INSTRUCTION MANUAL
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................................................ 4 WARNING ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ASSEMBLY...................................................................................................................................
Cordwrap.............................................................................................................................................................................................23 UTILITY FEATURES ................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Wedge Align....................................................................................................................
Congratulations on your purchase of the Celestron NexStar! The NexStar ushers in a whole new generation of computer automated technology. Simple and friendly to use, the NexStar is up and running after locating just three bright objects. It’s the perfect combination of power and portability. If you are new to astronomy, you may wish to start off by using the NexStar's built-in Sky Tour feature, which commands the NexStar to find the most interesting objects in the sky and automatically slews to each one.
1 2 3 12 4 5 6 11 7 10 8 9 NexStar 4 SE 1 Optical Tube 7 Battery Compartment 2 Star Pointer Finderscope 8 Tripod 3 Eyepiece 9 Accessory Tray / Leg Brace 4 Focuser Knob 10 ON/OFF Switch 5 Threaded Photographic Adapter 11 Hand Control 6 Flip Mirror Control 12 Liquid Crystal Display 5
The NexStar 4 comes completely pre-assembled and can be operational in a matter of minutes.
You are now ready to attach the included visual accessories onto the telescope optical tube. The Eyepiece The eyepiece, or ocular, is the optical element that magnifies the image focused by the telescope. The NexStar 4 has an internal diagonal mirror that diverts light to the eyepiece barrel on top of the telescope's rear cell. The eyepiece fits into the barrel built-in to the rear cell. To install the eyepiece: 1.
Star Pointer Operation The star pointer is powered by a long life 3-volt lithium battery (#CR2032) located underneath the front portion of the Star Pointer. Like all finderscopes, the Star Pointer must be properly aligned with the main telescope before it can be used. This is a simple process using the azimuth and altitude control knobs located on the side and bottom of the Star Pointer. The alignment procedure is best done at night since the LED dot will be difficult to see during the day. 1.
Attaching the NexStar to the Tripod The Celestron NexStar tripod is a sturdy, heavy duty mount on which to place your NexStar 4/5" telescope. This tripod can go anywhere, from your backyard to a remote observing site and can hold your NexStar in Alt-Az or can be polar aligned with the use of the built-in equatorial wedge tilt plate. The tripod comes completely assembled and only needs to have the center leg brace / accessory tray put in place. To set up the tripod: 1.
The NexStar 4 has a removable hand controller built into the side of the fork arm designed to give you instant access to all the functions the NexStar has to offer. With automatic slewing to nearly 40,000 objects, and common sense menu descriptions, even a beginner can master its variety of features in just a few observing sessions. Below is a brief description of the individual components of the NexStar 4 hand controller: 1. 2. 3.
4. Catalog Keys: The NexStar has a key on the hand control to allow direct access to each of the catalogs in its 40,000 object database. The NexStar contains the following catalogs in its database: Messier – Complete list of all Messier objects. NGC – Select list of all the deep-sky objects in the Revised New General Catalog. Caldwell – A combination of the best NGC and IC objects. Planets - All 8 planets in our Solar System plus the Moon.
telescope. Finally, EQ North and EQ South alignments are designed to assist you in aligning the NexStar when polar aligned using the tripods built-in wedge. Each alignment method is discussed in detail below. Sky Align Sky Align is the easiest way to get your NexStar aligned and ready to observe. Even if you do not know a single star in the sky, the NexStar will have you aligned in minutes by asking for basic information like the date, time and location.
5. If the finderscope has been properly aligned with the telescope tube, the alignment star should now be visible inside the field of view of the eyepiece. The hand control will ask that you center the bright alignment star in the center of the eyepiece and press the ALIGN button. This will accept the star as the first alignment position. (There is no need to adjust the slewing rate of the motors after each alignment step.
• • Press the UNDO button to display the next most suitable star for alignment. Use the UP and DOWN scroll buttons to manually select any star you wish from the entire list of available stars. Once finished slewing, the display will ask you to use the arrow buttons to align the selected star with the red dot of the finderscope. Once centered in the finder, press ENTER. The display will then instruct you to center the star in the field of view of the eyepiece.
Never look directly at the sun with the naked eye or with a telescope (unless you have the proper solar filter). Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Select Solar System Align from the alignment options. Press ENTER to accept the time/site information displayed on the display, or press UNDO to enter new information. The SELECT OBJECT message will appear in the top row of the display.
7. 8. 9. The telescope then asks you to center in the eyepiece the alignment object you selected. Use the direction arrow buttons to slew the telescope to the alignment object and carefully center it in the finderscope. Press ENTER when centered. Then, center the object in the eyepiece and press ALIGN. Once you press the ALIGN button the telescope will automatically slew to a second alignment star. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to complete alignment.
Sync: The Sync feature can be used to improve pointing accuracy in a specific region of the sky. Sync is a very useful feature especially when used in conjunction with the Constellation tour and Identify feature in which you will be exploring smaller areas of the sky. To Sync on an object: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Select the desired star (or object) from the database and slew to it. Once centered, press the UNDO button until you are at the main menu.
Slewing to an Object Once the desired object is displayed on the hand control screen, you have two options: • Press the INFO Key. This will give you useful information about the selected object such as magnitude, constellation and fascinating facts about many of the objects. • Press the ENTER Key. This will automatically slew the telescope to the coordinates of the object.
Direction Buttons The NexStar has four direction buttons in the center of the hand control which control the telescope motion in altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right). The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates. 1 2 3 4 5 = = = = = .
Sidereal Lunar Solar View Time-Site - This rate compensates for the rotation of the earth by moving the telescope at the same rate as the rotation of the earth, but in the opposite direction. When the telescope is polar aligned, this can be accomplished by moving the telescope in Right Ascension only. When mounted in AltAz mode, the telescope must make corrections in both R.A. and declination. Used for tracking the moon when observing the lunar landscape.
For a description of how to attach a camera body to you NexStar mount, see Astronomy Basics section. To locate a firing cable for your model of camera, contact your local camera retailer or go to the following web site, http://www.microsyncdigital.com Controlling your Camera Camera Wizard The Camera Wizard is the quickest way to build an imaging sequence of targets and exposure times. The Wizard will ask you to point the telescope/camera to up to 9 objects.
Exposure Delay- Allows you to set a time delay between each exposure. Sequence End - The Sequence End option lets you select whether the imaging sequence should repeat indefinitely or stop once it reaches the last entry. Get RA/DEC - Displays the right ascension and declination for the current position of the telescope. Goto R.A/ Dec - Allows you to input a specific R.A. and declination and slew to it.
necessary for photographic guiding. Positive backlash compensation is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from backwards to forwards. Similarly, negative backlash compensation is applied when the mount changes its direction of movement from forwards to backwards.
Utility Features Scrolling through the MENU options will also provide access to several advanced utility functions such as anti-backlash compensation and slew limits. Wedge Align – The NexStar has two equatorial alignment modes (one for the northern hemisphere and one for the southern) that will help you to polar align your telescope when using an optional equatorial wedge. See the Astronomy Basics section of the manual for more information on the Wedge Align feature.
Set Mount Position The Set Mount Position menu can be used to recover an alignment in cases where the telescope or tripod has been manually moved. For instance, you might use this feature if you needed to adjust the level of the tripod by raising or lowering the tripod legs. After the mount has been moved, simply slew to a bright star and center it up in the eyepiece, then select Set Mount Position from the Utilities menu. Since the telescope has been moved, the pointing accuracy will be diminished.
NexStar SE MENU TRACKING MODE ALT-AZ EQ NORTH EQ SOUTH OFF RATE SIDEREAL SOLAR LUNAR VIEW TIME-SITE SCOPE SETUP SETUP TIME-SITE ANTI-BACKLASH SLEW LIMITS FILTER LIMITS DIRECTION BUTTONS GOTO APPROACH CORDWRAP UTILITIES LIGHT CONTROL FACTORY SETTING VERSION GET AXIS POSITION GOTO AXIS POSITION HIBERNATE SUN MENU SCROLLING TEXT CALIBRATE GOTO SET MOUNT POSITION WEDGE ALIGN GPS ON/OFF USER OBJECTS GOTO SKY OBJ SAVE SKY OBJ SAVE DB OBJ ENTER RA & DEC SAVE LAND OBJ GOTO LAND OBJ CAMERA CAMERA WIZARD TAKE EXPOSUR
A telescope is an instrument that collects and focuses light. The nature of the optical design determines how the light is focused. Some telescopes, known as refractors, use lenses. Other telescopes, known as reflectors, use mirrors. The Maksutov-Cassegrain optical system uses a combination of mirrors and lenses and is referred to as a compound or catadioptric telescope. This unique design offers large-diameter optics while maintaining very short tube lengths, making them extremely portable.
Focusing The NexStar's focusing mechanism controls the primary mirror which is mounted on a ring that slides back and forth on the primary baffle tube. The focusing knob, which moves the primary mirror, is on the rear cell of the telescope just below the star diagonal and eyepiece. Turn the focusing knob until the image is sharp. If the knob will not turn, it has reached the end of its travel on the focusing mechanism. Turn the knob in the opposite direction until the image is sharp.
General Observing Hints When working with any optical instrument, there are a few things to remember to ensure you get the best possible image. • • • • Never look through window glass. Glass found in household windows is optically imperfect, and as a result, may vary in thickness from one part of a window to the next. This inconsistency can and will affect the ability to focus your telescope.
Up to this point, this manual covered the assembly and basic operation of your NexStar telescope. However, to understand your telescope more thoroughly , you need to know a little about the night sky. This section deals with observational astronomy in general and includes information on the night sky and polar alignment. The Celestial Coordinate System To help find objects in the sky, astronomers use a celestial coordinate system that is similar to our geographical coordinate system here on Earth.
Motion of the Stars The daily motion of the Sun across the sky is familiar to even the most casual observer. This daily trek is not the Sun moving as early astronomers thought, but the result of the Earth's rotation. The Earth's rotation also causes the stars to do the same, scribing out a large circle as the Earth completes one rotation. The size of the circular path a star follows depends on where it is in the sky.
Polar Alignment Even though the NexStar can precisely track a celestial object while in the Alt-Az position, it is still necessary to align the polar axis of the telescope (the fork arm) to the Earth's axis on rotation in order to attempt long exposure astro photography. This is accomplished by using the built-in wedge attached to the steel tripod. This allows the telescope's tracking motors to rotate the telescope around the celestial pole, the same way as the stars.
Based on your current alignment, NexStar will slew to where it thinks Polaris should be. Use the tripod’s tilt plate adjustment to place Polaris in the center of the eyepiece. Do not use the hand control’s direction buttons to position Polaris. Once Polaris is centered in the eyepiece, press ENTER; the polar axis should then be pointed towards the North Celestial Pole. Photography with the NexStar 4 After looking at the night sky for a while you may want to try photographing it.
Finding the North Celestial Pole In each hemisphere, there is a point in the sky around which all the other stars appear to rotate. These points are called the celestial poles and are named for the hemisphere in which they reside. For example, in the northern hemisphere all stars move around the north celestial pole. When the telescope's polar axis is pointed at the celestial pole, it is parallel to the Earth's rotational axis.
With your telescope set up, you are ready to use it for observing. This section covers visual observing hints for both solar system and deep sky objects as well as general observing conditions which will affect your ability to observe. Observing the Moon Often, it is tempting to look at the Moon when it is full. At this time, the face we see is fully illuminated and its light can be overpowering. In addition, little or no contrast can be seen during this phase.
Solar Observing Hints • The best time to observe the Sun is in the early morning or late afternoon when the air is cooler. • To center the Sun without looking into the eyepiece, watch the shadow of the telescope tube until it forms a circular shadow. • To ensure accurate tracking, be sure to select solar tracking rate. Observing Deep Sky Objects Deep-sky objects are simply those objects outside the boundaries of our solar system.
While your NexStar telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs at its best. Care and Cleaning of the Optics Occasionally, dust and/or moisture may build up on the corrector plate of your telescope. Special care should be taken when cleaning any instrument so as not to damage the optics. If dust has built up on the corrector plate, remove it with a brush (made of camel’s hair) or a can of pressurized air.
You will find that additional accessories enhance your viewing pleasure and expand the usefulness of your telescope. For ease of reference, all the accessories are listed in alphabetical order. Adapter, Car Battery (#18769) - Celestron offers the Car Battery Adapter that allows you to run the NexStar drive off an external power source. The adapter attaches to the cigarette lighter of your car, truck, van, or motorcycle.
lights. This includes mercury and high and low pressure sodium vapor lights. In addition, they also block unwanted natural light (sky glow) caused by neutral oxygen emission in our atmosphere. Celestron offers a model for 1-1/4" eyepieces (#94126A). Moon Filter (#94119-A) - Celestron’s Moon Filter is an economical eyepiece filter for reducing the brightness of the moon and improving contrast, so greater detail can be observed on the lunar surface.
Appendix A - Technical Specifications O Oppttiiccaall SSppeecciiffiiccaattiioonn Design Aperture Focal Length F/ratio of the Optical System Primary Mirror: Diameter Coatings Secondary Mirror Spot Size Secondary Obstruction Corrector Plate: Material Coatings Highest Useful Magnification Lowest Useful Magnification (7mm exit pupil) Resolution: Rayleigh Criterion Dawes Limit Photographic Resolution Light Gathering Power Near Focus standard eyepiece or camera Field of View: Standard Eyepiece : 35mm Camera Linea
Appendix B - Glossary of Terms AAbsolute magnitude Airy disk Alt-Azimuth Mounting Altitude Aperture Apparent Magnitude Arcminute Arcsecond Asterism Asteroid Astrology Astronomical unit (AU) Aurora Azimuth BBinary Stars CCelestial Equator Celestial pole Celestial Sphere Collimation DDeclination (DEC) EEcliptic Equatorial mount The apparent magnitude that a star would have if it were observed from a standard distance of 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light-years. The absolute magnitude of the Sun is 4.8.
FFocal length JJovian Planets KKuiper Belt LLight-Year (ly) MMagnitude Meridian Messier NNebula North Celestial Pole Nova OOpen Cluster PParallax Parfocal Parsec Point Source RReflector The distance between a lens (or mirror) and the point at which the image of an object at infinity is brought to focus. The focal length divided by the aperture of the mirror or lens is termed the focal ratio.
Resolution Right Ascension: (RA) SSidereal Rate TTerminator UUniverse VVariable Star The minimum detectable angle an optical system can detect. Because of diffraction, there is a limit to the minimum angle, resolution. The larger the aperture, the better the resolution. The angular distance of a celestial object measured in hours, minutes, and seconds along the Celestial Equator eastward from the Vernal Equinox. This is the angular speed at which the Earth is rotating.
Appendix D – Maps of Time Zones 44
CELESTRON TWO YEAR WARRANTY A. Celestron warrants this telescope to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for two years. Celestron will repair or replace such product or part thereof which, upon inspection by Celestron, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship. As a condition to the obligation of Celestron to repair or replace such product, the product must be returned to Celestron together with proof-of-purchase satisfactory to Celestron. B.
Celestron 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212-5835 Web site at http//www.celestron.com Copyright 2006 Celestron All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.) This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rule.
