Related Manuals for Meade LightBridge
Summary of Contents for Meade LightBridge
- Page 1 Instruction Manual 8”, 10", 12", 16" LightBridge™ Truss Tube Dobsonian Telescopes MEADE.COM...
- Page 2 WARNING! Never use a Meade LightBridge ® 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.
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
® The name "Meade" and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in principal countries throughout the world. "LightBridge " is a trademark of Meade Instruments Corporation. - Page 4 Fig. 1 Telescope features. 1& Inset A: Focuser assembly. Tube Assembly 1. Eyepiece 2. Focuser assembly 3. Front OTA (optical tube assembly) 4. Top truss lock knobs (3) 5. Trusses (3) 6. Bottom truss lock knobs (3) 7. Altitude bearing 8.
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Page 5: Assembly
Slide the center bearing bushing into the 7th (center) hole of the circular base. Line up the other circular base (sometimes called the ground base). Note: only the 16” LightBridge is equiped with three te on pads ( nger points to a pad). STEP 4: adjustment... -
Page 6: Assemble The Tube
Altitude Bearing (7). Use the Altitude Adjustment Knob when you add larger eyepieces, cameras or other accessories to the Meade LightBridge telescope without causing the tube to slip or drift. To learn how to install the Alti- tude Adjustment Knob, see page 21. -
Page 7: Insert Eyepiece, Attach Red Dot Finder
INSERT EYEPIECE AND ATTACH RED DOT FINDER The entire assembly should move easily up and STEP 10: down and from side to side. If you wish to insert the deluxe 2 inch eyepiece, remove the 1.25" eyepiece holder (15) from the focuser assem- STEP 11: bly by loosening holder thumbscrew (as shown in photo to the left). -
Page 8: Telescope Features
Meade offers an optional laser collimator to help you to collimate your telescope (see , page 18). Nevertheless, take the time now to familiarize your-... - Page 9 - 9 - Fig. A: Newtonian Reflecting Telescope. (1) Spider Vanes; (2) Secondary Mirror; (3) Parabolic Primary Mirror; (4) Primary Mirror Hex Screws; (5) Focuser Drawtube; (6) Focused Image. Face-on view Edge-on view Fig. C: Underside of rear mirror tube (primary mirror housing): (20) Collimation Adjustment Fig.
- Page 10 5. Bring the star's image slowly in and out of focus until you see several disks sur- rounding the star's center. If steps 1 through 3 were done correctly, you will see con- centric (centered with respect to each other) circles (1, Fig. F). An improperly collimated instrument will reveal oblong or elongated circles (2, Fig.F).
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Page 11: Align The Deluxe Red Dot Finder
See step #12, page 7 to find out how th attach the finder to the telescope. ALIGN THE DELUXE RED DOT FINDER It is recommended that you perform steps 1 and 2 of this procedure during the day- time and step 3 at night. Intensity Dial If you have not already done so, place the low-power 26mm) eyepiece in the eyepiece holder (15) and point the telescope at an easy-to-find land object (e.g.,... -
Page 12: Calculate Magnification
The magnification, or power of a telescope is determined by two factors: the focal CALCULATE MAGNIFICATION length of the eyepiece and the focal length of the telescope. Your telescope is sup- plied with one eyepiece. The focal length of the eyepiece, 26mm, is printed on its side. Telescope focal length is the distance that light travels inside the telescope before reaching a focus. - Page 13 Use a neutral density filter (sometimes called a “moon filter”) when observing the Moon. Neutral density filters are available from Meade as an optional accessory. Spend several nights observing the Moon. Some nights, the Moon is so bright that it makes other objects in the sky difficult to see.
- Page 14 Uranus and Neptune also have faint rings. Optional color filters help bring out detail and contrast of the planets. Meade offers a line of inexpensive color filters.
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Page 15: Some Tips
Look for star charts—these are available on a monthly basis in Astronomy and Sky and Telescope magazines. Your Meade telescope is a fine instrument. With reasonable care, it will last a lifetime. CARE OF OPTICS Maintenance guidelines include: Avoid cleaning the telescope’s optics: A little dust on the front surface of the tele-... -
Page 16: Meade Customer Service
Do not leave your telescope inside a sealed car on a warm summer day; exces- sive ambient temperatures can damage the telescope’s internal lubrication If you have a question concerning your LightBridge Truss Tube Dobsonian, contact MEADE CUSTOMER SERVICE the Meade Instruments Customer Service Department at (800) 626-3233. Customer Service hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. -
Page 17: Specifications
For one 2” and three 1.25” eyepieces mounted on one side of the base. Attach eyepiece tray to side or Eyepiece Meade 26mm QX Wide Angle Eyepiece. back base panels. Dust Cover To fit over primary mirror inside of lower tube. - Page 18 For one 2” and three 1.25” eyepieces mounted on one side of the base. Counterweight None Eyepiece Meade 26mm QX Wide Angle Eyepiece. Dust Cover To fit over primary mirror inside of lower tube. Computer Software CD-ROM of Autostar Suite Astronomer's Edition soft-...
- Page 19 For one 2” and three 1.25” eyepieces mounted on one side of the base. Counterweight None Eyepiece Meade 26mm Super Plössl Dust Cover To fit over primary mirror inside of lower tube. Computer Software CD-ROM of Autostar Suite Astronomer's Edition...
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Page 20: Optional Accessories
Moon and planets. Each filter threads into the barrel of any Meade 1.25" eyepiece, and into the barrels of virtually all other eye- piece brands as well. Meade filters are available in 12 colors for lunar and planetary applications, and in Neutral Density as a lunar glare-reduction filter. -
Page 21: Appendix A: Altitude Adjustment Knobs
Appendix A: Altitude Adjustment Knob The Altitude Adjustment Knob allows you to add larger eyepieces, cameras or other accessories to the Meade LightBridge telescope without causing the tube to slip or drift. Slide the brake over the tension adjustment bolt (Fig. 16). Note the protrusion at the Assembly bottom of the tension plate. - Page 24 ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Cana- da. 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.