40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 10:54 AM 60mm | 2.4" Altazimuth Refracting Telescope TELESTAR INSTRUCTION MANUAL www.meade.
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40-04135 8 Page Manual Template INTRODUCTION 6/29/05 Your telescope is an excellent beginner’s instrument, and is designed to observe objects in the sky and also on land. It can be your personal window on the universe or allows you to intimately study the behavior of nesting birds on a distant hillside. The telescope is shipped with the following parts: • Optical tube • Aluminum tripod with an accessory tray • Two 1.25" eyepieces: MA25mm (28X), MH9mm • 2x 1.
FIGURE 1 40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 2 6/29/05 b 10:54 AM Page 4 c d 2# 1^ 1# 1% f 1& g h j i 2^ 1) 1! 1* e Figure 1: Telestar 60AZ-A2 Altazimuth Refracting Telescope Inset A: Accessory Tray Mounting Bolt Hole Inset B: Tripod Leg Inset C: Viewfinder Assembly 1. Eyepiece 2. Viewfinder (see Inset C) 3. Viewfinder alignment screws (see Inset C) 4. Optical tube assembly 5. Vertical lock knobs 6. Horizontal lock knob 7. Tripod legs 8. Leg brace supports 9. Leg brace 10.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template ASSEMBLE YOUR TRIPOD 6/29/05 The tripod is the basic support for your telescope. Its height may be adjusted so that you can view comfortably. Note: Number in brackets, e.g., (3), refer to Fig. 1. 1. Make sure that as you attach the legs (7) to the mount that the leg braces (9) are facing inward. 2. Line up the holes at the top of one of the legs with the holes in the mount (10). See Fig. 2. 3. Thread one of the 2-inch bolts through the holes. 4.
/29/05 4.Thread a lock knob (5) through each of the holes in the forks of the mount and tighten to a firm feel. 40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 4 ATTACH THE VIEWFINDER lock knob place tube between forks Fig. 4 An eyepiece (1) has a narrow field of view. A viewfinder (2) has a wider field of view, which makes it easier to locate objects. The 5x24mm viewfinder has crosshairs to make it easier to line up more precisely with a target. 1.
6/29/05 10:54 AM Page 7 SUN WARNING 40-04135 8 Page Manual Template TO MOVE THE TELESCOPE We have one very important rule that you should always follow when using your telescope: THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE 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.
OBSERVING 40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6 6/29/05 Observe during the daytime: Try out your telescope during the daytime at first. It is easier to learn how it operates and how to observe when it is light. Pick out an easy object to observe: A distant mountain, a large tree, a lighthouse or skyscraper make excellent targets. Point the optical tube so it lines up with your object.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 Spend several nights observing the Moon. Some nights, the Moon is so bright that it makes other objects in the sky difficult to see. These are nights that are excellent for lunar observation. Observe the Solar System: After observing the Moon, you are ready to step up to the next level of observation, the planets. There are four planets that you can easily observe in your telescope: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 Any small telescope can see the four Galilean moons of Jupiter (Fig. 5), 8 plus a few others, but how many moons does Jupiter actually have? No one knows for sure! Nor are we sure how many Saturn has either. At last count, Jupiter had over 60 moons, and held a small lead over Saturn. Most of these moons are very small and can only be seen with very large telescopes. Probably the most memorable sight you will see in your telescope is Saturn.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 grouping of stars, containing millions or even billions of stars. Some galaxies form a spiral (like our galaxy, the Milky Way) and other galaxies look more like a large football and are called elliptical galaxies. There are many galaxies that are irregularly shaped and are thought to have been pulled apart because they passed too close to—or even through—a larger galaxy. You may be able to see the Andromeda galaxy and several others in your telescope.
6/29/05 Changing eyepieces changes the power or magnification of your telescope. 40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 10 By the way, you might have noticed something strange when you looked through your eyepiece. Although the image is rightside up, it is reversed. That means reading words can be a problem. But it has no affect on astronomical objects. If you wish to have a fully corrected image, check out Meade’s optional Erecting Prism in the Optional Accessory section.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 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 redfiltered flashlight to protect your night vision when reading star maps, or inspecting the telescope. Do not use use a regular flashlight or turn on other lights when observing with a group of other astronomers.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 What do the specifications mean? Optical tube focal length is simply a 12 measurement of the length of the optical tube. In other words, this is the distance light travels in the telescope before being brought to focus in you eyepiece. Your tube is 700mm long. Objective lens diameter is how big the lens is on your scope. Telescopes are always described by how large their objective lens is. Your telescope is 60mm or 2.4 inches.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 Eyepiece’s magnification x 2 = Magnification with a 2X Barlow lens Your 25mm low-power eyepiece magnifies an object 28 times. Multiply 28 by 2 and you get 56 times magnification with your Barlow. It’s worth repeating: Keep in mind that a bright, clear, but smaller image is more interesting than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one. Using too high a power eyepiece is one of the most common mistakes made by new astronomers.
40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 14 6/29/05 Contact your Meade Dealer or see the Meade catalog for more information. Visit us on the web at: www.meade.com. MEADE CUSTOMER SERVICE If you have a question concerning your telescope, call Meade Instruments Customer Service Department at (800) 626-3233. Customer Service hours are 8:00AM to 5:00PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
6/29/05 10:54 AM GOOD OBSERVATION LOG EXCELLENT 40-04135 8 Page Manual Template OBSERVER: OBJECT NAME: DATE & TIME OBSERVED: CONSTELLATION: EYEPIECE SIZE: SEEING CONDITIONS: NOTES: Page 17 POOR (SAVE ORIGINAL - BE SURE TO MAKE COPIES) DRAWING OF IMAGE
6/29/05 10:55 AM GOOD OBSERVATION LOG EXCELLENT 40-04135 8 Page Manual Template OBSERVER: OBJECT NAME: DATE & TIME OBSERVED: CONSTELLATION: EYEPIECE SIZE: SEEING CONDITIONS: NOTES: Page 18 POOR DRAWING OF IMAGE
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40-04135 8 Page Manual Template 6/29/05 1-800 10:55 AM 626-3233 Page 20 Meade Instruments Corporation 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, California 92618 www.meade.
