Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jul 29, 2011 15:20:45 GMT -6
Chicago Telescope owner in search of assistance
I received this nice email today from a Chicago telescope owner, who is in need of assistance to get the best out of it....
Hi Joe,
I need some help setting up my telescope ( a bit embarrassing). I’ve had this scope for over 2 years and have never had the know how to set it up properly. I own a Meade LXD75 SN-8AT Schmidt-Newtonian Telescope with AutoStar (MEAD163-1) and I bought an additional set of filters Meade Series 4000 Eyepiece and Filter Set.
I leave in the city, here in Chicago. I’ve tried to contact a few astro groups but I can’t seem to find any real person to guide me in the right direction. I just ordered a few days ago, a T-mount and a Celestron T Adapter Universal 1 1/4 Inch, so I can use my Olympus E420 cam for astroPhotography. Of course without my GOTO setup properly I can’t do anything serious.
Please I do look forward to any response. At best I need to be put in contact with anyone with good telescope setup knowledge. Cheers, Obi
Obi,
Nothing to be embarrassed about and we all started out somewhere. But it's a shame that astro organizations in the area failed to attend to your request.
The Chicago Astronomer is here to serve all urban astronomers...
Let's take a look at the Meade scope you have...
Meade LXD75 SN-8AT
Focal Length: 812mm. Focal Ratio: f/4. 8x50 Viewfinder, Ultra High Transmission Coatings (UHTC). Optical Tube Construction Schmidt-Newtonian and Schmidt-Cassegrain optics are mounted in precision-machined aluminum cells and mounted in sturdy steel tubes which are baked with highgrade textured enamel paint. The optical tube assembly is closed, reducing air currents inside the tube. This prevents distortion of an otherwise sharp image. Plus, a closed tube significantly helps keep the optics clean. Corrector Lens Fully corrects for spherical aberration and provides pinpoint star images. Water white glass is used in all Schmidt-Newtonian and Schmidt-Cassegrain corrector lenses to maximize light transmission. The use of water white glass results in an increase of light transmission in excess of 10%, as compared to competing telescopes using soda lime glass.
Meade's Schmidt-Newtonian optics yield pinpoint stellar images over an extremely wide field-of-view with only half the coma of standard Newtonians of the same focal ratio.
· Schmidt-Newtonian optics are mounted in precision-machined aluminum cells, which are then mounted in sturdy steel tubes which are baked with high-grade textured enamel paint. The optical tube assembly is closed, reducing air currents inside the tube. This prevents distortion of an otherwise sharp image. Plus, a closed tube significantly helps keep the optics clean.
Schmidt-Newtonian corrector lenses and mirrors are individually figured to create a superior optical system which is renowned for its exquisite smoothness and performance. Premium-grade Pyrex mirrors are used in all Schmidt-Newtonian optical systems, providing exceptional thermal stability versus competing models using standard plate glass.
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Overall, reviews on this scope are good and most owners are happy with it. Although some recommend replacing the focuser, it's still a good solid scope out of the box.
You will need to align the mount/scope to three stars using the #497 autostar handset. Once you do this, then it will slew to any object in the data base. It does take 8 D batteries, and considering the heavy mount, probably necessary, but owners have used stand alone power packs with better success and longevity.
I don't understand if you got some more eyepieces yet, but you will require more than the single 26mm 1.25" eyepiece that comes with the scope. It's a heavy scope for certain, but that also brings stability and a good platform for astrophotography. Many have shot great astro pics with DSLRS.
I had mentioned in my email to you, that you should join the Chicago Astronomer crew in our frequent Star Parties throughout the observation season and we can get you started in tapping the secrets of the cosmos.
