User manual MEADE RCX400 ADVANCED RITCHEY-CHRETIEN WITH MAX MOUNT

[. . . ] Instruction Manual 16", 20" RCX400TM Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes with The Max Mount MEADE. COM Read this manual carefully before attempting to assemble the MAX mount and attaching the OTA. Follow steps as outlined in this manual in order to assemble the telescope safely. Failure to follow steps may result in injury or death, and/or damage to the telescope and mount. DANGER WARNING! Never use a Meade RCX400TM Telescope to look at the Sun!Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. [. . . ] Meteor Showers: Provides information on upcoming meteor showers, such as the Perseids, the Leonids, etc. Note: Meteors are fast moving objects that cover large areas of the sky and are usually best observed with the naked eye. Solar Eclipse: Lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, annular, or partial) of eclipse. Lunar Eclipse: Lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses, including the date and type (total, partial, penumbral) of eclipse. (Minimum) of Algol: Displays the minimum brightness of the dramatic eclipsing binary star system, Algol. Every 2. 8 days during a 10-hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in apparent magnitude as one of the two stars passes behind the other. The combined magnitude of the two stars thus dips from +2. 1 to a minimum of +3. 4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden. Autumn and Vernal Equinox: Calculate the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the current year. Winter and Summer Solstice: Calculate 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 II functions. Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in Autostar II. A hypertext word is any word in [brackets], usually found when using the Autostar II Help function or when reading a scrolling message such as a description of a planet or star. Press ENTER whenever a hypertext word is on screen and Autostar II goes to the glossary entry for that word. To access directly from within the Glossary menu, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the alphabet. Scroll to the desired entry and then press ENTER to read the description. Utilities Menu The Utilities menu provides access to several extra features within Autostar II, including a countdown timer and an alarm. The Utilities functions include: Balance OTA: Use while you're balancing the OTA (see pages 22 - 23 for complete procedure). Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 35 OTA Fan: Allows you to turn the fan off or on if you have an RCX model. The fan should be activated at the beginning of an observing session and run until the optics have achieved an equilibrium with the environment. Note that the fan may introduce a slight vibration and this may cause noticeable movement observed with sensitive optics. OTA Temperature: Provides a temperature reading at the edge of the corrector plate. This feature is useful for functions such as astrophotography and tracking satellites. To use the Timer, press ENTER, then choose "Set" or "Start/Stop. " Set: Enter the time to be counted down, in hours, minutes, and seconds, then press ENTER. [. . . ] Upon completion of the training, Smart Mount is enabled and remains on until you choose "Off" from the Smart Mount Configuration menu. Permanently Mounted Scopes For permanently mounted telescopes, it is not necessary to have more than one model unless the weight and balance of auxiliary equipment introduces balance or flexure changes that significantly affect pointing. The best practice is to train the Smart Mount and then run a couple of sessions with Update enabled. Other Menus Options Save As and Load The Smart Mount system allows you to save several models you have created (see TRAINING on the previous page) using the Save As command. Choose which model will be the "Current Model" using the Load command. [. . . ]