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More Information  · Related Documents Price $149.00 List Price $249.00 Warranty 1 year

Just plug the Autostar into the telescope’s HBX port in place of the standard-equipment EC Electronic Controller, do a quick (less than one minute!) telescope alignment, and you’re ready to observe any object in the Autostar’s 30,000+ star and object database. Best of all, the Meade Autostar is easy to use. Even the first time observer will find himself or herself locating dozens of fascinating celestial objects the very first night out – from commonly-observed objects such as the rings of Saturn, the satellites of Jupiter, and the Orion Nebula (M42); to more difficult objects such as the Ring Nebula (M57) in Lyra, the Spiral Galaxy (M33) in Triangulum, and the Sombrero Galaxy (M104) in Virgo; to very obscure objects near the telescope’s threshold of visibility such as the diffuse nebula NGC 6559 in Sagittarius, the galactic star cluster NGC 1778 in Auriga, and the spiral galaxy NGC 3310 in Ursa Major.

Any of Autostar’s database objects can be called up and entered on the hand controller display in seconds. The observer then simply presses the GO TO pushbutton and watches as the telescope automatically slews (moves) to the object and places it in the field of view. The Autostar can easily center on objects that were previously unfinable for all but the most dedicated of amateur astronomers.

Without exaggeration, the Meade Autostar Computer Controller opens up a new era in astronomical study for the casual or beginning astronomer, just as Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrains have for the advanced amateur. Most Autostar users can see more celestial objects in one night’s viewing than typical first-time telescope owners previously have been able to find in a lifetime of observing. The Autostar takes the frustration out of observing and guarantees that your scope won’t end up unused in a closet because “things are too hard to find."

Object Database: Included within the Autostar’s database are all of the following 30,000+ astronomical objects and stars – a range of objects certain to keep even the most active amateur astronomer growing in his or her studies of the skies for years:

• the complete Index Catalog (IC), containing 5,386 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters of all types;
  the complete New General Catalog (NGC), containing 7,840 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters of all types

• the complete Messier catalog of 110 Messier (M) objects, the best-known catalog of heavenly showpieces for the amateur astronomer

• the 109 objects of the Caldwell Catalog, a new listing of the best objects for small telescopes that expands the Messier catalog

• 16,800 stars from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) catalog, including double stars, variable stars, and other stars of special note

• 50 Earth-orbiting satellites, 26 asteroids (including all of the brightest asteroids), 15 periodic comets, the 8 major planets from Mercury to Pluto.
  Any of the objects in the preceding listing can be located simply by calling up the object from the Autostar database and pressing the GO TO button. Within seconds, the Autostar directs the telescope to move automatically to the object and place it within the telescopic field of view with uncanny precision

• Call-up of an object from the database is made easy by Autostar’s simple menu options. For example, to enter NGC 6960 on the Autostar display, the observer merely selects in sequence the following commands (and in only a few seconds of keystrokes): OBJECT, DEEP SKY, NGC OBJECTS, 6960. When GO TO is pressed, the telescope moves at 5° per second on both axes, simultaneously, to place NGC 6960, the Veil Nebula in the constellation Cygnus, in the telescope’s field of view.

Additional Capabilities: In addition to database object selection and observation, Autostar permits a wide array of fascinating and educational capabilities:

• Automatic GO TO capability to any astronomical object of known Right Ascension and Declination. In the (uncommon) event that an object is not in the Autostar’s database, enter the object’s R.A. and Dec. from a star catalog or monthly magazine, press GO TO and the telescope automatically slews to the object, placing it in the field of view. This type of object-location is particularly useful in the case of aperiodic phenomena, such as most comets.

• Digital readouts of telescope position, continuously in R.A. and Dec.
  Precise sidereal-rate tracking in either altazimuth or equatorial modes. Once an object is located by Autostar, the telescope automatically tracks it and keeps it centered in the telescope’s field of view, fully compensating for the Earth’s rotation.

• 200 User-Defined Objects: The observer can add the locations of up to 200 objects of his/her choosing, store these objects in Autostar’s memory, and call them up at any time.

• 9-Speed Dual-Axis Operation: You can use the Autostar pushbuttons to move the telescope on either or both axes, simultaneously, at any of nine drive speeds, from 2x sidereal to 5°/second.

• Go-to capability to the centroids of all 88 constellations helps you learn the locations of the constellations. Once you’ve found the constellation, push the arrow key to read on the Autostar display a description of the mythology of the constellation, as well as to read a list of important objects located within its boundaries.

• Guided Tours: These allow Autostar to choose the best objects for observing on any given night.

• Go-to capability through Autostar’s RS-232 serial interface, using Meade SkyChart astronomical software: You can use the optionally-available package of SkyChart software and the #505 Connector Cable Set to form a system consisting of scope + Autostar + your PC. This lets you point and click to any celestial object on the PC star chart display and watch as the telescope moves to the object and places it in the field of view.

• Plus over 20 other menu options, including major event menus (e.g., times of Moonrise, Moon phases, minimums of Algol, equinoxes, etc.); utility functions (e.g., timer, alarm, eyepiece power calculations); and much more.

With an Autostar plugged into your EC scope, the astronomical universe is in the palm of your hand. Never before has such powerful telescope technology been so easy to operate, even by the most casual observer.