Meade DS-2090 Instruction Manual
Ds-2000 series reflecting and refracting telescopes
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Summary of Contents for Meade DS-2090
- Page 1 Instruction Manual DS-2000 Series Reflecting and Refracting Telescopes MEADE.COM...
- Page 2 Refracting Telescopes use a large objective lens as their primary light-collecting element. Meade refractors, in all models and apertures, include achromatic (2-element) objective lenses in order to reduce or virtually eliminate the false color (chromatic aberration) that results in the telescopic image when light passes through a lens.
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Caring for Your Telescope ..........29 Collimation ..............29 Meade Customer Service ........31 Specifications ............32 ® The name “Meade,” “AutoStar,” and the Meade logo are Appendix A: Celestial Coordinates ........34 trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent Office and in Locating the Celestial Pole ........34 principal countries throughout the world. -
Page 4: Quick-Start Guide
QUICK-START GUIDE & Remove 4 screws from the mounting arm Open the tripod: Remove the tripod from the gift- shaft: Locate the four screws on the mounting box and stand vertically. Gently pull the legs apart shaft. Remove the screws using a "+" (Phillips to a fully open position. - Page 5 Connect Autostar: Be certain that the power switch (H) on the computer control panel is in the OFF position. Plug the coil cord of the Autostar 7a. Attach the 90° diagonal prism (refractor models Controller into the HBX port (I). Turn on the com- only, see inside front cover): Pull out to remove puter panel;...
- Page 6 Features of the DS-2000 Series telescopes are virtually identical. Certain features of your telescope may look different than, or be positioned slightly different than the one pictured here, but the functionality of the features is the same. Fig. 1b (Inset): (E) Altitude Fig.
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Page 7: Telescope Features
C. ON Switch: Press to turn the Computer Control Panel and Autostar ON or OFF. Note: Always remove the batteries if they are not to be used for a long period of time. D. Auxiliary (AUX) Port:Provides connection for current and future Meade acces- sories. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES... - Page 8 Accessory Tray Attachment Bolts - Attach to wing nuts to fasten tray to the tripod. See page 11 for more information. Note: It is not necessary to remove the tray each time you collapse the tripod. The tray is designed to be collapsed with the legs. Accessory Tray - Conveniently holds extra eyepieces, Autostar handbox, and other acces- sories.
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Page 9: Autostar Features
AUTOSTAR FEATURES The #494 Autostar controls the DS-2000AT Series Telescopes. Nearly all telescope operations NOTE: are accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar’s buttons. Some of the major DS-2000EC users, features of Autostar are: APPENDIX E page 39, for informa- Automatically move the telescope to any of the 1400 objects stored in the database or man- tion about your sup- ually enter the astronomical coordinates of any celestial object. - Page 10 telescope is slewing, the operation may be aborted at any time by pressing any key except DEFINITION: GO TO. Pressing GO TO again resumes the slew to the object. Throughout this manual, you will notice The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search." A spiral search is useful dur- the term "Alt/Az."...
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Page 11: Getting Started
GETTING STARTED Packing List Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first open- ing the packing box, note carefully the parts listed on your giftbox. How to Assemble Your Telescope The telescope attaches directly to the tripod. The telescope in this way is mounted in an “Altazimuth”... -
Page 12: Red Dot Viewfinder
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. Always remove the batteries if they are not to be used for a long period of time. -
Page 13: Choosing An Eyepiece
The Barlow Lens cannot reasonably support. Keep in mind that Some Meade telescopes include a power a smaller, but bright and well-resolved image multiplier called a Barlow lens. Consisting of is far superior to one that is larger, but dim and a lens mounted in a 4"-long (10cm) tube,... -
Page 14: Observing
28, ACCESSORIES, cause degradation of image quality. Lower power eyepieces, such as a 25mm eyepiece, mag- or consult the Meade nify these heat waves less than higher power eyepieces. Therefore, lower power eyepieces pro- Telescope Catalog. vide a steadier, higher quality image. If the image is fuzzy or ill-defined, reduce to a lower power eyepiece, where the heat waves do not have such an effect on image quality. -
Page 15: Slew Speeds
Slew Speeds NOTE: Do not look through Autostar has nine slew speeds that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate (this is the the telescope's eye- speed at which stars move) and have been calculated to accomplish specific functions. piece or viewfinder Pressing the SPEED/? key changes the slew speed, which is then shown for about two while it is rapidly seconds on Autostar’s display. -
Page 16: Alt/Az Home Position
The "Alt/Az" Home Position Pointer to 0° on the Loosen the telescope’s Altitude lock (see Fig. 16 and 17). Altitude Level the optical tube: Remove the eyepiece and drop in the Compass/Bubble Level into Setting Circle the eyepiece holder. Move the tube up or down until the bubble is in the center circle of the North compass. -
Page 17: Observe A Star Using Automatic Tracking
Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of countries, states, and provinces. Press IMPORTANT NOTE: ENTER when the correct location displays. Autostar requests the The next screen asks for the city (listed alphabetically) closest to the observing site. Use Zip Code or the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of cities. - Page 18 How to Easy Align Your Telescope If you have just applied power to Autostar, perform steps 1 through 3. If you have already per- formed the initialization procedure, go to step 4. Sun Warning - Press the key prompted by Autostar to accept. Getting Started - Press ENTER to continue.
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Page 19: Two-Star Alignment
Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment Two-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. Two-Star Alignment is identical to Easy: Align (see , above), except Autostar displays a database of EASY (TWO-STAR) ALIGN bright stars and two stars are chosen by the observer from this database for alignment. It is rec- ommended that you choose stars with which you are familiar from this database when first try- ing out this method or the One-Star Alignment method. -
Page 20: Basic Autostar Operation
1400 database objects and press a 2-minute setup. GO TO to move the telescope automatically to an object. Select Item: Select Item: Setup MEADE MEADE Event EVENT MENU UTILITIES MENU Calculate eyepiece Display the time of The Universe of past, present, and future magnifications;... -
Page 21: Entering Numbers And Text Into Autostar
To Calculate Sunset time: Press the MODE key several times, until “Select Item: Object” is displayed. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the “Event” option in the “Select Item” menu. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Event" option and move down a level. "Event: Sunrise"... -
Page 22: Menus And Menu Options
MENUS AND MENU OPTIONS Object Menu Almost all observing with Autostar is performed using the Object menu category. (NOTE: Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.) See , page 19, for an GO TO SATURN example of observing using the Object menu. Also see , page 19. -
Page 23: Event Menu
Identify procedure. Do not loosen the telescope locks or move the base or align- Never use a ment is lost. Meade DS- When a desired object is visible in the eyepiece, keep pressing MODE until the “Select 2000 Telescope to Item: Object”... -
Page 24: Glossary Menu
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. -
Page 25: Setup Menu
Both batteries cent value until you get a "feel" for the Arrow keys that is comfortable for you. available from Meade, photographic supply Alt Percent: The Alt (Altitude) Percent operates identical to the AZ Percent option (see houses or any place above), but allows you to change the altitude backlash, i.e., the way the Arrow keys move... - Page 26 Train Drive: Trains the Altitude and Azimuth motors to locate objects with more precision. If you are experiencing any problems with pointing accuracy, follow the procedure described in APPENDIX D: TRAINING THE DRIVE , page 37, to insure accurate pointing and tracking.
- Page 27 Messier, satellite, nebula, black hole, variable stars, extrasolar, Chandra, gamma burster, comets, Astronomy Day, etc. Check out Meade’s website for the latest prod- uct and technical information.You can download the latest software revisions, links to other astronomical sites, coordinates of celestial objects, and the latest satellite tracking informa- tion for the Autostar handbox.
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Page 28: Optional Accessories
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the DS-2000 Series Telescopes. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the quality of the instru- ment itself. Consult the Meade General Catalog or meade.com for complete details on these and other accessories. -
Page 29: Caring For Your Telescope
Collimation DS-2000 refracting telescopes are optically aligned (collimated) at the factory prior to shipment, and it is never necessary to re-collimate the optics of these models. Meade DS-2114mm and DS-2130mm reflecting telescope models are also factory-aligned, but may occasionally require re-alignment, particularly if the telescope has received rough handling in shipment. - Page 30 Fig. 23. Fig. 25. Fig. 24. Fig. 26. Fig. 27. Fig. 29. Fig. 28.
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Page 31: Meade Customer Service
(per steps 1, 2, and/or 3, above) effected as required to keep the optics well-aligned. Meade Consumer Solutions If you have a question concerning your DS-2000 Telescope, contact the Meade Instruments Consumer Solutions Department at: Telephone: (800) 626-3233 Consumer Solutions hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. -
Page 32: Specifications
Slew Speeds ..................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments Tripod ....................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray Optical Tube Dimensions ..............3.25" x 34" Batteries (user-supplied) ..............8 x AA Autostar version ..................#494 handbox DS-2090 Optical design..................Refractor Clear aperture ..................90mm Focal length ..................800mm Focal ratio ..................f/8.8 Resolving power ..................1.3 arc secs... - Page 33 DS-2114 Optical design..................Reflector Clear aperture ..................114mm Focal length ..................910mm Focal ratio ..................f/8 Resolving power ..................1.0 arc secs Max power ..................325X Mounting....................Single-arm, motorized Alt-Az Alignment ..................Altazimuth Slew Speeds ..................1x sidereal to 5.5°/sec in 9 increments Tripod ....................Aluminum, full-length; adjustable w/accessory tray Optical Tube Dimensions ..............5.5"...
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Page 34: Appendix A: Celestial Coordinates
APPENDIX A Celestial Coordinates North Celestial It is helpful to understand how to locate celestial +90 Dec. Pole Star objects as they move across the sky. (Vicinity of Polaris) A celestial coordinate system was created that maps an imaginary sphere surrounding the Earth upon which all stars appear to be placed. -
Page 35: Appendix B: To Find Objects Not In The Database
APPENDIX B Using Autostar to Find Objects Not in the Database Although Autostar contains a database of more than 1400 celestial objects (stars, nebulae, TIP: planets, etc.) that you can observe, you may eventually want to view objects that are not part of Entering R.A. -
Page 36: Appendix C: Observing Satellites
Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including the Space Shuttle) are launched. Visit the Meade website (www.meade.com) approximately once a month to get updated information and instructions on how to download this data to Autostar. If orbital parameters are more than one month old, the satellite pass may not happen at the time predicted by Autostar. -
Page 37: Appendix D: Training The Drive
MODE The Astronomical Society of the Pacific keys. 390 Ashton Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112 Select Item The Meade 4M Community Object check out www.meade4M.org And watch Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer, on your local PBS station. Fig. 32: Training the Drive Procedure. -
Page 38: Appendix E: Battery Replacement
Replace the internal clock’s battery with a CR2023 lithium battery. This battery is located in the bat- tery compartment. Both batteries are available from Meade, photographic supply houses or any place lithium batteries are sold. APPENDIX F How to manually set the date to March 6, 2005: 1. -
Page 39: Appendix G: Electronic Controller (Ds-2000Ec Users Only)
APPENDIX G Fast Medium Moderate Slow Fig. 33: Electronic Controller. (1) Arrow Keys; (2) Indicator Lights; (3) SPEED Key; (4) Coil Cord; (5) MODE Key; (6) OUT Key; (7) IN Key. Electronic Controller (DS-2000EC Users Only) DS-2000 "EC" models come equipped with an Electronic Controller handbox, rather than the Autostar Handbox. -
Page 40: Optional #494 Autostar For Ds-2000Ec Users
Electronic Controller, do a quick telescope alignment, and you are ready to observe any object in the Autostar’s 1400-object database. Best of all, the Meade Autostar is easy to use. Even the most novice observer will locate dozens of fascinating celestial objects the very first night out. Study Saturn and its ring system; the primary cloud belts of Jupiter as well as its four major satellites;... -
Page 41: Basic Astronomy
So as you look through your Meade DS-2000 telescope, keep in mind Galileo. To him, a telescope was not merely a machine made of glass and metal, but something far more—a window through which the beat- ing heart of the universe might be observed. - Page 42 Planets Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. To locate the planets on a given day or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and Telescope or Astronomy. You can also consult Autostar for information about planets. Scroll to the "Object: Solar System"...
- Page 44 ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase.