Astroscan 7000000 User Manual page 7

exclusive!
PINPOINT THE SKY POSITION OF
500 STARS & THE PLANETS
To find the location of celestial objects you
should refer to a night sky calendar, like our
exclusive Scientifics Star & Planet Locator (item#
3009227), which shows the location of the stars,
constellations and the five naked-eye planets
(Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) relative
to the horizon for the exact hour and date that
you determine.
Our 8 1/2" square star chart was plotted by the
late astronomer and cartographer George Lovi.
The reverse side of the locator is packed with
additional data.
OBSERVATION TIPS
FOR YOUR ASTROSCAN
SELECTING A VIEWING SITE
The ideal site for using your
middle of nowhere. Most users don't have access
to the darkest of skies, however, so select a site
that is both far from light pollution and practical for
travel. Avoid street lights, yard lighting, rooftops,
and chimneys, and never observe through an open
window indoors. Be sure your site is out-of-town or
very dark and has clear view of a large portion of
the sky.
®
ASTROSCAN is in the
®
DARK ADAPTING YOUR EYES
When you go out into the dark, your eyes need
time to adjust. You will initially be able to see only
a fraction of the stars and objects your eyes are
capable of seeing. Remain in the dark (don't look
at any lights or even cell phones) and your eyes
should be around 80% of their full dark-adapted
sensitivity. Every time bright light comes into your
eye, the dark-adapting process will start over. When
eyes are fully dark-adapted, you will probably still
need to see what you're doing. Use a red-light
flashlight to maneuver around the area. A regular
flashlight covered in red cellophane will work, but
red LED lights are best.
SEEING AND TRANSPARENCY
Atmospheric conditions
importance when considering viewing conditions
for your astronomical binoculars. These conditions
are commonly referred to as "seeing." When
seeing is good, star twinkling is minimal and
objects appear steady in your lenses. Seeing is
best overhead, worst at the horizon, and generally
better after midnight. You can't see the stars
without looking through the atmosphere, so
the clearer the air and the higher your altitude,
the better seeing conditions you will encounter.
TRACKING CELESTIAL OBJECTS
The Earth is always rotating about its polar axis,
completing one full rotation every 24 hours. This
is what defines our "day", and we see it in the
apparent movement of sun and stars throughout
each rotation. In the same way that the sun rises
and sets each day, the stars in the sky rise and
set each night. The motion translates to a rate of
approximately .25° per minute, or 15 arc-seconds
per second. This is commonly referred to as the
sidereal rate.
As you observe any celestial object, remember
that it is in motion. You will need to continuously
update your telescope's position throughout a
viewing session, which is where your telescope's
fine altitude and azimuth adjustments become
useful. As an object begins to leave your field of
view, gently nudge the telescope tube in the correct
direction and bring it back to center.
Remember, the higher the magnification at which
you're viewing, the smaller your field of view.
Objects will appear to move faster as you raise
magnification, and
adjustments will need to be made.
1.800.728.6999 | SCIENTIFICSONLINE.COM 1.800.728.6999 | SCIENTIFICSONLINE.COM
are of the
more frequent positional
utmost
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