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hold ENTER for two seconds. Autostar requests that the selected
object be centered, then press ENTER again. This improves the
accuracy of alignment, particularly in the region of sky immediately
around the “sync” object.
Telescope Status Display: This is activated by pressing MODE for
more than 2 seconds. The screen shows values related to Autostar
operation, and can be viewed by using the SCROLL keys.
The telescope can also be pointed at a particular location using the
ARROW keys and watching a location display. For automatic
movement of the telescope, press GO TO during a location display.
Autostar requests the destination coordinates to be entered. Enter
the coordinates, then press ENTER. Autostar moves the telescope
to that location. To exit the status display, press MODE.
Autostar Menus and Function Reference
This section discusses each of the Autostar menus and functions
(see Figure 1). To access any of the functions use the ENTER,
MODE and SCROLL keys as in previous operations.
A. Object Menu Options
The “Select Item: Object” menu contains a database of objects for
viewing, including astronomical, terrestrial and user-defined objects.
When an object has been selected it appears on the top line of the
screen. The bottom line contains information about the object which
is viewed using the SCROLL keys. Press GO TO and the telescope
points at the current object.
Solar System includes eight planets (Earth is not included) in order
out from the Sun, followed by the Moon, asteroids, and comets.
Constellation is a database of all 88 northern and southern
hemisphere constellations. When this menu option is chosen and a
constellation name appears on the first line of the screen, pressing
GO TO changes the second line to the name of the brightest star in
the constellation. Pressing GO TO again moves the telescope to that
star. Use the SCROLL keys to cycle through the stars in the
constellation from brightest to dimmest.
Deep Sky is a database of objects outside our solar system such as
nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and quasars.
Star is a database of stars by different categories such as named,
double, variable, or nearby.
Satellite is a database of Earth-orbiting objects such as the
International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other
satellites. This feature is recommended for advanced users only
since acquiring and tracking a fast moving object can be
complicated. Additionally, Autostar needs fresh satellite data or it is
unable to accurately predict the appearance time and location. The
Meade web site (www.meade.com) provides updated information
on orbits and complete instructions on how to use this feature.
User Objects allows the user to define deep-sky objects of interest
that are not currently in the Autostar database.
Landmarks stores terrestrial points of interest. To enter a new
landmark the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as
when other landmarks were entered. “Sync” on a reference
landmark, then move the telescope to the new landmark and enter
it into the Autostar database.
Identify is used when an object is placed in the telescope eyepiece
and Autostar identifies the object being observed.
B. Event Menu Options
The “Select Item: Event” menu provides access to dates and times
of astronomical events. Included are:
• Sunrise and Sunset displays the time that the Sun rises or
sets on the current date.
• Moonrise and Moonset displays the time that the Moon rises
or sets on the current date.
• Moon Phases displays the date and time of Full, New, 1st Qtr,
and 3rd Qtr Moon.
• Meteor Showers provides information about upcoming meteor
showers, including dates of the shower and when it is
scheduled to reach maximum.
