User manual MEADE TELESTARRB60

[. . . ] Telestar RB-60. qxd 4/11/06 2:04 PM Page 1 www. meade. com TELESTAR INSTRUCTION MANUAL 60mm | 2. 4" Altazimuth Refracting Telescope RB-60 Telestar RB-60. qxd 4/11/06 2:04 PM Page 2 Telestar RB-60. qxd The tube has a focal length of 700mm, and its objective lens has a diameter of 60mm. The lens diameter is one of the most important pieces of information about the telescope. The size of the objective lens determines how much detail you will be able to see in your telescope. The focal length will help later on to calculate magnification. 4/11/06 2:04 PM INTRODUCTION Your telescope is an excellent beginner's instrument, and is designed to observe objects in the sky and also on land. [. . . ] The color of stars sometimes can tell you about the age of a star and the temperature that they burn at. A galaxy is a large grouping of stars, containing millions or even billions of stars. Some galaxies form a spiral (like our galaxy, the Milky Way) and other galaxies look more like a large football and are called elliptical galaxies. There are many galaxies that are irregularly shaped and are thought to have been pulled apart because they passed too close to--or even through--a larger galaxy. You may be able to see the Andromeda galaxy and several others in your telescope. The more you learn about objects in the sky, the more you will learn to appreciate the sights you see in your telescope. Note the time and the date. You will also be able to see some nebulas with your scope. The two easiest to see in the Northern Hemisphere are the Orion nebula during the winter and the Triffid nebula during the summer. When you become an advanced observer you can look for other types of objects such as asteroids, planetary nebula and globular clusters. And if you're lucky, every so often a bright comet appears in the sky, presenting an unforgettable sight. Telestar RB-60. qxd Use a compass to make a circle, or trace around the lid of a jar. The best exercise for drawing is to observe the moons of Jupiter every night or so. Try to make Jupiter and the moons approximately the same size as they look in your eyepiece. As you get better at drawing, try more challenging sights, like a crater system on the moon or even a nebula. Go your library or check out the internet for more information about astronomy. Learn about the basics: light years, orbits, star colors, how stars and planets are formed, red shift, the big bang, what are the different kinds of nebula, what are comets, asteroids and meteors and what is a black hole. The more you learn about astronomy, the more fun, and the more rewarding your telescope will become. SOME OBSERVING TIPS Eyepieces: Always begin your observations using the 25mm low-power eyepiece. The 25mm eyepiece delivers a bright, wide field of view and is the best to use for most 4/11/06 2:04 PM Page 11 viewing conditions. Use the high-power 9mm eyepiece to view details when observing the Moon and planets. Changing eyepieces changes the power or magnification of your telescope. By the way, you might have noticed something strange when you looked through your eyepiece. If you wish to have a fully corrected image, check out Meade's optional Erecting Prism in the Optional Accessory section. Fig. 6 barlow eyepiece diagonal mirror Barlow lens: You can also change magnification by using your Barlow. [. . . ] Multiply 28 by 2 and you get 56 times magnification with your Barlow. · Avoid cleaning the telescope's lenses. A little dust on the front surface of the telescope's correcting lens will not cause loss of image quality. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES #928 45° Erecting Prism (1. 25 O. D. ): Correctly orients the telescopic image during terrestrial observing and yields an image position at a 45° angle to the main · When absolutely necessary, dust on the front lens should be removed with very gentle strokes of a camel hair brush or blown off with an ear syringe (available at most pharmacies). · Fingerprints and organic materials on the front lens 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. [. . . ]