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Instruction Manual
8”, 10", 12", 16" LightBridge™ Truss Tube
Dobsonian Telescopes
MEADE.COM
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WARNING! ® Never use a Meade 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.
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CONTENTS Telescope Features ...................................................... 8 Assembly ........................................................................ 5 Assemble the Base .................................................. 5 Assemble the Tube .................................................. 6 Insert Eyepiece, Attach Red Dot Finder .................. 7 Collimating the Optical System ................................ 8 Align the deluxe Red Dot Finder .........................
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Fig. 1 Telescope features. A 1^ B 1# 1% C B D A 1$ 1& B 1# E Inset A: Focuser assembly. F G Tube Assembly 1. Eyepiece 2. Focuser assembly 3. Front OTA (optical tube H assembly) 4. Top truss lock knobs (3) I 5. Trusses (3) 6. Bottom truss lock knobs (3) 7. Altitude bearing 8. Rear OTA Base Assembly 9. Side base panels (2) 10. Front base panel F 11. Circular base plates (2) 12. Feet (3) J Inset A 1( 13. a) Focus knob b) Fine focus knob (16" models only)
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ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLE THE BASE Note: You will need to supply a phillips screwdriver and a one- quarter inch or adjustable wrench to assemble the telescope. Note: Numbers in parentheses. e.g., (9), refer to Fig.1 and Fig. 1 insets. STEP 1: The base supports the telescope and allows you to move the telescope from side to side. Line up one of the base side panels (9) with the base front panel (10) as shown here. Thread in the two black attachment bolts to secure the panels to
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STEP 6: Move the circular panels. They should move easily about, without any stiffness. If not, tighten or loosen them using a screwdriver while holding the attachment nut in place (with your fingers or a wrench) on the other end of the bolt. ASSEMBLE THE TUBE dust cover STEP 7: Turn the base so that it is now resting on the feet. Place the rear OTA (8) into the base. Make sure that the altitude bearings fit snugly into the openings on the side panels of the base. Make sure th
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INSERT EYEPIECE AND ATTACH RED DOT FINDER STEP 10: The entire assembly should move easily up and down and from side to side. STEP 11: If you wish to insert the deluxe 2 inch eyepiece, remove the 1.25" eyepiece holder (15) from the focuser assem- bly by loosening holder thumbscrew (as shown in photo to the left). Slide the 2 inch eyepiece into the focuser and tighten with the eyepiece locking screw. To focus the eyepiece, turn the focuser wheels (13) in or out. eyepiece holder Th
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COLLIMATION OF THE OPTICAL SYSTEM Precise collimation, or alignment, of your telescope’s optical system is essential for good performance. All Meade telescopes are accurately collimated at the factory prior to shipment. You may want to collimate after the telescope has been shipped or if it has endured rough handling or a bumpy car journey—usually, though, just a small touch up is all that's required. Meade offers an optional laser collimator to help you to collimate y
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- 9 - 2 1 3
4 6 5 Fig. A: Newtonian Reflecting Telescope. (1) Spider Vanes; (2) Secondary Mirror; (3) Parabolic Primary Mirror; (4) Primary Mirror Hex Screws; (5) Focuser Drawtube; (6) Focused Image. Face-on view Edge-on view 2! 2) 1 2) 2! 3 2! 2) 2 Fig. C: Underside of rear mirror tube (primary mirror housing): (20) Collimation Adjustment Fig. B: Secondary Mirror Assembly. (1) Spider Vanes; (2) Tilt Screws; Screw; (21) Collimation Lock Screw (3) Secondary Mirr
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5. Bring the star's image slowly in and out of focus until you see several disks sur- rounding the star's center. If steps 1 through 3 were done correctly, you will see con- centric (centered with respect to each other) circles (1, Fig. F). An improperly collimated instrument will reveal oblong or elongated circles (2, Fig.F). Adjust the 3 collimating screws on the primary mirror housing until the circles are con- centric on either side of the focus. In summary, the adjustment screw
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ALIGN THE DELUXE RED DOT FINDER See step #12, page 7 to find out how th attach the finder to the telescope. It is recommended that you perform steps 1 and 2 of this procedure during the day- Intensity Dial time and step 3 at night. 1. If you have not already done so, place the low-power 26mm) eyepiece in the eyepiece holder (15) and point the telescope at an easy-to-find land object (e.g., the top of a telephone pole). Turn the focuser knob (13A) so that the image is sharply f
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CALCULATE MAGNIFICATION The magnification, or power of a telescope is determined by two factors: the focal length of the eyepiece and the focal length of the telescope. Your telescope is sup- plied with one eyepiece. The focal length of the eyepiece, 26mm, is printed on its side. Telescope focal length is the distance that light travels inside the telescope before reaching a focus. The focal length of the Dobsonian 8" = 1219mm. The focal length of the Dobsonian 10" =
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Look for different features on the Moon: The most obvious features are craters. In fact you can see craters within craters. Some craters have bright lines about them. These are called rays and are the result of material thrown out of the crater when it was struck by a colliding object. The dark areas on the Moon are called maria and are composed of lava from the period when the Moon still had volcanic activity. You can also see mountain ranges and fault lines on the Moon. Use a neutr
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Probably the most memorable sight you will see in your telescope is Saturn. Although you may not see many features on the surface of Saturn, its ring structure will steal your breath away. You will probably be able to see a black opening in the rings, known as the Cassini division. Saturn is not the only planet that has rings, but it is the only set of rings that can be seen with a small telescope. Jupiter’s rings cannot be seen from Earth at all—the Voyager spacecraft discovered the
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SOME TIPS By the way, you might have noticed something strange when you looked through your eyepiece. The image is upside down, and it is also reversed. That means reading words can be a problem or viewing objects on the ground can be a problem. But it has no affect on astronomical objects. Objects move in the eyepiece: If you are observing an astronomical object (the Moon, a planet, star, etc.) you will notice that the object will begin to move slowly through the
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b. When absolutely necessary, dust on the mirror should be blown off with an ear syringe (available at any pharmacy). DO NOT use a commercial photographic lens cleaner. c. Organic materials (e.g., fingerprints) 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. Use soft, white facial tissues and make short, gentle strokes. Change tissues often. Cautio
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SPECIFICATIONS 8" Deluxe Model OTA Open truss design. Upper cage metal tube containing spider and secondary mirror holder, focuser with attachment points for truss tubes. Lower metal tube containing mirror cell, altitude bearings, battery powered fan, with truss tube attachment castings and captive bolts and knobs. Truss tubes Silver anodized aluminum with attachment hardware and captive bolts. Machined aluminum altitude bearings. Secondary Mirror Support 4-vane, steel Mirror 8"
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Computer Software CD-ROM of Autostar Suite Astronomer's Edition soft- ware Assembled OTA weight 38 lbs. Assembled Mount weight 27 lbs. Total Assembled telescope wt. 65 lbs. 12" Standard Model OTA Open truss design. Upper cage metal tube containing spider and secondary mirror holder, focuser with attachment points for truss tubes. Lower metal tube containing mirror cell, altitude bearings, battery powered fan, with truss tube attachment castings and captive bolts and knobs. All 12 in
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16" Deluxe Model OTA Open truss design. Upper cage metal tube containing spider and secondary mirror holder, focuser with attachment points for truss tubes. Lower metal tube containing mirror cell, altitude bear- ings, battery powered fan, with truss tube attachment castings and captive bolts and knobs. All 16 inch models have a triangular ground plate. Truss tubes Silver anodized aluminum with attachment hardware and captive bolts. Machined aluminum altitude bearings. Secondary
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OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the LightBridge telescope models. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the quality of the instrument itself. Consult the Meade General Catalog or meade.com for complete details on these and other accessories. Meade Series 4000™ Eyepieces: You want to select an eyepiece that not only gives you the magnification that you want, but also give you the eye relief y
