Understanding Celestial Movements And Coordinates - Meade 114EQ-AR Instruction Manual

thumbscrews located at the attachment
ends of each cable.
2. Tilt the polar axis of the telescope to
roughly a 45 angle with the horizon:
Loosen the latitude adjustment lock
(9) so you can move the mount to the
desired position.
3. Re-tighten the latitude adjustment lock to
secure the mount in place.
SUN WARNING!
NEVER USE YOUR TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT
THE SUN!
LOOKING AT OR NEAR THE SUN WILL
CAUSE INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE
DAMAGE TO YOUR EYE. EYE DAMAGE IS
OFTEN PAINLESS, SO THERE IS NO
WARNING TO THE OBSERVER THAT
DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED UNTIL IT IS TOO
LATE. DO NOT POINT THE TELESCOPE OR
ITS VIEWFINDER AT OR NEAR THE SUN.
Meade114EQ_AR 4/13/06 4:08 PM
DO NOT LOOK THROUGH THE TELESCOPE
OR ITS VIEWFINDER AS IT IS MOVING.
CHILDREN SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE ADULT
SUPERVISION WHILE OBSERVING.
°
ATTACH THE OPTICAL TUBE TO THE MOUNT
1. Lay the optical tube (12) with cradle rings
(14) onto the saddle plate (13).
2. Tighten the cradle ring attachment lock
knob (36) to a firm feel.
ALIGN THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER
Perform the first part of this procedure
during the daytime and the last step at night.
1. Point the telescope at an easy-to-find
land object such as the top of a telephone
pole or a distant mountain or tower. Look
through the eyepiece and turn the focuser
knob (31) until the image is sharply
focused. Center the object precisely in the
eyepiece's field of view.
2. Look through the red dot viewfinder. Turn
one or more of the viewfinder's alignment
screws (34, Inset B) until the red dot is
precisely over the same object as you
centered in the eyepiece.
3. Check this alignment at night on a
celestial object, such as the Moon or
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a bright star, and use the viewfinder's
alignment screws to make any
necessary refinements.
Fig. 6
UNDERSTANDING CELESTIAL MOVEMENTS
AND COORDINATES
Understanding where to locate celestial
objects and how those objets move across
the sky is the key to enjoying the hobby of
astronomy. Most amateur astronomers
practice "star-hopping" to locate celestial
objects. They use star charts or
astronomical software to identify bright
stars and star patterns as "landmarks" in
their search for astronomical objects.
Another technique for locating objects is to
use the setting circles that are provided on
your telescope.
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