Vibrations; When To Observe - Meade POLARIS SERIES Instruction Manual

movement is caused by the rotation of the
Earth and makes an object move through
the telescope's field of view. To keep
astronomical objects centered in the field,
simply move the telescope on one or both
of its axes—vertically and/or horizontally as
needed—try using the telescopes coarse and
fine adjustment controls. At higher powers,
astronomical objects will seem to move
through the field of view of the eyepiece
more rapidly.
Place the object to be viewed at the edge of
the field and, without touching the telescope,
watch it drift through the field to the other
side before repositioning the telescope so
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversable damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
that the object to be viewed is again placed
at the edge of the field, ready to be further
observed.
Vibrations: Avoid touching the eyepiece while
observing through the telescope. Vibrations
resulting from such contact will cause the
image to move. Avoid observing sites where
vibrations cause image movement (for
example, near railroad tracks). Viewing from
the upper floors of a building may also cause
image movement.
Let your eyes "dark-adapt:" Allow five or
ten minutes for your eyes to become "dark
adapted" before observing. Use a red-
filtered flashlight to protect your night vision
when reading star maps, or inspecting the
telescope. Stay away from bright lights too.
Do not use a regular flash-light or turn on
other lights when observing with a group of
other astronomers. You can make your own
red filtered flashlight by taping red cellophane
over a flashlight lens.
Viewing through windows: Avoid setting up
the telescope inside a room and observing
through an opened or closed window pane.
Images may appear blurred or distorted
due to temperature differences between
inside and outside air. Also, it is a
good idea to allow your telescope to
reach the ambient (surrounding) outside
temperature before starting an observing
session.
When to observe: Planets and other objects
viewed low on the horizon often lack sharp-
ness—the same object, when observed
higher in the sky, will appear sharper and
have greater contrast. Try reducing power
(change your eyepiece) if your image is fuzzy
or shimmers. Keep in mind that a bright,
clear, but smaller image is more interesting
than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one. Using too
JOIN AN ASTRONOMY CLUB, ATTEND A STAR
PARTY
One of the best ways to increase your knowledge of
astronomy is to join an astronomy club. Check your
local newspaper, school, library, or telescope dealer/
store to find out if there's a club in your area.
Many groups also hold regularly scheduled Star Parties
at which you can check out and observe with many
different telescopes and other pieces of astronomical
equipment. Magazines such as Sky and Telescope
and Astronomy print schedules for many popular Star
Parties around the United States and Canada.
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