How to Use a Meade AutoStar Telescope

You are a budding astronomer. And you want to accelerate your research by making your computer in-synch with your Meade telescope. This can be achieved by employing an Autostar control unit.

When connected to the computer or laptop, the contraption is tagged as a Meade Autostar telescope. With this, the computer is programmed to automatically find celestial bodies. The setup is designed with computer-controlled telescope enhancing system. The Meade Autostar telescope consists of the following:

• A compass
• A laptop computer
• An Autostar control unit
• And of course, a Meade telescope

These are the steps on how to use a Meade Autostar telescope:

Step 1

Connect the Autostar coil cable to the telescope and the Autostar control unit on both ends.

Step 2

Now this is a bit tricky. First, put the Dec setting on the telescope to zero (0) degrees. Position the telescope so that its Dec setting is exactly on top of the laptop computer panel. In this precise stance, mount the telescope and the control base on a pedestal or a tripod and point it towards true north. Event though a more enhanced positioning scheme can be applied, this setup is more than enough to start your stellar observation activities.

Step 3

Start the Autostar. As you begin, a sequence of probing inquiries pop up which includes your exact location and the time at the place where you are located. These are all vital information in order to drive the Meade Autostar telescope better. Operation strictures are accessed by utilizing the number pad and arrow keys on the Autostar unit itself.

Step 4
The Autostar computer controller consists of a series of buttons and a two-line display. This is where you can manipulate the Meade Autostar telescope. With the help of the computer, more than fourteen thousand celestial objects can be identified and its location determined. The Autostar unit is equipped with a vast database of heavenly objects within our very own solar system. There is a mode button in the Autostar control panel that begins identifying these celestial objects.
 
Keep in mind that the precision and accuracy of locating celestial objects rests mainly on the initial assembly step. Make sure that the Autostar unit and the telescope are perfectly aligned because that would spell the difference between accurate and wrong findings.

Also make sure that the whole setup is exactly pointed to the true north. After this has been precisely done can you start using the software provided by Meade to control the telescope and hone in on your desired space object, provided it is in the database. And also, after using, keep the Autostar unit in a dry and cool storage. When mounting, check the stability of the base and the ground you are mounting it onto.