Celestron 102 Instruction Manual
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Celestron 102 Instruction Manual

Nexstar slt telescope
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Summary of Contents for Celestron 102

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    INTRODUCTION ... 4 Warning ... 4 ASSEMBLY ... 7 Assembling the NexStar ... 7 Attaching the Hand Control Holder ... 8 Attaching the Fork Arm to the Tripod... 8 Attaching the Telescope to the Fork Arm ... 8 The Star Diagonal ... 8 The Eyepiece...
  • Page 3 Observing Deep Sky Objects ... 29 Seeing Conditions ... 29 Transparency... 29 Sky Illumination... 29 Seeing ... 29 TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE ... 31 Care and Cleaning of the Optics ... 31 Collimation ... 31 OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES... 32 APPENDIX A - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ... 34 APPENDIX B –...

  • Page 4: Introduction

    4,000 objects, including customized lists of all the best deep-sky objects, planets bright double stars. No matter at what level you are starting out, the NexStar will unfold for you and your friends all the wonders of the Universe.
  • Page 5 The NexStar SLT Refractor Telescope Objective Lens Fork Arm Battery Compartment Hand Control Tripod Tripod Leg Extension Clamp Accessory Tray (NexStar 60 Shown) On/Off Switch Focuser Knob Star Diagonal Eyepiece Star Pointer Finderscope (not shown) Dovetailed Mounting Clamp Telescope Tube...
  • Page 6 NexStar SLT Reflecting Telescope (NexStar 114 Shown) Eyepiece Secondary Mirror Fork Arm Battery Compartment Tripod Hand Control Tripod Leg Extension Clamp Accessory Tray On/Off Switch Collimation Adjustment Knobs Optical Tube Star Pointer Finderscope...

  • Page 7: Assembly

    NexStar Hand Control w/ Object Database Your NexStar comes in three major sections: the optical tube, the fork arm and the tripod. These sections can be attached in seconds using the quick release coupling screw located under the tripod mounting platform and the dovetail mounting clamp located on the inside of the fork arm.

  • Page 8: Attaching The Hand Control Holder

    Coupling Your telescope optical tube has a built on dovetail mounting bar used to attach the tube to the fork arm. To attach the telescope tube: Loosen the tube clamp tightening knob. Slide the dovetail mounting bar of the telescope tube into the fork arm clamp.

  • Page 9: The Eyepiece

    For more information on how to determine power, see the section on “Calculating Magnification.” Barrel diameter is the diameter of the barrel that slides into the star diagonal or focuser. The NexStar uses eyepieces with a standard 1-1/4" barrel diameter.

  • Page 10: Star Pointer Installation

    The star pointer is powered by a long life 3-volt lithium battery (#CR2032) located underneath the front portion of the Star Pointer. Like all finderscopes, the Star Pointer must be properly aligned with the main telescope before it can be used. This is a simple process using the azimuth and altitude control knobs located on the side and bottom of the Star Pointer.

  • Page 11: Attaching The Hand Control

    The NexStar SLT hand control has a phone jack type connector at the end of its cord. Plug the phone jack connector into the outlet at the base of the telescope’s fork arm. Push the connector into the outlet until it clicks into place and place the hand control into its...

  • Page 12: Hand Control

    Direction Keys: Allows complete control of the NexStar in any direction. Use the direction keys to center objects in the StarPointer finderscope and eyepiece. Catalog Keys: The NexStar has a key on the hand control to allow direct access to each of the catalogs in its 4,000+ object database. The NexStar contains the following catalogs in its database: Messier –...

  • Page 13: Hand Control Operation

    Tour: Activates the tour mode, which seeks out all the best objects for a given month and automatically slews the NexStar to those objects. Enter: Pressing Enter allows you to select any of the NexStar functions, accept entered parameters and slew the telescope to displayed objects.

  • Page 14: Alignment Procedure

    Sky Align is the easiest way to get your NexStar aligned and ready to observe. Even if you do not know a single star in the sky, the NexStar will have you aligned in minutes by asking for basic information like the date, time and location. Then you simply need to aim the telescope to any three bright celestial objects in the sky.
  • Page 15 ALIGN button. This will accept the star as the first alignment position. (There is no need to adjust the slewing rate of the motors after each alignment step. The NexStar automatically selects the best slewing rate for aligning objects in both the finderscope and the eyepiece).

  • Page 16: Auto Two-Star Align

    (9 = fastest , 1 = slowest). NexStar will then ask you to select and center a second alignment star and press the ALIGN key. It is best to choose alignment stars that are a good distance away from one another. Stars that are at least 40º to 60º apart from each other will give you a more accurate alignment than stars that are close to each other.

  • Page 17: One-Star Align

    One-Star Align requires you to input all the same information as you would for the Two-Star Align procedure. However, instead of slewing to two alignment stars for centering and alignment, the NexStar uses only one star to model the sky based on the information given.

  • Page 18: Nexstar Re-Alignment

    The NexStar has a re-alignment feature which allows you to replace either of the original alignment stars with a new star or celestial object. This can be useful in several situations: • If you are observing over a period of a few hours, you may notice that your original two alignment stars have drifted towards the west considerably.

  • Page 19: Slewing To An Object

    To see the next tour object, press the Down key. In addition to the Tour Mode, the NexStar telescope has a Constellation Tour that allows the user to take a tour of all the best objects within a particular constellation. Selecting Constellation from the LIST menu will display all the constellation names that are above the user defined horizon (filter limits).

  • Page 20: Direction Buttons

    When using the Up and Down buttons on the NexStar 60 and 80, the slower slew rates (6 and lower) move the motors in the opposite direction than the faster slew rates (7- 9). This is done so that an object will move in the appropriate direction when looking into the eyepiece (i.e.

  • Page 21: Tracking Rate

    - View Time-Site will display the last saved time and longitude/latitude entered in the hand control. User Defined Objects - The NexStar can store up to 50 different user defined objects in its memory. The objects can be daytime land objects or an interesting celestial object that you discover that is not included in the regular database.

  • Page 22: Identify

    Identify Identify Mode will search any of the NexStar database catalogs or lists and display the name and offset distances to the nearest matching objects. This feature can serve two purposes. First, it can be used to identify an unknown object in the field of view of your eyepiece.

  • Page 23: Direction Buttons

    This feature is only available when using your telescope in conjunction with the optional CN 16 GPS accessory. Allows you to turn off the GPS module. If you want to use the NexStar database to find the coordinates of a celestial object for a future date you would need to turn the GPS module off in order to manually enter a date and time other than the present.

  • Page 24: Sun Menu

    To wake up the telescope after UNDO has been pressed, select Hibernate from the Utility menu and press ENTER. Do not use the direction buttons to move the telescope while in hibernate mode. Sun Menu For safety purposes the Sun will not be displayed as a database object unless it is first enabled.
  • Page 25 INDENTIFY SELECT CATALOG SOLAR SYSTEM ALIGN Saved Site ENTER if OK UNDO to Edit NexStar Menu Tree: The following figure is a menu tree showing the sub-menus associated with the primary command functions LIST NAMED STAR NAMED OBJECT ASTERISM TOUR...

  • Page 26: Telescope Basics

    The image orientation of any telescope changes depending on how the eyepiece is inserted into the telescope. When observing through the NexStar 60, 80 or 102 using the diagonal, the image will be right side up, but reversed from left to right. When observing straight through, with the eyepiece inserted directly into the telescope, the image will be inverted.

  • Page 27: Determining Field Of View

    Multiplying 3.2 by 60 gives a maximum useful magnification of 192 power. Although this is the maximum useful magnification, most observing is done in the range of 20 to 35 power for every inch of aperture which is 64 to 112 times for the NexStar 80 telescope.

  • Page 28: Celestial Observing

    With your telescope set up, you are ready to use it for observing. This section covers visual observing hints for both solar system and deep sky objects as well as general observing conditions which will affect your ability to observe.

  • Page 29: Solar Observing Hints

    The best time to observe the Sun is in the early morning or late afternoon when the air is cooler. • To center the Sun without looking into the eyepiece, watch the shadow of the telescope tube until it forms a circular shadow.
  • Page 30 Figure 5-1 Seeing conditions directly affect image quality. These drawing represent a point source (i.e., star) under bad seeing conditions (left) to excellent conditions (right). Most often, seeing conditions produce images that lie some where between these two extremes.

  • Page 31: Telescope Maintenance

    While your NexStar telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs at its best. Occasionally, dust and/or moisture may build up on the lens of your telescope. Special care should be taken when cleaning any instrument so as not to damage the optics.

  • Page 32: Optional Accessories

    Erect Image Diagonal (#94112-A) - This accessory is an Amici prism arrangement that allows you to look into the telescope at a 45° angle with images that are oriented properly (upright and correct from left-to-right). It is useful for daytime, terrestrial viewing with the NexStar 60, 80 and 102 Eyepieces - Like telescopes, eyepieces come in a variety of designs.
  • Page 33 Filter, Solar - The AstroSolar® filter is a safe and durable filter that covers the front opening of the telescope. View sunspots and other solar features using this double-sided metal coated filter for uniform density and good color balance across the entire field. The Sun offers constant changes and will keep your observing interesting and fun.

  • Page 34: Appendix A - Technical Specifications

    APPENDIX A - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS NexStar 60mm Design Refractor Aperture 60mm Focal Length 700mm F/ratio of the Optical System Optical Coatings Fully Coated Highest Useful Magnification 175x Resolution: Rayleigh Criterion 2.31 arc seconds Dawes Limit 1.93 arc seconds Light Gathering Power...

  • Page 35: Appendix B - Glossary Of Terms

    Sun against the stars". Equatorial mount A telescope mounting in which the instrument is set upon an axis which is parallel to the axis of the Earth; the angle of the axis must be equal to the observer's latitude.
  • Page 36 1 and those increasingly fainter from 2 down to magnitude 5. The faintest star that can be seen without a telescope is about magnitude 6. Each magnitude step corresponds to a ratio of 2.5 in brightness. Thus a star of magnitude 1 is 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 2, and 100 times brighter than a magnitude 5 star.
  • Page 37 The rate is 15 arc seconds per second or 15 degrees per hour. Terminator The boundary line between the light and dark portion of the moon or a planet. Universe The totality of astronomical things, events, relations and energies capable of being described objectively.

  • Page 38: Appendix C - Rs-232 Connection

    Appendix C - RS-232 Connection Using the included NSOL software you can control your NexStar telescope with a computer via the RS-232 port located on the computerized hand control and using the RS-232 cable (#93920). For information about using NSOL to control your telescope, refer to the instruction sheet that came with the CD and the help files located on the disk.

  • Page 39: Appendix D - Time Zone Maps

    APPENDIX D – MAPS OF TIME ZONES...
  • Page 47 Celestron, and shall be required to prepay such costs. Celestron shall use reasonable efforts to repair or replace any telescope covered by this warranty within thirty days of receipt. In the event repair or replacement shall require more than thirty days, Celestron shall notify the customer accordingly. Celestron reserves the right to replace any product which has been discontinued from its product line with a new product of comparable value and function.
  • Page 48 Celestron 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212-5835 Web site at http//www.celestron.com Copyright 2005 Celestron All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.) This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rule. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operations.

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