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Min. (Minimum) of Algol is the minimum brightness of the dramatic eclipsing binary star
system, Algol. It is relatively close at a distance of 100 light years. Every 2.8 days during a 10-
hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in apparent magnitude as one of the two stars
passes behind the other. The combined magnitude of the two stars thus dips from +2.1 to a
minimum of +3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden. Autostar calculates
minimum magnitude time at mid-eclipse.
Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the
current year.
Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of
the current year.
Glossary Menu
The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common
astronomical terms and Autostar functions. Access directly through the Glossary menu or
through hypertext words embedded in Autostar. A hypertext word is any word in [brackets],
usually found when using the Autostar Help function or when reading a scrolling message such
as a description of a planet or star. Press ENTER whenever a hypertext word is on screen and
Autostar goes to the glossary entry for that word.
To access directly from the Glossary menu, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the alphabet.
Press ENTER on the desired letter. Scroll to the desired entry and then press ENTER to read
the description.
Utilities Menu
The Utilities menu provides access to several extra features within Autostar, including a
countdown timer and an alarm. The Utilities functions include:
Timer selects a countdown timer. This feature is useful for functions such as astrophotography
and tracking satellites. See
OBSERVING SATELLITES, page 42. To use the Timer, press ENTER,
then choose “Set” or “Start/Stop."
■
Set: Enter the time to be counted down, in hours, minutes, and seconds, then press ENTER.
■ Start/Stop: Activates the timer set previously. Use the Scroll keys to toggle between ON and
OFF. When ON is displayed, press ENTER to activate the timer. When the timer runs out,
four beeps sound and the timer is deactivated.
Alarm selects a time for an alarm signal as a reminder. To use the Alarm, press ENTER, then
choose "Set" or "Start/Stop."
DSX TIPS
Observing Considerations
• Try to pick an observing site away from street and house lights, and car headlights. While
this is not always possible, the darker the site, the better.
• Give your eyes about ten minutes to adjust to the darkness before observing. Give your
eyes a rest from observing every ten or fifteen minutes to relieve eyestrain.
• Try not to use a standard flashlight. Seasoned observers use red LED flashlights or tape red
cellophane over their flashlights for setup and map reading so they don’t have to
continually readjust their eyes to the darkness. Be careful not to shine bright lights if there
are other observers in the area. Never shine a flashlight into a telescope while someone is
observing!
• Dress warmly. It gets chilly when you’re sitting for prolonged periods, even on some
summer nights.
• Practice setting up your equipment during the day or in a lighted area to become familiar
with it before going to a dark site.
• Use your 26mm eyepiece to view terrestrial objects and wider areas of space, such as open
star clusters. Use your higher power eyepieces when you wish to view something up close,
such as craters on the Moon or the rings of Saturn.
• Know your observing site. If you’re going to try out an unfamiliar site, check it out in the
daylight for obstructions and pitfalls.