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Meade Goto-Kit for equatorial EQ-5 Mounts Manual

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Instruction Manual
A celestial coordinate system was created that maps an imaginary sphere sur-
rounding the Earth upon which all stars appear to be placed. This mapping sys-
tem is similar to the system of latitude and longitude on Earth surface maps.
In mapping the surface of the Earth, lines of longitude are drawn between the
North and South Poles and lines of latitude are drawn in an East-West direction,
parallel to the Earth’s equator. Similarly, imaginary lines have been drawn to form
a latitude and longitude grid for the celestial sphere. These lines are known as
Right Ascension and Declination.
The celestial map also contains two poles and an equator just like a map of
the Earth. The poles of this coordinate system are defined as those two points
where the Earth’s north and south poles (i.e., the Earth‘s axis), if extended to
infinity, would cross the celestial sphere. Thus, the North Celestial Pole (1, Fig.
41) is that point in the sky where an extension of the North Pole intersects the
celestial sphere. The North Star, Polaris is located very near the North Celestial
Pole. The celestial equator (2, Fig. 41) is a projection of the Earth’s equator onto
the celestial sphere.
Just as an object‘s position on the Earth’s surface can be located by its latitude
and longitude, celestial objects may also be located using Right Ascension and
Declination. For example, you could locate Los Angeles, California, by its latitude
(+34°) and longitude (118°). Similarly, you could locate the Ring Nebula (M57) by
its Right Ascension (18hr) and its Declination (+33°).
• Right Ascension (R.A.): This celestial version of longitude is measured in
units of hours (hr), minutes (min), and seconds (sec) on a 24-hour „clock“
(similar to how Earth‘s time zones are determined by longitude lines). The
„zero“ line was arbitrarily chosen to pass through the constellation Pegasus
— a sort of cosmic Greenwich meridian. R.A. coordinates range from 0hr
0min 0sec to 23hr 59min 59sec. There are 24 primary lines of R.A., located
at 15-degree intervals along the celestial equator. Objects located further
and further East of the zero R.A. grid line (0hr 0min 0sec) carry higher R.A.
coordinates.
• Declination (Dec.): This celestial version of latitude is measured in degrees,
arc-minutes, and arc-seconds (e.g., 15° 27‘ 33“). Dec. locations north of
the celestial equator are indicated with a plus (+) sign (e.g., the Dec. of the
North celestial pole is +90°). Dec. locations south of the celestial equator
are indicated with a minus (–) sign (e.g., the Dec. of the South celestial pole
is –90°). Any point on the celestial equator (such as the the constellations of
Orion, Virgo, and Aquarius) is
said to have a Declination of zero, shown as
0° 0‘ 0.“
Setting Circles
Setting circles included with the LXD™75 Newtonians permit the location of faint
celestial objects not easily found by direct visual observation. With the telescope
pointed at the North Celestial Pole, the Dec. circle (3, Fig. 1a) should read 90°
(understood to mean +90°). Each division of the Dec. circle represents a 1° incre-
ment. The R.A. circle (15, Fig. 1a) runs from 0
hr
to (but not including) 24
hr
, and
reads in increments of 5
min
.
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 handbox‘s Object menu. The handbox
then automatically slews the telescope to the entered coordinates.
To use the setting circles to locate an object not easily found by direct
visual observation:
Insert a low-power eyepiece, such as a 26mm, into the focuser assembly. Pick
out a bright star with which you are familiar (or is easily located) that is in the area
of the sky in which your target object is located. Look up the R.A. coordinate of
the bright star, and also of the object you wish to locate, in a star atlas. Point
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
0
1
12
11
10
9
8
7
5
6
4
3
2
13
Rotazione
Terrestre
0 Dec.
Polo Sud
Celeste
Ascensione retta
Stella
Equatore
Celeste
-90 Dec.
+90 Dec.
Polo Nord Celeste
(vicino alla Polare)
D
e
c
l
i
n
a
z
i
o
n
e
1
2
Fig. 41: Celestial Sphere.
Appendix A:
Celestial coordinates
… 29 …


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