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ADVANCED AUTOSTAR FEATURES
Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic operations of
Autostar described earlier in this manual. The following examples assume that you have a basic
knowledge of Autostar and understand how to scroll to a desired menu or menu option, and
how to enter numbers and text. It also assumes that you have initialized Autostar and have
placed the telescope in the "Home" position (when appropriate).
Adding Observing Sites
If you plan to observe using Autostar at different geographic locations, you can store up to six
observation sites in Autostar's memory to help simplify your telescope setup. Perform these
procedures using the Site options (Add, Select, Delete, Edit) of the Setup menu.
To Add a Site to the user-defined site list:
In this example, you will choose a city and add it to the database list. You will then select the
site to enable it.
1.
Navigate to the "Setup: Site" menu. Press ENTER,
2.
Scroll through the options until "Site: Add" displays. Press ENTER.
3.
Scroll through the list of countries/states. Press ENTER when the country/state you wish
to add displays.
4.
Scroll through the list of cities. Press ENTER when the city you wish to add displays. The
Site is now add to the database. You may add 5 sites using this method (the sixth site is
the site you added during the Initialization process)
5.
To choose a site, navigate to "Setup: Select." Press ENTER. Scroll through the list of sites.
When the desired site displays, press ENTER.
To Edit a Site:
In this procedure, you will enter a location that
is not available in the Autostar database by
editing data of a nearby site. You will edit the
location's name, latitude. longitude and the
time zone shift. You will then select the site to
enable it.
You will need to know the latitude and longi-
tude of your location to perform this proce-
dure.
1.
Using the Add option, choose a site on
the list that is closest to your observing
site and press ENTER so that the site is
added to your observing sites list.
Choosing a site already on the list (as
opposed to using the "Custom" feature)
makes it easier to edit, as the "Time
Zone" value may not need to be
changed.
2.
Scroll to "Site: Edit" and press ENTER.
"Edit: Name" displays. Press ENTER.
3.
The name of the site you have just
entered to your list displays; if it does not,
scroll to the site.
4.
Using the Arrow keys, change the name
of the site so that it now reads the name
of your observing location. Press
ENTER. "Edit: Name" displays again.
Look into the Future
The Autostar Date option in the Setup
menu is much more than just an entry
of today's date; with it you can look far
into the future or learn about past
events. Autostar can calculate the date
and times of future events and, except
for eclipses, past events as well (based
on the current calendar system). E.g., a
Sunrise on March 6, 2043 A.D. or the
Vernal Equinox in 1776 A.D. To use this
feature, enter the desired date in the
Setup menu and select an option in the
Event menu.
Autostar can calculate dates and times
for Sunrises, Sunsets, Moonrises,
Moonsets, Moonphases, Solar and
Lunar Eclipses (for the next 100 years),
meteor showers, equinoxes and sol-
stices, and the minimums of Algol.
One very practical use of the date menu
is to check the Sunset option to deter-
mine when you can begin your astro-
nomical observing.
29
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