Meade NGC manual

Instruction Manual NGC-Series T elescopes NG-Series T elescopes MEADE.COM[...]

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T elescope and F eatures .................................................. 4 T elescope and T ripod Features ...................................... 6 Getting Star ted ................................................................ 8 P ar ts Listing .............................................................. 8 How to Assemb le Y our T elescope [...]

4 TELESCOPE FEA TURES Fig. 1 : The NGC telescope. Insets: T r ipod leg lock ( 13 ), Alternate tra y style ( 14 ). 1^ 1! 1$ 1@ 1) J I H G F E D C B 1& Y our telescope may look diff erent from the one depicted abov e. Some diff erences include: • NG models do not include a control panel ( 4, Fig. 1 ) or a batter y compar tment ( 18, Fig. 2 ) ?[...]

5 1* 2) 2! 2@ 2# 2$ 2% H I J E Fig. 2: T op view of the NGC base. Fig. 3 : Detailed view of the NGC computer control panel. Fig. 4 : Detailed view of the f ocuser assembly and the viewfinder . Inset: Compass/bubb le le vel (19).       G 2^ 6. Red Dot VF 7. Eyepiece 8. Diagonal Mirror 9. Focuser Dra wtube 10. Focus Knobs 18. Batter[...]

6 T elescope and T ripod Features b Dust Cap (not shown) : Pull to remove from the de w shield ( 17, Fig. 1 ). NO TE: The dust cap should be replaced after each obser ving session and the power turned off (NGC models only) to the telescope. V er ify that any dew that might ha ve collected during the observing session has ev aporat- ed prior to repl[...]

7 1) Focus Knobs : Use to mov e the telescope’ s f ocuser assembly to obtain precise image f ocus. Rotate the focus knobs cloc kwise to focus on distant objects , and counterclockwise to f ocus on nearby objects . 1! T ripod Leg Nuts and Bolts (3): Attach the tripod legs ( 15, Fig. 1 ) to the tripod head ( 16, Fig. 1 ) using these three nuts and [...]

Fig. 5 : Attach tr ipod legs to the tripod head. 8 P ar ts Listing • Complete optical tube assembly with de w shield, dust cap , red dot viewfinder , and rac k-and-pinion focuser; electronic control panel (NGC models only). • Continuously adjustab le aluminum tripod and leg braces. • Accessories: Eyepieces and 90° diagonal mirror Accessor y [...]

9 mov ement of the tube to suit your o wn preference . See ADJUSTING THE HORIZONT AL AND VERTICAL TENSION OF THE OPTICAL TUBE , page 20. 8. Insert the diagonal mirror and ey epiece: Inser t the diagonal mirror ( 8, Fig. 1 ) into the f ocuser drawtube ( 9, Fig. 1 ) and a lo w-power e yepiece ( e.g., 25mm or 26mm ey epiece) into the diagonal mirror .[...]

10 located and centered in the ey epiece, y ou may wish to s witch to a higher pow er eye- piece to enlarge the image as much as practical f or pre vailing seeing conditions . NO TE: Seeing conditions vary widely from night-to-night and site-to-site. T urbulence in the air , ev en on an apparently clear night, can distor t images. If an image appea[...]

11 After displa ying "Then Press Enter ," the control panel displays tw o numbers, one on each line. F or example: "+35 -115." These two numbers are called " displace- ment numbers " and will assist y ou in locating a celestial object. 4. Move the telescope: Mo ve the telescope tube to the right or left and you will no[...]

12 Ne xt, move the tube upw ard or downw ard until the second displacement number also reaches zero . As you near zero , use the ver tical slow motion control ( F , Fig. 3 ) to mov e the optical tube. If you perf or med the alignment procedure correctly , Saturn will appear in your ey epiece. Y ou may need to center the image. 7. If you wish to dis[...]

13 T onight's Best A Star's Lif e How F ar is Far Star Groups Messier Marathon Solar System Mercury Etc. Moon Asteroids Comets Constellations Andromeda Etc. Deep Sky Named Object Galaxies Nebulae Planetary Neb. Etc. Star Named SAO Catalog Double Etc. User Objects Select Add Delete Edit Landmarks Select Add Delete Identify Sunrise Sunset M[...]

How to Mo ve thr ough Menu Options (NGC Models Only): It is helpful to understand that menu selections are set in a loop . This means that press- ing the DO WN button scrolls down through all the a vailab le options within a given cate- gor y , then returns to the first option. Pressing the UP ke y scroll up through the options in the opposite orde[...]

15 Object Menu Almost all obser ving is perf ormed using the Object menu categor y . ( NO TE: Exceptions include Guided T our and Landmark Sur ve y . ) See GO TO SA TURN , page 13, for an e xample of obser ving using the Object menu. Also see USING THE GUIDED T OUR , page 13. The Object Menu includes: Solar System is a list of the eight planets (Ea[...]

16 and location. Find rise and set times for other dates b y entering a new date into the "Setup: Date" menu. Moonrise and Moonset calculates the time that the Moon rises or sets on the current date and location. Find rise and set times for other dates b y entering a new date into the "Setup: Date" menu. Moon Phases displa ys th[...]

• Magnification: Scroll through a list of a vailab le ey epieces. When an ey epiece is selected, the magnification is calculated. • Suggest: Suggests the best ey epiece for vie wing, based on the telescope and the object being view ed. • Focal length: Enter the f ocal length of you telescope so that the control panel can make the Ey epiece Ca[...]

OPTIONAL A CCESSORIES 18 A wide assor tment of prof essional Meade accessories is availab le for the NG-Series and NGC-series telescopes. Consult the Meade General Catalog for complete details of these and other accessories. Eyepieces (1.25" barrel diameter): F or higher or lower magnifications with the tele- scopes that accommodate 1.25"[...]

19 General Maintenance Y our telescope is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of re ward- ing applications. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your tele- scope will rarely require f actor y servicing or maintenance. Maintenance guidelines include: 1. A void cleaning the telescope’ s optics. A little d[...]

20 • If inside a warm house or building, mov e outside. Interior air conditions may distort terrestrial or celestial images, making it difficult, if not impossible , to obtain a shar p f ocus. F or optimal viewing, use the telescope outside in the open air instead of obser ving through an open or closed window or screen. • If viewing a land obj[...]

21 Celestial Coordinates A celestial coordinate system was created that maps an imaginary sphere surrounding the Ear th upon which all stars appear to be placed. This mapping system is similar to the sys- tem of latitude and longitude on Ear th surf ace maps. In mapping the surf ace of the Ear th, lines of longitude are drawn between the North and [...]

22 6. "Right Asc.: 00.00.0" displays . Use UP/DOWN and ENTER to enter the digits f or the Right Ascension coordinate of your object. 7. "Declination: +00°.00'" displa ys. Use UP/DOWN and ENTER to enter the digits f or the Declination coordinate of your object. If necessar y , use UP/DOWN to change "+" to "- [...]

How to manuall y set the date to March 6, 2005 (NGC Models Only): 1. Press ON/OFF to tur n on the control panel. 2. Press the button prompted by the control panel to sho w that the Sun warning has been read and understood. 3. Keep pressing MODE until “Select Item: Object” displays. 4. Keep pressing UP/DO WN until “Select Item: Setup” displa[...]

24 Replace the red dot Viewfinder’ s batter y with a CR2032 lithium battery . The batter y is locat- ed on the bottom of the red dot viewfinder . Y ou may need to slide y our finger nail or a screw- driver b lade under neath the battery and then slide it out. Replace the internal clock’ s batter y with a CR2023 lithium battery . This batter y i[...]

25 In the early 17th centur y , Italian scientist Galileo , using a cr ude telescope smaller than your NG or NGC , turned it to look towards the sky instead of distant trees and moun- tains. What he saw , and what he realized about what he saw , fore ver changed the w ay mankind thought of the universe . Imagine what it must hav e been like being t[...]

26 Fig. 20: Satur n has the most extensiv e ring structure in our Solar System. Fig. 21: The Pleiades is one of the most beautiful open clusters. Fig. 19 Jupiter and its four largest moons. The moons can be observed in a different position e ver y night. Ve n u s is about nine-tenths the diameter of Ear th. As V enus orbits the Sun, observers can s[...]

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14-0060-00 4/05C MEADE LIMITED W ARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted b y Meade Instruments Cor poration ("Meade") to be free of defects in materials and workmanship f or a period of ONE YEAR from the date of or iginal purchase in the U .S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product[...]