INSTRUCTION MANUAL
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................................................................4 WARNING ......................................................................................................................................................................................................4 ASSEMBLY...............................................................................................
Focusing ................................................................................................................................................................................................26 Calculating Magnification.....................................................................................................................................................................27 Determining Field of View .........................................................................................
Congratulations on your purchase of the Celestron CPC telescope! The CPC GPS ushers in the next generation of computer automated telescopes. The CPC series uses GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to take the guesswork and effort out of aligning and finding celestial objects in the sky. Simple and easy to use, the CPC with its on-board GPS, is up and running after locating just three celestial objects.
7 8 9 6 5 10 4 11 3 12 2 1 13 14 A B C D E F Figure 2 – The CPC Series 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A B C Control Panel (see below) Focus Knob Star Diagonal Hand Control Eyepiece Finderscope Finderscope Quick Release Bracket Hand Control Port Auxiliary Port s PC Interface Port 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 D E F Optical Tube Schmidt Corrector Lens Fork Arm Carrying Handle Right Ascension Locking Knob Tripod Accessory Tray / Center Support Bracket Auto Guider Port On/Off Switch 12v Input Jack 5
The CPC telescope comes completely pre-assembled and can be operational in a matter of minutes. The CPC and its accessories are conveniently packaged in one reusable shipping carton while the tripod comes in its own box.
Tripod Head Center Support Bracket / Accessory tray Central Column Tension Knob Extension Leg Clamp Figure 3-1 Figure 3-1 Adjusting the Tripod Height The tripod that comes with your CPC telescope is adjustable. To adjust the height at which the tripod stands: 1. Loosen the extension clamp on one of the tripod legs (see figure 3-1). 2. Extend the leg to the desired height. 3. Tighten the extension clamp to hold the leg in place. 4.
2. Rotate the telescope base on the tripod head until the three feet on the bottom of the base fall into the feet recesses on the top of the tripod head. 3. Thread the three attached mounting bolts from underneath the tripod head into the bottom of the telescope base. Tighten all three bolts. You are now ready to attach the visual accessories onto the telescope optical tube. Adjusting the Clutches The CPC has a dual axis clutch system.
The Eyepiece The eyepiece, is the optical element that magnifies the image focused by the telescope. The eyepiece fits into either the visual back directly or the star diagonal. To install the eyepiece: 1. Loosen the thumbscrew on the star diagonal so it does not obstruct the inner diameter of the eyepiece end of the diagonal. 2. Slide the chrome portion of the eyepiece into the star diagonal. 3. Tighten the thumbscrew to hold the eyepiece in place.
With the bracket firmly attached to the telescope, you are ready to attach the finder to the bracket. 1. 2. Slide the O-Ring over the back of the finderscope and position it on the tube toward the objective end of the finderscope. Alignment Screws Slide the eyepiece end of the finderscope into the front ring of the bracket (the front ring is the one without the adjustment screws), then through the back ring.
Powering the CPC The CPC can be powered by the supplied 12v car battery adapter or optional power supply (see Optional Accessories section in the back of this manual). 1. 2. To power the CPC with the car battery adapter, simply plug the round post into the designated 12v power outlet located on the drive base. Turn on the power to the CPC by flipping the switch, located next to the 12v outlet, to the "On" position.
The CPC is controlled by Celestron’s NexStar hand controller designed to give you instant access to all the functions the CPC has to offer. With automatic slewing to over 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 CPC’s NexStar hand controller: 1. 2. 3. 4.
List – For quick access, all of the best and most popular objects in the NexStar database have been broken down into lists based on their type and/or common name: Named Stars Named Objects Double Stars Variable Stars Asterisms CCD Objects IC Objects Abell Objects Common name listing of the brightest stars in the sky. Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the most popular deep sky objects. Numeric-alphabetical listing of the most visually stunning double, triple and quadruple stars in the sky.
Align requires no knowledge of the night sky it is not necessary to know the name of the stars that you are aiming. You may even select a planet or the moon. The CPC is then ready to start finding and tracking any of the objects in its 40,000+ object database. Before the telescope is ready to be aligned, it should be set up in an outside location with all accessories (eyepiece, diagonal and finderscope) attached and lens cover removed as described in the Assembly section of the manual.
• Rarely SkyAlign will not be able to determine what three alignment objects were centered. This sometime happens when a bright planet or the Moon passes near one of the brighter stars. In situations like these it is best to try to avoid aligning to either object if possible. • For the best possible pointing accuracy, always center the alignment stars using the same final movements as the direction of the GoTo Approach (by default this will be using the up arrow button and the right arrow button).
6. CPC will then ask you to select and center a second alignment star and press the ALIGN key. It is best to choose alignment stars that are a good distance away from one another. Stars that are at least 40º to 60º apart from each other will give you a more accurate alignment than stars that are close to each other. Once the second star alignment is completed properly, the display will read Alignment Successful, and you should hear the tracking motors turn-on and begin to track.
EQ North / EQ South Alignment EQ North and EQ South Alignments assist the user in aligning the telescope when polar aligned on an optional equatorial wedge. Similar to the Altazimuth alignments described earlier, the EQ alignments gives you the choice of performing an AutoAlign, Two-Star alignment, One-Star alignment or Solar System alignment.
CPC Re-Alignment The CPC has a re-alignment feature which allows you to replace either of the original alignment stars with a new star or celestial object. This can be useful in several situations: • If you are observing over a period of a few hours, you may notice that your original alignment stars have drifted towards the west considerably. (Remember that the stars are moving at a rate of 15º every hour).
Slewing to an Object Once the desired object is displayed on the hand control screen, choose from the following options: • Press the INFO Key. This will give you useful information about the selected object such as R.A. and declination, magnitude size and text information for many of the most popular objects. • Press the ENTER Key. This will automatically slew the telescope to the coordinates of the object. Caution: Never slew the telescope when someone is looking into the eyepiece.
Rate Button Pressing the RATE key (11) allows you to instantly change the speed rate 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 controller key pad. The number 9 is the fastest rate (3º per second, depending on power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars. The number 1 on the hand control is the slowest rate (.
Sidereal 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 Alt-Az mode, the telescope must make corrections in both R.A. and declination. Lunar Used for tracking the moon when observing the lunar landscape. Solar Used for tracking the Sun when solar observing.
Object or Messier catalogs, the hand control will let you know that the Ring Nebula (M57) is approximately 6° from your current position. Searching the Double Star catalog will reveal that Epsilon Lyrae is only 1° away from Vega. To use the Identify feature: • • • Press the Menu button and select the Identify option. Use the Up/Down scroll keys to select the catalog that you would like to search. Press ENTER to begin the search.
pause when pressing the button, go with the higher value for positive, but use a lower value for negative. CPC will remember these values and use them each time it is turned on until they are changed. Slew Limits – Sets the limits in altitude that the telescope can slew without displaying a warning message. By default the slew limits are set to 0º to 90º and will only display a warning message if an object is below the horizon. However, the slew limits can be customized depending on your needs.
Factory Setting – Returns the CPC hand control to its original factory setting. Parameters such as backlash compensation values, initial date and time, longitude/latitude along with slew and filter limits will be reset. The hand control will ask you to press the "0" key before returning to the factory default setting. Version - Selecting this option will allow you to see the current version number of the hand control and motor control software.
CPC READY MENU ALIGNMENT TRACKING LIST NAMED STARS SKY ALIGN MODE GPS LINKING NGC CENTER ALIGNMENT OBJECT 1 OFF CENTER ALIGNMENT OBJECT 2 ALT-AZ CENTER ALIGNMENT OBJECT 3 EQ NORTH EQ SOUTH RATE SAO AUTO TWO-STAR ALIGN SIDEREAL ABELL SELECT STAR 1 ASTERISMS SOLAR CENTER STAR 1 LUNAR CENTER STAR 2 CONSTELLATIONS DOUBLE STARS GPS LINKING SELECT STAR 1 SETUP TIME-SITE IC ANTI-BACKLASH CENTER STAR 1 SLEW LIMITS SELECT STAR 2 GOTO APPROACH MESSIER NAMED OBJECTS FILTER LIMITS DIRECTI
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 Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system (or Schmidt-Cass for short) uses a combination of mirrors and lenses and is referred to as a compound or catadioptric telescope.
For astronomical viewing, out of focus star images are very diffuse, making them difficult to see. If you turn the focus knob too quickly, you can go right through focus without seeing the image. To avoid this problem, your first astronomical target should be a bright object (like the Moon or a planet) so that the image is visible even when out of focus. Critical focusing is best accomplished when the focusing knob is turned in such a manner that the mirror moves against the pull of gravity.
Up to this point, this manual covered the assembly and basic operation of your CPC 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 (with optional Wedge) Even though the CPC 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 of rotation in order to do long exposure astrophotography. To do an accurate polar alignment, the CPC requires an optional equatorial wedge between the telescope and the tripod.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Slew the telescope to one of the original alignment stars, or another bright star if the original alignment stars are no longer in a convenient location. Press the Align button and use the Up/Down buttons on the hand controller to select Alignment Stars from the list. The hand control will ask you which of the original alignment stars you wish to replace. Use the Up/Down buttons to select the desired star and press Enter. Once again center the star in the finderscope and press Enter.
Declination Drift Method of Polar Alignment This method of polar alignment allows you to get the most accurate alignment on the celestial pole and is required if you want to do long exposure deep-sky astrophotography through the telescope. The declination drift method requires that you monitor the drift of selected stars. The drift of each star tells you how far away the polar axis is pointing from the true celestial pole and in what direction.
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.
Observing the Sun Although overlooked by many amateur astronomers, solar observation is both rewarding and fun. However, because the Sun is so bright, special precautions must be taken when observing our star so as not to damage your eyes or your telescope. Never project an image of the Sun through the telescope. Because of the folded optical design, tremendous heat build-up will result inside the optical tube. This can damage the telescope and/or any accessories attached to the telescope.
temperature layers have different densities and, therefore, bend light differently. Light rays from the same object arrive slightly displaced creating an imperfect or smeared image. These atmospheric disturbances vary from time-to-time and place-to-place. The size of the air parcels compared to your aperture determines the "seeing" quality. Under good seeing conditions, fine detail is visible on the brighter planets like Jupiter and Mars, and stars are pinpoint images.
After looking at the night sky for a while you may want to try photographing it. Several forms of celestial photography are possible with your telescope, including short exposure prime focus, eyepiece projection, long exposure deep sky, terrestrial and even CCD imaging. Each of these is discussed in moderate detail with enough information to get you started. Topics include the accessories required and some simple techniques.
3. Focus the telescope by turning the focus knob until the image is sharp. 4. Set the shutter speed to the appropriate setting (see table below). 5. Trip the shutter using a cable release. 6. Advance the film and repeat the process. Lunar Phase Crescent Quarter Full ISO 50 1/2 1/15 1/30 ISO 100 1/4 1/30 1/60 ISO 200 1/8 1/60 1/125 ISO 400 1/15 1/125 1/250 Table 8-1 Above is a listing of recommended exposure times when photographing the Moon at the prime focus of your CPC telescope.
4. Release the shutter using a cable release. 5. Wait for the vibration caused by releasing the shutter to diminish. Also, wait for a moment of good seeing. 6. Remove the black card from in front of the telescope for the duration of the exposure (see accompanying table). 7. Replace the black card over the front of the telescope. 8. Close the camera's shutter. Advance the film and you are ready for your next exposure.
4. Thread the T-Ring onto the Radial Guider. 5. Mount your camera body onto the T-Ring the same as you would any other lens. 6. Set the shutter speed to the "B" setting. 7. Focus the telescope on a star. 8. Center your subject in the field of your camera. 9. Find a suitable guide star in the telescope field. This can be the most time consuming process. 10. Open the shutter using a cable release. 11.
Helpful Hint Once the worm gear is indexed, it will not need to be positioned again until the telescope is turned-off. So, to give yourself more time to prepare for guiding, it is best to restart PEC recording after the worm gear has found its index. 6. After 8 minutes PEC will automatically stop recording. 7. Point the telescope at the object you want to photograph and center the guide star on the illuminated cross hairs and you are ready to play back the periodic error correction. 8.
Blurry pictures can also result from shutter speeds that are too slow. To prevent this, use films that produce shutter speeds greater than 1/250 of a second when hand-holding the lens. If the lens is mounted on a tripod, the exposure length is virtually unlimited. Another way to reduce vibration is with the Vibration Suppression Pads (#93503). These pads rest between the ground and tripod feet. They reduce the vibration amplitude and vibration time.
While your best. CPC telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs at its 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.
To accomplish this, you need to tighten the secondary collimation screw(s) that move the star across the field toward the direction of the skewed light. These screws are located on the secondary mirror holder (see figure 9-1). To access the collimation screws you will need remove the collimation screw cover to expose the three collimation screws underneath. To remove the cover place the tip of flat screwdriver underneath the cover and twist until the cover lifts off.
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. Barlow Lens - A Barlow lens is a negative lens that increases the focal length of a telescope. Used with any eyepiece, it doubles the magnification of that eyepiece. Celestron offers two Barlow lens in the 1-1/4" size for the CPC.
PowerTank (#18774) – 12v 7Amp hour rechargeable power supply. Comes with two 12v output cigarette outlets, built-in red flash light , Halogen emergency spotlight. 120v AC adapter and cigarette lighter adapter included. Celestron also offers a 17 amp hour models (#18777). Polarizing Filter Set (#93608) - The polarizing filter set limits the transmission of light to a specific plane, thus increasing contrast between various objects. This is used primarily for terrestrial, lunar and planetary observing.
Appendix A - Technical Specifications Optical Specification Design Aperture Focal Length F/ratio of the Optical System Primary Mirror: Material Coatings Central Obstruction Corrector Plate: Material Coatings Highest Useful Magnification Lowest Useful Magnification (7mm exit pupil) Magnification: Standard Eyepiece (40mm Pl) Resolution: Rayleigh Criterion Dawes Limit Light Gathering Power Near Focus w/ standard eyepiece or camera Field of View: Standard Eyepiece : 35mm Camera Linear Field of View (at 1000 yd
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 FFocal length The apparent magnitude that a star would have if it were observed from a standard distance of 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light-years.
JJovian Planets KKuiper Belt Any of the four gas giant planets that are at a greater distance form the sun than the terrestrial planets. A region beyond the orbit of Neptune extending to about 1000 AU which is a source of many short period comets.
Sidereal Rate TTerminator UUniverse VVariable Star WWaning Moon Bernhard Voldemar Schmidt (1879-1935). This is the angular speed at which the Earth is rotating. Telescope tracking motors drive the telescope at this rate. The rate is 15 arc seconds per second or 15 degrees per hour. The boundary line between the light and dark portion of the moon or a planet. The totality of astronomical things, events, relations and energies capable of being described objectively.
Appendix C - RS-232 Connection (for Computerized Hand Control) You can control your NexStar telescope with a computer via the RS-232 port on the computerized hand control and using an optional RS-232 cable (#93920). Once connected, the NexStar can be controlled using popular astronomy software programs. Communication Protocol: NexStar-i communicates at 9600 bits/sec, No parity and a stop bit. All angles are communicated with 16 bit angle and communicated using ASCII hexadecimal.
APPENDIX F – MAPS OF TIME ZONES 51
Observational Data Sheet Yearly Meteor Showers Shower Quadrantids Lyrids Puppids eta-Aquarids June Bootids July Phoenicids Southern delta-Aquarids Perseids alpha-Aurigids Draconids Orionids Leonids alpha-Monocerotids Phoenicids Puppid-Velids Geminids Ursids Date Jan 01-Jan 05 Apr 16-Apr 25 Apr 15-Apr 28 Apr 19-May 28 Jun 26-Jul 02 Jul 10-Jul 16 Jul 12-Aug 19 Jul 17-Aug 24 Aug 25-Sep 05 Oct 06-Oct 10 Oct 02-Nov 07 Nov 14-Nov 21 Nov 15-Nov 25 Nov 28-Dec 09 Dec 01-Dec 15 Dec 07-Dec 17 Dec 17-Dec 26 Peak 4-J
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 2009 Celestron All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.) Item # 11073-INST $10.
