® 8" ULTIMA 2000 INSTRUCTION MANUAL
WARNING Removal of the Optical Tube Assembly, the Fork Tines or the Drive Base will disable precise alignment calibrations and void the warranty of the telescope. This manual is dedicated to the memory of Mark J. Coco. Mark will be remembered by many people for his love of Astronomy and his talent for writing. He made many contributions to Celestron as our Staff Astronomer and Technical Writer for which we will be forever grateful. He will be missed as a great friend and co-worker.
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 7 WARNING: BE CAREFUL WITH SOLAR OBSERVING ................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2 - QUICK SETUP.........................................................................................................................................
SLEWING SPEED SETTING ...................................................................................................................................................... 45 DRIVE BASE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER 5 - TELESCOPE BASICS...........................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 9 - PHOTOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................. 77 CELESTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................................... 77 SHORT EXPOSURE PRIME FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................. 77 PIGGYBACK PHOTOGRAPHY ...
Tube Downstop Altitude Clutch Adjustment knob Finderscope Eyepiece Counterweight Star Diagonal Azimuth Clutch Adjustment Rod Tripod Focus Knob Altitude Downstop Hand Control Azimuth Downstop Scope-to-tripod bolt 6
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION Congratulations on your purchase of a Celestron Ultima 2000! The Ultima 2000 ushers in a whole new generation of computer automated technology. Simple and friendly to use, the Ultima 2000 is up and running after locating just two alignment stars. And then the fun begins. Start off with our built-in Sky Tour package or begin to observe any of the over 10,000 objects in the standard data base.
CHAPTER 2 - QUICK SETUP This section is intended to help the new user get the Ultima 2000 up and running, in the altazimuth configuration, immediately after assembly. To assemble the telescope, refer to the chapter entitled “Assembling your Ultima 2000”. There are two steps required to become familiar with the Ultima 2000’s operations. First, use the telescope indoors to get acquainted with all the controls and second, use the telescope under the night sky to find objects. This section covers both.
How to Enter into a Menu Item and Return to the Main Menu List The blinking letter indicates that the item can be “acted on” by any of the three control buttons (ENTER, UP, DOWN). In this section we will illustrate how to enter into a menu item and how to get back out to the main menu.
To get the telescope to slew, set the SPEED to FINDER using the above procedure. Hold down the Diamond button corresponding to the direction you want the telescope to slew, then press the opposite button to reach the slew rate. Using the Telescope Under the Night Sky The purpose of this section is to get the telescope aligned and tracking under the stars as soon as possible. You need to have the telescope assembled and on the tripod to utilize this quick setup section.
Turning Tracking On To turn tracking on or off, start at the SETUP menu. The instructions below will start there. Here is how to do it: ACTION NOTES Get to the SETUP menu. Press ENTER Speed could be at FINDER, PHOTO, or 2 X SDRL. It defaults to the last setting used. Press DOWN Scrolls through the different setup functions. Moves the cursor to “O” of OFF. This makes it possible to change the tracking state of the telescope. Set the telescope motors to track in Alt-Az rates.
Press MENU, press ENTER, press the UP or DOWN buttons until the display reads... Press ENTER for the example date of 3-18-97 Press ENTER and press the UP Arrow once Press ENTER twice and press UP once. Press ENTER three times Use the UP/DOWN arrows to chose the desired planet. example VENUS Press UP once Press ENTER, wait 1/2 second and press ENTER again. 12 Find Planets Scroll though the different CATALOGS The last date entered shows in the display. Change the month from Feb. to March. Change the date.
CHAPTER 3 - ASSEMBLING YOUR ULTIMA 2000 The Ultima 2000 is a sophisticated computerized telescope with the GO TO function. The Ultima 2000 can be used in either Altazimuth mode or Equatorial mode (optional wedge #93655 is required). In addition, the Ultima comes standard with Starbright® coatings, an enhanced multi-layer coating on the primary and secondary mirrors for increased reflectivity. Also, the corrector plate is fully coated to allow maximum light transmission.
The tripod will now stand by itself. Once the wedge and/or telescope are attached to the tripod, readjust the tension knob to ensure that the leg support bracket is snug. Once again, do not over tighten! Figure 3-1 The field tripod completely set up. Adjusting the Tripod Height The tripod that comes with your Ultima 2000 telescope is adjustable. To adjust the height at which the tripod stands: 1. 2. 3. 4. Loosen the extension clamp on one of the tripod legs (see figure 3-2).
Attaching the Telescope to the Tripod The telescope is fully assembled and ready to attach directly to a tripod or to an optional equatorial wedge. To attach the telescope to the tripod: 1. Align the center hole on the bottom of the telescope with the center post on the tripod. Lower the telescope onto the tripod. 2. Rotate the drive base on the tripod in order to line up the three holes of the telescope drive base with the three holes of the tripod head.
Figure 3-3b: Top view of the tripod head. Place the Ultima 2000 on top of the tripod. Use the open holes to mount the Ultima 2000 to the tripod. Installing the Finder The finderscope is used to help you locate and center objects in the main field of your telescope. To start, remove the finder and hardware from the plastic wrapper.
Attaching the Finder to the Bracket With the bracket firmly attached to the telescope, you are ready to attach the finder to the bracket. See Figure 3-4 for a visual aide. 1. Thread the three nylon screws into the front ring of the finder bracket. Tighten the screws until the nylon heads are flush with the inner diameter of the bracket ring. Do NOT thread them in completely or they will interfere with the placement of the finder. 2.
Focusing the Finderscope and Reticle The finderscope can be focused by loosening the locking ring, on the front of the finder, then rotate the front cell. When you have reached the desired focus, turn the locking ring so it pushes against the front cell. This locks the focus. See Figure 3-5. To focus the reticle, rotate the eyepiece Figure 3-5 Aligning the Finderscope The Ultima 2000 comes with a 7x50mm finderscope.
Attaching the Visual Back The visual back allows you to attach most visual accessories to the telescope (see Figure 3-7). To attach the visual back: • Remove the rubber cover on the rear cell. • Place the knurled slip ring on the visual back over the threads on the rear cell. • Tighten by rotating the slip ring clockwise until tight. Once this is done you are ready to attach other accessories such as eyepieces, diagonal prisms, etc.
Figure 3-6 Image will be upside down Figure 3-7 Image will be right side up but reversed Balancing the Telescope Balance is a necessity for proper use of any telescope. Balancing maximizes tracking accuracy and lessens vibrations in all telescopes. The Ultima 2000 is a precision instrument and so it is assumed that the user will balance the system. The clutches are designed to only tighten a certain amount. This protects the precision gears driving the telescope.
3. Place the two other weights under the sliding counterweight on the bottom of the telescope. The sliding counterweight has a threaded hole on its bottom face. To maintain a dynamic balance, equal weights must be added to the top and the bottom of the telescope; i.e., two on top of the tube and two on the bottom of the tube. 4. Put the telescope in the horizontal position. See figure 3-8. 5. Hold the telescope and loosen the altitude clutch so the telescope rotates freely.
Adjusting the clutches The Ultima 2000 has a dual axis clutching system. A clutching system is a necessity for two reasons. First it is convenient. You can move the telescope without unlocking any of the axis. Second, it protects the precision worm assemblies that drive the telescope. If there is too much load placed on a telescope without a clutch, the worm assemblies feel all the force. This can easily damage the telescope.
Azimuth clutch To change the azimuth clutch tension, place the clutch rod into the RA clutch adjusting ring shown in Figure 3-10. To tighten the clutch turn the rod counter-clockwise when looking down on the telescope. The clutch rod allows for about 110º of motion which is more than enough motion to adjust the range of clutch tensions needed. There are stops placed on the RA clutch ring. This will prevent you from over tightening the system.
Attaching an Equatorial Wedge to the Tripod The Ultima 2000 attaches to an optional equatorial wedge, 93655, so it can be used for astrophotography or CCD imaging. It is a good idea to purchase the Deluxe Latitude Adjuster kit (DLA), 93662, in addition to the wedge. This aids in getting an accurate polar alignment. The tripod has six holes on its head for mounting equipment. Three of the holes are threaded with 5/16-18 threads and three of the holes are open.
Attaching the Ultima 2000 to a Wedge Once the wedge is firmly attached to the tripod, you are ready to mount the telescope on the wedge. The telescope base fits directly onto the tilt plate of the wedge. To mount the telescope on the wedge: 1. Lay the telescope on its side and locate the three feet underneath the drive base. Each foot has two threaded holes. The holes furthest away from the center are the ones you need to use. 2. Partially insert one of the three (3/8-16x1.
4. Close the battery compartment lid and press down until it snaps shut. NOTE: The use of non-alkaline batteries may cause improper functioning of your Ultima 2000. Storing Your Ultima 2000 When not in use, all lenses and eyepieces should be covered. This will reduce the amount of dust build-up on all optical surfaces and reduce the number of times you need to clean the instrument. You may want to return everything to its original shipping container and store it there.
CHAPTER 4 - HAND CONTROL AND DRIVE BASE The Hand Control allows you to control the telescope and specify various parameters. To use, insert the batteries in the telescope drive base (see the section, Inserting the Batteries, in the Assembly chapter). This section gives details on all the different menus and sub-menus of the Ultima 2000 hand control.
The hand control is quite simple. There are 4 buttons for the interface controls, 4 buttons for moving the telescope, and a display screen. The interface is a list of 8 menus with each menu having several sub-menus. Here is what each button on the hand control is for: POWER Turns the power of the hand control on and off. The “O” is the off position. When the telescope is aligned and tracking the sky, the hand control can be turned off and on and it will not affect the telescopes alignment.
ULTIMA 2000 A L IG N M E N U GO TO M ENU C AT AL O G PO S IT IO N S ky A u to N am ed S ta r RA DEC E arth M an u al N am ed O b je ct Trac kin g C h an g e R e la tive S olar S ys te m Te lesc op E Q S ou th S ta r C a ta lo g (S T ) C o n stell E Q N o rth M ess ier (M ) IDENTIFY TIMER MENU Fin d S tart M ag S to p R e se t SETUP MENU SPEED SLEW FINDER CENTER 2X SDRL PHO TO TO UR D emo M a n ua l T R AC K N ew G en eral C atalog (N G C ) O FF ALT AZ EQ SO UTH EQ NO RTH
Navigating through the Menu The user interface is basically sets of menus and sub-menus. When you turn the telescope ON, you are in the main menu. The first menu item that comes up in the display is, MENU ALIGN Notice that the “A” is blinking. (Note, a blinking item on the display will be shown as a bold letter in this manual). A blinking item is a prompt to use any one of the control buttons (ENTER, UP, or DOWN). If you press ENTER, you will enter into the ALIGN menu.
Looking Up a Messier Object BUTTON or ACTION Turn on the telescope and scroll to MENU CATALOG press ENTER press UP 4 times press ENTER press ENTER press UP 4 times press ENTER NOTES MENU CATALOG Entered into the CATALOG menu. The “S” is blinking so we can press ENTER or UP/DOWN Scrolled to the Messier catalog. Let’s look at M42. The “M” is blinking Enter into the Messier catalog. The leading “0” is blinking. We want M 042 so press enter to except the leading zero.
Description of each Menu Menu ALIGN This menu is the first menu to be displayed when the telescope is turned on. There are five sub menus under ALIGN. Each of these is a different way to align the telescope. Here are the sub menus: This is used for the initial Alt-Az two star alignment or updating your alignment during the evening. If you are looking at a non-stellar object, you can center the object and update your alignment in this mode. SKY NOTE: The Ultima 2000 uses two stars to align to the sky.
Then the display will read, SET FORK TO ZERO This is your cue to rotate the telescope in azimuth until the two stickers on the drive base line up. Then press ENTER. Next the display will read, TUBE TO DOWNSTOP Now move the telescope tube to the downstop position (pointing down). Press ENTER. The display places you into the SKY align menu.
definable catalog (NEW), and the PLANETS listed in order by increasing distance from the Sun. When used in conjunction with the GO TO function, the Ultima 2000 will guide you to any of the more than 10,000 objects in its database. There is a description of each catalog in the following section. The "S" blinks, indicating that the catalog selection can be changed. Press the DOWN button to scroll through the various catalog and planet selections.
Size or separation: (if applicable) Name: Achernar Constellation: Eradinus Description: Star Chart(SA or UA): SA=24 Once the scroll is finished, the screen will display the catalog designation and the coordinates. You can replay the information by pressing the ENTER button again. While the information is scrolling, the top part of the display will read GO TO. The leading “G” will be blinking. This indicates that you can press ENTER again and the telescope will slew to the object.
NS141 The Non-Stellar Catalog (NS) The Non-Stellar Catalog (NS) contains objects not found in either the New General Catalog or the Index Catalog. In all, there are a total of 661 interesting objects. E263-48 The European Southern Observatory (ESO) and U00148 Uppsala General Catalog (UGC) The European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Uppsala General Catalog (UGC) contain still more objects not found in either the New General Catalog or the Index Catalog.
Here is the Planetary Catalog under the SOLAR SYSTEM menu. DATE SUN MERCURY VENUS MARS JUPITER SATURN URANUS NEPTUNE PLUTO Requires entering the current date Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto Named Object This is a list of popular objects by name. It is sometimes convenient to look up an object by its name rather than its Messier or RNGC number. See Appendix A for the complete list of objects.
Press ENTER The telescope tells you what constellation it is pointed at. See the Appendix A for abbreviations. Returns you to the CONSTELL mode. Scroll down to the RA DEC mode Press ENTER Press DOWN Press ENTER Press ENTER Displays the RA and DEC of the direction the telescope is pointed in. RA is on top. Returns you to the RA DEC mode.
The scroll rate ranges from 0, the slowest, to 9, the fastest. The chart can be changed from SA, Wil Tirion's Sky Atlas 2000.0, to UA, the Uranometria catalog. Here is a list of the sub-menus in the SETUP menu. • SPEED • AZM GEAR • BTN SPD • TRACK • ALT GEAR • BTN SLEW • RATE • AZM BACK • CHART • PEC • ALT BACK • SCROLL • VOLTS • CORD • VERSION Here is a description of each SETUP item. SPEED This allows you to adjust the speed the telescope is driven by the diamond buttons.
You may have noticed that you cannot get to the SLEW rate. This is because the SLEW option is disabled at the factory. It is disabled as a safety feature. It is possible to slew the telescope into your head because you thought you were in a different speed rate. There are two ways to SLEW the telescope. • One is set the speed to FINDER rate, hold down the diamond button for the direction you want to slew, then press the opposite diamond button simultaneously. The telescope will SLEW.
LUNAR This rate is used for tracking the Moon. PEC This is only used on a telescope that is polar aligned on a wedge. Furthermore, you need to have the tracking rate set to EQ NORTH or EQ SOUTH. Periodic error correction, or PEC, is used for astrophotography or CCD work. PEC corrects for repeating errors caused by the worm gear. The worm takes about 5.4 minutes to make one complete revolution. Any errors in the worm will repeat every time the worm makes a revolution. These are called periodic errors.
ALT GEAR Altitude Gear Ratio: This works the same as AZM GEAR. AZM BACK - Azimuth Backlash Compensation There is an enormous gear reduction between the tracking motor and the telescope. Highly accurate tracking is best obtained by running the tracking motor at a relatively high speed. (If an electric motor is run too slowly, it runs at an inconsistent speed, and can burn the brushes.) The high speed of the tracking motor requires a very large gear ratio, on the order of 600,000 to 1.
CORD - Cord Wrap Control This is the cord wrap mode. This keeps the telescope from wrapping the cord around itself. The mode can be ON or OFF. It is useful to turn this OFF if you are not using an external power source and desire the telescope to slew through the shortest distance to the object. To turn cord wrap ON and OFF: ACTION NOTES Start at SETUP menu press ENTER Enter into the list of SETUP items.
SCROLL This mode sets the speed at which information is scrolled across the screen. The range goes from 1 to 9, slowest to fastest. VERSION This tells the version of the software that is installed in the telescope. The display shows eight digits. The first four digits show the version of the Hand Control software while the last four digits show the version of the telescope software. Menu TOUR This menu item has a list of interesting objects for each month of the year.
MANUAL mode under the sky Set up the telescope outside and align it to the night sky. Here is how to activate the tour option. ACTION Start at the TOUR menu NOTES Press ENTER Enter into the TOUR menu. DISPLAY MENU TOUR DEMO Press DOWN - to the MANUAL option Press ENTER Use the UP/DOWN buttons to scroll to the appropriate month. Press ENTER Choose the MANUAL option. MANUAL Enter into MANUAL. For example, use July. TOUR JAN TOUR JUL The first object to come up in July is M92.
The SLEW setting might not appear as one of the choices. This depends on the SLEW SPEED sub-menu (under SETUP) being set ON or OFF. To make the SLEW option available within the SPEED menu, set SLEW SPEED to ON. WARNING: It is advisable to leave SLEW SPEED set to OFF. The telescope slews quickly and could possibly hit you in the eye if you forget that you have the setting at the slew rate. Another way to move the telescope at the SLEW rate is to set SPEED to FINDER.
CHAPTER 5 - TELESCOPE BASICS The Schmidt-Cassegrain System 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.
Image Orientation It should be noted that the image orientation will change depending on the viewing configuration. When using the star diagonal, the image is right-side-up, but reversed from left-to-right. If inserting the eyepiece into the visual back (i.e., without the star diagonal), the image is inverted (upside down and reversed from left-to-right). This holds true for the 7x50 finder as well as the telescope.
Figure 5-3 The decal on the end of the focus knob shows the correct rotational direction for focusing your telescope. The primary mirror is mounted on a ring which slides back and forth on the primary baffle tube (see Figure 4-4). The focusing knob, which moves the primary mirror, is on the rear cell of the telescope. To focus, 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.
Daytime Observing Your Celestron telescope works well as a terrestrial spotting scope. When not used to examine objects in the night sky, it can be used to study objects here on Earth. WARNING ! NEVER POINT YOUR TELESCOPE AT THE SUN UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER SOLAR FILTER. PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE MAY RESULT AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO YOUR TELESCOPE. ALSO, NEVER LEAVE YOUR TELESCOPE UNATTENDED DURING A DAYTIME OBSERVING SESSION, ESPECIALLY WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT. 1.
Using the example we started with above, we can determine the field of view using the same 10mm eyepiece. The 10mm eyepiece has an apparent field of view of 46°. Divide the 46° by the magnification, which is 200 power. This yields an actual field of .2°, or a little less than a quarter of a degree. For terrestrial viewing, field size is often referred to as feet at a thousand yards. To convert this to feet at one thousand yards, multiply the actual field of .2° by 52.5. This produces a field width of 10.
CHAPTER 6 - ASTRONOMY BASICS This section deals with observational astronomy in general. It includes information on the night sky, polar alignment and using your telescope. 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. The celestial coordinate system has poles, lines of longitude and latitude, and an equator.
Motion of the Stars Like the Sun, the stars also appear to move across the sky. This motion is caused by the Earth's rotation. For observers in the northern hemisphere, all stars appear to move around the north celestial pole. For observers in the southern hemisphere, all stars appear to move around the south celestial pole. This means that over a 24-hour period, any given star will scribe out a complete circle around its respective celestial pole.
Polar Alignment (with Wedge) In order to do astrophotography, your Ultima 2000 requires an optional equatorial wedge. Ultima 2000’s have built-in drive motors designed specifically for tracking. Then you need to set the telescope’s axis of rotation so that it tracks in the right direction. Since the motion of the stars across the sky is caused by the Earth's rotation about its axis, the telescope's axis must be made parallel to the Earth's.
Finding the 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.
Latitude Scales The easiest way to polar align a telescope is with a latitude scale, which should be located on the wedge. Unlike other methods that require finding the celestial pole by identifying certain stars near it, this method works off of the fact that you know the latitude of the site you are observing from and you know which direction is North. If you know your latitude, then you know how high the pole is above the Northern Horizon.
Pointing at Polaris This method uses Polaris as a guidepost to the celestial pole. Since Polaris is less than a degree from the celestial pole, you can simply point the polar axis of your telescope at Polaris. Although this is by no means perfect alignment, it does get you within one degree. Unlike the previous method, this must be done in the dark when Polaris is visible. Figure 6-6 1. Set the telescope up so that the polar axis is pointing north. 2. Move the telescope to its downstop position.
Declination Drift 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.
will need two optional parts. The first is the illuminator (#60001) which, among other things, illuminates the cross hairs of the finder. The second thing you are going to need is a Polaris Setting Plate (#60121). This accessory indicates the position of Polaris relative to the celestial pole. Prior to using the finder for polar alignment, it must be aligned with the telescope. To polar align: • Wait until it is dark enough to see Polaris with the naked eye.
CHAPTER 7 - PROCEDURES This chapter is basically a list of procedures for operating the Ultima 2000. The procedures are grouped into three sections, Drive System, Alignment, and Pointing. Each of these sections give examples of procedures applicable to the section. Drive System Turning the Tracking On and Off There are two basic ways a telescope can track the sky, Equatorial tracking and Altazimuth tracking. The Ultima 2000 can track both ways.
Changing Slewing Speeds (Button Speed ON) Here are some examples of how to change the slewing speeds when BTN SPD is turned ON. The BTN SPD option allows the display to jump to the SPEED menu any time a diamond button is pressed. When the diamond button is released, the display returns to its last location. This allows you to change SPEED easily.
Press UP Change SPEED to FINDER rate. Press the right Diamond button. Press UP The telescope moves at 2 degrees per second. This leaves SPEED at FINDER but temporarily causes the telescope to move at SLEW speed. Change SPEED to PHOTO. Press UP Change SPEED to 2 X SDRL. Hold down the right Diamond Button and then press the left button simultaneously. This leaves SPEED at 2 X SDRL but temporarily causes the telescope to move at CENTER speed. Change SPEED to CENTER.
Determining the Altitude Backlash Compensation All drive systems using gears have some amount of backlash. For astrophotography or CCD imaging, this backlash can be a problem. Backlash appears to the user as the time period for which an object in the eyepiece does not move even though the motor is driving. At CENTER speed (which is the fastest speed the tracking motors run) it takes about 1-2 seconds to traverse the backlash dead zone. At 2 X SDRL speed it would take 3-6 seconds to traverse the dead zone.
Press ENTER Enter into the POSITION menu. RA DEC Press DOWN Press ENTER Point the tube upward until the altitude display reaches a maximum value. Scroll down to the TELESCOP setting. Relative telescope positions are displayed. The bottom number is the altitude axis. About +090 is straight up relative to the forks. The actual number will be +089.???. TELESCOP 174.96 -088.85 189.83 +089.47 The value will not actually be +90º.
Alignment There are several different ways to align the Ultima 2000 to the sky. The most popular way is a two star alignment with the telescope in the Alt-Az configuration. Here are some methods of aligning the Ultima 2000. SKY - Two Star Alignment This is the most popular and the quickest method. It is easiest if you turn the tracking to OFF then after the alignment, turn the tracking back on. Do this under the SETUP menu.
BUTTON or ACTION NOTES DISPLAY Polar align the telescope using declination drift method. (see chapter, Astro Basics) Start at the ALIGN menu. See the Polar Alignment section of the chapter Astronomy Basics. NA Press ENTER Press ENTER Entered into the ALIGN menu and the message “INITIALIZING” scrolls across followed by the prompt to set the azimuth downstop. Initialized the encoder downstop position for azimuth. Enter into the ALIGN menu. Press UP Scroll to the EQ NORTH menu.
In some cases you may want to override this procedure. If so, here is how to use the CHANGE option in the ALIGN menu. For this example, let’s assume the telescope is aligned to Spica and Regulus and you want to replace Regulus with Arcturus. BUTTON or ACTION NOTES Start at the ALIGN menu. Press DOWN twice. Press ENTER and use the UP/DOWN buttons to find NAMED STAR CATALOG. Press MENU and UP twice. Make sure we are in the NAMED STAR CATALOG. Scroll to NAMED STAR Scroll to the ALIGN menu.
Press ENTER Press ENTER Press ENTER Press ENTER Use the UP/DOWN buttons to scroll through the list of alignment stars. (example: ALTAIR - press DOWN nine times) Move and center telescope on alignment star and press ENTER. Press ENTER Press ENTER Wait 5 to 10 minutes Center the telescope on the same alignment star and Press ENTER Press Enter A few seconds pass. Entered into the ALIGN menu and the message “INITIALIZING” scrolls across followed by the prompt to set the azimuth downstop.
EARTH - Terrestrial Alignment The Ultima 2000 can be used as a spotting scope on terrestrial objects. It is possible to align to objects of interest so you can slew back and forth between them. Say you are looking at two different bird nests, you can align to them and automatically slew back and forth between them. You can define terrestrial objects in the NEW Catalog and then slew between them.
Press Menu, Press DOWN 2X, Press ENTER. Press ENTER, Press ENTER, Press UP. Press ENTER, Press ENTER. Find another object and center it in the telescope. Press ENTER Press the MENU button and go back to the ALIGN menu. Press ENTER Press ENTER Press ENTER Enter into the CATALOG menu. NEW01 Change to a different NEW object, for this example NEW02. This allows you to set the coordinates to the position the telescope is pointed. Set the coordinates to the NEW position. Enter into the ALIGN menu.
Move the telescope to the object you previously defined as NEW01. Center it in the eyepiece. Press ENTER, Press ENTER Move the telescope to another previously defined NEW object. Let’s say NEW03. Press ENTER Press UP 2X Press ENTER Press MENU EARTH NEW01 Perform an align operation on NEW01. Enter into the EARTH option. Choose the NEW object you want to align to. Perform an align operation on the NEW object. Return to the main menu.
maximum value before 90º then start counting down again. The maximum value is the position you should use for polar aligning. You will also notice that when you move the telescope in altitude, the azimuth display will change slightly. This is also due to the computer compensating for the mechanical characteristics of the telescope. Pointing GO TO Command This is the command that tells the telescope to slew to an object. To use this command, the telescope needs to be previously aligned.
• • • • • • • Turn the telescope and hand control ON. Turn Tracking OFF Set SPEED to CENTER. Press the right Diamond button until the blinking light changes to 2 times a second. Now the azimuth is in EER. Press the UP button until the light stops blinking. Now both axis are in EER. Move azimuth by hand. Notice the light starts blinking at two times a second again. Now azimuth has been taken out of EER. Move the altitude by hand and the light will start blinking once per second.
CHAPTER 8 - CELESTIAL OBSERVING With your telescope set up, you are ready to use it for observing. This section covers visual observing for both solar system and deep sky objects. Observing the Moon In the night sky, the Moon is a prime target for your first look because it is extremely bright and easy to find. 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.
For safe solar viewing, use a Celestron solar filter. This filter reduces the intensity of the Sun's light, making it safe to view. With this filter you can see sunspots as they move across the solar disk and faculae, which are bright patches seen near the Sun's edge. Be sure to cover the lens of the finder or completely remove the finderscope when observing the Sun. This will ensure that the finderscope itself is not damaged and that no one looks through it inadvertently.
Seeing Seeing conditions refer to the stability of the atmosphere and directly affects the amount of fine detail seen in extended objects. The air in our atmosphere acts as a lens which bends and distorts incoming light rays. The amount of bending depends on air density. Varying 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.
CHAPTER 9 - PHOTOGRAPHY Note: All the different types of photography described in this chapter will require the use of an optional wedge for polar aligning the telescope. Celestial Photography 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 Celestron telescope.
Figure 9-1 With your camera attached to the telescope, you are ready for prime focus photography. Start with an easy object like the Moon. Here's how to do it: 1. Load your camera with film that has a moderate-to-fast speed (i.e., ISO rating). Faster films are more desirable when the Moon is a crescent. When the Moon is near full, and at its brightest, slower films are more desirable.
The exposure times listed in Table 9-1 should be used as a starting point. Always make exposures that are longer and shorter than the recommended time. Also, take a few photos at each shutter speed. This will ensure that you will get a good photo. If using black and white film, try a yellow filter to reduce the light intensity and to increase contrast. Keep accurate records of your exposures.
• Konica 3200 (color print) • Fujichrome 1600D (color slide) • 3M 1000 (color slide) • T-Max 400 (black and white print)\ As you perfect your technique, try using specialized films that are designed or specially treated for celestial photography. Here are some popular choices: • Ektar 125 (color print) • Tech Pan, gas hypered (black and white print) • Fujichrome 100D (color slide) • T-Max 400 (black and white print) As with all forms of photography, keep accurate records of your work.
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. Don't forget to take photos of varying duration and keep accurate records of what you have done.
Effective f# or f-ratio The effective f# can be found by this equation: E . F .# = E . F . L. Dp where E.F.L. is the effective focal length, Dp is the diameter of the primary mirror and E.F.# is the effective f-ratio. Make sure you are consistent with units. Use millimeters or inches, not both. Long Exposure Prime Focus Photography This is the last form of celestial photography to be attempted after others have been mastered. The telescope must be polar aligned on a wedge.
9. Insert an illuminated reticle eyepiece into the radial guider. 10. Find a suitable guide star in the telescope field. Do this by rotating the guider and adjusting the prism. This can be the most time consuming process. 11. Open the shutter using a cable release. 12. Monitor your guide star for the duration of the exposure using the buttons on the hand controller to make the needed corrections. Don't forget to use the PEC function. 13. Close the camera's shutter.
CCD IMAGING Fastar Lens Assembly Option -- Using your Ultima 2000 telescope at f/1.95 with optional PixCel CCD Camera Your Ultima 2000 telescope is equipped with a removable secondary mirror that allows you to convert your f/10 telescope into an f/1.95 imaging system capable of exposure times 25 times shorter than those needed with a f/10 system! Used with Celestron's PixCel CCD System, objects will be easily found due to the ultra-wide 2/3• by 1/2• field of view provided.
Description of F-numbers The F/# stands for the ratio between the focal length and the diameter of the light gathering element. A standard C8 has a focal length of 80 inches and a diameter of 8 inches. This makes the system an f/10, (focal length divided by diameter). When the secondary is removed and the CCD is placed at the Fastar position, the system becomes f/1.95, this is unique to Celestron telescopes (see figures below).
Fastar Configurations The following is a brief description of the advantages of imaging at each f-number configuration and the proper equipment needed to use the telescope in any of its many settings. Refer to Figure 9-7 for a more detailed description of the accessories offered for each configuration. Imaging at f/1.95 As stated above, the exposure times are much shorter at f/1.95 then at f/6.3 or f/10. The field-of-view is wider, so it is easier to find and center objects.
that you may not need to guide the exposure at all. For f/6.3 imagining the optional f/6.3 Reducer/Corrector is needed. (see Optional Accessory section at the end of this manual). Imaging at f/10 (Lunar or small planetary nebulae) f/10 imaging is more challenging for long exposure, deep sky imaging. Guiding needs to be very accurate and the exposure times need to be much longer, about 25 times longer than f/1.95. There are only a select few objects that work well at f/10.
Figure 9-7 - Accessory Configurations for Fastar Compatible Telescopes 1 Optical Tube Assembly 12 Pulstar Illuminator 2 Secondary Mirror 13 Illuminator (Microguide Eyepiece only) 3 Secondary Mirror Retaining Ring 14 Reducer/Corrector f/6.
CHAPTER 10 - TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE While your Ultima 2000 telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs optimally. Care and Cleaning of the Optics Occasionally, dust and/or moisture may build up on the corrector plate of your Ultima telescope. Special care should be taken when cleaning any instrument so as not to damage the optics.
Figure 10-1 A collimation pattern (left) of a slightly out of focus star shows concentric rings. An example of an out of collimation system (right) is shown by non symmetric rings that flare out to one side. To check the collimation of your telescope you will need a light source. A bright star near the zenith is ideal since there is a minimal amount of atmospheric distortion. Turn your telescope drive on so that you won't have to manually track the star. If you are not using the clock drive, use Polaris.
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES The following is a partial list of optional accessories that can be used with your Ultima 2000 telescope: AC Adapter - 110V - 60Hz (#18770) - The AC Adapter allows you to run your Ultima 2000 telescope off of AC rather than the standard DC batteries. Accessory Case (#93500) - This rugged ABS plastic case is designed for carrying a few accessories. Inside is foam padding that is die cut to l x l inch squares. These squares can be removed to accommodate accessories with a custom fit.
Eyepieces - Like telescopes, eyepieces come in a variety of designs. And, with the advent of different eyepieces, Celestron also has a variety of designs each with its own advantages and disadvantages. For the 1-1 /4" barrel diameter there are four different eyepiece designs available. • SMA - Super Modified Achromat. Good quality at an economical price. Models available are a 25mm, 12mm, 10mm and a 6mm. • Plossl - Plossl eyepieces have a 4-element lens system designed for low-to-high power observing.
Micro Guide Eyepiece(#94171) - This multipurpose illuminated 12.5mm reticle can be used for guiding deep-sky astrophotos, measuring position angles, angular separations, and more. The laser etched reticle provides razor sharp lines and the variable brightness illuminator is completely cordless. The Micro Guide eyepiece produces 163 power when used with this telescope. Piggyback Mount (#93598) - The best way to enter the realm of deep-sky photography is via the piggyback method.
Solar Filter (#94162) - The Celestron Solar Skreen® solar filter permits direct observation of the Sun in complete safety. This filter, which transmits .001% of visible light, allows you to see sunspots as they move across the solar disk. In addition to reducing the intensity of the Sun's visible light, it also blocks 99.999% of invisible infrared light. The Celestron Solar Skreen solar filter is made of precision engineered Mylar polyester film.
Appendix A Data Base Star Information APPENDIX A - DATA BASE STAR INFORMATION Alignment Star List Name Greek Constellation hms deg min sec V Type Achernar Albireo Aldebaran Alphard Alpha Centauri alpha beta alpha alpha alpha Eri Cyg Tau Hya Cen 1 37 42.9 19 30 43.1 4 35 55.2 9 27 35.2 14 39 36.7 -57 14 12 27 57 35 16 30 33 -8 39 31 -60 50 02 0.5 3.1 0.9 2.0 0.0 star dbl col dbl red star Alpheratz Altair Antares Arcturus Betelgeuse alpha alpha alpha alpha alpha And Aql Sco Boo Ori 0 08 23.
Appendix A Data Base Star Information Constellation Abbreviations Abbreviation Constellation Abbreviation Constellation Abbreviation Constellation AND ANT APS AOL AQR ARA ARI AUR BOO CAE CAM CAP CAR CAS CEN CEP CET CHA CIR CMA CMI CNC COL COM CRA CRB CRT CRU CRV Andromeda Antilia Apus Aquila Aquarius Ara Aries Auriga Bootes Caelum Camebpardalis Capricomus Carina Cassiopeia Centaurus Cepheus Cetus Chamaeleon Circinus Canis Major Canis Minor Cancer Columba Coma Berenices Corona Australis Corona Borea
Appendix A Data Base Star Information List of Named Object Catalog Here is the list of all the objects under the NAMED OBJECTS menu.
Appendix B Ultima 2000 Communication Protocol APPENDIX B - ULTIMA 2000 COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL You can control the Ultima 2000 telescope with a PC. You use Terminal under the Accessories Menu in Windows. The settings needed to allow your computer to communicate to the telescope through Terminal are shown in the figure below. Communication with the telescope is via an RS-232 port running at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, and no flow control.
Appendix B Ultima 2000 Communication Protocol Commands The commands all start with a capital letter indicating the type of request, and then any data necessary for the request. All letters must be upper case. To activate a command press return. To nullify a command, press the “delete” button on the computer keyboard. So, if you partially type in a command and decide you made a mistake, press “delete” and a new line will appear but the command will not be sent to the telescope.
Appendix B PCGOTOCUR PCGOTORADEC PCNMLTRACK PCRADEC PCSETALTAZ PCSETCUR PCSLEWQUERY PCTELESCOPE Ultima 2000 Communication Protocol accurization algorithm to the specified coordinates to provide high all-sky pointing accuracy. Slew the telescope to the current object Slew to specified RA/DEC. The command is “R” followed by the RA 16-bit angle (34AB) and the DEC 16-bit angle (12CE) Have the telescope go to alt/az tracking Return the current RA and DEC. RA is first. These are 16-bit angles.
Appendix C - Technical Specifications APPENDIX C - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Optical Specifications Design Aperture Focal Length F/ratio of the Optical System Primary Mirror Figure: Diameter: f/ratio: Radius of Curvature: Material: Coatings: Secondary Mirror Figure: Diameter: Radius of Curvature: Material: Coatings: Central Obstruction Corrector Plate Figure Material Thickness Coatings Highest Useful Magnification Lowest Useful Magnification (7mm exit pupil) Resolution: Rayleigh Criterion Dawes Limit Photog
Appendix C - Technical Specifications Mechanical Specifications AZM Drive System Tracking Motor Slewing Motor ALT Drive System Tracking Motor Slewing Motor AZM Tracking Gear Number of Teeth Type Pitch Diameter Final Gear Ratio ALT Tracking Gear Number of Teeth Type Pitch Diameter Final Gear Ratio AZM Slewing Gear Number of Teeth Type Pitch Diameter Final Gear Ratio ALT Slewing Gear Number of Teeth Type Pitch Diameter Final Gear Ratio Time for AZM worm to rotate one revolution at sidereal rate.
Appendix C - Technical Specifications Shipping Information Shipping Dimensions Telescope Box Tripod Box Accessory Box Shipping Weights Telescope Accessories Tripod 21” x 15” x 30” 18” x 16” x 37” 12” x 8” x 4” 53 Lbs. 5 Lbs. 26 Lbs. Electronic Specifications Input Voltage Maximum Minimum Batteries Required Power Supply Requirements 104 12 VDC Nominal 18 VDC Max. 8 VDC Min.
Appendix D - Autoguide Pin Out APPENDIX D - CCD AUTOGUIDE PIN OUT For long exposure astrophotography, you can use an auto guider to guide the exposure for you. The telescope should be on the optional wedge and polar aligned. Here is the pin layout for the jack on the drive base labeled GUIDE. Below is a diagram of the jack and pertinent information needed to attach a CCD autoguider.
Appendix E - Operational Tips APPENDIX E - OPERATION TIPS Setting the backlash compensations for an auto guider HAND CONTROL RESPONSE The Ultima 2000 has a unique user programmable anti-backlash feature. Due to the enormous gear reductions required for Alt-Az tracking and also the fact that direction changes are required, a high speed crossover and dead zone centering feature is supplied.
Appendix E - Operational Tips When you place your diagonal in a position (i.e. upright, or to the left 20º, or to the right 45º, etc..) for observing, it introduces some amount of cone angle in the altitude direction. This does not matter unless you rotate the diagonal. When you rotate the diagonal, some component of the altitude cone angle is transferred to azimuth. So when you align the telescope to your alignment stars, don’t change the position of the diagonal.
Glossary GLOSSARY 16-bit This is the resolution of the software of the Ultima 2000. 16-bit resolution gives 216 discrete integers for the software to calculate the transformation from RA/DEC to Alt-Az. Airy Disk The central bright spot in the focused diffraction pattern of an optical system. A star focused in a telescope forms a diffraction pattern rather than a point. The diffraction pattern looks like a central bright spot with a series of rings around it which are successively less bright.
Glossary Backlash Dead Zone Gears in telescope have some amount of play. The dead zone refers to the time it takes for the gears to traverse the play. This is seen in the eyepiece as a period when the telescope does not move even though the motors have been activated. It is most noticeable when the direction of the motor is changed. CCD Abbreviation for charge-coupled device. An electronic imaging device widely used in astronomical applications.
Glossary Field Rotation This is when the star images in a field of view of some device rotate about the center of the field. This occurs when you have a telescope that is tracking the sky and is not polar aligned. At the celestial equator, this effect is minimized. At the celestial poles this effect is maximized. The Ultima 2000 will exhibit field rotation when you are using it in the Alt-Az configuration. Focal Ratio, f# The ratio of the focal length to aperture.
Glossary Resolution 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 as shown by the equation, . •λ D θ = 122 where θ is the resolution of the system, in radians, λ is the wavelength of light, and D is the diameter of the objective lens. Right-Ascension (RA) This is like the terrestrial longitude system extended onto the sky.
THE SKY MAPS The sky is dynamic and appears to change from month-to-month, night-to-night, and even hour-to-hour. This is caused by the Earth moving around the Sun and the Earth rotating on its axis. On the following pages are sky maps for each month of the year. The first, although showing January, can be used at other times throughout the year and night. Below each map is the time the particular map can be used. You will notice that on the January map it says, Early December.........................
CELESTRON ONE YEAR WARRANTY A. Celestron International (CI) warrants this telescope to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year. CI will repair or replace such product or part thereof which, upon inspection by CI, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship. As a condition to the obligation of CI to repair or replace such product, the product must be returned to CI together with proof-ofpurchase satisfactory to CI. B.
Celestron International 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212-5835 Copyright 1997 Celestron International All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.) Item# 11010-I 03-98 Price $10.
