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area. Press ENTER to confirm your coordinates.
Note: Latitude and longitude coordinates must be entered in
degrees and arcminutes. If your map or atlas gives coordi-
nates in decimal values (for example, latitude = 36.95 N) you
must convert into degrees and arcminutes (i.e. latitude 36.95
N = latitude 36°57' N).
7. Enter the time zone in which you are observing in hours
(see Appendix D), using the scroll keys and numeric key-
pad (+ for east of Prime Meridian, - for west of Prime
Meridian). Press ENTER to confirm your choice.
8. Enter the date in the following format mm/dd/yyyy using the
numeric keypad. Press ENTER to confirm your choice.
9. Enter your current local time using the 24 hour time mode
(example: 2:00PM = 14:00). Press ENTER to view the time
you entered. If the time is incorrect, press ESC to go back
to the previous screen. If the time is correct, press ENTER
again to proceed to the next step.
10. Press ENTER if you are currently on Daylight Savings
Time. Use the scroll button to scroll down to "NO" and
press ENTER if you are not on Daylight Savings Time.
The Sirius EQ-G is now ready to begin the alignment proce-
dure.
Note: if a mistake was entered into the Sirius EQ-G hand con-
trol during the initial setup, press the ESC key to go back to
the previous menu.
aligning the sirius EQ‑G
In order for the Sirius EQ-G to accurately locate and point to
objects in the sky, it must first be aligned on known positions
(stars) in the sky. With the supplied information, the mount
can replicate a model of the sky and the movements of astro-
nomical objects as the Earth rotates.
There are three ways to align the Sirius EQ-G depending on
your demand for accuracy. If you are using the Sirius EQ-G
for the first time, we recommend you begin with the three-star
alignment. In most cases, a three-star alignment produces
the most accurate alignment among the three methods. The
description below will lead you through a step-by-step proce-
dure on how to perform the three-star alignment.
Note: Before performing any of the alignment methods, be
sure that your finderscope is well aligned with the telescope
tube.
three‑star alignment
1. Access the alignment screen and select "3-Star Align"
using the scroll buttons. Press ENTER to confirm your
choice.
2. The Sirius EQ-G will provide a list of stars available in
your current sky for you to choose as the first alignment
star. Choose a star you are familiar with using the scroll
buttons. Press ENTER to confirm your choice. The Sirius
EQ-G will start slewing the telescope towards the cho-
sen object. When the telescope stops slewing, adjust its
position using the the directional buttons until the chosen
star is centered in the crosshairs of the finderscope. Now
10
look in the eyepiece and adjust the position of the tele-
scope (using the directional buttons) so that the chosen
star is centered in the field of view of the eyepiece. Use a
high-power eyepiece for most accurate centering. Press
ENTER to confirm the star is centered.
Note: The slewing speed can be adjusted by pressing the
RATE button. Choose a desired rate between 0 (slowest) and
9 (fastest).
Note: The Sirius EQ-G will make a "beep" sound once it has
finished slewing to an object. Do not try to adjust the tele-
scope before you hear the "beep" sound. The Sirius EQ-G will
only respond to the ESC button while slewing (which stops
the slewing).
3. The Sirius EQ-G will provide a list of stars that can be used
as the second alignment star. Choose a star using the
scroll buttons and press ENTER to confirm your choice.
Repeat the centering procedure for the second alignment
star using the directional buttons and press ENTER to
confirm alignment.
4. The Sirius EQ-G will once again provide a list of stars that
can be used as the third alignment star. Choose a star
using the scroll buttons and press ENTER to confirm your
choice. Once again, repeat the centering procedure for the
third alignment star and press ENTER to confirm align-
ment.
5. Once the three alignment stars have been entered and
alignment is completed, the hand controller will display
"Alignment Successful."
two‑star alignment
Two-star alignment requires only two alignment stars but may
produce lesser pointing accuracy than the three-star align-
ment. The description below will lead you on a step-by-step
procedure on how to perform the two-star alignment.
1. Access the alignment screen and select "2-Star Align"
using the scroll buttons. Press ENTER to confirm your
choice.
2. The Sirius EQ-G will provide a list of stars available in your
current sky for you to choose as the first alignment star.
Using the scroll buttons, choose a star you are familiar
with and press ENTER to confirm your choice. The Sirius
EQ-G will start slewing the telescope towards the chosen
star. When the telescope stops slewing, adjust its position
with the directional buttons until the star is centered in the
crosshairs of the finderscope. Now look in the eyepiece
and adjust the position of the telescope (using the direc-
tional buttons) so that the chosen star is centered in the
field of view of the eyepiece. Press ENTER to confirm the
star is centered.
3. The Sirius EQ-G will provide a list of stars that can be used
as the second alignment star. Choose a star using the
scroll buttons and press ENTER to confirm your choice.
Repeat the centering procedure for the second alignment
star and press ENTER to confirm alignment.
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