Meade NG70-SM Instruction Manual page 12

telescopic field of view. This movement
is caused by the rotation of the Earth
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and makes an object move through the
telescope's field of view. To keep
astronomical objects centered in the field,
simply move the telescope on one or both of
its axes—vertically and/or horizontally as
needed—try using the telescopes coarse and
fine adjustment controls. At higher powers,
astronomical objects will seem to move
through the field of view of the eyepiece
more rapidly.
Place the object to be viewed at the edge
STAR CHARTS
Star charts and planispheres are useful for a variety of
reasons. In particular, they are a great aid in planning a
night of celestial viewing.
Astronomy and Sky and Telescope magazines print star
charts each month for up-to-the-minute maps of the
heavens.
AutoStar Suite™ Astronomer Edition Software on DVD
will help you learn the night sky. It displays more than
10,000 celestial objects including planets, stars,
galaxies, and nebulae. You can print out star charts and
even plan your observing sessions. It operates on any
®
Windows based PC.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
of the field and, without touching the
telescope, watch it drift through the field to
the other side before repositioning the
telescope so that the object to be viewed is
again placed at the edge of the field, ready to
be further observed.
Vibrations: Avoid touching the eyepiece
while observing through the telescope.
Vibrations resulting from such contact will
cause the image to move. Avoid observing
sites where vibrations cause image
movement (for example, near railroad
tracks). Viewing from the upper floors of a
building may also cause image movement.
Let your eyes "dark-adapt": Allow five or ten
minutes for your eyes to become "dark
adapted" before observing. Use a red-
filtered flashlight to protect your night vision
when reading star maps, or inspecting the
telescope. Do not use use a regular flash-
light or turn on other lights when observing
with a group of other astronomers. You can
make your own red filtered flashlight by
taping red cellophane over a flashlight lens.
Viewing through windows: Avoid setting up
the telescope inside a room and observing
through an opened or closed window pane.
Images may appear blurred or distorted due
to temperature differences between inside
and outside air. Also, it is a good idea to
allow your telescope to reach the ambient
(surrounding) outside temperature before
starting an observing session.
When to observe: Planets and other
objects viewed low on the horizon often lack
sharpness—the same object, when observed
higher in the sky, will appear sharper and
have greater contrast. Try reducing power
(change your eyepiece) if your image is fuzzy
or shimmers. Keep in mind that a bright,
clear, but smaller image is more interesting
than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one. Using too
high a power eyepiece is one of the most
common mistakes made by new
astronomers.
Dress Warm: Even on summer nights, the
air can feel cool or cold as the night wears
on. It is important to dress warm or to have
a sweater, jacket, gloves, etc., nearby.