User manual MEADE SOLARMAX II

[. . . ] SolarMax II Series ® H-a Telescopes With RichViewTM Tuning 1 WARNING! Looking at the Sun can be very dangerous unless the proper precautions are taken and specialized solar viewing equipment, like Coronado Solar filters and telescopes are used. When using Coronado filters on a telescope not designed specifically for solar viewing, be sure to block all non-filtered optical components such as viewfinders to prevent the suns light from passing through. An inadvertent glance thought an unfiltered or improperly filtered optical system can cause immediate and permanent damage to the eye. Never allow unattended children to operate or be near a solar telescope system. [. . . ] To do this locate and loosen the 2 nylon set screws located in-between the gold colored OTA and the helical focuser. To extend drawtube # 1 locate the set screws between the helical focuser and the end of the telescope. Most eyepieces will come to focus when the drawtubes are nearly fully extended but some variations in eyepieces may require different positioning of the drawtube. Bino-viewers will require very little extension of the drawtubes and imaging equipment will vary by make. All adjustable screws are meant to be finger tight - do not over tighten. WARNINGI Do not insert your eyepiece into the blocking filter until you have confirmed that the telescope is securely mounted and all filter elements attached and secured. Finding the Sun - Meade has included the Coronado Sol Ranger Sun finder. This finder scope sits on top of the clamshell and allows a small, harmless, ball of light to be projected on to the opaque glass at its back end. By standing back from the Sol Ranger you can easily place this ball of light in the center of the glass and the telescope should be aligned with the Sun - Do not put your eye up to the opaque glass. Helical Focuser - Once you have the Sun in the FOV and the draw tubes extended insert the eyepiece into the eyepiece retainer and RichViewTM tuning lever for internal Etalon Draw tube #1. Draw tube #2. SolarMax 90 SolarMax II 90 9 tighten the thumbscrew to secure it. Adjust the helical focuser by holding between the thumb and fore finger and rotating in either direction. Tuning SolarMax II 90 with RichView Tuning System - Because different features on the Sun are moving toward or away from the Earth, their light is Doppler shifted off the hydrogen-alpha line of 6562. 8 Angstroms, you will need to adjust the tuning slightly to get the best high-contrast views of the features you want to observe. After the SolarMax II telescope is pointed at the Sun and the image has been focused, move the RichView tuning lever up or down slowly while looking at the image in the eyepiece to get the most detail and contrast. Surface details will generally require one setting, while prominences will require a different setting for maximum detail. Tuning SolarMax II Double Stack 90 with RichView Tuning System - With a double stack system, follow this procedure for best results: After the SolarMax II telescope is pointed at the Sun and the image has been focused, move the RichView tuning lever on the telescope up or down slowly while looking at the image in the eyepiece to get the most detail and contrast. Now adjust the tilt of the external Etalon on the front of the telescope with the TMax thumb wheel to achieve the brightest image while eliminating any reflections. Finally, adjust the RichView tuning ring on the external Etalon to get the most detail and contrast for the feature you are viewing. Because double stacked systems operate at a very narrow band pass of only 0. 5 Angstroms or less, more tuning is needed for different areas and features on the Sun. Double Stacking - This greatly increases contrast by narrowing the bandpass to <0. 5Å and gives a spectacular 3D effect showing increased surface detail. The SolarMax II 90 telescope can be double stacked by adding an additional SolarMax II Etalon with TMax (Product #SME90). Contact your Coronado dealer or Meade Instruments directly for pricing. [. . . ] The average observer takes around 3 months to become fully accustomed to viewing subtle detail in H-a light . Another important factor is the weather, bad seeing conditions will limit the amount of detail you can see. 16 Meade Instruments Corp. 27 Hubble, lrvine, CA 92618 Phone: 800-626-3233 Thank you for your purchase of a Meade Instruments' CORONADO product. Notify your supplier immediately should any visible signs of exterior damage to the package be present. [. . . ]