope
Targets
etc.
Fig. 27b: Menu options display on
the second line. Use the Scroll keys
to move up or down through the list
of options. Press ENTER to select
the desired option.
20
AUTOSTAR OPERATION
SETUP MENU
Automatic alignment
permits all telescope
operations with only
minimal setup.
Select Item:
Setup
UTILITIES MENU
Calculate eyepiece
magnifications;
set timer alerts;
create your own
landmark survey.
Select Item:
Utilities
GLOSSARY
What is an elliptical galaxy?
How far away is the Sun?
Expand your knowledge of
astronomy by displaying terms
and definitions, and other information.
Fig. 26: The AutoStar Universe: The six primary categories listed in the Select menu.
It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop (Fig. 27a). This
means that pressing the Scroll Down key cycles down through all the available options
within a given category, then returns to the first option. The Scroll Up key cycles up
through the options in the opposite order. Note that this capability is a quick way to get
to an option that is near the bottom of the list. The following example demonstrates this
capability.
Example:
To navigate to the "Select Item: Setup" menu option when the "Select Item: Object" menu is
displayed:
1.
Press the Scroll Down key four times or the Scroll Up key once.
The screen in Fig. 27b shows two lines of information in the AutoStar display. The top
line shows the current menu level. The second line displays an option which may be
selected. Some options are submenus that offer more choices. The Scroll keys move
up and down within the list of available options, showing one option at a time.
When an option is displayed on the second line, press the ENTER key to choose that
option.
Press the MODE key to return back to the last menu. This can be useful to exit a menu
or if the wrong menu option is chosen.
Important Note: No matter how many levels into AutoStar are traveled,
each press of the MODE key moves up a level, until the top level, "Select
Item," is reached. Once Select Item displays, press MODE to return to the
topmost level, "Select Item: Object."

AutoStar Navigation Exercise

To demonstrate how the AutoStar menu structure works, the following exercise
calculates Sunset time so an evening observing session can be planned.
Note To perform an accurate calculation, AutoStar MUST be properly ini-
tialized with the location of the observing site. See
, page 17, before proceeding with this exercise.
AUTOSTAR
To Calculate Sunset time:
1.
Press the MODE key several times, until "Select Item: Object" is displayed.
2.
Press the Scroll Down key once to display the "Event" option in the "Select Item"
menu.
OBJECT MENU
Select Item:
Want to see Mars? The Orion nebula?
Object
The Andromeda galaxy? Select from
over 30,000 objects and press
GO TO to move the telescope
Select Item:
Event
The Universe of
Autostar
A A uto
utostar
star
Select Item:
Guided Tour
Autostar escorts you
on a tour of tonight's
best celestial objects
Select Item:
at your viewing location.
Glossary
automatically to an object.
EVENT MENU
Display the time of
past, present and future
astronomical events,
such as Moon phases
or meteor showers.
GUIDED TOUR
INITIALIZING

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