Steps to Set Up the Celestron 11" Telescope in ALT/AZ Mode


Note that you must be trained by Tammy Smecker-Hane before using the Celestron 11" telescope! It is a complex and expensive piece of equipment that is easily damaged and costly to repair. People who have not been trained should touch neither the drives nor the keypad. 

General Notes:
  1. Scan through menu items using the Up/Down (6/9) arrows at the bottom of the keypad.
  2. Select a menu item by hitting ENTER.
  3. To slew the telescope, hit RATE (at the bottom of the keypad) and then a number, where 1 is the slowest (normal guiding) speed and 9 is the fastest speed.
  4. The higher the focal length of the eyepiece (e.g. 40 mm), the smaller the magnification and the larger the visible field of view are. Most star clusters and galaxies are best viewed with the 26 mm eyepiece (one of which is generally included in the box with the telescope accessories), while objects like Jupiter and Saturn are best viewed with a 13 or 7 mm eyepiece. Larger objects, like the Orion Nebula and some open clusters, are best viewed with the 40 mm eyepiece.
  5. To choose a target (assuming the telescope is aligned), use the "LIST" key and choose from options with up/down and enter, or use keys like "M" to choose a Messier catalog object or "Star" to choose a star by SAO number. Once an object is chosen, hit "ENTER" to slew to the target.

SETUP

  1. Get the tripod reasonably close to level using the level stored in the Meade boxes. Please note that one of the legs may be loose if you do not have it all the way in.
  2. Place the telescope on the tripod. The metal peg should go into the hole in the center of the telescope base.
  3. Get the metal bolts from inside the case and screw them through the tripod into the base (it will require rotating the telescope to align the holes).
  4. Turn know on spreader bar to keep the spreader bar pushed against the legs.
  5. Put finder scope bracket on the telescope using the screws in the plastic bag that also contains the Allen wrench.
  6. Slide the finder scope through the bracket. Align the finderscope so it is pointed in the same direction as the telescope: put the 40 mm eyepiece (widest field-of-view), point the telescope at an object on the horizon, focus it (note: if you remember how many turns and in what direction it took to focus it, then you can undo it and be close to focusing on stars at the start of the night), then adjust the screws on the finder scope until the center of finder scope is centered on the same object as the telescope. 
  7. Plug the power adapter into the socket at the base of the telescope (NOT the main panel socket, which should be taped over) and flip the switch to "1".

 ALIGNMENT

  1. Once the GPS is done linking, choose "Auto Two Star" using the up/down (6/9).
  2. Find a star from the list that you can find in the night sky and hit enter.
  3. Center the star in the finder and hit enter.
  4. Center the star in the eyepiece (may require focusing) and hit enter.
  5. Repeat this for a second star (the telescope should automatically slew pretty close to it).

CLOSING UP

  1. Reverse all the setup directions above, and be sure to PUT THE BOLTS BACK where you found them in the case and the finder scope bracket screws back in the plastic bag.

Written by Erik Tollerud
04/06/09