Instruction Manual 8" LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with Autostar Hand Controller Meade Instruments Corporation
The Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical System (2) (1) (1) (2) Ray (2) Ray (1) (2) (1) Focal Plane Secondary Mirror Secondary Baffle Primary Baffle Tube Field Stops Primary Mirror Correcting Plate In the Schmidt-Cassegrain design of the Meade LX90, light enters from the right, passes through a thin lens with 2-sided aspheric correction (“correcting plate”), proceeds to a spherical primary mirror, and then to a convex secondary mirror.
CONTENTS WARNING! Never use a Meade® LX90 Telescope to look at the Sun! 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. Do not look through the telescope or its viewfinder as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.
QUICK-START GUIDE It is recommended that you attach the supplied tripod to the LX90 for observing. Perform the telescope and Autostar setup indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. 1. Remove the field tripod from the shipping carton. Stand the tripod vertically with the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed.
Battery Compartment Rib Slew Speeds: Speed 9: Fast . Arrow . . Keys Speed 5: Medium . . . Speed 1: Slow Number Keys 9. Battery Holder 6. Remove the covers from both battery compartments located on top of the drive base and carefully lift the battery holders from their compartments, being mindful of the connector wires. Insert four (user-supplied) C-cell batteries into each battery holder (eight batteries total), oriented as shown on the diagram on the battery holder.
TELESCOPE FEATURES (not shown; see below) Fig. 1: The LX90 Telescope and Autostar Handbox.
LX90: Your Personal Window to the Universe The Meade LX90 is an extremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes with features similar to those available only with larger and more specialized imaging systems. With pushbutton controls, automatic tracking of celestial objects, and software downloading capability, the LX90 telescope may be all the telescope ever required by many terrestrial and astronomical observers. Your LX90 telescope reveals nature in an ever-expanding level of detail.
Computer Control Panel A. Handbox (HBX) Port - Plug the Autostar coil cord (10, Fig. 2) into this port. B. LED - The red power indicator light illuminates when power is supplied to the Autostar handbox and to the telescope’s motor drive. C. ON/OFF Switch - Turns the Computer Control Panel and Autostar ON or OFF. D. Auxiliary (AUX) Port (2) - Provides connection for current and future Meade accessories, such as the Meade Accessory Port Module. See “OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES,” page 39. E.
AUTOSTAR FEATURES Fig. 2: The LX90 Autostar Handbox. Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Control of the LX90 is through the operation of the standard-equipment Autostar. Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar’s buttons. Some of the major features of Autostar are: • Automatically move the telescope to any of over 30,000 objects stored in the database or manually enter the astronomical coordinates of any celestial object.
The Autostar Computer Controller provides control of virtually every telescope function within a compact handbox. Autostar has soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is backlit with a red LED (Light Emitting Diode) for easy viewing in the dark. The backlit display, key arrangement, and sequential database make Autostar extremely user friendly. NOTE: Autostar does not require batteries; the telescope’s batteries supply power to Autostar.
Scroll Keys - Accesses database options within a selected menu. The menu is displayed on the first line of the screen. Options within the menu are displayed, one at a time, on the second line. Press the Scroll keys to move through the options. Press and hold a Scroll key to move quickly through the options. The Scroll keys also scroll through the letters of the alphabet and numerical digits. NOTE: The Scroll Down key and the Down Arrow key move forward through the alphabet & digits (A to Z, 0 to 9).
GETTING STARTED Parts Listing Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first opening the packing box, note carefully the following parts: • • • • • • • LX90 Telescope with fork mount system Autostar handbox and interface coil cord 8 x 50mm viewfinder assembly Eyepiece holder and 1.
5. Position the spreader bar so that the 3 arms of the spreader bar line up with the 3 tripod legs. 6. Place the entire telescope onto the top of the tripod head, and insert the threaded rod into the central hole in the bottom of the drive base of the telescope. Tighten the tension knob (3, Fig. 3); firm tightening of the tension knob is sufficient to result in rigid positioning of the tripod legs. 7.
Choosing an Eyepiece A telescope’s eyepiece magnifies the image formed by the telescope’s main optics. Each eyepiece has a focal length, expressed in millimeters, or “mm.” The smaller the focal length, the higher the magnification. For example, an eyepiece with a focal length of 9mm has a higher magnification than an eyepiece with a focal length of 26mm.
OBSERVING IMPORTANT NOTE: Objects appear upside-down and reversed left-for-right when observed in the viewfinder and also in the eyepiece when inserted directly into the (straight-through) eyepiece holder – with the diagonal prism in place, images will be rightside-up, but reversed left-for-right. This image inversion is of no consequence when observing astronomical objects and, in fact, all astronomical telescopes yield inverted images.
3. Flip the telescope power switch to the ON position. The Autostar screen is activated and a copyright message displays briefly, followed by a short beep. Then Autostar takes a few moments to start up the system. 4. 5. A message displays that warns not to look at the Sun. At the end of this message, press the key prompted by Autostar to signify that the message has been read and understood. The Arrow keys are now activated. Press the Arrow keys (5, Fig.
Astronomical Observing Used as an astronomical instrument, your telescope has many optical and electromechanical capabilities. It is in astronomical applications where the high level of optical performance is readily visible. The range of observable astronomical objects is, with minor qualification, limited only by the observer’s motivation. North 0° To Track an Object Automatically As the Earth rotates beneath the night sky, the stars appear to move from East to West.
NOTE: Autostar requests the Country/State, City, and Telescope Model information only the first time Autostar is activated. If you wish to change this information, use the "Site" and "Telescope Model" options in the Setup menu. See pages 26 and 27 for more information. When the current month is displayed, use the Right Arrow (5, Fig. 2) to move to the year. Use the Number keys to enter all four digits of the current year. Press ENTER when the date has been entered. 7.
Easy (Two-Star) Align The fastest and easiest way to locate objects with Autostar's GO TO capabilities is to use Easy Align. Autostar automatically picks two stars from its database for the Easy Align procedure. During this procedure, Autostar slews the telescope to a first alignment star. The user is asked to verify that the telescope is pointed at the chosen star and then prompted to center the star in the eyepiece. The process is repeated with a second star to complete the alignment.
NOTE: The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search." A spiral search is useful when the telescope slews to an object, but that object is not visible in the eyepiece after the telescope finishes it search. (This sometimes occurs during an alignment procedure.) Press GO TO when the slew is finished and the telescope starts slewing in a spiral pattern at a very slow speed around the search area.
BASIC AUTOSTAR OPERATION OBJECT Select from over 30, 220 database objects and press GO TO to move the telescope automatically to the object and place it in the telescopic field of view. SETUP Quick, easy alignment permits all telescope operations with only a 2-minute setup. Select Item: Object Select Item: Setup UTILITIES Calculate eyepiece magnifications; set the timer for an observing session; or change the display brightnes.
To Calculate Sunset time: 1. Press the MODE key several times, until “Select Item: Object” is displayed. 2. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the “Event” option in the “Select Item” menu. 3. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Event" option and move down a level. "Event: Sunrise" is displayed. 4. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the "Sunset" option in the Event menu. 5. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Sunset" option and move down another level. 6.
MENUS AND MENU OPTIONS Object Menu Almost all observing with Autostar is performed using the Object menu category. (NOTE: Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.) See “GO TO SATURN,” page 20, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see “USING THE GUIDED TOUR,” page 20. Many Autostar menu categories contain databases. An Autostar database is a list of viewable objects, such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae and so forth.
Landmarks stores the location of terrestrial points of interest in the permanent Autostar database. IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the landmark was added to the database. " Select: To select a Landmark already in the database (see "Add" below), choose the "Select" option and scroll through the list. Press ENTER to select a Landmark, then press GO TO and the telescope slews to the object.
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.
" Suggest: Autostar calculates and suggests the best eyepiece for viewing, based on the telescope and the object being viewed. Display Options enables or disables Autostar’s two initial displays. If both displays are disabled, Autostar begins with the Date display. " Sun Warning: Turns the “Sun Warning” message on or off. " Getting Started: Turns the “Getting Started” message on or off. Brightness Adj: Adjusts the brightness of the display using the Scroll keys. When complete, press ENTER.
Alt Percent: The Alt (Altitude) Percent operates identical to the AZ Percent option (see above), but allows you to change the altitude backlash, i.e., the way the Arrow keys move the telescope when moving along the altitude (vertical) axis. " Train Drive: Trains the Altitude and Azimuth motors to locate objects with more precision.
Time Zone Atlantic Eastern Central Mountain Pacific Hawaii Shift -4 Hours -5 Hours -6 Hours -7 Hours -8 Hours -10 Hours Table 1: Time Zone Shift. " Edit: Edits a selected site, including: the name, latitude, longitude, and time zone. Time Zone refers to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone shift. Users West of Greenwich, England use “-” hours, East of Greenwich use “+” hours. For the United States, look up the time zone shift in table above.
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).
Shift -4 Hours -5 Hours -6 Hours -7 Hours -8 Hours -10 Hours 5. Press the Scroll Down key and "Edit: Latitude" displays. Press ENTER. 6. Using the Number Keys, enter the latitude of your observing site and then press ENTER. "Edit: Latitude" displays again. 7. Press the Scroll Down key and "Edit: Longitude" displays. Press ENTER. 8. Using the Number Keys, enter the longitude of your observing site and then press ENTER. "Edit: Longitude" displays again. Table 1: Time Zone Shift. 9.
9. Autostar then prompts you to enter the magnitude of the object. This step is also optional. Use the Number keys to enter this information, if so desired, and press ENTER to go to the next display. "User Object: Add" displays again. To GO TO a user-entered object: In this procedure, you will choose an object from the User Object list and GO TO the object. 1. With "User Object: Add" displayed, press the Scroll Up key once. "User Object: Select" displays. Press ENTER. 2.
How to Create Your Own Guided Tour When a Guided Tour is selected, Autostar slews your telescope to a predetermined list of objects and displays information about each object, such as type of object, constellation location, R.A. and Dec coordinates, and so forth. Autostar contains a few Guided Tours which are programmed at the factory. But it is also possible for an observer to create a custom Guided Tour. A tour is basically an ASCII text file that contains a list of directions and descriptions.
Writing a Tour Using the list of commands listed above, a custom tour can be created. Placing the word AUTO SELECT before any of the command lines activates Automatic Mode and, when selected, Autostar automatically searches and finds the designated object. The following is a list of command lines, complete with keywords and necessary strings: TITLE Title must be the first keyword in your tour after any comment lines and must be 15 characters or less.
ASTEROID "name" Enter ASTEROID and then the name of the desired asteroid in quotes. Autostar displays information about the asteroid from its database. For example: ASTEROID: "Ceres" COMET "name" Enter COMET and then the name of the desired comet in quotes. Autostar displays information about the comet from its database.
AUTO SLEW ON / AUTO SLEW OFF With AUTO SLEW ON enabled in the tour, Autostar automatically slews the telescope to objects first before displaying the text description. This feature is useful when designing tours in which observing certain objects is required. For example, an astronomy professor may require his students to observe six objects, four of which Autostar automatically slews to in a tour. The students would have to manually slew to the last two objects.
To Select a landmark from the database: 1. Make sure the telescope is located and aligned exactly as when the desired landmark was entered into memory. 2. Display the "Landmark: Select" menu option. Press ENTER. 3. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of objects you have previously entered. When the desired object displays, press ENTER to select the object. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through location information about the object, if desired. Press GO TO to slew the telescope to the landmark.
Advanced Alt/Az Alignment If you would rather choose your own alignment stars from the Autostar database during the Alt/Az alignment procedure, Autostar offers two methods. Information for Equatorial (Polar) alignment is discussed in "Appendix A," page 45. Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment Two-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. Autostar provides a database of bright stars and two stars from this database are chosen by the observer for alignment. 1.
PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE LX90 2 Photography through the LX90 requires the addition of the optional #62 T–Adapter. See “OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES,” page 39. With the #62 T-Adapter and a T-mount attached to the telescope (Fig. 13), through-the-telescope photography is possible with any 35mm camera body with a removable lens. In this way, the telescope effectively becomes the lens of the camera. 1 The #62 T-Adapter (1, Fig. 13) threads on to the photo port, followed by a T-Mount (2, Fig.
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the LX90 telescope. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the quality of the instrument itself. Consult the Meade General Catalog for complete details on these and other accessories. Meade Series 4000 Eyepieces:* Magnifying With #140 Eyepiece Power 2x Barlow Lens Fig. 16: #909 Accessory Port Module (APM). Super Plössl (4-elements) SP 6.4mm 313X SP 9.7mm 206X SP 12.
#62 T-Adapter: The T-Adapter is the basic means of prime-focus photography through all Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain models. Thread the T-Adapter on to the rear cell of your telescope, followed by a T-Mount for your 35mm camera, and the camera body is rigidly coupled to the telescope. Variable Tele-Extender: For eyepiece-projection photography of the Moon and the planets, a Tele-Extender is required.
MAINTENANCE The LX90 is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding applications. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, the LX90 will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include: a. Avoid cleaning the telescope’s optics: a little dust on the front surface of the telescope’s correcting lens causes virtually no degradation of image quality and should not be considered reason to clean the lens. b.
ring of light fills about 10% of the eyepiece field-diameter. If the dark central spot is offset in (i.e., not concentric with) the ring of light, your telescope’s optical system is misaligned and requires collimation. Follow these steps for collimation of the optical system: a. The only adjustments possible, or necessary, on the LX90 are from the three screws (Fig. 21) located at the edge of the outer surface of the secondary mirror housing.
Inspecting the Optics A Note About the “Flashlight Test:" If a flashlight or other high-intensity light source is pointed down the main telescope tube, the view (depending upon the observer’s line of sight and the angle of the light) may reveal what appears to be scratches, dark or bright spots, or just generally uneven coatings, giving the appearance of poor quality optics.
LX90 Specifications Optical design ............................................................Schmidt-Cassegrain Clear aperture ............................................................8" Focal length ................................................................2000mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ..............................f/10 Resolving power..........................................................0.56 arc secs Coatings ....................................................................
APPENDIX A: EQUATORIAL (POLAR) ALIGNMENT Polar Alignment In order to Polar align your telescope, it is essential to have an understanding of how and where to locate celestial objects as they move across the sky. This section provides a basic introduction to the terminology of Polar-aligned astronomy, and includes instructions for finding the celestial pole and for finding objects in the night sky using Declination and Right Ascension. Celestial Coordinates Fig.
Using setting circles requires a developed technique. When using the circles for the first time, try hopping from one bright star (the calibration star) to another bright star of known coordinates. Practice moving the telescope from one easy-to-find object to another. In this way, the precision required for accurate object location becomes evident. NOTE: You may also enter an object's R.A. and Dec coordinates using the "User: Objects" option of Autostar's Object menu.
Note that the R.A. circle is double-indexed (i.e., there are two series of numbers running in opposite directions around the circumference of the R.A. circle). The upper series of numbers (increasing counterclockwise) applies to observers located in the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere; the lower series of numbers (increasing clockwise) applies to observers located in the Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. Figure 27: Section of Right Ascension Setting Circle.
APPENDIX B: HELPFUL CHARTS Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the World To aid in the Polar Alignment procedure (see page 45), latitudes of major cities around the world are listed below. To determine the latitude of an observing site not listed on the chart, locate the city closest to your site. Then follow the procedure below: Northern Hemisphere observers (N): If the site is over 70 miles (110 km) North of the listed city, add one degree for every 70 miles.
APPENDIX C: TRAINING THE DRIVE Train the telescope motors using Autostar. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy problems. Fig. 31 depicts the complete Drive Training procedure. NOTE: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the drive. Complete this exercise once every 3 to 6 months to maintain the highest level of telescope pointing accuracy. 1 2 Verify that AUTOSTAR INITIALIZATION is complete. Press MODE until Select Item is displayed.
BASIC ASTRONOMY In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a crude telescope considerably smaller than the LX90, turned it to look towards the sky instead of distant trees and mountains. What he saw, and what he realized about what he saw, forever changed the way mankind thought of the universe.
Planets Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. To locate the planets on a given day or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and Telescope or Astronomy. You can also consult Autostar for information about planets. Scroll to the "Object: Solar System" menu and scroll through the lists of planets. When a planet you are interested in displays, press ENTER.
A Roadmap to the Stars Rigel The night sky is filled with wonder and intrigue. You too, can enjoy exploring the universe simply by following a few pointers on a roadmap to the stars. Orion Betelgeuse Andromeda Gemini First, find the Big Dipper which is part of the constellation Ursa Major. The Big Dipper is usually easy to locate year round in North America. Pollux Castor Pegasus “Summer Triangle” Extending directly out from the far side of the Big Dipper’s cup is the constellation Orion.
MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase.
