Object Catalog; Selecting An Object - Celestron NexStar 8 Instruction Manual

slewing rate for aligning objects in both the Star Pointer and the eyepiece). After the first alignment star has been entered the
NexStar will automatically slew to a second alignment star and have you repeat this procedure for that star. When the
telescope has been aligned to both stars the display will read
your first object.
Trouble
Shooting
If the wrong star was centered and aligned to, the NexStar display will read Bad Alignment. Should this occur, the display
will automatically ask you to re-center the last alignment star and press ALIGN. If you believe that the wrong star may have
been centered (remember the alignment star will always be the brightest star nearest the field of view of the finder), then re-
center the star and press ALIGN. If you wish to try aligning on a different star, press UNDO and the NexStar will select two
new alignment stars and automatically slew to the first star.
Third Star Alignment
The NexStar has a third star alignment feature which allows you to replace either of the two original
alignment stars with a new star. This can be useful in several situations:
•
•
To replace an existing alignment star with a new alignment star:
1. Locate and center the desired star in the eyepiece.
2. Press the ALIGN key on the hand control.
3. The display will then ask you which alignment star you want to replace.
4. Use the UP and Down scroll keys to select the alignment star to be replaced. It is usually best to replace the star
closest to the new star. This will space out your alignment stars across the sky.
5. Press ENTER to make the change.
O b j e c t C a t
O b j e c t C a t
S S e e l l e e c c t t i i n n g g a a n n
Now that the telescope is properly aligned, you can choose an object from any of the catalogs in the NexStar's extensive
database. The hand control has a key (4) designated for each of the catalogs in its database. There are two ways to select
objects from the database: scrolling through the named object lists and entering object numbers.
1. Pressing the LIST key on the hand control will access all objects in the database that have common names or
types. Each list is broken down into the following categories: Named Stars, Named Object, Double Stars, Variable
Stars and Asterisms. Selecting any one of these options will display a numeric-alphabetical listing of the objects
Helpful
under that list. Pressing the Up and Down keys (10) allows you to scroll through the catalog to the desired object.
Hint
When scrolling through a long list of objects, holding down either the Up or Down key will allow you to scroll through the
catalog at a rapid speed
2. Pressing any of the other catalog keys (M, CALD, NGC, or STAR) will display a blinking cursor below the name
of the catalog chosen. Use the numeric key pad to enter the number of any object within these standardized
More
catalogs. For example, to find the Orion Nebula, press the "M" key and enter "042".
Information
To download a list of all the stars contained in the STAR Catalog with SAO number cross references, logon to our web site
at www.celestron.com and go to the NexStar page.
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. (Remember that the stars are moving at a rate of 15º every hour).
Aligning on a new star that is in the eastern part of the sky will improve your pointing accuracy, especially on
objects in that part of the sky.
When trying to locate a very faint or small object that may be difficult to find in the eyepiece, you can
improve your pointing accuracy by aligning to a third star that is nearest to the object you are trying to find.
a l o g
a l o g
O O b b j j e e c c t t
.
" Alignment Successful Alignment Successful
Alignment Successful Alignment Successful
16
" " " "
, and you are now ready to find