Mode Key; Library Object Keys; Star Alignment; 1. 1-Star Alignment With Known Site - Meade LX200 Instruction Manual

The telescope will automatically begin to track objects. From
this point, move the telescope only through the hand controller.
Manual movements by loosening the Dec. or R.A. locks will
cause the LX 200 to lose position, requiring realignment.
5.

MODE Key

200
The LX has five basic hand controller displays; the MODE
key is used to move between them. The five modes are:
a. Telescope Functions. The TELESCOPE mode is where all
telescope functions are changed or activated and the
OBJECTLIBRARY is where the features of the object library
are accessed.
b. Telescope Position. The first display shows the RA and
DEC (telescope position in stellar coordinates) and the
second display (accessed by pressing the ENTER key)
shows the telescope position in ALTAZ coordinates.
c. Time and Date. The first display shows local and sidereal
time and the second display (accessed by pressing the
ENTER key) shows the date.
d. Timer and Freq. This display is a countdown timer; it allows
you to change drive rates. These are advanced features.
e. All Off. This mode simply turns off all displays and
backlighting. You can also adjust the backlighting brightness
by pressing the ENTER key and using the PREV and NEXT
keys to adjust the brightness.
6.

Library Object Keys

While you are in any of the five main keypad display modes,
you can directly access the library objects by using the M,
STAR, or CNGC keys (see APPENDIX C for more information on
the 64,359-object library). Press an object key and type in the
number of the object desired, followed by E N T E R. For
example, a good first object for the first part of the year is M42
— the Great Orion Nebula.
Press the M key, the 4 key, the 2 key, and finally the ENTER
key. The display will show data on the object (name, rating,
object type, brightness, size). Now press GO TO. The telescope
will automatically slew to M42.
OBJECT LIBRARY PLANETLEGEND
PLANET STAR #
MERCURY 901
VENUS 902
MARS 904
JUPITER 905
If the object entered is not above the horizon, the keypad hand
controller will display the message Object Below Horizon.
Other good first objects (if above the horizon) are any of the M
objects, from M1 to M 110, and the planets. Consult the
following table to find a planet (903 is the Moon. )

Star Alignment

The 2-star initialization routines provide three options for
200
aligning the LX telescope when in the ALTAZ mode.
NOTE:The 2-star initialization routines apply only to the ALTAZ
alignment mode (see MODEFUNCTIONS, page 17, for POLAR
and LAND mode initialization).
The first and second options require that you have entered the
- 13 -
PLANET STAR#
SATURN 906
URANUS 907
NEPTUNE 908
PLUTO 909
SITE and TIME information as described in Entering Basic
Information (page 10). You can use the third option when you
do not know the SITE information or have not entered it into the
LX200's memory.
NOTE: In all alignment procedures, be sure the telescope is
rotated so that the power panel is facing North.

1. 1-Star Alignment with Known SITE

The 1-star alignment routine is explained in detail in Setting Up
the Telescope (page 11).
2. 2-Star Alignment at Known SITE
To use the 2-star alignment procedure at a known site, follow
these steps:
1. Select 2-star alignment (by pressing the 2 key); the keypad
display prompts you to level the base. This leveling step
requires a rough level only and, unlike the 1-star alignment
routine, does not affect the pointing accuracy of the
telescope. See Section (d) below for a summary of the
differences in telescope operation when selecting each of
the three alignment procedures.
2. After leveling the base and pressing ENTER, follow the
keypad display prompts to select the first alignment star.
Slew to that star using the N, S, E, W keys.
3. Follow the keypad display prompts to choose and center the
the second alignment star. Use the keypad to slew to the
second star. After you press the ENTER key in the previous
step, the keypad display shows the TELESCOPE/OBJECT
LIBRARY screen.
I m p o rtant Note: When you use either of the 2-star
alignment procedures (at a known SITE or at an unknown
S I T E ) , choosing the proper two stars determines the
pointing accuracy of the telescope. Choose two stars that
are at least 90° apart. Do not use Polaris because R.A.
changes very fast at the Pole and minor centering errors
translate to large R.A. pointing errors. Also, avoid stars
near the zenith (straight up) since azimuth changes very
fast in this area.Generally speaking, choosing two stars as
far apart as possible will yield very accurate pointing,
often within a few arc minutes.
The LX200 calculates the distance between the two stars that
you chose in the alignment steps and compares it to the
distance that you actually slewed the telescope. This is a check
to be sure that you centered the correct stars during alignment.
Should the LX200 discover a discrepancy, the keypad will
display: Align Mismatch — Check Stars. If you get this
message after aligning the telescope, confirm that you are
using the correct stars and align again.
3.

Alignment with Unknown Site

To use the LX200 telescope at an unknown location, follow
these steps:
1. Select site #5 (UNKNOWN) from the SITE menu.
NOTE: You cannot edit this site like site numbers 1 to 4 as
described in Entering Basic Information, page 10.
2. Follow the keypad display prompts to select and center
the two alignment stars.
As described above, the LX200 checks the accuracy of the two
stars and displays Align Mismatch — Check Stars if it detects
an error.