User manual MEADE MEADE80EQAR

[. . . ] Meade80EQ-AR 4/28/06 9:55 AM Page 1 www. meade. com MEADE INSTRUCTION MANUAL 80mm | 3. 1" Equatorial Refracting Telescope 80EQ-AR Meade80EQ-AR · Optical tube · Aluminum tripod with an accessory tray · Two 1. 25" eyepieces: MA25mm (28X), MH9mm (78X) · Red dot viewfinder with bracket · Telescope mount · Hardware used in the assembly: 4/28/06 9:55 AM Page 3 The tube has a focal length of 900mm, and its reflective mirror has a diameter of 114mm. The lens diameter is one of the most important pieces of information about the telescope. The size of the primary mirror determines how much detail you will be able to see in your telescope. The focal length information will help later on to calculate magnification. INTRODUCTION Your telescope is an excellent beginner's instrument, and is designed to observe objects in the sky. [. . . ] You can The four planets closest to the Sun are rocky and are called the inner planets. Venus and Mars can be easily seen in your telescope. Meade80EQ-AR observe Venus going through crescent phases. But you cannot see any surface detail on Venus because it has a very thick atmosphere of gas. 4/28/06 9:55 AM When Mars is close to the Earth, you can see some details on Mars, and sometimes even Mars' polar caps. But quite often, Mars is further away and just appears as a red dot with some dark lines crisscrossing it. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto comprise the outer planets. These planets, except for Pluto, are made mostly of gases and are sometimes called gas giants. 8 Any small telescope can see the four Galilean moons of Jupiter (Fig. At 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. Jupiter is quite interesting to observe. The more time you spend observing these bands, the more details you will be able to see. One of the most fascinating sights of Jupiter are its moons. The four largest moons are called the Galilean moons, after the astronomer Galileo, who observed them for the first time. If you've never watched the Galilean moons in your telescope before, you're missing a real treat!Each night, the moons appear in different positions around the Jovian sky. On any given night, you might be able to see the shadow of a moon on the face of Jupiter, see one moon eclipse another or even see a moon emerge from behind Jupiter's giant disk. Drawing the positions of the moons each night is an excellent exercise for novice astronomers. Probably the most memorable sight you will see in your telescope is 11 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. Saturn is not the only planet that has rings, but it is the only set of rings that can be seen with a small telescope. Jupiter's rings cannot be seen from Earth at all--the Voyager spacecraft discovered the ring after it passed Jupiter and looked back at it. It turns out, only with the sunlight shining through them, can the rings be seen. Uranus and Neptune also have faint rings. Meade80EQ-AR Other stars to look for are multiple stars. Very often, you can find double (or binary) stars, stars that are very close together. Does one seem brighter than the other? 4/28/06 9:55 AM Page 14 What's Next? [. . . ] Follow these guidelines to keep your telescope in the best condition: 4/28/06 9:55 AM · As with any quality instrument, lens or mirror surfaces should be cleaned as infrequently as possible. Front surface TAKING CARE OF YOUR TELESCOPE 16 Eyepiece's magnification x 2 = Magnification with a 2X Barlow lens Your 25mm low-power eyepiece magnifies an object 28 times. Multiply 28 by 2 and you get 56 times magnification with a Barlow. Page 18 · Fingerprints and organic materials on the lens or mirror may be removed with a solution of 3 parts distilled water to 1 part isopropyl alcohol. You may also add 1 drop of biodegradable dishwashing soap per pint of solution. [. . . ]