Meade ETX-90PE Instruction Manual

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[Page 1] Meade ETX-90PE

Instruction Manual ETX ® Premier Edition Telescope Series AutoStar ® — LNT ™ — SmartFinder ™ ™ ...

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Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 T elescope Features ...................................................... 6 AutoStar Features .......................................................... 9 Getting Start...

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QUICK-START GUIDE 2 Make sure that the computer control panel power switch ( F) is in the OFF position. Remove the Autostar ® handbox and the coiled cord from the pac king mater ials . Plug one end of the cord into the HBX port (G). Tighten (to a ...

[Page 5] Meade ETX-90PE

5 AutoStar then displays: “Location Option: 1-Zipcode 2-City”. This option allows you to choose how you wish to enter the location of your observing site: you can enter your zip code or choose the site from a list of countries, states and cities....

[Page 6] Meade ETX-90PE

TELESCOPE FEATURES 6 1 2 6 16 4 15 7 3 Features of the ETX-90PE, ETX- 105PE and ETX-125PE are identical, with the exception of the size of optical tube. 8 14 18 Fig. 1a, b and Fig. 2: The ETX Premier Telescope 1 Eyepiece 2 SmartFinder 3 Holder Thumb...

[Page 7] Meade ETX-90PE

MEADE ETX: YOUR PERSONAL WINDOW TO THE UNIVERSE The Meade Premier Edition ETX-90PE, ETX-105PE and the ETX-125PE are extremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes. With pushbutton controls, automatic tracking of celestial objects and diffraction-lim...

[Page 8] Meade ETX-90PE

8 j Horizontal (R.A.) Loc k : Controls the manual horizontal rotation of the telescope. Loosen the horizontal lock counterclockwise to unlock the telescope, enabling it to be freely rotated by hand about the horizontal axis. Tightening the horizontal...

[Page 9] Meade ETX-90PE

9 Fig. 4: The AutoStar Handbox. AUTOSTAR FEATURES 1 4 7 9 J 8 3 5 6 L K Want to learn more about downloading the latest updates of AutoStar software from the Meade website? See pages 28 and 42. Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Control o...

[Page 10] Meade ETX-90PE

10 B 2-Line LCD Display: This screen displays AutoStar's menus and information about the telescope . • T op line: Lists the pr imary menu. • Bottom line: Displays other menus that may be chosen, menu options, telescope status or information ...

[Page 11] Meade ETX-90PE

11 Also, use the Arrow keys to scroll through numbers 0 through 9 and the alphabet. The Down Arrow key begins with the letter "A;" the Up Arrow key begins with digit "9." Additionally, use the Arrow keys to to move the cursor acr...

[Page 12] Meade ETX-90PE

12 GETTING STARTED Fig. 5: Battery installation. Fig. 6: Spread tripod legs. Fig. 7: Slide spreader on rod. Parts Listing Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first opening the pac king box, note carefu...

[Page 13] Meade ETX-90PE

13 4. Place the 26mm eyepiece (12, Fig. 15) into the eyepiece holder on the telescope and tighten the attachment thumbscrew ( 13, Fig. 15) to a "firm feel" only. Mak e sure that the flip-mirror control ( 14, Fig. 15 ) is in the “up” p...

[Page 14] Meade ETX-90PE

14 Fig. 20a & 20b: Jupiter: Examples of the r ight amount of magnification and too much magnification. Fig. 19: Meade Super Plössl eyepieces. Too Much Power? Can you ever have too much power? If the type of power you’re referring to is eyepie...

[Page 15] Meade ETX-90PE

15 OBSERVING Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a mountain top or a bird, you can obser ve by merely pointing the telescope and looking through the eyepiece. 1. Loosen the telescope’s ho...

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16 Slew Speeds AutoStar has nine slew speeds that move the optical tube at rates that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate and have been calculated to accomplish specific functions. Press the Number key to change the slew speed. The nine ...

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17 Initializing AutoStar for the First Time This section describes how to initialize AutoStar. Perform this procedure the first time you use AutoStar or after performing a Reset (see RESET, page 28). AutoStar will ask you to choose your observing loc...

[Page 18] Meade ETX-90PE

18 Which One’s the Alignment Star? If you’re not familiar with objects in the night sky, how can you be sure if the star in y our eyepiece is really the alignment star? The rule of thumb is that an alignment star is usually the brightest star in ...

[Page 19] Meade ETX-90PE

19 5. Use the Arrow keys ( 5, Fig. 2 ) to locate a br ight star in the night sky. Use the smartfinder ( 2, Fig. 1a) to help line up on the star. You may choose any unob- structed, bright star for the purposes of this example. Use AutoStar's Arro...

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AUTOSTAR OPERATION Object Event  Guided Tours Glossary Utilities Setup  20 Date Time Daylight Saving Telescope Targets etc. Setup Align  Fig. 27b: Menu options display on the second line. Use the Scrol...

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21 Tip: When multiple choices are available within a menu option, the current option is usually displayed first and highlighted by a right pointing arrow (>). Look into the Future The Date option in the Setup menu is much more than just an entry...

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22 Tonight's Best How Far is Far A Star's Life Downloaded Tours User-created Tours Solar System Mercury Etc. Moon Asteroids Comets Constellations Andromeda Etc. Deep Sky Named Object Galaxies Nebulae Messier Etc. Star Named SAO...

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23 Want to learn more about Observing Satellites? See page 32. Use the OBJECT menu to select an object from the database. When your telescope is aligned and you select an object from any of these lists, you just need to press the GO TO key to move th...

[Page 24] Meade ETX-90PE

24 WARNING! Never use your ETX Telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the obser ver that dama g e has occurred until i...

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25 Tip: The Contrast Adjustment feature is usually only required in very cold weather. If you adjust the contrast so that you can no longer read the display, turn off the power and turn it on again. When Version appears on the display (the initial di...

[Page 26] Meade ETX-90PE

26 Sleep Scope is a power saving option that shuts down AutoStar and the telescope without forgetting its alignment. With "Sleep Scope" selected, press ENTER to activate the Sleep function. AutoStar goes dark, but the internal clock keeps ...

[Page 27] Meade ETX-90PE

27 J Tracking Rate: Changes the speed at which the telescope tracks targets in the sky. a. Sidereal: The def ault setting for AutoStar; sidereal rate is the standard rate at which stars move from East to West across the sky due to the rotation of the...

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28 J Ad d : Scroll through the list of Countries/States. Press ENTER when the site you wish to add displays.Then choose the desired city in the same manner. Choose Zip Code to enter your zip code, if you wish. Choose “Custom” if you wish enter th...

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29 Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic operations of AutoStar described earlier in this manual. The following examples assume that you have a basic knowledge of AutoStar and understand how to scroll to...

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30 Using AutoStar to Find Objects Not in the Database In this procedure, you will enter coordinates of celestial objects that do not appear in any of the AutoStar database lists.You will enter the object's name and R.A. and Dec. coordinates (req...

[Page 31] Meade ETX-90PE

31 3. Select a satellite from list and press ENTER. 4. "Calculating...." and then "Tracking..." displays. If the satellite is going to make a pass , "Located" displays. 5. Use the Scroll keys to display data about the pa...

[Page 32] Meade ETX-90PE

32 Interactive Mode: Tour name appears on the first line of the AutoStar display and the name of the object displays on line 2. To display descriptive text in this mode, the user must press ENTER. Comment Line Inf ormation in the Tour program that is...

[Page 33] Meade ETX-90PE

33 The f ollowing commands specify objects that are already in the AutoStar database. If these commands follow the command AUTO SELECT, the object's title displays on line 1 and its description scrolls across line 2. Do not add a description str...

[Page 34] Meade ETX-90PE

34 STAR "name" Enter STAR followed by the name of the desired star in quotes. For example: STAR "V ega" LANDMARK az alt "title" "description" Enter the azimuth (az) for the desired object in the following forma...

[Page 35] Meade ETX-90PE

35 T o Add a landmark to the database: In this procedure , you will store the location of terrestrial landmarks in AutoStar's memor y. 1. Set the telescope in the home position, if necessary. Note for future reference where the telescope is loca...

[Page 36] Meade ETX-90PE

36 displa ys information about an object in its database that is closest to the one you quer ied about. IMPORTANT NOTE: For this function to operate properly, you must first set the telescope in the home position and initialize AutoStar. If you phys...

[Page 37] Meade ETX-90PE

37 One-Star Alt/Az Alignment One-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. AutoStar provides a database of bright stars. One-Star Alignment is identical to Two-Star Alt/Az: Alignment (see TWO-STAR ALT/AZ ALIGNMENT, abo ve), except on...

[Page 38] Meade ETX-90PE

38 2. Look through the reticle. Use the Arrow keys to keep the star centered in the reticle cross-hairs. AutoStar displays a count of the 150 positions of the worm gear. When the count reaches 150, one cycle is complete. A full cycle takes about 24 m...

[Page 39] Meade ETX-90PE

39 Photography with a 35mm Camera Photography through your ETX model requires the addition of the optional #64 T-Adapter (see OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 42). With the #64 T-Adapter attached to the telescope (Fig. 30), through-the-telescope photogr...

[Page 40] Meade ETX-90PE

40 Photog raphy through a long lens, such as the ETX, requires special technique for good results.The photographer should expect to use several rolls film in acquiring this technique . Long-lens photography has its own rewards, however, which short-f...

[Page 41] Meade ETX-90PE

41 • If the camera is not directly coupled to the eyepiece, keep it as close to the eyepiece as possible and center the image to be photographed to minimize vignetting (darkening of the edges of the photo). • Try to block ambient light (from st...

[Page 42] Meade ETX-90PE

42 OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories are available for the for ETX telescopes. Meade accessories greatly extend many important applications to the telescope, from low-power, wide-field terrestrial viewing to hi...

[Page 43] Meade ETX-90PE

43 #932 45 ° Erecting Prism : All ETX models include an internal optically-flat mirror to reflect light to the telescope’s 90° astronomical observing position. In this position the telescope’s image is upright, but reversed. For terrestrial obs...

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44 MAINTENANCE Y our ETX model telescope is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding observations. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, the telescope will rarely require factory servicing or mainte...

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45 Stora ge and Transport When the telescope is not in use , store it in a cool, dry place. Do not expose the instru- ment to excessive heat or moisture. It is best to store the telescope in its original box with the vertical and horizontal locks (6...

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46 Object appear s in the SmartFinder but not in the eyepiece: • The SmartFinder is not properly aligned with the telescope (see ALIGNING SMARTFINDER , page 13). Slew speed does not change when you press the SPEED key or the telescope moves slowly ...

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47 SPECIFICATIONS Specifications: ETX-90PE Astro Telescope Optical design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maksutov-Cassegrain Primary mirror diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96mm (3.78”) Clear aperture. . . . . . . . . . . . ....

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48 SmartFinder. . . . . . . . . . . Red dot projected onto finder’s lens LNT Module . . . . . . High accuracy, temperature-compensated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . oscillator, updatable using Meade’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

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49 A utoStar Specifications Processor ............................................................................68HC11, 8MHz Flash Memory ............................................................1MB, reloadable K eypad ............................

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50 Equatorial Alignment In equatorial (or "polar") Alignment, the telescope is oriented so that the horizontal and vertical axes of the telescope are lined up with the celestial coordinate system. In order to equator ial align your telesco...

[Page 51] Meade ETX-90PE

51 However, owners who wish to perform astrophotography or use the Meade LPI or Deep Sky Imager (see PHOTOGRAPHY WITH MEADE’S AUTOSTAR SUITE, page 41, for more inf ormation) will find equatorial mounting indispensible to their needs. Equatorial M...

[Page 52] Meade ETX-90PE

52 5. Press ENTER repeatedly until “Setup: Align” displays. 6. Press the Scroll Down key repeatedly until "Setup:Telescope" displays. Press ENTER. “Telescope: Telescope Model” displays. 7. Press the Scroll Down key repeatedly until ...

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53 Setting Circles The ETX models are equipped with R.A. and Dec. setting circles (13 and 16, Fig. 1a) to aid in locating faint celestial objects when the telescope has been polar aligned. Setting cir- cles em ulate the celestial coordinates found o...

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54 APPENDIX B: LATITUDE CHART Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the World To aid in the polar alignment procedure (see page 51), latitudes of major cities around the world are listed below. To determine the latitude of an observing site not listed ...

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55 Train the telescope motors using AutoStar. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy problems. Fig. 53 depicts the complete Dr ive Training procedure. Note: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post...

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APPENDIX D:CHANGING THE LNT MODULE BATTERY 56 The LNT Module uses a lithium coin CR2023 batter y that will last about 5 years and is installed with the original LNT Module assembly. After you replace the battery, you will need to recalibr ate the tel...

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57 APPENDIX E:BASIC ASTRONOMY Fig. 57: The Moon. Note the deep shadows in the craters. In the ear ly 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than your ETX, turned it skyward instead of looking at the distant trees and mounta...

[Page 58] Meade ETX-90PE

58 Fig. 60: The Pleiades is one of the most beautiful open clusters . Tip: Enter a date in the Date menu and you can determine if a planet(s)— or any other object in the database—will be visib le during the night of the entered date. After enter...

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14-1010-29 10/04 MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the da...