The patented LNT (Level North Technology) of the DS-Series scopes includes an electronic level sensor, an electronic magnetic North sensor, and a high precision internal clock. These components combine with the Level North Technology software in the built-in Autostar computer to make aligning on the sky as easy as remembering your own zip code. You don't have to be able to identify stars like Altair or Zubenelgenubi or know how to read a star chart to line up your telescope on the sky.
Simply take the scope outside and set it up on its supplied tripod. The internal clock keeps track of the time and date, so there's no need to tell the scope the precise time when you turn it on. Also, the scope will remember your last observing location, so there's no need to reenter that information if you're observing from the same site. If you're observing from a different location, simply enter the city and state you are observing from - or just your zip code!
The scope will then use its built-in level and magnetic North sensors to level the optical tube and point it north. The internal clock will tell the software the correct time. The software will determine where and when on earth it is and what the sky looks like overhead. It will then move the scope automatically to its first alignment star.
If the star is not precisely centered under the red dot in the SmartFinder non-magnifying finder, you can use the Autostar hand control pushbuttons to center it to improve the pointing accuracy. Let the scope repeat the process for its second alignment star and you're ready to start observing. It takes only a few keystrokes on the computer hand control to have the scope move automatically to your night's first observing target and start tracking it so you can observe at your leisure. You can find hundreds of fascinating deep space objects your first night out, even if you have never used a telescope before. The LNT system makes setting up a DS-Series scope fast and easy, and using it virtually foolproof.
The Autostar computer hand control plugs into the telescope's drive base to permit a wide array of telescope options. First and foremost is its automatic go-to capability. The Autostar computer can show you the planets and hundreds of deep space objects the very first night you use your scope - even if you've never used a telescope before!
At the push of a button, your DS-Series scope will move at a fast 4.5° per second to any of the 1471 objects in its database. You can choose from deep-sky objects including 66 named objects (e.g., the Orion Nebula); 74 galaxies; 31 diffuse nebulas; 19 planetary nebulas; 11 quasars; all 109 objects from the Caldwell Catalog of the best objects for small telescopes; and all 110 objects from the Messier catalog. You can choose from 863 stars; the 200 most interesting from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) catalog; 79 famous named stars; 395 double stars; and 189 variable stars. The Autostar will also locate the centroids of all 88 constellations and 50 objects in the solar system (8 major planets from Mercury to Pluto; the Moon; 26 asteroids; and 15 periodic comets). You can use it to track 50 Earth satellites, including the International Space Station, the Hubble space telescope, and Mir. You can also automatically move to any object that's not in the database simply by entering its right ascension and declination coordinates, perhaps to the comet positions published monthly in Astronomy and Sky & Telescope magazines. You get pushbutton 9-speed dual-axis operation, from a slow 2x the sidereal rate for centering objects to fast 4.5 degrees per second to locate them.
The hand control gives you a continuous digital readout of the telescope position in r.a. and dec. You can add user-defined objects of your own to its 1471 star and object database. In addition, the Autostar computer readout will display the distance, temperature, mass, size, and historical information about any of the stars and objects in its database. And it will take you on self-guided tours of the best objects visible from your location on any given night, along with over 20 other menu options.
