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Planets - All 8 planets in our Solar System plus the Moon.
Stars – A compiled list of the brightest stars from the SAO catalog.
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
Common name listing of the brightest stars in the sky.
Named Objects
Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the most popular deep
sky objects.
Double Stars
Numeric-alphabetical listing of the most visually stunning
double, triple and quadruple stars in the sky.
Variable Stars
Select list of the brightest variable stars with the shortest
period of changing magnitude.
Asterisms
A unique list of some of the most recognizable star
patterns in the sky.
CCD Objects
A custom list of many interesting galaxy pairs, trios and
clusters that are well suited for CCD imaging with the
NexStar telescope.
IC Objects
A complete list of all the Index Catalog deep-sky objects.
Abell Objects
A complete list of all the Abell Catalog deep-sky objects.
5. Info: Displays coordinates and useful information about objects selected from the NexStar database.
6. Tour: Activates the tour mode, which seeks out all the best objects for the current date and time, and
automatically slews the NexStar to those objects.
7. Enter: Pressing Enter allows you to select any of the NexStar functions and accept entered parameters.
8. Undo: Undo will take you out of the current menu and display the previous level of the menu path. Press Undo
repeatedly to get back to a main menu or use it to erase data entered by mistake.
9. Menu: Displays the many setup and utilities functions such as tracking rate and user defined objects and many
others.
10. Scroll Keys: Used to scroll up and down within any of the menu lists. A double-arrow will appear on the right
side of the LCD when there are sub-menus below the displayed menu. Using these keys will scroll through those
sub-menus.
11. Rate: Instantly changes the rate of speed of the motors when the direction buttons are pressed.
12. RS-232 Jack: Allows you to interface with a computer and control the NexStar remotely.
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This section describes the basic hand control procedures needed to operate the NexStar. These procedures are grouped into
three categories: Alignment, Setup and Utilities. The alignment section deals with the initial telescope alignment as well as
finding objects in the sky; the setup section discusses changing parameters such as tracking mode and tracking rate; finally,
the last section reviews all of the utilities functions such as the slew limits, PEC and backlash compensation.
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In order for the NexStar to accurately point to objects in the sky, it must first be aligned to two known positions (stars) in
the sky. With this information, the telescope can create a model of the sky, which it uses to locate any object with known
coordinates. There are many ways to align the NexStar with the sky depending on what information the user is able to
provide: GPS Align Mode allows the NexStar to acquire all the necessary information needed to point itself to the required
alignment stars; AutoAlign will ask the user to input date and location information in order to locate the alignment stars;
Two-Star Alignment does not require the user to input date and location data, but does require the user to identify and
manually slew the telescope to the two alignment stars. Quick-Align will ask you to input all the same information as you
would for the AutoAlign procedure. However, instead of slewing to two alignment stars for centering and alignment, the
telescope bypasses this step and simply models the sky based on the information given. Finally, EQ North and EQ South
alignments are designed to assist you in aligning the NexStar when polar aligned using an equatorial wedge. Each
alignment method is discussed in detail below.
"Altazimuth" or "Alt-Az" refers to a type of mounting that allows a telescope to move in both altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right)
with respect to the ground. This is the simplest form of mounting in which the telescope is attached directly to a tripod without the use of an
equatorial wedge.
Definition