MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION StarSense™ is patented technology that allows your telescope to determine its position and align itself with the night sky automatically. StarSense AutoAlign’s internal camera captures an image of the sky, and then analyzes it to identify the stars in the image. Based on this information, StarSense can determine the coordinates of the center of the image. After repeating this process a few times, the system can create an accurate model of the night sky.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS When setting up StarSense for the first time, a wide-angle/low power eyepiece and high power eyepiece are recommended. Start with the wide-angle/low power eyepiece. StarSense AutoAlign works with most computerized Celestron telescopes and several different optical tubes. Refer to the compatibility charts below. TELESCOPE COMPATIBILITY COMPATIBLE NOT COMPATIBLE NexStar SE Series NexStar i Series CPC, CPC DX Ultima 2000 NexStar GT (with Aux.
OPTICAL TUBE COMPATIBILITY The StarSense camera replaces the finderscope on your telescope. Use one of the two included camera brackets to attach the camera, the large bracket (already installed), or the small bracket. Refer to the chart below to determine which bracket fits your optical tube. LARGE BRACKET SMALL BRACKET All Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrains Celestron 6” f/8.
ASSEMBLY ATTACHING THE STARSENSE CAMERA TO YOUR TELESCOPE 1. Remove the finderscope and bracket from your telescope tube . 3. Slide the StarSense camera onto the camera base and secure it with the thumbscrew(s) . The camera slides on the large base front to back, and slides on the small base back to front . Note: Some optical tubes, like the NexStar SE, may have a small plastic rail which secures the Star Pointer . Remove this rail with a Phillips head screwdriver . Remove StarPointer 2.
4. P lug the included auxiliary cable into the back of the StarSense Camera on one end, and your mount’s auxiliary port on the other end. 2. R emove the lens shroud by unthreading it. 3. S lide the bracket off the front of the camera. Be careful not to lose the two orange rings. Note: If your telescope does not have an auxiliary port, the Auxiliary Port Splitter, (item #93919 available from Celestron), is required. First, plug the splitter into the auxiliary port.
USING WITH A FINDER Although StarSense replaces the need for a finderscope, you may still wish to use a finder for quick reference, or to assist with the one-time center calibration of the StarSense camera and telescope. Some optical tubes, like Schmidt-Cassegrains and EdgeHDs have threaded holes to accept finderscope brackets in multiple locations.
QUICK START: ALIGNING STARSENSE Set up your telescope in a relatively unobstructed area that shows most of the sky. If you have obstructions like buildings or trees, StarSense will skip them during the auto alignment procedure. Note: If your sky is heavily obstructed, please see “StarSense Manual Align”. Connect the StarSense Hand Control and camera to your telescope as described in Assembly. Remove the camera’s dust cap. 1.
FIRST TIME SETUP: CALIBRATE CENTER The first time you use StarSense AutoAlign, StarSense needs to know the center of the telescope’s field of view in relation to its camera. This one-time calibration process takes place inside the camera and will not require you to physically adjust the camera or your telescope. After you complete the calibration, you’ll need to perform the StarSense Auto alignment again.
STARSENSE MANUAL ALIGN StarSense Manual alignment allows you to point the telescope in the part of the sky you wish to use for taking alignment images. This is particularly useful in locations where the horizon is obstructed or you have limited visibility. Manual StarSense Alignment is not as accurate as automatic alignment. However, it provides good pointing accuracy throughout the region of the sky that was used for the alignment. To use StarSense Manual alignment: 1.
IMPROVING POINTING ACCURACY WITH STARSENSE Once your alignment is complete, StarSense can further enhance the pointing accuracy of your telescope by adding multiple alignment references. You can add up to 10 alignment reference points for extremely precise GoTo accuracy. 1. P ress the BACK button until you see “StarSense Ready” on the display. 2. Press ALIGN. Add Align Ref will appear, then press ENTER. 3. Using the arrow keys, move the telescope several degrees away from its last alignment point.
Tips for Using Solar System Align Once the telescope is aligned using Solar System Align, you have the option of adding additional alignment objects (either other planets or stars from the Named Star Catalog) to improve pointing accuracy. To add an alignment object: 1. S elect the desired object from the Named Star or Solar System database and slew to it. 2. Press the ALIGN button on the hand control. 3. The display will ask if you want to add an alignment object or replace the existing one. 4.
SYNC Syncing on a star will shift the mount model to the star position. It will improve GoTo pointing in the region of sky close to the star you synced on. Sync can also be used if the mount was bumped or the clutches were loosened for either axis. Sync will restore the position of the StarSense GoTo without using the camera. 1. With a named star selected, press OPTION and ALIGN simultaneously. 2. Coarse center the star in your finder or eyepiece and press ENTER. 3.
STARSENSE OVERVIEW USB Port for future upgrades and development Lens shroud Modular Jack Connection to mount Camera Lens Large Bracket (pre-installed on camera in box) Attachment Screws STARSENSE CAMERA Modular Jack: Connects the StarSense Camera to your telescope using the provided cable . USB Port: Available for future software development and camera firmware upgrades . Camera Lens: A fully multi-coated 20mm f/2 lens responsible for capturing images to align the telescope .
6. M ENU: Displays the many utilities and setup functions, such as tracking rate, user defined objects, and others. 7. O PTION (Celestron Logo): Can be used in combination with other keys to access more advanced features and functions. 8. E NTER: Selects any of StarSense’s functions, accepts entered parameters, and slews the telescope to displayed objects. 9. B ACK: Exits the current menu and displays the previous level of the menu path.
SLEWING TO AN OBJECT Once the desired object is displayed on the hand control screen, you have two options: • Press the OBJECT INFO Key. This will display information about the selected object such as magnitude, constellation, and extended information about the most popular objects. • Use the UP/DOWN keys to scroll through the displayed object info. • Press BACK or OBJECT INFO to return to the object database. • Press ENTER. The telescope will slew to the object displayed on the hand control.
MOTOR SPEED BUTTON HELP BUTTON The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates. Pressing the MOTOR SPEED button allows you to instantly change the speed of the motors from high-speed slew rate to precise guiding rate, or anywhere in between. Each rate corresponds to a number on the hand control key pad. The number 9 is the fastest rate (approximately 3.5º per second, depending on power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars.
DATABASE SETUP Press ENTER to accept the value. SkyTour Filters: Allows you to set the minimum magnitude limit (brightness) for objects that will be displayed when the SKY TOUR button is pressed. When using your telescope from a dark sky location, set the minimum magnitude to a higher number. When using your telescope from an urban location or when the Moon is full, set the minimum magnitude to a lower number. The filter limit can be set between 0 (very bright objects) and 25.5 (extremely faint objects).
• R.A. Limits (For equatorial mounts only): Sets the limits that the telescope can slew or track in Right Ascension (R.A.) before stopping. The slew limits are represented in degrees and by default set to 0°, the position of the telescope when the counterweight bar is extended out horizontally. However, the slew limits can be customized depending on your needs.
- Negative is the amount of compensation applied when you release the button, winding the motors back in the other direction to resume tracking. To adjust, press ENTER. While viewing an object in the eyepiece, observe the responsiveness of each of the four direction buttons. Note which directions you see a pause in the star movement after the button has been pressed.
TIME AND LOCATION iew / Modify Time: Allows you to view and V make changes to the date, time, time zone offset, and Daylight Savings Time. View / Modify Location: Allows you to view and make changes to the longitude and latitude of your current location. Please note that changing your current location will result in a loss of alignment. You will need to realign your telescope after making location changes. Press the OPTION button to toggle between city database and longitude/latitude.
SPECIFICATIONS Camera Specifications Imaging Sensor Aptina MT9M034 1.2 Megapixel CMOS Pixel Array 1280 x 960 Pixel Size 3.75μm x 3.75μm Objective Lens Diameter 20mm (2-element) Objective Lens Focal Length 40mm Objective Lens Focal Ratio/F-stop F/2 Control Board 32-bit processor with embedded Linux Operating System USB Port USB 2.
MENU TREE Menu Database Setup StarSense Sky Tour Filters Get Status Catalog Filters Calibrate Identify Filters Reset AIS Camera Filter Limits User Auto Align Allow Sun Time and Location Telescope View/Mode Time Tracking Rate View/Mode Location Sidereal, Solar, Lunar, Off Time/Loc. Mode R.A. Only, R.A. & DEC View/Goto Pos. Setup Slew Limits RA/Dec R.A. Limits (EQ Only) Axis Position Goto Approach Guide Rates Default Rates Get Version Info Direction Buttons Backlight Backlash Comp.
Align StarSense Auto Add Cal Reference StarSense Manual Review Cal Reference Solar Sys.
Celestron 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 U.S.A. Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212-5835 Website: www.celestron.com Copyright 2016 Celestron All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.) Designed and intended for those 14 years of age and older. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rule.
