Meade Telescope 8 LS 8 ACF User Manual

Instruction Manual  
6" LS-6 ACF / 6" LS-6 SC and  
8" LS-8 ACF / 8" LS-8 SC Telescopes  
with AutoStar III Hand Controller  
Firmware version 1.3 and higher  
INDEX  
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CONTENTS  
Landmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30  
Observing Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31  
Terrestrial Observing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32  
Introduction  
The most sophisticated and easiest  
to use telescope ever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3  
Maintenance  
Getting Started  
Basic Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33  
Collimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33  
Inspecting the Optics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35  
Gauging the Movement of the Telescope . . . . . . . .35  
Updating Your LS Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35  
SD Card for Updates and Image Storage. . . . . . . .36  
Assembling the Telescope and using LightSwitch  
Assembling the tripod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5  
Mounting the tripod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6  
Installing the batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6  
Using an AC Adapter or DC Power Cord . . . . . . . . .6  
Attaching Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7  
Telescope is now Fully Assembled . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7  
Powering up the Telescope - LightSwitch  
Meade Customer Service  
How to get in contact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36  
Technology™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8  
Appendix A:  
AutoStar III Handbox – Basic Usage  
Training the Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37  
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9  
Navigating the Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9  
Changing Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10  
Menu Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10  
Scope Info Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10  
Sky Map Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10  
Shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10  
Appendix B:  
Creating User Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38  
Appendix C:  
Basic Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39  
Specications  
LS Key Features  
LS-6 ACF: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41  
LS-6 SC: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42  
LS-8 ACF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43  
LS-8 SC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44  
Telescope  
Key Features identied on the Telescope . . . . . . . . 11  
Key Features Explained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13  
Using the Red-Dot Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15  
Adjusting the Red-Dot Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15  
Declarations  
FCC: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45  
WEEE:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46  
Optional MEADE® Accessories  
Choosing Eyepieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16  
Meade Series 4000 Super Plössl Eyepieces . . . . .16  
Meade Series 5000 Premium Eyepieces . . . . . . . .17  
Power Supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18  
Imagers and related Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18  
Meade Warranty  
One Year Limited Warranty. . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover  
BATTERY SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS:  
AutoStar III Handbox  
• Always purchase the correct size and grade of battery:  
8 x “C-type” Alkaline batteries (ANSI 14A, 14AC/  
IEC LR14).  
• Always replace the whole set of batteries at one time,  
taking care not to mix old and new ones, or batteries of  
different types.  
• Clean the battery contacts and also those of the device  
prior to battery installation.  
• Ensure the batteries are installed correctly with regard to  
polarity (+ and -).  
• Remove batteries from equipment which is not to be  
used for an extended period of time.  
• Remove used batteries promptly.  
• Never attempt to recharge primary batteries as this may  
cause leakage, re, or explosion.  
Buttons, Display and their functions . . . . . . . . . . . .19  
Menu Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23  
Guided Tour Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24  
Object Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24  
Event Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25  
Take Picture Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25  
Utilities Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26  
Setup Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27  
Advanced LS Features  
Two Star Alt Az Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29  
One Star Alt Az Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30  
Finding objects not in the database . . . . . . . . . . . .30  
® The name “Meade,” “AutoStar”, “LightSwitch” and the Meade  
logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark  
Ofce and in principal countries throughout the world.  
“SmartFinder”, “Deep Sky Imager”, “LS”, and “Tonight’s Best” are  
trademarks of Meade Instruments Corporation.  
• Never short-circuit batteries as this may lead to high  
temperatures, leakage, or explosion.  
• Never heat batteries in order to revive them.  
• Remember to switch off devices after use.  
• Keep batteries out of the reach of children; small  
batteries may be ingested.  
Patents:  
• Seek medical advice immediately if a battery has  
been swallowed.  
Caution: If batteries or parts are swallowed, see a  
doctor immediately.  
US 7,277,223, US 7,079,317, US 7,092,156  
US 6,304,376, US 7,221,527, US 6,922,283  
US 6,392,799  
© 2009 Meade Instruments Corporation.  
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INTRODUCTION  
The LS-6 and LS-8 LightSwitch® Telescopes  
The most sophisticated and easiest to use telescopes ever  
Congratulations on receiving your new LS telescope. You’ll nd that this telescope system has all you need to  
explore the Universe we live in. Meade’s concept was to create a telescope that would be simple enough for  
anyone to use, yet capable enough for the experienced amateur to stretch their knowledge and skills. With the  
most advanced and complete list of features of any telescope, you will have plenty of room to learn and expand  
your interest in astronomy and not out grow your telescope. Here are a few of the features that set the Meade LS  
telescope system apart from all others.  
Ease of Use: LightSwitch Technology is the ultimate in easy setup. Using a combination of optical, mechanical  
and electronic sensors, LightSwitch delivers a telescope ready to start observations without any  
input from the user.  
Optics:  
Your choice of optical systems to meet your needs. Meade’s Schmidt-Cassegrain (SC) optics  
give you high performance for the best possible price. Water-white glass, Ultra-High Transmission  
Coatings (UHTC) and oversized, thermally-stable Pyrex® primary mirrors provide spectacular  
viewing experience not available on comparable competitors’ telescopes. Advanced Coma-Free  
takes all of the features of our SC models and then ups the ante. ACF gives a atter, coma-free  
eld of view with pinpoint images all the way to the edge of the eld, equaling Ritchey-Crétien  
performance. ACF is the perfect solution for the serious astroimager or visual astronomer looking  
for observatory-class optics.  
Mechanics: Strong and stable aluminum castings with large precision worm-gear drives in both axes for smooth  
tracking with low periodic error.  
Computer: AutoStar III handbox gives you complete control of your LS system from the palm of your hand.  
With a database of nearly 100,000 objects, you will never run out of things to explore.  
Multimedia: The Astronomer Inside™ provides audio and video descriptions of the objects you are viewing  
with a wealth of information along with guided tours of the best objects in your sky.  
Imaging:  
The built-in ECLIPS™ CCD Module enables you to take wide-eld digital images of the sky, view  
them real time with an attached video monitor and save them to an SD card without using and  
external computer.  
If you are like us, you can’t wait to get outside under a dark sky to try out your new LS telescope. We have  
provided a Getting Started Guide that will get you up and running in the shortest amount of time possible. After  
your rst experience, please sit down with this manual and read about all the advanced features that are available  
to you with this telescope system. We are condent that the LS will keep you fascinated with the Universe and  
entertained for many years to
Clear Skies,  
The people at Meade  
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GETTING STARTED  
You may want to perform the LS assembly indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and  
operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. This Getting Started Guide assumes  
you are too impatient to read the entire manual rst and want to use your new telescope as quickly as possible.  
Just follow the simple steps below and you will be up and running before you know it.  
It is best to set up the telescope in twilight or before  
sunset the rst time you use it. Take the telescope and  
tripod outside. Set the telescope in a large open area  
where you can see lots of sky. Don’t setup right next  
to a building or a wall. Also try to stay away from large  
metal objects like a car or a metal fence. Make sure the  
ground is stable and is approximately level. It is best  
to set up the scope away from bright nighttime lighting.  
Bright lights will spoil your night vision and impede  
your ability to see the sky. Additionally, it will take the  
telescope longer to align itself if there are too many  
bright lights around.  
Lock-Knob  
Thread in two lock-knobs on each leg (six total)  
Assembling the Tripod  
near the foot of each tripod leg. Use the lock-knobs  
to vary the height of the inner, extendible tripod leg  
sections. Tighten the locks to a rm feel only; do  
not overtighten.  
Spreader Shaft  
End Nut  
Spreader Bar  
Remove the eld tripod from the shipping carton.  
Remove the end nut from the spreader shaft  
Stand the tripod vertically with the tripod feet down  
and with the tripod still fully collapsed. Grasp two of  
the tripod legs and, with the full weight of the tripod  
on the third leg, gently pull the legs apart to a fully  
open position.  
and slide the spreader in between the telescope  
legs. Attach the end nut and hand tighten until the  
telescope legs are held snuggly in the most spread  
position. Position the tripod where you want the  
telescope to be and check that the top of the tripod is  
approximately level.  
5
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Mounting the Telescope  
Center Hub  
Follow the battery  
polarity (orientation)  
as indicated by  
molded icons  
Thumb-Screw  
CAUTION: Use care to install batteries as indicated by  
thebatterycompartment. Followbatterymanufacturer’s  
precautions. Do not install batteries backwards or mix  
new and used batteries. Do not mix battery types. If  
these precautions are not followed, batteries may  
explode, catch re, or leak. Improperly installed  
batteries void your Meade warranty. Always remove  
the batteries if they will not be used for a long period  
of time.  
Take the LS Telescope from its packaging and  
place the entire telescope onto the top of the tripod  
head. Rotate the telescope head slowly until you feel  
the scope register on the center hub of the tripod head.  
Carefully screw the three attachment thumb-screws  
on the bottom of the plate to the base of the tripod.  
Hand tighten the screws so the telescope cannot spin  
or wobble on the tripod head.  
Using an AC Adapter or  
DC Power Cord  
Installing the Batteries  
Power  
Port  
Use only the optional Meade Universal AC Power  
Remove the end cover from the battery  
Adapter (part number 07584 for North America or  
07584F for 220v foreign) with your LS telescope when  
connecting to AC power. It is specically selected to  
provide the quality voltage and current required to  
power and protect the electronics in the telescope.  
Power adapters from other manufactures may cause  
damage and void your warranty.  
compartment exposing the battery tray. Carefully slide  
the battery tray out until it reaches its end stop. Insert  
8 (user supplied) Alkaline “C” batteries into the battery  
compartment. Take care that the batteries + and - ends  
are as indicated in the battery holder.  
Slide the battery compartment back into the telescope  
and re-attach the battery compartment cover.  
Plug the AC plug into a household AC socket  
and the DC plug into the 12v DC jack on the  
telescope panel.  
For external DC power use the optional #607 DC Power  
Cord (part number 07043) to connect to an automotive  
12v DC accessory socket.  
6
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Attaching Accessories  
Your Telescope is now Fully Assembled  
µ
Now remove the dust cover from the front  
of the telescope tube. Be careful not to touch the  
glass lens.  
Be sure the telescope master power switch is in  
the off position. Remove the AutoStar III handbox and  
the coiled interface cable from the packing materials.  
Plug one end into the HNDBX port of the control panel  
and plug the other end into the Handbox port on the  
AutoStar III handbox.  
¸
Next remove the dust cap from the ECLIPS CCD  
Module and put it in a safe place.  
Eyepiece Holder  
Rear Cell Thread  
Dust Cap  
Diagonal Prism  
Powering Up The Telescope  
Remove the dust cap from the rear cell of the  
¹
When night has fallen, approximately 1 hour after  
telescope. Thread the 1.25" eyepiece holder onto  
the rear cell thread. Slide the diagonal prism into  
the eyepiece holder and lock in place by turning the  
thumbscrew to a rm feel. Place the Super Plössl  
26mm eyepiece into the diagonal prism and tighten the  
diagonal prism thumbscrew to a rm feel only.  
sunset, turn on your telescope. Flip the LightSwitch  
on the telescope fork arm to the ON (1) position. The  
copyright message lights on LS’s LCD display.  
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Focus Knob  
Ƹ
After the telescope powers on, you will hear a brief  
introductory message. You can press the “MEDIA” key  
to bypass the introduction if you like.  
If you have attached a video cable from the Video Out  
connection on the telescope to the composite video  
input of a NTSC TV monitor, you will also see graphics  
accompanying the telescope introduction.  
Slew Speeds:  
Speed 9: Fast  
Arrow  
Keys  
'
'
ƺ
At this point look through the eyepiece of the  
Speed 5: Medium  
telescope. You should see some light from the nal  
alignment star but it is probably out of focus. Adjust the  
focus using the knob on the back of the telescope until  
you get a sharply focused star image.  
'
'
Speed 1: Slow  
Number  
Keys  
ƻPressthe“Tours/8keyontheAutoStarandselect  
the “Tonight’s Best” tour by pressing the Scroll Down  
arrowkeyatthebottomoftheAutoStar. Press“ENTER”  
to start the tour of the best objects visible in your sky  
right now. You will hear a brief introduction to the tour  
and then the rst object will be shown on the second line  
of theAutoStar display. If you press “ENTER” to select  
this object, you will hear a description of the object. If  
you press the GoTo key, the telescope will move (slew)  
to put the object in the eyepiece so you can view it  
directly. To move to the next object, press the “BACK”  
key and then the Scroll Down key to move through  
the available objects in the tour. Press “ENTER” to  
select the displayed object. To exit the tour, press the  
Mode” key.  
ƹ
At the end of this message, the telescope will  
immediately start its LightSwitch Automatic Alignment  
procedure. It will take about ve to ten minutes for  
the telescope to orient and align itself. Once it has  
completed the alignment the handbox screen will  
display “Alignment Successful”.  
Ƽ
When you are nished observing for the night,  
replace the dust cover over the end of the telescope  
and the dust cap on the lens of the ECLIPS Module.  
Select “Shutdown” from the main top level menu. After  
the telescope has moved to its storage position and  
the AutoStar displays “Turn Off Telescope”, ip the  
LightSwitch to the OFF (0) position.  
LS TIPS  
“MODE” Key  
The “MODE” Key cycles the telescope through  
its three different modes; Menu Mode, Info Mode  
and Skymap Mode.  
During most telescope operations, pressing  
the “MODE” key will stop the current  
operation.  
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AUTOSTAR III HANDBOX –  
BASIC USAGE  
Now that you have successfully setup and used your LS telescope, it’s time for more information about all the  
capabilities of this amazing optical system.  
The rst step is to familiarize yourself with the AutoStar III handbox operation. The largest keys on the keypad  
are the motion control keys. Most of the time, these keys allow you to move, or slew, your telescope both up and  
down and right and left. Press them now and see how the telescope moves in response to the keys. When the  
telescope initially starts up the scope is set to move at its fastest speed. While this is great for getting close to the  
area you want to see, it is really too fast to get anything positioned into the eyepiece. For that reason, the LS has 9  
distinct speeds.  
To change the telescope’s speed, press the 1/SPEED  
key. You can now select a speed with the scroll up  
and down small arrow keys on the bottom of the hand  
control. When you have the desired speed selected,  
press the “ENTER” key. Alternatively, when the speed  
selection screen is showing, you can just press a  
number 1-9 to select a speed quickly, where 1 is the  
slowest and 9 is the fastest.  
Take a moment and try move the scope around at  
some different speeds.  
Navigating the Menus  
Now that you are starting to get comfortable with the  
basics, lets learn some new keys. The most important  
keys for navigating the menus on you telescope are the  
keys along the top and bottom rows of your AutoStar.  
The two small arrows on the bottom of the key pad,  
allowyoutoscrollthroughthepossiblemenuselections.  
The menu line is at the top of the handbox display and  
the top of the video monitor if connected. The second  
line of the hand control display has the current active  
menu item. If you are looking at a connected video  
display, you will see more menu choices and the active  
selection will be highlighted.  
Key Functions  
“BACK” -  
“ENTER” -  
“GO TO” -  
“SPEED” -  
“FOCUS” -  
return to previous menu.  
select or conrm entry.  
Slew to currently selected object.  
Adjust Slew Speed.  
Optional Electronic focuser. Motion  
pad controls focuser.  
Up/Down scrolls focus speed.  
Up/Dn adjusts media  
volume.  
Control Display contrast,  
brightness.  
Cycles thru Menu -> Scope info ->  
SkyMap -> Menu and aborts  
current operation.  
Toggles media on and off.  
Lookup Caldwell Objects  
Look up Messier Objects  
“VOL”. -  
“DISP” -  
“MODE” -  
“MEDIA” -  
“CALD” -  
“MES” -  
“PLANETS” - Look up planets in our  
solar system  
“STAR” -  
Look up bright stars  
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The “ENTER” and “BACK” buttons on the top of  
the display let you move up and down the menu tree.  
When you press “ENTER” you will select the current  
active menu choice. Pressing “BACK” will move you  
up the menu tree. To get us to the top of the menu  
tree, press “BACK” until “Select Item” is displayed on  
line 1 of the display. This is the top level menu. Use  
the scroll keys to navigate through the choices until  
you nd “Objects”. Press “ENTER”. Now you should  
be able to navigate to “Constellations”. Once you are  
there press “ENTER” again. Now press “ENTER” to  
select “Andromeda”.  
Shortcuts!  
Now lets look at the numeric keypad. Each of the  
number keys does two things. If the telescope is  
requesting input, the number keys allow you to enter  
digits into the telescope. When you are navigating the  
menus they act as shortcuts. Their assignments are  
as follows:  
1. “SPEED”: We have already used this key. It  
allows you to change the slew speed of  
the telescope.  
2. “CALDWELL”: Let’s you look up members  
of a popular group of bright deep sky objects  
that make up the Caldwell Catalog.  
The telescope will now start to tell you the story of  
Andromeda. You can listen to the whole story, or press  
the “MEDIA” key to skip the story and more menu  
choices will appear. If you want to go from the menu,  
“BACK” to the story, just press the “MEDIA” key again  
to restart the story.  
3. “MESSIER”: Let’s you look up some of the  
most famous bright deep sky objects that make  
up the Messier Catalog  
4. “FOCUS”: If you have the optional electric  
focuser on you your telescope you can press  
this key to go to focus mode. Now the arrow  
keys will move the focus in or out.  
A complete tree of the available menu choice is  
contained in gure 6 on page 23 of the manual.  
CHANGING MODES  
Menu Mode  
5. “PLANETS”: Lets you directly lookup  
a planet.  
Up till now we have been exploring the Menu Mode.  
The handbox has several other modes in addition to  
simple menu navigation. You will notice the “0” key is  
also labelled “MODE”. Pressing “MODE” allows you  
to cycle through the telescopes three modes.  
6. “STARS”: Lets you directly lookup  
a
bright stars.  
7. “VOLUME”: Gives you quick access to the  
telescope audio volume control  
8. “TOURS”:Letsyoudirectlyselectaguidedtour.  
(note: to exit a tour at any time hit the  
“MODE” Key.)  
Scope Info Mode  
Press “MODE” now. In Scope Info Mode the scroll keys  
allow you to look at the current time, date, and location  
where the telescope is pointing along with other key  
values about the status of your telescope.  
Now spend a little quality time with the telescope to  
get comfortable navigating its features. When you  
a comfortable, it is time to go out and explore the  
night sky.  
Sky Map Mode  
Press “MODE” again. The hand control display will  
show “Sky Map FOV=45”. In sky map mode an attached  
video monitor shows a planetarium-like map of the sky  
in the area where your telescope is pointed. Use the  
motion keys to move the scope and notice how the  
sky display changes as you move the scope. You can  
zoom the display in or out by pressing the scroll up and  
scroll down buttons.  
10  
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LS KEY FEATURES  
Ƽ
Ƹ
ƺ
¸
ƽ
2&  
Diagonal Eyepiece Holder  
Diagonal Prism  
¸ Telescope Input/Output Panel  
Ƹ ON/OFF LightSwitch  
1.25” Eyepiece Holder  
Eyepiece Holder Thumb Screw  
Eyepiece  
ƺ ECLIPS CCD Module  
Ƽ Red Dot Finder Alignment Screws  
Single Fork Arm Mount  
ƽ Handbox Storage Cradle  
Figure 1: LS Telescope  
11  
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Diagonal Thumbscrew  
Optical Tube Assembly (OTA)  
Focus Knob  
µ
ƻ
µ Integrated Sensor Module  
¹ Dust Cover  
ƹ Battery Compartment  
ƻ Red Dot Finder  
ƾ Mini SD Card Slot  
ƿ USB-A for Future Expansion  
USB-B connector to PC  
Video Output  
2!  
2@  
2#  
2$  
2%  
2^  
Audio Output  
ƹ
Electronic Focuser Jack  
Handbox (HNDBX) Port  
12v Power Input  
ƿ
Figure 2: LS Right Side  
2!  
2@  
¹
2#  
2$  
ƾ
2%  
2^  
Figure 3: LS Front  
12  
Figure 4: LS Connectors  
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Diagonal Holder: Holds the eyepiece in place.  
ƺ ECLIPS CCD Module: The integrated camera  
is part of the system that allows the telescope  
to align itself, and provides you with a wide eld  
imager when a video monitor is attached to  
your telescope.  
Diagonal Prism: provides a more comfortable  
right angle viewing position. Slide the diagonal  
prism directly into the eyepiece holder (Fig. 1, 3).  
1.25" Eyepiece Holder  
ƻ Red Dot Finder: Provides an easy way to sight  
on objects and put them in the telescope’s  
eyepiece.  
Eyepiece Holder Thumb Screw  
Eyepiece: Place the Super Plössl 26mm eyepiece  
into the 90° diagonal prism (Fig. 1, 4) and tighten  
in place with the thumbscrews. The eyepiece  
magnies the image collected in the optical tube.  
Ƽ Red Dot Finder Alignment Screws: Adjust  
these screws to align the Red Dot Finder with  
the telescope’s main optics. See page 15 for  
more information.  
Diagonal Eyepiece Holder Thumbscrew:  
Tightens the eyepiece in place. Tighten to a rm  
feel only.  
ƽ Handbox Storage Cradle: Holds the AutoStar  
handbox in  
a
convenient position on the  
telescope.  
Optical Tube Assembly (OTA): The main  
optical component that gathers the light from  
distant objects and brings this light to a focus for  
examination through the eyepiece.  
ƾ Mini SD Card Slot: Allows standard Mini-SD™  
cards to be used to store images taken with  
the telescope. Can also be used to update the  
application rmware in the telescope.  
Single Fork Arm Mount: Holds the optical tube  
in place and moves it to nd and track objects.  
ƿ USB-A Connector for future expansion  
Focus Knob: Moves the telescope’s primary  
mirror in a nely-controlled motion to achieve  
precise image focus. The LS telescope can be  
focused on objects from a distance of about 25 ft.  
to innity. Rotate the focus knob counterclockwise  
to focus on distant objects, and clockwise to focus  
on nearby objects.  
USB-B Connector to PC: Connects your  
2!  
telescope to a PC computer, so that the telescope  
can be remotely controlled from AutoStar Suite  
software,orothercomputerplanetariumprograms.  
This port can also be used to update the software  
in your telescope, manage custom catalogs, keep  
data on satellites, comets and asteroids current,  
and to download new tours to your telescope.  
µ Integrated Sensor Module: Receives location  
and time information transmitted from Global  
Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Determines  
north and level positions.  
Video Output: This connector allows you to  
2@  
connect the telescope to a NTSC television  
monitor (not supplied). This monitor will display:  
a. Multiple line menus.  
¸ Telescope Input/Output Panel  
¹ Dust Cover: Gently lift out the dust cover from  
the front lens of the telescope. The dust cover  
should be replaced after each observing session  
and the power turned off to the telescope. Verify  
that any dew that might have collected during  
the observing session has evaporated prior to  
replacing the dust cover.  
Ƹ ON/OFF LightSwitch: Turns the LS system  
ON or OFF. The red LED power indicator light  
illuminates when power is on.  
ƹ Battery Compartment: Insert eight ANSI 14A  
(IEC LR14) Alkaline “C-Cell” (user-supplied)  
batteries in compartment. Be sure batteries  
are aligned correctly as shown in the battery  
compartment.  
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b. Images from the ECLIPS camera.  
d. Astronomer Inside videos and images of the  
moon, planets, and deep sky objects  
e. The Video Output can be toggled on/off with the  
9/DISP key.  
Audio Output: This connection will allow  
2#  
you to pass the telescope’s stereo sound to  
external speakers, headphones or and external  
television monitor.  
Electronic Focuser Jack: Plug in the optional  
2$  
Meade Zero Image Shift Micro-Focuser (P/N  
07080) for precision focusing control.  
Handbox (HNDBX) Port: Plug the AutoStar III  
2%  
c. Sky maps of the region where your telescope is  
coil cord (Page 12, Fig. 4, 23) into this port.  
pointed  
12v Power Connector: Provides connection so  
2^  
that the telescope system may be powered from  
either a 12v DC auto cigarette light plug or from a  
standard 115v AC home outlet using the optional  
Meade Universal Power Adaptor. It is important  
that only the Meade Universal Power Adaptor be  
used to power the telescope.  
AutoStar Suite Software: Contains the LS  
2&  
Instruction Manual and a collection of useful  
software including a planetarium program, the  
AutoStar Updater for downloading and upgrading  
the rmware in the telescope, software to  
control the telescope from a computer and other  
programs all designed to enhance your use of the  
LS system.  
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Using the Red-Dot Finder  
Adjusting the Red-Dot Finder  
On/Off &  
Brightness  
Adjustment  
Because your telescope has so much magnication,  
its eld of view is very small. This can make it hard to  
know exactly where your telescope is pointing by simply  
looking at it. To help you point the telescope quickly  
and accurately, for terrestrial targets or when not using  
Auto Alignment and GO TO pointing, the LS has a 1X  
Red-Dot Viewnder.  
The Red-Dot Finder has been aligned at the factory,  
but you may need to touch-up the alignment from time  
to time. To do this, look through the eyepiece of your  
scope and using the hand controller center a distant  
object. Now turn on the Red-Dot Viewnder and adjust  
the brightness so you can see the red dot. Look through  
the sight as pictured above.  
The Red-Dot Finder will aid you in pointing your  
telescope easily. It works much like a ghter pilot’s  
heads-up display. To turn on the Red Dot Finder,  
carefully rotate the power switch until you feel it click  
on. Turning further clockwise will increase the dot  
brightness. Adjust the dot to the minimum brightness  
where it can be easily seen. This will extend its  
battery life and make it easier to see faint stars in the  
background. Look through the nder’s glass window.  
You will see a red dot superimposed on your view.  
Using the direction keys on the handbox, move the  
telescope until the red dot is on the target you want to  
view in the eyepiece. As you get close to your target,  
select a moderately low speed, like speed 5, and move  
the scope to center your target as you look through the  
eyepiece. This a great way to get used to nding the  
movement keys without removing your eye from the  
eyepiece.  
Adjustment  
Screws  
Now, without moving the telescope, adjust the indicated  
thumb screws until you have put the red dot on the  
object at which you were looking. It’s that simple.  
Now use the hand controller to put the laser dot on a  
new target. Check to see that the desired target is in  
the eyepiece.  
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OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES  
Meade makes a complete line of accessories to enable  
you to get the most fun and performance from your LS  
telescope. No matter what you want to accomplish, we  
have the equipment to help you get there.  
(just a little less than 1 degree) eld of view with 59x  
magnication. This is a very good all purpose eyepiece  
for your telescope, but you should consider buying  
additional eyepieces in longer and shorter focal lengths  
to fully realize the potential of the excellent 6" optical  
system in your LS telescope.  
Choosing Eyepieces  
A telescope’s eyepiece magnies the image formed by  
the telescope’s main optics. Each eyepiece has a focal  
length, expressed in millimeters, or “mm.” The smaller  
the focal length, the higher the magnication. For  
example, an eyepiece with a focal length of 9mm has  
a higher magnication than an eyepiece with a focal  
length of 26mm. Experienced users know that higher  
powers are, in general, not as useful as lower powers.  
Many of the objects in the night sky are relatively large  
and faint and look best at low magnications.  
TheSeries4000SuperPlösslEyepiecesareexcellent  
Thepowerormagnicationofatelescopeisdetermined  
by the focal length of the telescope and the focal length  
of the eyepiece being used. To calculate magnication,  
divide the telescope’s focal length by the eyepiece’s  
focal length. For example, a 26mm eyepiece is supplied  
with the LS. The focal length of the 6" LS is 1524mm  
(see SPECIFICATIONS, page 40).  
Telescope Focal Length 1524mm  
Eyepiece Focal Length 26mm  
1524 ÷ 26 = 58.6x  
well corrected 4 element optics at popular prices. They  
come in a wide range of focal lengths to give you the  
right magnication for any type of celestial object you  
are viewing. You can also use one of the Series 4000  
Barlows to double or triple the magnication of a Super  
Plössl eyepiece. These eyepieces have been the  
standard for over 30 years.  
The magnication is therefore 58.6x.  
Low power eyepieces offer a wider eld of view, bright,  
high-contrast images, and long eye relief. To nd an  
object with a telescope, always start with a lower power  
eyepiece such as the Super Plössl 26mm or longer  
focal length. When the object is located and centered  
in the eyepiece, you may wish to switch to a higher  
power eyepiece to enlarge the image as much as  
practical for prevailing seeing conditions or, for many  
objects, the view is best with a high quality low-power  
wide-eld eyepiece.  
Series 4000 Super Plössl Eyepieces  
Focal  
Length  
Apparent  
Field  
Actual  
Field  
Type  
Power  
56.0mm  
40.0mm  
32.0mm  
26.0mm  
20.0mm  
15.0mm  
12.4mm  
9.7mm  
SP 2"  
SP  
SP  
SP  
SP  
SP  
SP  
SP  
SP  
52º  
44º  
52º  
52º  
52º  
52º  
52º  
52º  
52º  
27x  
38x  
1º 55'  
1º 9'  
1º 6'  
53'  
NOTE: Seeing conditions vary widely from night-to-  
night and site-to-site. Turbulence in the air, even on  
an apparently clear night, can distort images. If an  
image appears fuzzy and ill-dened, reduce to a lower  
power eyepiece.  
48x  
59x  
76x  
41'  
102x  
123x  
157x  
238x  
31'  
25'  
Your telescope comes supplied with a Super Plössl  
26mm eyepiece, which gives a wide 53 ARC Minute  
20'  
6.4mm  
13'  
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The Series 5000 Premium Eyepieces represent  
the highest level of eyepiece technology. Featuring  
advanced lens designs with 5, 6 and 7 elements,  
super fully multi-coated lenses and some of the  
widest elds of view available, they provide the user  
with the highest-contrast, pinpoint-sharp images and  
spectacular wide eld views of the heavens. They  
are made to the same high quality standards as the  
primary optics in your LS 6" telescope and allow you  
to get all the performance that the Advanced Coma-  
Free and Schmidt-Cassegrain optical systems were  
designed to deliver. Use a Series 5000 Telextender for  
2, 3 or 5 times the magnication of the eyepiece alone.  
There is even a 2x 2 inch Telextender for the large 2  
inch eyepieces.  
Series 5000 Ultra Wide Angle  
NOTE: 2 inch eyepieces require the optional Series  
5000 2” Enhanced Diagonal with 99% Reectivity  
(product number 07677) and the SC Thread to 2"  
Accessory Adapter (product number 07085).  
Series 5000 Super Plössl  
Series 5000 Eyepieces  
Focal  
Length  
Apparent  
Field  
Actual  
Field  
Type  
Power  
40.0mm 5 EP 2"  
32.0mm 5 EP 2"  
60º  
60º  
60º  
60º  
60º  
60º  
60º  
38x  
48x  
1º 34'  
1º 16'  
1º 1'  
47'  
26.0mm  
20.0mm  
14.0mm  
9.0mm  
5 EP  
5 EP  
5 EP  
5 EP  
5 EP  
59x  
76x  
109x  
169x  
277x  
33'  
21'  
5.5mm  
13'  
Series 5000 Super Wide Angle  
40.0mm SWA 2"  
32.0mm SWA 2"  
26.0mm SWA 2"  
68º  
68º  
68º  
68º  
68º  
68º  
38x  
45x  
54x  
64x  
76x  
95x  
1º 47'  
1º 31'  
1º 15'  
4'  
20.0mm  
15.0mm  
12.4mm  
SP  
SP  
SP  
54'  
43'  
30.0mm UWA 2"  
24.0mm UWA 2"  
82º  
82º  
82º  
82º  
82º  
82º  
82º  
51x  
64x  
1º 37'  
1º 17'  
58'  
18.0mm  
14.0mm  
8.8mm  
6.7mm  
4.7mm  
UWA  
UWA  
UWA  
UWA  
UWA  
85x  
Series 5000 2” Enhanced Diagonal  
109x  
173x  
227x  
324x  
45'  
28'  
22'  
15'  
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Power Supplies  
While the LS telescope will operate with 8 “C” cell  
batteries, you should consider several other power  
optionsthatmightworkbetterforyoursituationandsave  
you money.  
The Meade 3.5 inch LCD monitor integrates fully  
with the LS telescope. Includes all connectors,  
dedicated battery pack (up to 20 hours of usage)  
and integral mounting bracket.  
Universal AC Adapter (07584): This adapter supplies  
a constant regulated 12 volt DC at up to 5 Amps from  
either a standard 115 volt AC or 220 volt AC household  
supply. It is the only tested and recommended AC  
power supply for the LS system.  
Camera Adapters  
#607 DC Power Cord w/ Cigarette Lighter Adapter  
(07043): This adapter allows you to plug into a standard  
automobile 12v DC power socket. It comes with a 25  
foot cord so you can setup far from the car.  
Off Axis Guiders  
Imagers and Accessories  
Focal Reducers  
Accessories at Meade.com. Now you can order all  
these and more accessories or any Meade products  
right from the Meade Web Site www.meade.com and  
it will be shipped right to your door.  
Deep Sky Imagers (DSI)  
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AUTOSTAR III HANDBOX  
“ENTER” Key  
“BACK” Key  
MODE Key  
“GO TO” Key  
Arrow Keys  
Number /  
Shortcut Keys  
Scroll Keys  
“MEDIA” Key  
Coil Cord Port  
µ Coil Cord  
µ
Figure 5: The AutoStar III Handbox  
Tour the Cosmos with Just the  
Push of a Button  
The  
AutoStar III hand controller operates the  
The AutoStar Computer handbox provides control of  
virtually every telescope function. AutoStar III has  
soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The  
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is backlit with a red LED  
(Light Emitting Diode) for easy viewing in the dark.  
The backlit display, key arrangement, and sequential  
database make AutoStar extremely user friendly.  
LS telescope with just a few pushes of AutoStar’s  
buttons. Some of the major features of AutoStar  
III are:  
Automatically move the telescope to any of over  
90,000objectsstoredinthedatabaseormanually  
enter the astronomical coordinates of any  
celestial object.  
2-Line LCD Display: Provides an interface between  
LS and the user.  
Take a guided tour of the best celestial objects to  
view on any given night of the year.  
Top line: Lists the primary category or  
menu item.  
Download the latest satellite data and software  
revisions directly from the Meade website  
LS enthusiasts.  
Bottom line: Contains a menu option or  
additional information about an object or  
subject, depending on which function is  
being performed.  
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Altitude (vertical) and Azimuth (horizontal)  
coordinates .  
“ENTER” Key: Selects the option on the second  
line of the display. When you are looking at  
descriptive object text, “ENTER” will synchronize  
the telescope’s coordinates with the object.  
This is most useful when synching on bright  
stars to achieve better pointing in the vicinity  
of the star. See NAVIGATING THE MENUS,  
page 9 and AUTOSTAR III MENU TREE,  
page 23.  
Local Time and Local Sidereal Time (LST)  
Timer and Alarm Status  
Date  
Site coordinates  
Battery status  
Telescope Serial Number  
Free Memory remaining in the telescope  
Sky Map: Press “MODE” again and the scope  
changes to SkyMap Mode. In this mode, an  
attached video monitor will display a tracking sky  
map, showing the stars and constellations in the  
areatowhichthetelescopeispointed.Pressingthe  
scroll-upandscroll-downkeyswillzoomthemapin  
and out.  
“BACK” Key: Returns to the previous menu or  
data level in the AutoStar database until the top  
level, “Select Item,” is reached.  
NOTE: Pressing “BACK” while in the “Select  
Item” level moves LS to the topmost screen:  
“Select Item: Object.”  
Menu: Press “MODE” again to return to the  
Menu Mode.  
“MODE” KEY: Cycles the telescope through its  
different modes.  
NOTE: During any telescope operation, pressing  
and holding the “MODE” key will stop the current  
operation  
“GO TO” Key: Slews (moves) the telescope to  
the coordinates of the last selected object. While  
the telescope is slewing, the operation may be  
aborted at any time by pressing any key except  
“GO TO”. Pressing “GO TO” again resumes the  
slew to the object.  
From a mode other than the Menu Mode,  
pressing the “BACK” key will return the  
telescope to Menu Mode.  
Scope Info: When in Menu Mode, pressing  
“MODE” changes the telescope into Scope  
Information Mode. Information about the  
telescope’s status displays on the handbox and  
any attached video monitor. When the status  
displays, press one of the Scroll keys (Pg. 19,  
Fig. 5, 7) to display the following information:  
Right  
Ascension  
and  
Declination  
(astronomical) coordinates.  
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Arrow Keys: Slew the telescope in a specic  
direction (up, down, left, and right), at any one  
of nine different speeds. Speed selection is  
explained in “SLEW SPEEDS”, below. The  
following functions are also available with the  
Arrow keys:  
Number Key “1” = 1x  
Number Key “2” = 2x  
Number Key “3” = 8x  
Number Key “4” = 16x  
Number Key “5” = 0.25°/sec  
Number Key “6” = 0.50°/sec  
Number Key “7” = 1.0°/sec  
Number Key “8” = 2.0°/sec  
Number Key “9” = 4.0°/sec  
Moves the telescope – Use the Up and  
Down Arrow keys to move the telescope  
vertically up and down. The Left Arrow key  
rotates  
the  
telescope  
horizontally  
counterclockwise, while the Right Arrow key  
rotates it clockwise.  
Speeds “1”,“3”, or “3” Best used for ne  
centering of an object in the eld of view of  
a higher power eyepiece, such as a 12mm or  
a 9mm eyepiece.  
Data entry – When the scope is prompting  
for user entered data, use the Up and Down  
Arrow keys to scroll through the letters of the  
alphabet and numerical digits. The Down  
Arrow key starts with the letter “A” and the  
Up Arrow key starts with the digit “9.” The  
Left and Right Arrow keys are used to  
move the blinking cursor left and right across  
the LCD display.  
Speeds “4”, “5”, or “6”: Enables centering  
an object in the eld of a low-to-moderate  
power eyepiece, such as the standard Super  
Plössl 26mm.  
Catalog Paging – When the scope is  
presenting long catalogs of information,  
cities, celestial objects, stars, etc…, you can  
move through the list a page (8 items) at a  
time using the up and down arrow keys.  
Speeds “7” or “8”: Best used for rough  
centering of an object in the Red-Dot  
Viewnder.  
Speed “9”: Moves the telescope quickly from  
one point in the sky to another.  
Number Keys: Each number key on the handbox  
serves a dual function. When you prompted to  
enter numerical information, the keys allow you  
to directly enter digits into the handbox. At all  
other times, the numeric keys act as shortcuts to  
frequently accessed places in the menu tree. The  
keys have the follow effec:t  
“2/Caldwell” – instantly brings up the Caldwell  
catalog entry menu, so you can access any  
Caldwell object by its catalog number.  
“3/Messier” – instantly brings up the Messier  
catalog entry menus, so you can access any  
Messier object by its catalog number.  
“4/Focus” – If you have a optional electric  
focuser attached to your telescope, this key will  
change the function of the Arrow keys, to move  
the focuser in and out, rather than to move  
the telescope.  
“1/Speed” – instantly brings up the scope slew  
speed menu so you can change the slew rate of  
the telescope  
Slew Speeds  
LS has nine slew speeds that are directly  
proportional to the sidereal rate (the rate at  
which stars appear to drift across the sky)  
and have been calculated to accomplish  
specic functions. Pressing a Number key  
changes the slew speed, which is shown for  
about two seconds on AutoStar’s display.  
“5/Planet” – instantly brings up the solar system  
object selection menu. So you can quickly locate  
the moon, planets, comets and asteroids.  
“6/Stars” – instantly brings up the star catalog  
selection menu, so you can quickly locate bright  
stars by name, or select stars by their catalog  
index numbers.  
To change the speed, press the 1/Speed.  
Nine available speeds are:  
“7/Volume” – brings up the volume control for the  
built in speaker in your telescope.  
“8/Tours” – instantly brings up the guided tours  
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“9/Display” – Toggles video output between  
on/off.  
“0/Mode” – This key lets you cycle through the  
telescope’s modes, (See the entry above).  
Scroll Keys: Accesses options within a selected  
menu. The menu is displayed on the rst line of  
the screen. Options within the menu are displayed,  
one at a time, on the second line. Press the Scroll  
keys to move through the options. Press and hold  
a Scroll key to move quickly through the options.  
When entering data, the Scroll Down key and  
the Down Arrow key move forward through the  
alphabet & digits (A to Z, 0 to 9). The Scroll Up  
key and the Up Arrow key move backward (Z to  
A, 9 to 0). Common symbols are also available in  
the list.  
Orion Nebula (M42)  
LS TIPS  
Observing Considerations  
“MEDIA” Key: The media key lets you toggle help  
and audio/video descriptions on and off. At any  
time you are navigating the menus, pressing the  
Media Key will start an explanation of the menu’s  
function. If you have selected an object, pressing  
the media key, will tell you more about the object.  
If a media clip is playing, pressing “MEDIA” stops  
the media clip and moves you back to the menu  
or object display.  
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.  
• Try not to use  
a
standard ashlight.  
Experienced observers use red LED  
ashlights, the red utility light on the AutoStar  
III handbox, or tape red cellophane over their  
ashlights to use 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. Do not shine a ashlight into the  
telescope while someone is observing!  
Coil Cord Port: Plug one end of the AutoStar coil  
cord into this port (Pg. 19. Fig. 5, 9) located at the  
bottom of the AutoStar handbox.  
µ Coil Cord: Plug one end of the AutoStar coil cord  
into the HNDBX port (Pg. 12, Fig. 4, 23) of the  
input/output panel of the telescope and the other  
end into the coil cord port (Fig. 5, 9).  
Dress warmly. It gets chilly when you’re sitting  
for prolonged periods.  
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 optional higher power  
eyepieces, such as a 9mm eyepiece, when  
you wish to view something up close, such as  
craters on the Moon or the rings of Saturn.  
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AUTOSTAR III MENU TREE  
Menu  
Mode  
Scope Info  
Mode  
Sky Map  
Mode  
Select Item:  
Scope Info  
Select Item:  
Sky Map (FOV=xx)  
up/down zooms  
RA  
DEC  
AZ  
EL  
Date  
Local Time  
LST  
FOV = 22  
FOV = 31  
FOV = 45  
FOV = 63  
FOV = 90  
Battery  
Near  
LaT  
Lon  
Free Mem  
Ser.  
Version  
Select Item:  
Guided Tour  
Select Item:  
Objects  
Select Item:  
Event  
Select Item:  
Take Picture  
Select Item:  
Utilities  
Select Item:  
Shutdown Scope  
Select Item:  
Setup  
Sunrise  
Sun’s Transit  
Sunset  
Moonrise  
Moon’s Transit  
Moonset  
ET=1.000 Up/Dn  
Solar System  
Moon  
Mercury  
Venus  
Mars  
Jupiter  
Volume  
HBX Brightness  
HBX Contrast  
Night Display  
Sleep Scope  
Parking Scope  
A Star's Life  
How Far is Far  
Tonight's Best  
Align  
Automatic  
Alt/Az 2 Star  
Alt/Az 1 Star  
Terrestrial  
ET=...  
Up/Dn  
Preview Exposure  
Set Contrast  
Shoot + Store  
Dark Calibration  
Preferences  
Moon Phases  
Meteor Showers  
Solar Eclipses  
Lunar Eclipses  
Min. of Algol  
Autumn Equinox  
Vernal Equinox  
Winter Solstice  
Summer Solstice  
Saturn  
Uranus  
Restore Defaults  
Hi Prec. Slews  
Default Alignment  
Mount Type  
Equatorial*  
Alt. Az  
Play Intro Video  
Play Media 1st  
Animated Media  
Time Zone  
Auto Night Vision  
Use GPS  
Neptune  
Pluto  
Asteroids  
Comets  
Constellation  
Andromeda  
Vulpecula  
Deep Sky  
Named Objects  
Messier Objects  
Caldwell Objects  
NGC Objects  
IC Objects  
Galaxies  
Nebulas  
Rev. N/S  
Rev. E/W  
Parking Place  
Max Slew Rate  
Custom Rate  
Calibrate  
Planetary Neb.  
Star Clusters  
Quasars  
Azimuth Drive  
Elevation Drive  
Finder Center  
Black Holes  
Star  
* Future Enhancement  
Named Objects  
Hipparcos Cat.  
SAO Catalog  
HD Catalog  
HR Catalog  
Landolt Stds.  
Gliese Catalogs  
Wash. Dbl. Star  
Multiple  
GCVS (Variables)  
Nearby  
With Planets  
User Catalogs  
Arp Galaxies  
Hickson Clusters  
Satellite  
ISS (Zarya)  
Idefix / Ariane 42P  
Landmarks  
Select  
Add  
Delete  
Figure 6: The AutoStar III Menu Tree  
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Constellation is a database of all 88 Northern and  
Southern Hemisphere constellations. When this menu  
option is chosen and a constellation name appears on  
the rst line of the screen, the multimedia description  
of the constellation is played. When the media  
presentation completes, or you press the “MEDIA”  
key to halt the presentation, a menu gives you  
three choices:  
Guided Tour Menu  
When Guided Tours is selected, AutoStar III shows you  
a list of theme tours that will help you explore the night  
sky. These tours are pre programmed presentations of  
objects that are visible for the user’s particular location,  
time and date.  
The most popular tour is “Tonight’s Best” that guides  
the user to the best objects that are currently up in the  
night sky. This tour is the easiest way to get started  
exploring the cosmos with your new LS telescope.  
Show Summary – presents the key data about  
the constellation.  
Walk the Stars – presents a catalog of the  
brightest stars in the constellation so that you  
can walk the constellation gure.  
Each tour will select the objects, present multi-media  
clips about the object and, if you press “GoTo”, put that  
object in the eyepiece of the telescope for you to view.  
Show Objects – presents a list of the best deep  
sky objects in this constellation for you  
to explore.  
To exit a tour, press “Mode”.  
The telescope comes pre-loaded with:  
“Tonight’s Best”, a selection of the most  
Deep Sky is a database of objects outside our Solar  
System such as nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and  
quasars grouped in various catalogs like Messier,  
Caldwell and NGC.  
interesting objects visible on any night.  
“A Star’s Life”, explains how stars are formed,  
created, changes through their lives and nally  
die using examples that are visible tonight.  
Star is a database of stars listed in different categories  
such as named, double, variable, or nearby.  
“How Far is Far”, an explanation of the  
phenomenal distances you can see with  
your LS.  
Important Note: When you are looking at descriptive  
object text, pressing “ENTER” will synchronize the  
telescope’s coordinates with the object. This is most  
useful when synching on bright stars to achieve better  
pointing in the vicinity of the star.  
AutoStar Suite also allows you to create your  
own guided tours of the skies, including your own  
objects, titles, images and sound les (for complete  
instructions on how to use the authoring tools please  
refer to the reference manual included on the AutoStar  
Suite DVD).  
User Catalogs allows the user to dene and store in  
memorydeep-skyobjectsofspecicinterestthatarenot  
currently in the LS database. See Appendix B, page 37  
for more information (for complete instructions on how  
to use the authoring tools please refer to the reference  
manual included on the AutoStar Suite DVD).  
Object Menu  
Almost all observing with LS is performed using the  
Object menu category. (NOTE: Exceptions include  
Guided Tour and Landmarks).  
Satellite is a database of Earth-orbiting objects such  
as the International Space Station (ISS), the Hubble  
Space Telescope (HST), Global Positioning System  
(GPS) satellites, and geosynchronous orbit satellites.  
In order to nd and track satellites, you must download  
recent orbital data into the telescope.  
Many LS menu categories contain databases. An LS  
database is a list of objects, such as stars, planets,  
comets,nebulaeandsoforth.Whenoneoftheseobjects  
is selected from a database by pressing “ENTER”  
and then “GO TO”, LS moves your telescope (when  
properly aligned) and points it at the selected object.  
Landmarks stores the location of terrestrial points  
of interest that you create in the permanent LS  
database.  
The Object Menu options include:  
IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function,  
Solar System is a database of the eight planets (Earth  
is not included) in ascending orbits from the Sun,  
followed by the Moon, asteroids, and comets.  
the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as  
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when the landmark was added to the database.  
+3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star  
is hidden. LS calculates minimum magnitude time at  
mid-eclipse.  
Select – To select a Landmark already in the  
database (see ADD below), choose the “Select”  
option and scroll through the list. Press “ENTER”  
toselectaLandmark,thenpress“GOTOandthe  
telescope slews to the object.  
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.  
• Add To add a Landmark, choose the “Add”  
option. Enter a name for the Landmark. Locate  
and center the Landmark in the eyepiece, then  
press “ENTER”.  
Take Picture Menu  
You can take wide-eld images of the night sky with  
the ECLIPS CCD Module that is part of the LightSwitch  
alignment system. It’s great for constellation shots  
and you can see some large bright deep sky objects  
as well.  
Event Menu  
The Event menu provides access to dates and times of  
astronomical events. The Event database includes:  
Sunrise and Sunset calculates the time that the Sun  
rises or sets on the current date.  
Note that while you take and store images on to a user  
supplied Mini SD Card for download to your PC, to fully  
use many of the options below and to preview your  
Moonrise and Moonset calculates the time that the  
Moon rises or sets on the current date.  
Moon Phases displays the date and time of the next  
New, 1st Quarter, Full and 3rd Quarter Moon.  
Meteor Showers provides information on upcoming  
meteor showers, such as the Perseids, the Leonids,  
etc. Also lists the dates of the showers and when they  
reach maximum.  
NOTE: Meteors are fast moving objects that cover  
large areas of the sky and are usually best observed  
with the naked eye.  
Solar Eclipse lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including  
the date and type (total, annular, or partial) of eclipse,  
and the location and time of the rst and last contacts  
of the Moon’s shadow. Use the Scroll Up and Down  
keys to display the available data. Remember, never  
use a telescope to look at the Sun!  
The Pleiades Star Cluster (M45 )  
image you need to connect the LS to a user supplied  
external video monitor.  
Start by selecting “Take Picture” from the top menu:  
Take Picture” > “ENTER”  
Lunar Eclipse lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses,  
including the date and type (total, partial, penumbral)  
of eclipse. Use the Scroll Up and Down keys to display  
the available data.  
Then you will see the following options:  
Preview Exposure: Displays “Finder Image;  
Exposing...”. UP/DOWN adjusts Exposure Time  
(ET). A longer exposure records fainter stars. A  
shorter exposure records fainter stars. A shorter  
exposure is better for very bright subjects.  
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  
starspassesbehindtheother.Thecombinedmagnitude  
of the two stars thus dips from +2.1 to a minimum of  
Set Contrast: UP/DOWN selects scrolls through  
the thirteen pre-set Contrast curves available,  
“Cont. Day”, “Cont. Moon”, “Cont. Planet”, “Cont.  
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Stars”, and “Cont. Deep1” thru “Cont. Deep9”.  
highly detailed color image.  
The setting after “Cont. Deep9” is Cust.Cont.  
(Custom Contrast). This setting allows you adjust  
the Contrast AND Brightness to create your own  
setting. Contrast is controlled using the LEFT/  
RIGHT Arrow Keys. Brightness is controlled  
using the UP/DOWN Arrow Keys. NOTE: to fully  
utilize these the Custom Contrast setting you will  
need the use of an external monitor. Otherwise  
chose one of the thirteen pre-set Contrast  
curves.  
The following Deep Sky Imagers models and  
accessories are available:  
Deep Sky Imager III (DSI III)  
Deep Sky Imager Pro III (DSI PRO III)  
Deep Sky Imager II (DSI II)  
Deep Sky Imager Pro II (DSI PRO II)  
Deep Sky Imager Pro II (DSI PRO II), w/RGB Color  
Filter Set  
Shoot & Store: Allows you to take the image  
and save it to the SD once you have adjusted  
the settings and are happy with the preview. You  
must have an Mini SD Card formatted with the  
FAT32 le system inserted in the telescope to  
use this function. Press the “BACK” key to save  
the image.  
Utilities Menu  
The Utilities menu provides access to several extra  
features within LS:  
Volume: Adjusts audio volume of the telescope using  
the Scroll keys. When complete, press “ENTER”.  
HBX Brightness: Adjusts the brightness of the  
display using the Scroll keys. When complete, press  
“ENTER”.  
Dark Calibration: Allows you to take a dark  
frame of the same exposure as your image but  
with the camera lens covered to combine and  
subtract out noise from your image. You must  
cover the camera lens with the lens cap before  
you take the dark calibration frame.  
HBX Contrast:Adjusts the contrast of the display using  
the Scroll keys. When complete, press “ENTER”.  
Night Vision: When you have an external video  
monitor attached to your telescope, you will nd the  
bright colorful displays may affect your night vision and  
make it difcult to see dim objects in the eyepiece of  
your telescope. The human eye’s sensitivity actually  
increases for about the rst half hour you are in the  
dark. You have noticed this when you walk out of a  
dark theater into the daytime sun, how over bright the  
day seems. This dark adaptation of your eye can be  
reduced by white light. Red light does not have this  
effect on dark adapted vision. The night vision option  
on your telescope will change the display from color, to  
shades of red. There are three settings:  
Deep Sky Imager (DSI) Series: these high-  
performance, easy-to-use and affordable color and  
Auto – The video will automatically switch to red  
at night.  
black and white CCD camera suppresses electronic  
noise and by not compressing data from the sensor to  
increase picture quality. The Deep Sky Imager uses a  
full 16-bit analog-to-digital converter to enhance picture  
depth, contrast and dynamic range.  
On – Selects full-time red video.  
Off – Selects full-time color video.  
The DSI series are USB compatible to easily interface  
with most Windows-based laptop computers. It  
includes AutoStar Suite which automatically sorts,  
aligns and combines the best images, resulting in a  
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Sleep Scope is a power and time saving option  
that shuts down the LS telescope without forgetting  
its alignment. With “Sleep Scope” selected, press  
“ENTER” to activate the Sleep function. LS goes dark,  
but the internal clock keeps running. Press any key,  
except “ENTER”, to re-activate LS.  
Restore Defaults sets all the settings back to  
the factory original values.  
Hi Precision Slews allows you to turn high  
precision slews on and off. When this feature is  
enabled and you command the telescope to  
GoTo and object, it will rst slew to a nearby star  
and ask you to center the star and then press  
“ENTER” to proceed. This feature insures the  
target will be in the precise center of the  
eyepiece. With faint objects at the limit of your  
scope, or when making astro-images, enabling  
Hi Precision assures you are right on target.  
Park Scope is designed for a telescope that has  
not moved between observing sessions. Align the  
telescope one time, then use this function to park the  
telescope. Next time it is powered up, no alignment is  
required. Pressing “ENTER” causes the telescope to  
move to its pre-determined Park position. Once parked,  
the screen prompts to turn off power.  
Default Alignment allows you to enable or  
disable LightSwitch alignment when the scope  
powers up. When you disable default alignment,  
the telescope will require you to select and  
perform one of the alignment procedures under  
the Setup menu before your telescope will  
automatically locate and track objects.  
IMPORTANT NOTE: When the “Park Scope” option  
is chosen and the display prompts you to turn off  
the telescope’s power, LS is unable to be returned  
to operation without turning the power off and then  
back on.  
Setup Menu  
Play Intro Video allows you to disable the  
introductory media message that plays when the  
telescope is rst powered up.  
The Setup menu’s primary function is to align the  
telescope. However, there are numerous other features  
available within the Setup menu, including:  
Play Media 1st allows you to select when  
multimedia object descriptions are played. As  
shipped from the factory, the telescope is  
congured to play the descriptive media before  
showing you the object data. Disabling the Media  
1st option, will cause the object’s data to be  
displayed immediately upon object selection. If  
you wish to hear the descriptions, you must  
explicitly press the “MEDIA” key.  
Align prepares your telescope to automatically locate  
and track objects. There are four different alignment  
methods available. Unless you specically disable  
LightSwitch as the default alignment, the scope will  
use this method immediately upon powering up. If you  
desire to use an alternate method below, be sure to  
disable automatic alignment in the preferences.  
Automatic Align will use the LightSwitch®  
alignment method to align your telescope.  
Animated Media allows you to bypass the  
animated portion of the media. As shipped from  
the factory, most objects have two media clips.  
The rst is an animated overview narrated by a  
male voice. This is followed by a second,  
more detailed description given by a female  
narrator. Disabling “Animated Media” will skip  
playing the audio/video media clip and go to the  
audio only presentation.  
Alt. Az. 2 Star will begin the interactive two star  
alignment process. Complete details are  
described in the Advanced LS features  
section of this manual.  
Alt. Az. 1 Star will begin the interactive one star  
alignment process. Complete details are  
described in the Advanced LS features  
section of this manual.  
Time Zone allows you to select an international  
time zone, or to manually congure a time zone  
to any fraction of an hour you need.  
Terrestrial will set up the telescope to use on  
land objects.  
Preferences allows you to congure the telescope’s  
behaviors to suit your own viewing tastes. Congurable  
options include:  
Use GPS allows you to disable use of the GPS  
to determine the time and your telescope’s  
location. If your scope is mounted in an  
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observatory, or on a permanent mount, disabling  
the GPS can speed your startup. When the GPS  
is disabled, you are presented a menu that offers  
you the choice of using the previous locations,  
and the internal clock time, entering the date,  
time and location manually, taking a GPS x, or  
starting in a Demo/Terrestrial mode.  
Calibrate allows you to precisely tune several aspects  
of your telescope for peak performance. Calibration  
options include:  
Azimuth Drive allows you train your azimuth  
drive for peak pointing accuracy.  
Elevation Drive allows you train your elevation  
drive for peak pointing accuracy.  
Rev. N/S allows you to reverse the function of  
the up and down arrow keys. This can be handy  
when using diagonals.  
Finder Center recomputes the center of the  
ECLIPS camera. When you change diagonals or  
other equipment the alignment of the equipment  
with the ECLIPS camera can change. If you are  
getting good alignments, but objects are  
consistently off center by the same amount, you  
should use the option to improve centering.  
Rev. E/W allows you to reverse the function of  
the left and right arrow keys. This can be handy  
when using diagonals.  
Parking Place allows you to set a custom park  
position. This is convenient for permanently  
mounted scopes that will be restarted and parked  
after every use.  
Custom Rate allows you to make minor  
adjustments to the telescopes tracking rate.  
Tip: If you are having difculties with the telescope,  
the rst step to getting back on track is to use  
the Preferences  
command rate.  
Restore Factory Defaults  
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ADVANCED LS FEATURES  
Two Star Alt Az Alignment  
e. “Automatic Alignment: Selecting Star” and  
1. Select Alt. Az. 2 Star alignment from the Align  
“Slewing” display. When it is close to the  
alignment star “Center Brightest Star: Press  
“ENTER””displays.Whenthetelescopeslews  
to the rst star, it may not appear in the eld  
of view in the eyepiece. Use the Red Dot  
Finder (Pg. 12, Fig. 2, 16) to locate the star.  
The alignment star will be easy to recognize  
— it will be the brightest star in the area of  
the sky where the telescope is pointing. Use  
the Arrow keys to center the alignment star in  
the eyepiece. When the alignment star  
is centered, press “ENTER”. Repeat the  
procedure for the second alignment.  
menu to begin two star alignment.  
2. “Automatic Alignment” displays. The system now  
performs the following routines (press any ETX-  
LS key to abort Automatic Alignment).  
Caution: As the telescope performs the  
following operations, it will swing and rotate. Keep  
a safe distance from the telescope. The telescope  
now nds the level and tilt position of the  
telescope, and also detects where true North is.  
It may not actually level or tilt the telescope or  
pointtoNorthitisjustdetectingthesepositions.  
This may take a minute or two.  
a. Attempts a “GPS Fix”. The GPS receiver  
attempts to acquire and sync up with  
signals from GPS satellite system.  
“Getting GPS Fix” displays Note: Press  
Mode key to abort the GPS x. You  
will then be prompted to enter the time, date  
and location.  
f. The telescope now slews to the second  
alignment star. LS displays “Center  
Brightest Star”.  
g. “Press “ENTER”” displays. Use the Arrow  
keys to center the alignment star in the  
eyepiece. When the second alignment star is  
centered, press “ENTER”.  
b. Detects “level” of the base of the telescope;  
nds tilt and tip. To detect level, LS  
must calculate “level” at three compass  
h. “Alignment successful” displays. If “Alignment  
Unsuccessful”  
displays,  
perform  
the  
procedure again.  
points.  
LS  
also  
determines  
the  
positioning (i.e., tilt and tip) of the  
optical tube.  
NOTE: If you have an obstruction, such as a tree  
or a building blocking your view of the alignment  
star, or if you have any doubts at all about the star  
that has been chosen, no problem. Just press the  
SCROLL DOWN key and LS will nd another star to  
align upon.  
c. Finds North. Locates magnetic North, then  
calculates true North.  
NOTE: After performing these operations, LS  
now knows:  
NOTE: The selected alignment stars may vary  
by date and time. All that is required is for the  
observer to center the selected stars in the  
eyepiece when prompted.  
The telescope’s limiting positions  
Where level is for the telescope  
The location of true North  
The observing site’s location  
The date and time  
IMPORTANT NOTE: The “Telescope: Mount” option  
of the Setup menu is set to “Alt/Az” as the default  
alignment by the factory. The example presented  
in this section assumes that you are performing  
an alignment procedure for the rst time with your  
telescope and therefore, the “Telescope: Mount”  
option does not need to be selected.  
d. Once the level, tilt and North are detected,  
the telescope will “GO TO” 2 alignment  
stars. The telescope will go to these stars in  
order to orient itself to the sky. Once it has  
done this, it will be able to point to any one of  
nearly 100,00 objects in its database.  
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Landmarks  
Alt/Az 1 Star Alignment  
One-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the  
night sky. LS provides a library of bright stars. One-Star  
Alignment is identical to Two-Star Alt/Az: Alignment  
(see TWO-STAR ALT/AZ ALIGNMENT above), except  
only one star from the database is chosen by the  
observer for alignment.  
This menu option allows you to dene and store  
terrestrial objects in the Landmark database. First,  
a landmark needs to be stored in memory using the  
“Landmark: Add” option. To view a landmark, use the  
“Landmark: Select” option.  
To add a landmark to the database  
Finding Objects Not in the Database  
In this procedure, you will store the location of terrestrial  
landmarks in LS’s memory.  
Although LS contains an extensive database of  
celestial objects (stars, nebulae, planets, etc.) that you  
can observe, you may eventually want to view objects  
that are not part of the database. LS provides a feature  
that allows you to enter an object’s R.A. and Dec. and  
allows automatic slewing of the telescope to the user-  
entered coordinates.  
1. Set the telescope in the home position, if  
necessary. Note for future reference where  
the telescope is located and if you have aligned  
the telescope, which alignment method is used.  
IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark  
function, the telescope must be located and  
aligned exactly as when the landmark) was  
added to the database.  
In order to use this option, you rst need to look up the  
R.A. and Dec. coordinates of the object or objects you  
wish to observe. Check out the Internet, local library,  
or bookstore for astronomy books, CD ROMs, or  
magazines (such as Sky & Telescope or Astronomy),  
to nd coordinates of celestial objects.  
2. Display the “Setup: Targets” menu option. Chose  
Terrestrial” and press “ENTER”. Choosing this  
option turns off tracking for astronomical objects.  
Be sure to change this option back to  
“Astronomical” when you wish to view celestial  
objects again.  
To enter coordinates of an object into the  
Telescope:  
1. Make sure LS has been initialized and the  
3. Press “BACK” once. “Select Item: Setup”  
telescope has been aligned.  
displays.  
2. From any menu press the “MODE” key to change  
4. Press the Scroll Down key once and “Select  
Item: Object” displays. Press “ENTER”. “Object:  
Solar System” displays.  
to Scope Info mode.  
3. Scroll the display until the telescopes Current  
RA is displayed.  
5. Press the Scroll Up key twice and “Object:  
4. Pressthe“GOTOkey.Thescopewillnowprompt  
Landmarks”  
displays  
Press  
“ENTER”.  
you to enter the object’s coordinates.  
“Landmark: Select” displays.  
5. “Right Asc.: 00.00.0” displays. Use the Number  
keys to enter the digits for the Right Ascension  
coordinate of your object. When you are nished,  
press “ENTER”.  
6. Press the Scroll Down key once. “Landmark:  
Add” displays. Press “ENTER”.  
7. “Landmark Name” displays. Using Arrow keys,  
enter a name for the landmark you wish to add to  
the database. When nished, press “ENTER”.  
6. “Declination: +00°.00’” displays. Use the Number  
keys to enter the digits for the Declination  
coordinate of your object. If necessary, use the  
Scroll Keys to change “+” to “-”. When you are  
nished, press “ENTER”.  
7. The telescope will now slew to your object.  
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8. “Center Landmark. Press “ENTER”” displays.  
Using only theArrow keys (do not manually move  
the telescope), move the telescope to the desired  
landmark and center the object in the eyepiece.  
Press “ENTER”. The object is now stored  
in memory.  
7. When the alarm goes off, return to the Satellite  
menu and press a Scroll key until the desired  
satellite is on the top line of the display.  
8. Press “GO TO”, LS slews the telescope to  
where the satellite should appear. The motor  
drive stops and a countdown is displayed.  
9. “Landmark: Add” displays. If you wish to add  
NOTE: If the scheduled appearance position of the  
satellite is obstructed (i.e., by a building, tree, or hill),  
press “ENTER” and LS starts to move the  
telescope along the expected satellite track.  
Whenthetrackclearstheobstruction,press“ENTER”  
again to pause the telescope, then continue with  
this procedure.  
more landmarks, repeat steps 5 through 7.  
To view a landmark in the database  
1. Make sure the telescope is located and aligned  
exactly as when the desired landmark was  
entered into memory.  
2. Display the “Landmark: Select” menu option.  
9. With about 20 seconds left on the countdown  
timer, start watching through the telescope Red  
Dot Finder (Pg. 12, Fig. 2, 16) for the satellite to  
enter the eld of view.  
Press “ENTER”.  
3. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of  
objects you have previously entered. When the  
desired object displays, press “ENTER” to select  
the object. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through  
location information about the object, if desired.  
Press “GO TO” to slew the telescope to  
the landmark.  
10. When the satellite enters the viewnder eld of  
view,press“ENTER”.Thetelescopestartstotrack  
with the satellite.  
11. Use the LS Arrow keys to center the object  
in the viewnder, then look through the eyepiece  
to view the object.  
4. Press “BACK” to exit.  
Observing Satellites  
Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including  
the Space Shuttle) are launched. You can use the  
AutoStar Updater program approximately once a  
month to get updated information and instructions on  
how to download this data to LS. If orbital parameters  
are more than one month old, the satellite pass may  
not happen at the time predicted by LS. Downloading  
requires you use a USB cable to connect the telescope  
to a PC to update the satellite elements.  
In this procedure, you will prepare your telescope to  
observe a satellite pass.  
1. Navigate to the “Object: Satellite” menu option  
and press “ENTER”.  
2. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list  
of satellites.  
3. Select a satellite from list and press “ENTER”.  
NOTE:Satelliteobservingisanexcitingchallenge.Most  
satellites are in low orbit, traveling at approximately  
17,500 mph. When visible, they move quickly across  
the sky and are only in the eld of view for a few minutes,  
requiring LS to slew the telescope rapidly. Best viewing  
is near sunrise or sunset when the sky is dark. Viewing  
in the middle of the night can be problematic because  
the satellite may pass overhead, in the Earth’s shadow.  
4. “Calculating...” and then “Tracking...” displays.  
If the satellite is going to make a pass,  
“Located” displays.  
5. Use the Scroll keys to display data about the  
pass:aosacquisitionofsignalandloslossof  
signal. If you subtract the aos from the los, you  
can calculate how long the satellite will be visible.  
Location information also displays.  
6. “Alarm” displays after the location information.  
Press “ENTER” and LS automatically sets  
the alarm to sound a minute before the satellite’s  
scheduled appearance. You may return to regular  
observations until the alarm goes off.  
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Terrestrial Observing  
The LS is an excellent high-resolution, terrestrial (land)  
telescopes. Viewing terrestrial objects requires looking  
along the Earth’s surface through heat waves. These  
heat waves often cause degradation of image quality.  
Lower power eyepieces, like the Super Plössl 26mm  
eyepiece, magnify these heat waves less than higher  
power eyepieces. Therefore, lower power eyepieces  
provide a steadier, higher quality image. If the image is  
fuzzy or ill-dened, reduce to a lower power eyepiece,  
where the heat waves do not have such an effect on  
image quality. Observing in early morning hours, before  
the ground has built up internal heat, produces better  
viewing conditions than during late afternoon hours.  
Capitol Reef, Utah  
If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a  
mountain top or a bird, you want to use your telescope  
in its Terrestrial Observing mode. To start up the  
telescope in Terrestrial mode:  
1. Turn on the telescope.  
2. When you hear the introductory audio, press the  
“MODE” key. The telescope will move to the  
home position, and when it has stopped “Select  
Item” will show on the Handbox screen. Use  
the SCROLL keys to move through the menu  
to “Align”. Press the “ENTER” key again to set-  
up the “Align” menu. Use the SCROLL keys to  
move to “Terrestrial” and hit “ENTER”.  
LS TIPS  
Too Much Power?  
Can you ever have too much power? If the  
type of power you’re referring to is eyepiece  
magnication, yes, you can! The most  
common mistake of the beginning observer  
is to “overpower” a telescope by using high  
magnications which the telescope’s aperture  
and atmospheric conditions cannot reasonably  
support. Keep in mind that a smaller, but bright  
and well-resolved image is far superior to one  
that is larger, but dim and poorly resolved (see  
Figs. 7a and 7b to the left). Powers above 400X  
should be employed only under the steadiest  
atmospheric conditions.  
3. Move your telescope using the direction arrows  
on the handbox while looking through the Red-  
Dot Finder to put your target in the eyepiece.  
4. Focus on the target with the focus knob (pg. 12,  
Fig. 2, 9).  
Most observers should have three or four  
additional eyepieces to achieve the full range of  
reasonable magnications possible with the LS  
telescopes. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES,  
page 16.  
Figs. 7a & 7b: Jupiter; examples of the right amount of  
magnication and too much magnication.  
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MAINTENANCE  
The LS is a precision optical instrument designed to  
yield a lifetime of rewarding viewing.  
7. If the LS is not to be used for an extended  
period, perhaps for one month or more, it is  
advisable to remove the batteries from the  
telescope. Batteries left in the telescope for  
prolonged periods may leak, causing damage to  
the telescope’s electronic circuitry.  
Given the care and respect due any precision  
instrument, the LS will rarely, if ever, require factory  
servicing. Maintenance guidelines include:  
1. Avoid cleaning the telescope’s optics: a little dust  
on the front surface of the telescope’s correcting  
lens causes virtually no degradation of image  
quality and should not be considered reason to  
clean the lens.  
8. Do not leave the LS inside a sealed car on  
a
warm summer day; excessive ambient  
temperatures can damage the telescope’s  
internal lubrication and electronic circuitry.  
2. When absolutely necessary, dust on the front lens  
should be removed with gentle strokes of a camel  
hair brush or blown off with an ear syringe  
(available at any pharmacy). DO NOT use a  
commercial photographic lens cleaner.  
Collimation  
The optical collimation (alignment) of any astronomical  
telescope used for serious purposes is important, but  
in the case of the Schmidt-Cassegrain design of the  
LS, such collimation is absolutely essential for good  
performance. Take special care to read and understand  
this section well so that your LS will give you the best  
optical performance.  
3. Organic materials (e.g., ngerprints) on the front  
lens may be removed with a solution of 3 parts  
distilled water to 1 part isopropyl alcohol. You  
may also add  
1
drop of biodegradable  
As part of nal optical testing, every Meade Schmidt-  
Cassegrain is precisely collimated at the Meade factory  
before shipment. However, vibrations in shipping can  
cause the optical system to become misaligned. Re-  
aligning the optics is, however, a straightforward  
process.  
dishwashing soap per pint of solution. Use soft,  
white facial tissues and make short, gentle  
strokes. Change tissues often.  
4. CAUTION:Donotusescentedorlotionedtissues  
that can damage the optics.  
5. Do not, for any reason, remove the correcting  
plate from its machined housing for cleaning  
or other purposes. You will almost certainly  
notbeabletoreplacethecorrectorinitsproper  
rotationalorientationandseriousdegradation  
of optical performance will result. Meade  
Instruments assumes no liability for damage  
incurred to the telescope in this way.  
To check the collimation of your LS, center a bright  
star that is overhead, or use a “hot spot” of reected  
Sunlight from a chrome car bumper, with the supplied  
26mm eyepiece. Allow the telescope to adjust to the  
temperatureofyourobservationsitebeforeproceeding;  
temperature differences between the optics and the  
outside air can cause distortion in the images.  
6. If the LS is used outdoors on a humid  
night, water condensation on the telescope  
surfaces will probably result. While such  
condensation does not normally cause any  
damage to the telescope, it is recommended that  
the entire telescope be wiped down with a dry  
cloth before the telescope is packed away. Do  
not, however, wipe any of the optical surfaces.  
Rather, simply allow the telescope to sit for some  
time in the warm indoor air, so that the wet optical  
surfaces can dry unattended.  
(1)  
(2)  
(3)  
Figure 8: Collimation  
With the star or hot spot centered, de-focus  
the image.  
You will notice that the out of focus star image looks  
like a ring of light surrounding a dark central spot; the  
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dark central spot is in fact the shadow of the secondary  
mirror. Turn the focus knob until the ring of light lls  
about 10% of the eyepiece eld-diameter. If the dark  
central spot is offset in (i.e., not concentric with) the ring  
of light, your telescope’s optical system is misaligned  
and requires collimation.  
eyepiece eld of view (Fig. 8, 2), in the same  
direction as the darker shadow is offset in the  
ring of light.  
4. Turn the set screw that you found with the  
pointing exercise while looking in the eyepiece.  
You will notice that the star image will move  
across the eld. If while turning the defocused  
star image ies out of the eyepiece eld, then  
you are turning the screw the wrong way. Turn  
the opposite direction and bring the image back  
to the center of the eld.  
Follow these steps for collimation of the  
optical system:  
1. The only adjustments possible, or necessary, on  
the LS are from the three inner most screws  
Collimation Screws  
5. If the screw you are turning becomes very loose,  
tighten the other two screws by even amounts. If  
the screw you are turning gets too tight, un-thread  
the other two by even amounts.  
6. When you bring the image to center (Fig.  
8, 3), carefully examine the evenness of the ring  
of light (concentricity). If you nd that the dark  
center is still off in the same direction, continue to  
make the adjustment in the original turning  
direction. If it is now off in the opposite direction,  
you have turned too far and you need to turn in  
the opposite direction. Always double check the  
image in the center of the eld of the eyepiece.  
located at the inner surface of the secondary  
mirror housing.  
CAUTION:Donotforcethethreecollimationscrews  
past their normal travel and do not loosen them  
more than two full turns in a counterclockwise  
direction or the secondary mirror may come loose  
from its support. You will nd that the adjustments  
are very sensitive, usually requiring only one-half  
turn or less to produce the desired result.  
7. You may nd after your initial adjustment that the  
dark center is off in a new direction (e.g., instead  
of being off side-to-side it is now off in an up-and-  
down direction). In this case repeat steps 2  
through 6 to nd the new adjustment screw.  
2. While looking at the defocused star image, notice  
which direction the darker shadow is offset in  
the ring of light or notice which part of the ring is  
the thinnest (Pg. 32 Fig. 8, 1). Place your index  
nger in front of the telescope so that it touches  
one of the collimation set screws. You will see the  
shadow of your nger in the ring of light. Move  
your nger around the edge of the black plastic  
secondary mirror support until you see the  
shadow of the nger crossing the thinnest part  
of the ring of light. At this point, look at the front of  
the telescope where your nger is aiming. It will  
either be pointing directly at a set screw, or it will  
be between two set screws aiming at the set  
screw on the far side of the black plastic  
secondary mirror support. This is the set screw  
that you will adjust.  
8. Now try a higher power eyepiece (e.g., 9mm or  
less) and repeat the above tests. Any lack of  
collimation at this point will require only very  
slight adjustments of the three set screws. You  
now have good collimation of the optics.  
9. As a nal check on alignment, examine the star  
image in focus with the higher power eyepiece  
as suggested above, under good viewing  
conditions. The star point should appear as a  
small central dot (commonly referred to as an  
“Airy disc”) with a diffraction ring surrounding it.  
To give a nal precision collimation, make  
extremely slight adjustments of the three set  
screws, if necessary, to center the Airy disc in the  
diffraction ring. You now have the best alignment  
of the optics possible with this telescope.  
3. Using the Arrow keys at the slowest slew speed,  
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move the defocused image to the edge of the  
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Inspecting the Optics  
supplied with your telescope. The Updater goes online  
to the Meade web site and checks to see if there is a  
newer version available and can download it directly  
to the telescope through a user supplied USB cable  
or it can create a bootable Mini SD Card that, when  
inserted into the telescope’s Mini SD Card slot (Pg. 12,  
Fig. 3, 10), will transfer the les to the telescope on  
startup. Please see the AutoStar Suite documentation  
for details on how to perform the update.  
A Note About the “Flashlight Test”: If a ashlight or  
other high-intensity light source is pointed down the  
main telescope tube, the view (depending upon the  
observer’s line of sight and the angle of the light) may  
reveal what appears to be scratches, dark or bright  
spots, or just generally uneven coatings, giving the  
appearance of poor quality optics. These effects are  
only seen when a high intensity light is transmitted  
through lenses or reected off the mirrors, and can be  
seen on any high quality optical system, including giant  
research telescopes.  
Here are the steps to update your rmware:  
1. InstallAutoStarSuitesoftwareandtheUSBdriver  
from the DVD included with the telescope.  
The optical quality of a telescope cannot be judged by  
the “ashlight test;” the true test of optical quality can  
only be conducted through careful star testing.  
2. Attached telescope with user supplied USB  
cable or insert a mini SD card or micro SD in mini  
holder into a card reader to internet connected  
computer.  
Gauging the Movement of  
the Telescope  
3. Turn on the LS and press “MODE” to abort from  
the alignment.  
A common complaint of many rst-time telescope  
owners is that they cannot see the telescope “move”  
when the motor drive is engaged. If fact, when the  
batteries are installed, the power is on, the telescope  
is moving. However, the movement is at the same  
speed as the hour hand of a 24-hour clock; as such,  
the movement is difcult to discern visually.  
4. Run AutoStar Suite  
5. Select the “Telescope” menu from the menu bar  
near the top of the screen.  
6. Select “Product Updates” from the drop  
down menu.  
7. Click “OK” or “Yes” in the message box to  
be sure you have the latest version of the  
Updater software.  
To check the movement of your telescope, look at an  
astronomical object through the telescope’s eyepiece  
with the telescope polar aligned and with the motor  
drive on. If the object remains stationary in the eld  
of view, your telescope is operating properly. If not,  
check to ensure that “Astronomical” is selected in the  
Targets” option of the setup menu.  
8. If you see “Error Box” about searching for COM  
Ports and you have your telescope connected  
with a USB cable, click “Yes”. If you are using an  
SD Card, click “No”.  
9. Click on “Upgrade AutoStar Software Now”.  
Updating Your LS Firmware  
10. Open the drop down menu called “Specify Type  
of AutoStar...”.  
Meadeisconstantlyreningandimprovingtheoperating  
rmware that controls our computerized telescopes and  
we even add new features and capabilities from time  
to time. Your new LS shipped with the most current  
rmware at the time of manufacture, but there may  
well be a new version available through the AutoStar  
Updated program supplied on the AutoStar Suite DVD  
11. Select LS.  
12. If you want to make an Mini SD Card, check the  
SD box.  
13. Click “OK” and the rmware will download  
and install.  
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CUSTOMER  
SERVICE  
LS Mini SD Card for Updates and  
Image Storage  
Your LS telescope comes with a “Mini SD Card” slot  
located in the front edge of the fork arm. With a user  
supplied “Mini SD Card”, or a “Micro SD Card” in a Mini  
Card Adapter, you can update your telescope rmware  
or save images made with the ECLIPS CCD.  
IfyouhaveaquestionconcerningyourLStelescope,call  
the Meade Instruments Customer Service Department  
at (800) 626-3233. Customer Service hours are 7:00  
AM to 5:00 PM, Pacic Time, Monday through Friday. In  
the unlikely event that the LS requires factory servicing  
or repairs, before returning the telescope to the factory,  
write or call the Meade Customer Service Department  
to provide an explanation of the problem, as well as  
your name, address and daytime telephone number.  
The great majority of servicing issues can be resolved  
by telephone, avoiding return of the telescope to  
the factory.  
Only use SD Cards bearing the ofcial SD logo. Each  
card must be properly formatted, using a PC utility or  
AutoStar Suite, before use in the LS. The card must be  
formatted with the FAT32 File System.  
Your LS will not power-up with an SD Card inserted in  
its slot unless you are updating the rmware from the  
card. This includes an SD Card used to store images  
from the ECLIPS camera. To ensure the application  
software boots normally, remove the SD Card before  
switching on the LS LightSwitch. If you observe that  
the LS is taking a long time to power-up, please  
ensure the Mini SD Card slot is empty and cycle the  
LS LightSwitch off and on.  
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APPENDIX A:  
11  
12  
TRAINING THE DRIVE  
Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any  
pointing accuracy problems. Fig. 9 depicts the complete  
Drive Training procedure.  
BACK  
Guided Tour  
Calibrate  
Azmiuth Drive  
NOTE: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone  
twice.  
pole or lamp post, to train the drive.  
Press the scroll  
down key once  
Complete this exercise once every 3 to 6 months.  
Calibrate  
Elevation Drive  
13  
Press ENTER  
key once  
Slo-Mo Setup  
Media exits A/V  
Audio Instructions.  
automatically play  
Press the scroll  
down key twice  
Calibrate  
Center reference  
object.  
Press the ENTER  
key  
Center Target  
using Arrow  
Keys.  
Calibrate  
Azimuth Drive  
Press ENTER.  
14  
Slo-Mo Setup  
Media exits A/V  
Audio Instructions.  
automatically play  
Center reference  
object.  
15  
16  
Center Target  
using Arrow  
Keys.  
Press ENTER.  
10  
Calibrate  
Elevation Drive  
Press the BACK  
BACK  
key to reach  
top menu  
Figure 9: Training the Drive  
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APPENDIX B:  
CREATING USER OBJECTS and TOURS  
User Object are catalogs of deep sky objects you  
can create or import that are not in the LS telescope.  
You can dene your own objects and create your own  
titles.  
Tours, similar to the three preloaded guided tours  
(Tonight’s Best”, “A Star’s Life” and “How Far Is Far”),  
can also created. You can chose your own theme and  
objects.  
For complete instructions on how to use the authoring  
tools to create tours, user objects and load your own  
les please refer to the reference manual included on  
the AutoStar Suite DVD.  
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APPENDIX C:  
BASIC ASTRONOMY  
In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using  
a crude telescope considerably smaller than the LS,  
turned it to look towards the sky instead of distant trees  
and mountains. What he saw, and what he realized  
about what he saw, forever changed the way mankind  
thought of the universe. Imagine what it must have been  
like being the rst human to see moons revolve around  
the planet Jupiter or to see the changing phases of  
Venus! Because of his observations, Galileo correctly  
realized Earth’s movement and position around the  
Sun, and in doing so, gave birth to modern astronomy.  
Yet Galileo’s telescope was so crude, he could not  
clearly make out the rings of Saturn.  
The Moon is, on average,  
a distance of 239,000 miles  
(380,000km) from Earth  
and is best observed during  
its crescent or half phase  
when Sunlight strikes the  
Moon’s surface at an angle.  
It casts shadows and adds  
a sense of depth to the  
view. No shadows are seen  
during a full Moon, causing  
the overly bright Moon  
to appear at and rather  
uninteresting through the  
Galileo’s discoveries laid the foundation for  
understanding the motion and nature of the planets,  
stars,andgalaxies.Buildingonhisfoundation,Henrietta  
Leavittdeterminedhowtomeasurethedistancetostars;  
Edwin Hubble proposed a glimpse into the origin of the  
universe; Albert Einstein unraveled the relationship  
of time and light. Almost daily, using sophisticated  
successors to Galileo’s crude telescope, such as the  
Hubble Space Telescope, more and more mysteries of  
the universe are being solved and understood. We are  
living in a golden age of astronomy.  
telescope. Be sure to use a neutral Moon lter when  
observing the Moon. Not only does it protect your eyes  
from the bright glare of the Moon, but it also helps  
enhance contrast, providing a more dramatic image.  
Using the LS, brilliant detail can be observed on the  
Moon, including hundreds of lunar craters and maria,  
described below.  
Craters are round meteor impact sites covering most  
of the Moon’s surface. With no atmosphere on the  
Moon, no weather conditions exist, so the only erosive  
force is meteor strikes. Under these conditions, lunar  
craters can last for millions of years.  
Unlike other sciences, astronomy welcomes  
contributions from amateurs. Much of the knowledge  
we have on subjects such as comets, meteor showers,  
variable stars, the Moon and our solar system comes  
from observations made by amateur astronomers. So  
as you look through your Meade LS telescope, keep  
Galileo in mind. To him, a telescope was not merely a  
machine made of glass and metal, but something far  
more - a window through which the beating heart of the  
universe might be observed.  
Maria(pluralformare)aresmooth,darkareasscattered  
across the lunar surface. These dark areas are large  
ancient impact basins that were lled with lava from  
the interior of the Moon by the depth and force of a  
meteor or comet impact.  
Twelve Apollo astronauts left their bootprints on the  
Moon in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. However,  
no telescope on Earth is able to see these footprints or  
any other artifacts. In fact, the smallest lunar features  
that may be seen with the largest telescope on Earth  
are about one-half mile across.  
Objects in Space  
Listed below are some of the many astronomical  
objects that can be seen with the LS  
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Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit  
around the Sun. To locate the planets on a given day  
or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine,  
such as Sky and Telescope or Astronomy. You can  
also consult LS for information about planets. Scroll  
to the “Object: Solar System” menu and scroll through  
the lists of planets. When a planet you are interested  
in displays, press “ENTER”. Use the Scroll keys to  
display information about the planet, such as the  
planet’s coordinates, and the rise and set times (Tip:  
enter a date in the Date menu and you can determine  
if a planet) will be visible during the night of the entered  
date by checking its rise and set times). Listed below  
are the best planets for viewing through the LS.  
Saturn is nine times the  
diameter of Earth and  
appears as a small, round  
disk with rings extending  
out from either side. In  
1610, Galileo, the rst  
person to observe Saturn  
through a telescope, did  
not understand that what  
he was seeing were rings.  
Instead, he believed that  
Saturn had “ears.” Saturn’s  
rings are composed of  
billions of ice particles  
ranging in size from a speck of dust to the size of a  
house. The major division in Saturn’s rings, called the  
Cassini Division, is occasionally visible through the LS.  
Titan, the largest of Saturn’s 18 moons can also be  
seen as a bright, star-like object near the planet.  
Mars is about half the diameter of Earth, and appears  
through the telescope as a tiny reddish-orange disk.  
It may be possible to see a hint of white at one of the  
planet’s Polar ice caps. Approximately every two years,  
when Mars is closest to Earth in its orbit, additional  
detail and coloring on the planet’s surface may  
be visible.  
Deep-Sky Objects  
Star charts can be used to locate constellations,  
individual stars and deep-sky objects.  
Jupiter is the largest planet  
in our solar system and is 11  
Examples of various deep-sky objects are  
given below:  
times the diameter of Earth.  
Theplanetappearsasadisk  
with dark lines stretching  
Stars are large gaseous objects that are self-  
illuminated by nuclear fusion in their core. Because  
of their vast distances from our solar system, all stars  
appear as pinpoints of light, irrespective of the size of  
the telescope used.  
across the surface. These  
lines are cloud bands in  
the atmosphere. Four of  
Jupiter’s 16 moons (Io,  
Europa, Ganymede, and  
Nebulae are vast interstellar clouds of gas and dust  
where stars are formed. Most impressive of these is  
the Great Nebula in Orion (M42), a diffuse nebula that  
appears as a faint wispy gray cloud. M42 is 1600 light  
years from Earth.  
Callisto) can be seen as  
“star-like” points of light  
when using even the lowest  
magnication. These moons orbit Jupiter so that the  
number of moons visible on any given night changes  
as they circle around the giant planet.  
Open Clusters are loose groupings of young stars,  
all recently formed from the same diffuse nebula.  
The Pleiades is an open cluster 410 light years away.  
Through the LS, numerous stars are visible.  
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SPECIFICATIONS  
Model and Product Number  
6"LS-6 ACF # 0610-03-10  
Optical System  
Optical Design  
Advanced Coma-Free (ACF)  
Primary Mirror Diameter  
Primary Mirror Material  
Focal Length, Focal Ratio  
Optical Coatings  
6” (152mm)  
Pyrex® Glass  
1524mm, f/10  
Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC™)  
0.76  
Resolving Power (arc seconds)  
Mount  
Mount Type  
Drives  
Aluminum Single-Arm Fork Altazimuth  
4.875 inch Precision Worm Drive  
8 “C” Cell Batteries or AC Adapter  
3 to 5 Hours  
Power  
Battery Life  
Tripod  
New Adjustable-height Steel Leg Tripod  
Electronics  
Controller Hand Box  
Processor  
AutoStar III  
400 megahertz Blackn  
256 Megabytes of NAND Flash  
Mini SD Card (user supplied)  
USB 2.0  
Memory  
Storage  
Input/Output  
Speaker  
Built-in Mount  
Connections  
USB, AutoStar Hand Box  
Multimedia  
Content  
Descriptions of the Planets, Moon, Stars, Clusters,  
Nebulae, Galaxies and More  
Audio  
Video  
Over 4 Hours Featuring the Voice of Sandy Wood  
from “Star Date”  
30 Minutes of Movies and Animations Plus  
Hundreds of Still Images  
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SPECIFICATIONS  
Model and Product Number  
6" LS-6 SC # 0610-03-12  
Optical System  
Optical Design  
Schmidt Cassegrain (SC)  
Primary Mirror Diameter  
Primary Mirror Material  
Focal Length, Focal Ratio  
Optical Coatings  
6” (152mm)  
Pyrex® Glass  
1524mm, f/10  
Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC™)  
0.76  
Resolving Power (arc seconds)  
Mount  
Mount Type  
Drives  
Aluminum Single-Arm Fork Altazimuth  
4.875 inch Precision Worm Drive  
8 “C” Cell Batteries or AC Adapter  
3 to 5 Hours  
Power  
Battery Life  
Tripod  
New Adjustable-height Steel Leg Tripod  
Electronics  
Controller Hand Box  
Processor  
AutoStar III  
400 megahertz Blackn  
256 Megabytes of NAND Flash  
Mini SD Card (user supplied)  
USB 2.0  
Memory  
Storage  
Input/Output  
Speaker  
Built-in Mount  
Connections  
USB, AutoStar Hand Box  
Multimedia  
Content  
Descriptions of the Planets, Moon, Stars, Clusters,  
Nebulae, Galaxies and More  
Audio  
Video  
Over 4 Hours Featuring the Voice of Sandy Wood  
from “Star Date”  
30 Minutes of Movies and Animations Plus  
Hundreds of Still Images  
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SPECIFICATIONS  
Model and Product Number  
8"LS-8 ACF # 0810-03-10  
Optical System  
Optical Design  
Advanced Coma-Free (ACF)  
Primary Mirror Diameter  
Primary Mirror Material  
Focal Length, Focal Ratio  
Optical Coatings  
8” (203.2mm)  
Pyrex® Glass  
2000mm, f/10  
Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC™)  
0.57  
Resolving Power (arc seconds)  
Mount  
Mount Type  
Drives  
Aluminum Single-Arm Fork Altazimuth  
4.875 inch Precision Worm Drive  
8 “C” Cell Batteries or AC Adapter  
3 to 5 Hours  
Power  
Battery Life  
Tripod  
New Adjustable-height Steel Leg Tripod  
Electronics  
Controller Hand Box  
Processor  
AutoStar III  
400 megahertz Blackn  
256 Megabytes of NAND Flash  
Mini SD Card (user supplied)  
USB 2.0  
Memory  
Storage  
Input/Output  
Speaker  
Built-in Mount  
Connections  
USB, AutoStar Hand Box  
Multimedia  
Content  
Descriptions of the Planets, Moon, Stars, Clusters,  
Nebulae, Galaxies and More  
Audio  
Video  
Over 4 Hours Featuring the Voice of Sandy Wood  
from “Star Date”  
30 Minutes of Movies and Animations Plus  
Hundreds of Still Images  
43  
INDEX  
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SPECIFICATIONS  
Model and Product Number  
8" LS-8 SC # 0810-03-12  
Optical System  
Optical Design  
Schmidt Cassegrain (SC)  
Primary Mirror Diameter  
Primary Mirror Material  
Focal Length, Focal Ratio  
Optical Coatings  
8” (203.2mm)  
Pyrex® Glass  
2000mm, f/10  
Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC™)  
0.57  
Resolving Power (arc seconds)  
Mount  
Mount Type  
Drives  
Aluminum Single-Arm Fork Altazimuth  
4.875 inch Precision Worm Drive  
8 “C” Cell Batteries or AC Adapter  
3 to 5 Hours  
Power  
Battery Life  
Tripod  
New Adjustable-height Steel Leg Tripod  
Electronics  
Controller Hand Box  
Processor  
AutoStar III  
400 megahertz Blackn  
256 Megabytes of NAND Flash  
Mini SD Card (user supplied)  
USB 2.0  
Memory  
Storage  
Input/Output  
Speaker  
Built-in Mount  
Connections  
USB, AutoStar Hand Box  
Multimedia  
Content  
Descriptions of the Planets, Moon, Stars, Clusters,  
Nebulae, Galaxies and More  
Audio  
Video  
Over 4 Hours Featuring the Voice of Sandy Wood  
from “Star Date”  
30 Minutes of Movies and Animations Plus  
Hundreds of Still Images  
44  
INDEX  
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APPENDIX E:  
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION  
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY (DoC)  
FOR THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT:  
PRODUCT NAME  
MODEL NO  
: MEADE LS SERIES TELESCOPE  
: ETX-LS  
TRADE NAME  
: MEADE INSTRUMENTS CORP.  
IS HERE WITH CONFIRMED AND FOUND TO COMPLY WITH THE  
REQUIREMENTS OF CFR47 PART 15 REGULATION. THE RESULTS OF  
ELECTROMAGNETIC EMISSION EVALUATION ARE SHOWN IN THE REPORT NO.:  
MEADE-0811106, ISSUED ON DECEMBER 10, 2008.  
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC RULES. OPERATION IS  
SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TWO CONDITIONS:  
(1)THIS DEVICE MAY NOT CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE AND,  
(2)THIS DEVICE MUST ACCEPT ANY INTERFERENCE RECEIVED, INCLUDING  
INTERFERENCE THAT MAY CAUSE UNDESIRED  
OPERATION.  
THE FOLLOWING MANUFACTURER/IMPORTER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS  
DECLARATION:  
MEADE INSTRUMENTS CORP.  
27 HUBBLE  
IRVINE, CA. 92618 U.S.A.  
(Tel) 800-626-3233  
(Name) Bob LaTouche (Title) Director of Quality  
(Date) DECEMBER 03, 2009  
45  
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RECYCLING INFORMATION  
(EU Countries only)  
Correct Disposal of this Product  
(Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment)  
This marking shown on the product or its literature  
indicates that it must not be disposed of in unsorted  
municipal waste at the end of its working life  
To prevent possible harm to the environment or human  
health from uncontrolled waste disposal, please separate  
this from other types of wastes and recycle it as required  
by law. Household users should contact either the  
retailer where they purchased this product, or their local  
government ofce, for details of where and how they  
can take this item for environmentally safe recycling.  
Business users should contact their supplier and check the terms and conditions of the  
purchase contract  
This product should not be mixed with other commercial wastes for disposal.  
46  
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MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY  
Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments  
Corporation (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR  
from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product,  
or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade,  
freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only and is non-  
transferable. Meade products purchased outside North America are not included in this warranty, but are  
covered under separate warranties issued by Meade international distributors.  
RGA Number Required: Prior to the return of any product or part, a Return Goods Authorization (RGA)  
number must be obtained from Meade by writing, or calling (800) 626-3233. Each returned part or  
product must include a written statement detailing the nature of the claimed defect, as well as the  
owner’s name, address, and phone number.  
This warranty is not valid in cases where the product has been abused or mishandled, where unauthorized  
repairs have been attempted or performed, or where depreciation of the product is due to normal wear-  
and-tear. Meade specically disclaims special, indirect, or consequential damages or lost prot which  
may result from a breach of this warranty. Any implied warranties which cannot be disclaimed are hereby  
limited to a term of one year from the date of original retail purchase.  
This warranty gives you specic rights. You may have other rights which vary from state to state.  
Meade reserves the right to change product specications or to discontinue products without notice.  
27 Hubble, Irvine, California 92618  
(800) 626-3233 www.meade.com  
14-7302-06 REV2  
INDEX  
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