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1. Once the NexStar is powered on the display will read NexStar Ready.Press ENTER to begin alignment.
The first time that the NexStar is used, it will request information to help identify the model of telescope. Once
powered on, the hand control will display the message Select Model
Select ModelSelect Model
Select Model. Use the Up and Down menu keys (10) to
scroll through the different NexStar models. Press ENTER when your NexStar model is displayed on the hand control.
This information will be retained for future use and will not be displayed again. If for some reason the incorrect model
was selected or you wish to use your hand control on a different NexStar model, the Select Model utility feature allows
you to re-select the proper NexStar model from the displayed list (see Select Model later in this section).
2. Use the Up and Down scroll keys to select AutoAlign if it is not already displayed, and press ENTER.
3. The telescope will then ask you to use the direction keys (3) to level the telescope tube and point the front of the
telescope towards north. North can be found by finding the direction of the North Star (Polaris) or by using a
compass. You do not need to point at the North Star, only the north horizon. Alignment only needs to be
approximate, however a close alignment will make the auto alignment more accurate. Once the telescope is in the
north and level position, press ENTER.
4. The hand control display will then ask for the following information:
Location - The NexStar will display a list of cities to choose from. Choose the city from the database that is
closest to your current observing site. The city you choose will be remembered in the hand controls
memory so that it will be automatically displayed the next time an alignment is done. Alternatively, if
you know the exact longitude and latitude of your observing site, it can be entered directly into the
hand control and remembered for future use as well. To choose a location city:
Use the Up and Down scroll keys to choose between City Database and Custom Site. City Database will
allow you to select the closest city to your observing site from a list of either international or U.S. location.
Custom Site allows you to enter the exact longitude and latitude of your observing site. Select City Database
and press ENTER.
The hand control will allow you to choose from either U.S. or international locations. For a listing of U.S.
locations by state and then by city, press ENTER while United States
United StatesUnited States
United States is displayed. For international
locations, use the Up or Down scroll key to select International
InternationalInternational
International and press ENTER.
To display a list of local cities, first select your state from the alphabetical listing (or a list of countries if
International locations was selected) and press ENTER.
Choose the closest city to your location from the displayed list and press ENTER.
Time - Enter the current time for your area. You can enter either the local time (i.e. 8:00), or you can enter
military time (i.e. 20:00).
Select PM or AM. If military time was entered, the hand control will bypass this step.
Choose between Standard time or Daylight Savings time. Use the Up and Down scroll buttons (10) to toggle
between options.
Select the time zone that you are observing from. Again, use the Up and Down buttons (10) to scroll through
the choices. For time zone information, refer to the Time Zone map in the appendix of this manual.
Date - Enter the month, day and year of your observing session. The display will read: mm/dd/yy.
•
If the wrong information has been input into the hand control, the UNDO button will act as a backspace
allowing the user to re-enter information.
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The next time that your NexStar is Auto Aligned, the hand control will automatically display the last location
(either a city or longitude/latitude) that was entered. Pressing the UNDO button will allow you to go back
and select a new city location or longitude/latitude.
Based on this information, the NexStar will automatically select a bright star that is above the horizon and slew towards
it. At this point the telescope is only roughly aligned, so the alignment star should only be close to the field of view of
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