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Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the
current year.
Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of
the current year.
Glossary Menu
The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common
astronomical terms and Autostar functions. Access directly through the Glossary menu or
through hypertext words embedded in Autostar. A hypertext word is any word in [brackets],
usually found when using the Autostar Help function or when reading a scrolling message such
as a description of a planet or star. Press ENTER whenever a hypertext word is on screen and
Autostar goes to the glossary entry for that word.
To access directly from the Glossary menu, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the alphabet.
Press ENTER on the desired letter. Scroll to the desired entry and then press ENTER to read
the description.
Utilities Menu
The Utilities menu provides access to several extra features within Autostar, including a count-
down timer and an alarm. The Utilities functions include:
Timer selects a countdown timer. This feature is useful for functions such as astrophotography
and tracking satellites. See "OBSERVING SATELLITES," page 31. To use the Timer, press
ENTER, then choose "Set" or "Start/Stop."
"
Set: Enter the time to be counted down, in
hours, minutes, and seconds, then press
ENTER.
"
Start/Stop: Activates the timer set previ-
ously. Use the Scroll keys to toggle
between ON and OFF. When ON is dis-
played, press ENTER to activate the
timer. When the timer runs out, four
beeps sound and the timer is deactivated.
Alarm selects a time for an alarm signal as a
reminder. To use the Alarm, press ENTER,
then choose "Set" or "Start/Stop."
"
Set: Enter the time of day for the alarm to
sound, in hours, minutes, and seconds,
then press ENTER.
"
Start/Stop: Activates the alarm set pre-
viously. Use the Scroll keys to toggle
between ON and OFF. When ON is dis-
played, press ENTER to activate the
alarm. When the alarm time arrives,
Autostar beeps. Press ENTER to deacti-
vate the alarm.
Eyepiece Calc calculates information about
an eyepiece for the specific telescope to
which Autostar is connected.
"
Field of View: Scroll through a list of
available eyepieces. When an eyepiece
is selected, the field of view is calculat-
ed.
"
Magnification: Scroll through a list of
available eyepieces. When an eyepiece is
selected, the magnification is calculated.
Observing Considerations
•
Try to pick an observing site away from
street and house lights and car headlights.
While this is not always possible, the dark-
er the site, the better.
•
Give your eyes about ten minutes to
adjust to the darkness before observing.
Give your eyes a rest from observing
every ten or fifteen minutes to relieve eye-
strain.
•
Try not to use a standard flashlight. A lot of
observers use red LED flashlights or tape
red cellophane over their flashlights to use
for setup and map reading so they don't
have to continually readjust their eyes to
the darkness. Be careful not to shine
bright lights if there are other observers in
the area. Do not shine a flashlight into the
telescope while someone is observing!
•
Dress warmly. It gets chilly when you're
sitting for prolonged periods.
•
Practice setting up your equipment during
the day or in a lighted area to become
familiar with it before going to a dark site.
•
Use your 26mm eyepiece to view terrestri-
al objects and wider areas of space, such
as open star clusters. Use your 9mm eye-
piece when you wish to view something
up close, such as craters on the Moon or
the rings of Saturn.
•
Know your observing site. If you're going to
try out an unfamiliar site, check it out in the
daylight for possible obstructions and pit-
falls.
25
LX90 TIPS
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