3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 1 www.meade.com Meade 70 AZ - AR TELESTAR INSTRUCTION MANUAL 70mm | 2.
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Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 3 INTRODUCTION 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.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 FIGURE 1 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 5 Fig. 2 ASSEMBLE YOUR TRIPOD 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.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 6 ATTACH THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER 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 red dot viewfinder has a red dot to make it easier to line up more precisely with a target. 1. Note the two thumbscrews (25) threaded onto two bolts on the optical tube. Remove the thumbscrews from the tube. 2. Line up the two holes on the red dot viewfinder bracket over the two bolts.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 7 telescopes may be mounted in different ways. 1. Slightly loosen one of the star-shaped altitude control knobs (5). Loosening this knob allows you to move the telescope up and down. 2. Slightly loosen the horizontal lock knob (6). Loosening this lock allows the telescope to be moved from side to side. 3. Once an object is found, re-tighten the control knobs.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 8 the optical tube so it lines up with your object. 6 Unlock the lock knobs: To move the telescope, you will need to unlock the horizontal (6) and vertical (5) lock knobs (just rotate to unlock or lock; when locking, only tighten to a “firm feel,” do not overtighten). Use the red dot viewfinder: If you have not done so, align the red dot viewfinder (2) with the telescope’s eyepiece (1) as described earlier.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 9 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. Nine planets (maybe more!) travel in a fairly circular pattern around our Sun. Any system of planets orbiting one or more stars is called a solar system. Our Sun, by the way, is a single, yellow dwarf star.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 8 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 10 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. Although you may not see many features on the surface of Saturn, its ring structure will steal your breath away. You will probably be able to see a black opening in the rings, known as the Cassini band.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 11 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. They will appear as small, fuzzy clouds. Only very large telescope will reveal spiral or elliptical details. You will also be able to see some nebulas with your scope. Nebula means cloud. Most nebulas are clouds of gas.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 12 side up, it is reversed. That means reading words can be a problem. But 10 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. Optional Accessory Barlow lens: You can also change magnification by using a Barlow lens. The Barlow lens doubles the power of your telescope. See Fig. 6.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 13 telescope. Do not use use a regular flashlight 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.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 14 brought to focus in you eyepiece. Your tube is 700mm long. 12 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 70mm or 2.8 inches. Other telescopes are 90mm, 8 inches, 16 inches, or even 3 feet in diameter. The Hubble Telescope’s objective lens has a diameter of 2.4 meters (that’s 7.8 feet across!).
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 15 Your 25mm low-power eyepiece magnifies an object 28 times. Multiply 28 by 2 and you get 56 times magnification with a 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.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 16 Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. Write or call the Meade Consumer 14 Solutions Department first, before returning the telescope to the factory, giving full particulars as to the nature of the problem, as well as your name, address, and daytime telephone number. The great majority of servicing issues can be resolved by telephone, avoiding return of the telescope to the factory.
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 17 OBSERVATION LOG OBSERVER: OBJECT NAME: DATE & TIME OBSERVED: CONSTELLATION: EYEPIECE SIZE: SEEING CONDITIONS: EXCELLENT GOOD POOR NOTES: DRAWING OF IMAGE
Meade 70 AZ - AR 3/10/06 12:16 PM Page 18 OBSERVATION LOG OBSERVER: OBJECT NAME: DATE & TIME OBSERVED: CONSTELLATION: EYEPIECE SIZE: SEEING CONDITIONS: EXCELLENT GOOD POOR NOTES: DRAWING OF IMAGE
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