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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 1
POLARIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL
60mm | 2.4" Altazimuth Refracting Telescope
60AZ-AR
www.meade.com
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 2
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 3 telescope. The size of the objective lens INTRODUCTION determines how much detail you will be Your telescope is an excellent beginner’s able to see in your telescope. The focal 1 instrument, and is designed to observe length information will help later on to objects in the sky and also on land. It can be calculate magnification. your personal window on the universe or allows you to intimately study the behavior of Setting up your telescope invo
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 4 Figure 1: Polaris 60AZ-AR Altazimuth Refracting Telescope FIGURE 1 Inset A Inset A: Accessory Tray Mounting Bolt Hole 2 Inset B: Tripod Leg Inset C: Viewfinder Assembly 1. Eyepiece 2. Red dot veiwfinder (see Inset C) 3. Red dot viewfinder alignment screws (see Inset C) 4. Optical tube assembly 5. Vertical lock knobs 6. Horizontal lock knob 7. Tripod legs 8. Leg brace supports Inset B 9. Leg brace 10. Mount base attachment 11. Tripod atta
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 5 Fig. 2 4. Finger tighten the bolt and hex ASSEMBLE YOUR TRIPOD mount nut. See Fig. 3. The tripod is the basic support for your 3 5. Repeat with the two other leg telescope. Its height may be adjusted so that braces. you can view comfortably. N No ot te e: : N Nu um mb be er r i in n b br ra ac ck ke et ts s, , e e. .g g. ., , ( (3 3) ), , r re ef fe er r t to o 6. Thread the accessory tray (26) over F Fi ig g. . 1 1. . 2” Screw the ce
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 6 3.Place the optical tube (4) between 1. Note the two thumbscrews (25) threaded ALIGN THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER the forks of the mount, oriented as onto two bolts on the optical tube. Perform the first part of this procedure 4 shown in Fig. 4. Remove the thumbscrews from the tube. during the daytime and the last step at night. 4.Thread a lock knob (5) through each 2. Line up the two holes on the red dot 1. Point the telescope at an easy-to-fi
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 7 SUN WARNING You will enjoy your telescope even 3. Check this alignment at night on a more as you learn more about it. But NEVER USE YOUR TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT celestial object, such as the Moon or a don’t be scared off by difficult terms 5 THE SUN! bright star, and use the red dot or complicated procedures. Don’t LOOKING AT OR NEAR THE SUN WILL viewfinder’s alignment screws to make panic! Just relax and enjoy your CAUSE INSTANT AND IRREV
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 8 rotate to unlock or lock; when locking, only OBSERVING Observe the Moon: When you feel tighten to a “firm feel,” do not overtighten). comfortable with the viewfinder, the Observe during the daytime: Try out 6 eyepieces, the locks and the adjustment your telescope during the daytime at Use the red dot viewfinder: If you have not controls, you will be ready to try out the first. It is easier to learn how it done so, align the vi
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 9 observation of lunar features. Spend several Venus, Earth and Mars comprise the inner are its moons. The four largest nights observing the Moon. Some nights, the planets. Venus and Mars can be easily seen moons are called the Galilean moons, Moon is so bright that it makes other objects in your telescope. after the astronomer Galileo, who 7 in the sky difficult to see. These are nights observed them for the first time. If that are excellent for
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 10 Fig. 5 Any small telescope can see the four Saturn is not the only planet that has rings, Galilean moons of Jupiter (Fig. 5), but it is the only set of rings that can be 8 plus a few others, but how many seen with a small telescope. Jupiter’s rings moons does Jupiter actually have? cannot be seen from Earth at all—the No one knows for sure! Nor are we Voyager spacecraft discovered the ring after sure how many Saturn has either. At last it pa
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 11 spiral (like our galaxy, the Milky Way) and bright comet appears in the sky, presenting more you learn about astronomy, the other galaxies look more like a large football an unforgettable sight. more fun, and the more rewarding 9 and are called elliptical galaxies. There are your telescope will become. many galaxies that are irregularly shaped The more you learn about objects in the sky, and are thought to have been pulled apart the more
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 12 Fig. 6 By the way, you might have noticed caused by the rotation of the Earth and makes an object move through the tele- something strange when you looked eyepiece 10 scope’s field of view. To keep astronomical through your eyepiece. Although the objects centered in the field, simply move image is right-side up, it is reversed. the telescope on one or both of its axes— barlow That means reading words can be a vertically and/or horiz
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 13 than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one. Using too Let your eyes “dark-adapt:” Allow five or high a power eyepiece is one of the most ten minutes for your eyes to become “dark common mistakes made by new 11 adapted” before observing. Use a red- astronomers. HAVE A GOOD TIME, filtered flashlight to protect your night vision when reading star maps, or inspecting the ASTRONOMY IS FUN! Dress Warm: Even on summer nights, the telescope.
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 14 The focal ratio helps determine how fast the length of the telescope by the focal length of What do the specifications mean? photographic speed of a telescope is. The the eyepiece. 12 Optical tube focal length is simply a lower the focal ratio number, the faster the measurement of the length of the exposure. f/5 is faster than f/10. The faster optical tube. In other words, this is the ratio, the faster exposure time is needed Focal Length of
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 15 Eyepiece’s magnification x 2 telescope’s correcting lens will not cause lens (1.25 0.0.) doubles the = magnification of any eyepiece loss of image quality. Magnification with a 2X Barlow lens 13 • When absolutely necessary, dust on the Additional Eyepieces (1.25" barrel Your 25mm low-power eyepiece magnifies diameter): For higher or lower front lens should be removed with very an object 28 times. Multiply 28 by 2 and you magnific
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 16 Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of limited to a term of one year from the date MEADE CONSUMER SOLUTIONS purchase. This warranty applies to the of original retail purchase. If you have a question concerning 14 original purchaser only and is non- your telescope, call Meade This warranty gives you specific rights. You transferable. Meade products purchased Instruments Consumer Solutions may have other rights which vary from state ou
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 17 OBSERVATION LOG OBSERVER: OBJECT NAME: DATE & TIME OBSERVED: CONSTELLATION: EYEPIECE SIZE: SEEING CONDITIONS: EXCELLENT GOOD POOR NOTES: DRAWING OF IMAGE
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 18 OBSERVATION LOG OBSERVER: OBJECT NAME: DATE & TIME OBSERVED: CONSTELLATION: EYEPIECE SIZE: SEEING CONDITIONS: EXCELLENT GOOD POOR NOTES: DRAWING OF IMAGE
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Polaris 60 AZ - AR 3/10/06 11:48 AM Page 20 Meade Instruments Corporation 1-800 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, California 92618 626-3233 www.meade.com
