Appendix D: Lx200 64,359-Object Library - Meade LX200 Instruction Manual

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7" Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope 8", 10", and 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes

APPENDIX D: LX200 64,359-OBJECT LIBRARY

1. The LX200 64,35 9-Object Library
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The LX200 64,359-Object Library is a collection of the most studied
and fantastic objects in the sky.
This library consists of the following object databases:
15,928 SAO (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
Catalog of Stars: All stars brighter than 7th magnitude.
12,921 UGC (Uppsala General Catalog) Galaxies: Complete catalog.
7,840 NGC (New General Catalog) objects*: Complete catalog.
5,386 IC (Index Catalog) objects*: Complete catalog.
21,815 GCVS (General Catalog of Variable Stars) Objects: Complete catalog.
351 alignment stars for the LX200 telescope.
110 Messier objects.
8 Major Planets.
2. The CNGC Catalog
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You will notice that the Messier (M) objects, and the NGC objects have been incorporated into the Meade
Instruments CNGC listing. CNGC stands for "Computerized New General Catalog of Non-Stellar
Astronomical Objects". The CNGC is an enhancement from the RNGC (Revised New General Catalog)
in many ways. Angular sizes are given in arc-seconds on the CNGC listing, and in a convenient scaled
format on the LX200 Keypad Display.
The complete CNGC contains 7840 objects most of which appear in the RNGC (Revised New General
Catalog) with the same number. More than 400 objects were added to the RNGC to create the CNGC.
Most of these "should have been" in the RNGC in the sense that they are bright and large enough to have
been included.
The CNGC is enhanced from the RNGC in many ways. Angular sizes are given in arc-seconds on the
CNGC listing, and in a convenient scaled format on the LX200 display. Magnitudes are given to .1
magnitude where possible.
The coordinates in the CNGC listing are listed for the year 2000. The LX200 calculates object positions
upon power up to the current date (as shown on the time/date display). This makes the LX200 pointing
more accurate. Therefore, the CNGC listing and the LX200 display will not exactly agree on object
positions.
Objects have been assigned a "Visual Quality Rating", henceforth called VQ. A large number of VQs have
been obtained by observing the objects. To make the VQs as useful as possible, all observations have
been made with the same telescope and eyepiece under substantially identical observing conditions. Only
for very small objects was a higher power eyepiece used. Your "Visual Quality Rating" of a particular object
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second, will cause irreversible damage
to your eye as well as physical damage
to the telescope or spotting scope itself.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE! Never
use a telescope or spotting
scope to look at the Sun!
Observing the Sun, even for
the shortest fraction of a