Instruction Manual
8", 10", 12" LX90GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes AutoStar® — GPS— SmartFinder™
™ WARNING!
Never use a Meade® LX90™ 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 observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or SmartFinder™ as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. CONTENTS Quick-Start Guide ...... 4 Telescope Features ...... 6 To Attach the Handbox Holder ...... 8 AutoStar® Features ...... 9 Getting Started ...... 12 Parts Listing ...... 12 How to Attach the Tripod to the Telescope ...... 12 How to Assemble Your Telescope ...... 13 Choosing an Eyepiece...... 14 Using SmartFinder ...... 14 Aligning SmartFinder and the Viewfinder...... 15 Observing ...... 16 Observing By Moving the Telescope Manually ...... 16 Terrestrial Observing ...... 16 Observing Using AutoStar's Arrow Keys ...... 16 Slew Speeds ...... 17 Observe the Moon ...... 17 Astronomical Observing ...... 18 CAUTION: Use care to install batteries in the To Track an Object Automatically...... 18 orientation indicated by illustration in the bat- Alt/Az Home Position ...... 18 tery slots of the battery holder. Follow battery Moving Through AutoStar’s Menus ...... 18 manufacturer's precautions. Do not install Automatic Alignment...... 18 batteries backwards or mix new and used Observe a Star Using Automatic Tracking ...... 19 batteries. Do not mix battery types. If these Go To Saturn ...... 20 precautions are not followed, batteries may Using the Guided Tour...... 20 explode, catch fire, or leak. Improperly Basic AutoStar Operation ...... 22 installed batteries void your Meade warranty. AutoStar Navigation Exercise ...... 22 Entering Data into AutoStar ...... 23 Navigating AutoStar ...... 23 Menus and Menu Options ...... 24 If you are anxious to use your telescope Complete AutoStar Menu Structure ...... 24 for the first time, read the QUICK-START Objects Menu...... 25 GUIDE on pages 4 and 5. Event Menu ...... 26 Glossary Menu...... 26 Utilities Menu ...... 26 Setup Menu ...... 28 Advanced AutoStar Features ...... 31 Adding Observing Sites ...... 31 Finding Objects Not in the Database...... 32 Observing Satellites ...... 33 How to Create Your Own Guided Tour ...... 34 Landmarks ...... 37 Identify ...... 38 ® The name "Meade," “AutoStar” and the Meade logo are Alternate Alt/Az Alignments ...... 38 trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Browse ...... 40 Office and in principal countries throughout the world. Photography with the LX90 ...... 41 “SmartFinder,” “Deep Sky Imager,” “LX90,” “LPI,” and Optional Accessories ...... 43 “Tonight’s Best” are trademarks of Meade Instruments Maintenance ...... 45 Corporation. Collimation ...... 45 Patents: Inspecting the Optics ...... 47 US 6,304,376 Gauging the Movement of the Telescope...... 47 US 6,392,799 Meade Customer Service...... 47 US 6,563,636 Specifications ...... 48 D 422,610 Appendix A: Equatorial (Polar) Alignment ...... 50 Patent Pending. Appendix B: Helpful Charts ...... 55 Appendix C: Training the Drive ...... 56 © 2006 Meade Instruments Corporation. Appendix D: Basic Astronomy...... 55 4
QUICK-START GUIDE It is recommended that you attach the supplied tripod to the LX90 for observing. Perform the telescope and AutoStar setup indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing.