User Manual
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In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using
a crude telescope considerably smaller than the LX65
Series, turned it to look towards the sky instead of
distant trees and mountains. What he saw, and what
he realized about what he saw, forever changed
the way mankind thought of the universe. Imagine
what it must have been like being the rst human
to see moons revolve around the planet Jupiter or
to see the changing phases of Venus! Because of
his observations, Galileo correctly realized Earth’s
movement and position around the Sun, and in doing
so, gave birth to modern astronomy. Yet Galileo’s
telescope was so crude, he could not clearly make
out the rings of Saturn.
Galileo’s discoveries laid the foundation for
understanding the motion and nature of the planets,
stars, and galaxies. Building on his foundation,
Henrietta Leavitt determined how to measure the
distance to stars; Edwin Hubble proposed a glimpse
into the origin of the universe; Albert Einstein unraveled
the relationship of time and light. Almost daily,
using sophisticated successors to Galileo’s crude
telescope, such as the Hubble Space Telescope,
more and more mysteries of the universe are being
solved and understood. We are living in a golden age
of astronomy.
Unlike other sciences, astronomy welcomes
contributions from amateurs. Much of the knowledge
we have on subjects such as comets, meteor showers,
variable stars, the Moon and our solar system comes
from observations made by amateur astronomers. So
as you look through your Meade LX65 telescope, keep
Galileo in mind. To him, a telescope was not merely a
machine made of glass and metal, but something far
more - a window through which the beating heart of
the universe might be observed.
Objects in Space
Listed below are some of the many astronomical
objects that can be seen with the LX65 Series
BASIC ASTRONOMY
APPENDIX B:
The Moon is, on average,
a distance of 239,000
miles (380,000km) from
Earth and is best observed
during its crescent or half
phase when Sunlight
strikes the Moon’s
surface at an angle. It
casts shadows and adds
a sense of depth to the
view. No shadows are
seen during a full Moon,
causing the overly bright
Moon to appear at and
rather uninteresting through the telescope. Be sure to
useaneutral Moon lter whenobservingtheMoon.
Not only does it protect your eyes from the bright
glare of the Moon, but it also helps enhance contrast,
providing a more dramatic image.
Using the LX65 Series, brilliant detail can be observed
on the Moon, including hundreds of lunar craters and
maria, described below.
Craters are round meteor impact sites covering most
of the Moon’s surface. With no atmosphere on the
Moon, no weather conditions exist, so the only erosive
force is meteor strikes. Under these conditions, lunar
craters can last for millions of years.
Maria (plural for mare) are smooth, dark areas
scattered across the lunar surface. These dark areas
arelarge ancient impact basins that were lled with
lava from the interior of the Moon by the depth and
force of a meteor or comet impact.
Twelve Apollo astronauts left their bootprints on the
Moon in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. However, no
telescope on Earth is able to see these footprints or
any other artifacts. In fact, the smallest lunar features
that may be seen with the largest telescope on Earth
are about one-half mile across.