Meade LX70 Operating Instructions
Contents
1. you can now view thru the polar scope at a distant terrestrial target 3 Look through the polar viewfinder and notice the reticle pattern see figure 6 Note some reticle patterns may appear different but the alignment procedure is identical If the reticle is not in focus rotate the focus ring fig 5 11 until the reticle pattern is sharp 4 Adjust the mount and tripod so the polar axis is pointing at a distant terrestrial object The further the target the more accurate the alignment 5 Placing the reticle center cross hair over the target unlock the RA and rotate the RA axis 180 degrees from one side of the mount to the other see figure 3A amp 3B Re lock the RA axis If the polar scope is not aligned with the mount s polar axis the target will move off center See figure 4A amp 4B and the reticle adjustment screws see fig 5 9 will need to be adjusted 6 To adjust the polar scope so the target does not move off the reticle cross hair slightly loosen the reticle adjustment screw which is closest to the cross hair and opposite of the movement You then need to tighten the adjustment screw on the side closest to the target Notice that a small turn of each screw will result in a large movement of the reticle Only adjust the screws to correct for half the movement off the cross hair at a time moving the target approximately halfway to the center of the reticle NOTE The reticle adjustment screws work in a push pu2. Scope Now that the polar scope is aligned to the polar axis and dial indicators properly calibrated the polar scope is ready for use in obtaining a precise polar alignment 1 At night fully assemble your LX70 and point it to True North 2 Remove both polar scope front and rear covers See figure 1 3 Rotate DEC to 0 perpendicular to the mount so you can view through the polar axis 2015 Meade Instruments Corp reserves the right to change product specifications or to discontinue proudct without notice 14 9282 00 Rev 0 Reference Time Zone Meridian 50 West 75 Wes co Wes Figure 9 Reference time zone meridians for the USA 4 Unlock the RA axis and rotate it so the current time on the RA setting circle fig 5 3 is aligned with the current date on the calendar dial fig 5 4 Note all times are in standard time and daylight saving times should not be used Lock the RA Remember the top row of numbers on the RA setting circle are for Northern Hemisphere users The bottom row of numbers on the RA setting circle are for Southern Hemisphere users 5 For Northern Hemisphere Move the telescope mount using the azimuth and latitude controls until Polaris the North Star is placed within the Polaris reference circle on the reticle If done correctly the reference stars in the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia should be in the same orientation as the markings in the polar scope The center cross hair denotes the locatio
3. 1 Unlock the RA setting circle locking screw fig 5 1 and position the RA setting circle dial fig 5 3 until the O mark is aligned with the RA set ting circle indicator fig 5 2 Re tighten the locking screw 2 Look through the polar scope and note the reticle cross hair Unlock the RA axis and rotate the RA until Polaris is at the bottom of the polar scope field of view as shown in figure 6 Re lock the RA axis 3 Now adjust the calendar dial fig 5 4 so the large line between the 10 amp 11 is aligned with the mount RA indicator see fig 7 Note The calendar dial is numbered 1 12 with the longest lines separat ing the months The short lines are two days apart and medium sized lines are ten days apart 4 With the RA in this position the Longitude offset scale indicator fig 5 6 needs to be aligned with the O mark on the Calendar dial fig 5 4 If it is not aligned with the calendar dial O mark use a tiny flat head screwdriver user supplied to loosen the Longitude indicator locking set screw and align the marks Tighten the screw when aligned When com plete the reference dials should appear as in figure 7 The dials and reticle pattern are now adjusted for a specific calendar date and time where Polaris is directly above the North Celestial Pole NCP crossing the meridian This occurs at midnight on November 1st The Po laris mark in the reticle was placed at the bottom of the viewfinder field of vie
4. Operating Instructions The Meade LX70 Polar Scope For use with all LX70 Series Mounts For most telescope observers casual polar alignment is all that is needed which will not require use of the polar finder However for those observers who need to meet the more demanding requirements of astrophotography the polar scope allows the telescope mount to be more precisely aligned with the celestial poles The polar scope contains a reticle pattern which is used in assisting the user in achieving a more accurate polar alignment Installing the Polar Scope 1 Begin by removing the polar axis front and rear covers see figure 1 2 Remove the rear part of polar axis see figure 2 by rotating it counter clockwise This part will not be used 3 Thread in the Meade LX70 polar scope until firmly seated The polar scope is now installed and should remain installed in the mount When fin ished using the polar scope replace the front and rear covers Before the polar scope can be properly used with any precision it must first be calibrated to the mount s polar axis Aligning the Polar Scope to the Polar Axis 1 Set the telescope mount amp tripod up outside in the daytime with the opti cal tube counterweight and counterweight shaft removed 2 Unlock the DEC axis and rotate it to DEC O In this position the optical tube if installed would be at 90 degrees to the mount With the DEC axis in this position and polar scope covers removed
5. ll motion When loosening these screws never loosen more than 1 8 of a turn at a time Doing so could cause the reticle to fall out When one adjustment screw is loosened an adjustment screw on the opposite side should be tightened Do not over tighten or you may damage the reticle 7 Next unlock the RA axis and rotate this axis 180 degrees back to the starting point Re lock the RA axis Repeat steps 4 7 until the target no lon ger moves off the reticle cross hair 8 The polar scope is now properly aligned with the mounts polar axis Calibrating the Dials and Indicators There are several additional parts on the mount and polar scope that need to be calibrated the RA setting circle fig 5 3 Calendar dial scale fig 5 9 A_y Tiea F J y n ia gt ma e igure 3B Position oF Figure 5 Polar Scope Dials i RA setting circle locking screw 2 RA setting circle indicator 3A RA setting circle Northern hemisphere users 3B RA setting circle Southern hemisphere users 4 Calendar dial scale 5 Longitude offset scale 6 Longitude offset scale indicator 7 Longitude indicator locking set screw 8 Assembly set screw not used 9 Reticle adjustment screws 3 10 Polar scope 11 Focusing ri 4 and Longitude offset indicator fig 5 6 All are located adjacent to the polar scope For the part locations of these dials see figure 5 To calibrate the dials and indicators
6. n for the North Celestial Pole NCP It may be helpful to shine a red light over the front of the mount to illuminate the reticle 6 For Southern Hemisphere Move the telescope mount using the azimuth and latitude controls until the four sided figure labeled Octans in the reticle are superimposed on the four star group in the southern night sky The grouping of four stars in Octans Sigma Tau Chi and Upsilon are the closest reference objects near the South Celestial Pole SCP and are often used in obtaining a precise polar alignment It may be helpful to shine a red light over the front of the mount to illuminate the reticle Note Not all pointing positions are possible with the polar alignment reticle as the tripod is a limiting factor as to how far the optical tube and mount can be moved 7 Once the celestial pole is centered tighten the latitude and azimuth adjust ment knobs The mount is now precisely aligned on the night sky Remember to replace the polar scope covers to protect the polar scope X MEADE 27 Hubble Irvine California 92618 800 626 3233 Hi www meade com 2
7. w since the polar scope image is inverted Adjust for Site Longitude Depending on your observing site longitude you may need to further ad just the Calendar dial scale see fig 5 4 to compensate for your site longitude First determine your observing site longitude by looking at a map GPS or the internet You will also need to determine the reference time zone meridian for your time zone For observers in the USA see Figure 9 This can also be found using the internet Once both values are known subtract your site longitude from the reference time zone meridian to determine the longitudinal offset needed Reference Time Zone Meridian Observing Site Longitude Longitudinal Offset If the longitudinal offset is a positive value you re East of the reference meridian If the longitudinal offset is a negative value you re West of the reference meridian For example The longitude in Irvine California is 117 82 West The reference time zone meridian for the Pacific Time zone is 120 120 117 82 2 18 East To compensate for this longitudinal offset the Calendar dial scale fig 5 4 will be adjusted Note each line on the longitude offset scale is 5 apart Therefore the longitudinal offset scale should be adjusted to 2 2 East between the 0 mark and first line left of the O mark see figure 8 Do not change this longitudinal offset unless your observing sites differ significantly in longitude Using the Polar
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