RCX400 computer

This Telescope's Autostar II Computer, Smart Mount, and GPS System . . .

  • GPS/Autostar II computer operation: The operation of an RCX400 is simplicity itself. Once you mount the scope on its heavy-duty tripod, simply turn it on. An integrated true-level electronic sensor levels the optical tube parallel to the ground. A 16-channel Sony GPS (global positioning satellite) receiver in the left fork arm uses a network of earth-orbiting government satellites to quickly triangulate the scope's position on the earth with an accuracy measured in meters and then determine the local time to fraction of a second accuracy. A built-in electronic compass automatically rotates the scope optical tube to aim it due north (the home position). This is a tremendous help if trees or buildings block your view of the north. Built-in software compensates for magnetic declination errors (the difference between true north and magnetic north at your observing location).
        Once the scope reaches the home position (it only takes a minute or two), press the "enter" button on the Autostar II hand controller to start the astronomical alignment. The RCX400 slews at 8° per second to the first of two alignment stars. If that star is not centered in the eyepiece, a touch or two on the Autostar II hand control directional push buttons quickly centers it. Do the same with the second alignment star the scope moves to and you're ready to observe or image. For the rest of the evening, a computer in the Autostar II controls the scope's altitude and azimuth motors to keep you precisely centered on whatever you aim at, for as long as you want to observe.
        It takes only a few moments to begin observing, since you never have to line up on the celestial pole, take the time to precisely level the tripod, input observing latitude and longitude and accurate local time, or adjust imprecise manual setting circles to match the sky.

  • Autostar II computer: This scope's Autostar II computer can show you the planets and thousands of deep space objects the very first night you use your scope - even if you've never used a telescope before! The computer's expanded 4 megabyte flash memory (which you can upgrade at any time for free via the internet) contains the following objects:
    • the entire NGC (New General Catalog) of 7840 nebulas, galaxies, and star clusters
    • the IC (Index Catalog) of 5386 nebulas, galaxies, and star clusters
    • the Messier Catalog of the 110 best known deep sky objects
    • the Caldwell Catalog of 109 fascinating objects that Messier missed
    • 227 named objects
    • the Herschel Catalog of 400 faint and difficult deep sky objects
    • the Abell Catalog of 2712 galaxy clusters
    • the Arp Catalog of 645 irregular galaxies
    • the Uppsala Galaxy Catalog of 12,940 galaxies
    • a portion of the Russian Morphological Catalog listing 12,939 of its 30,642 galaxies down to magnitude 15
    • the Sharpless Catalog of HII Regions
    • the General Catalog of 28,484 variable stars
    • the SAO and Hipparcos/Tycho Star Catalogs of more than 31,000 stars
    • a subset of the finest visual double stars from the Wisconsin Double Star Catalog
    • the Hickson Catalog of Dense Galaxy Groups
    • the Gleason Catalog of Nearby Stars
    • the Landolt Catalog of Photometric Standard Stars
    • the General Catalog of 28,484 variable stars
    • the "Lunar 100" list of the finest features to see and image on the Moon
    • SAO and Hipparcos Star Catalogs of 31,090 stars
    • Also included are the eight major planets out to Pluto, the Moon, asteroids, meteor showers and their radiants, comets, Earth satellites, and more.
    • You can also add your own selected favorite deep sky objects in a separate catalog. The Autostar II computer keeps a total database of more than 180,000 stars and objects in its memory for you to observe.

        Granted, a good number of the faintest objects will not be visible in an eyepiece in the smaller aperture telescopes (for example, the 15th magnitude galaxies of the Russian Morphological Catalog are not eyepiece objects in a 10" scope that has a visual limiting magnitude of 14.5 under perfect dark sky seeing conditions), but they are all photographable with any RCX400 given the right equipment and a modicum of persistence.
        Simply call up any of these 180,000+ discrete objects on the Autostar II hand control's two line/sixteen character night-vision red screen by using the 20-button numeric keypad. Then press the "go-to" key. The RCX400 slews to that object at a fast 8° per second (barely 11 seconds to go from horizon to zenith). The telescope quickly centers your chosen object in the field of view for you to enjoy. It routinely centers objects with an accuracy that puts them well within the field of the standard equipment 2" 24mm Series 5000 Ultra Wide Angle eyepiece (usually within two arc minutes of dead center). The supplied Smart Mount Technology system (see below) can improve that accuracy still further.
        Once the object is located, the hand control screen tells you its catalog number, type, magnitude, size, right ascension, and declination. If you have the coordinates of an object not in the computer's memory (a comet or asteroid, for example), enter those coordinates, press "go-to," and your RCX400 takes you there, as well. You can find faint deep space objects almost faster than you can read about it. If you want to scan the skies on your own, the Autostar II keypad lets you move the scope in any direction at any of nine scanning and centering speeds up to 8° per second.
        The RCX400 Autostar II computer includes an RS232 serial port for interfacing with a Windows-equipped computer. This allows remote control of the scope, as well as the ability to upgrade the operating system and database at any time at no cost through Meade's website. In addition, current Earth satellite orbital data (including the International Space Station, Space Shuttle, etc.) may be downloaded. The telescope then automatically locates and tracks the satellite at the correct tracking rate.
        The scope hand control provides brightness control of the computer keypad, a real-time digital readout of the telescope position in right ascension and declination, and a variety of other unique keypad/display panel functions.

  • Smart Drive: The RCX400 has built-in dual-axis Smart Drive permanent periodic error correction (PPEC) to make deep space photography easier. This computer circuit automatically corrects for the minor drive errors present in every telescope - regardless of size, brand, or cost. All worm/worm-gear combinations, no matter how well made, have minor inaccuracies that manifest themselves as periodic errors in the telescope tracking rate, with the period dependent on the worm's rate of rotation. PPEC reduces by up to 90% the number of guiding corrections needed to compensate for these errors during long exposure photos. Simply use an optional illuminated reticle eyepiece to guide once on a star for a short time. Use the Autostar II hand control to make the corrections needed to keep the star centered on the eyepiece crosshairs. The Smart Drive remembers those corrections and automatically plays them back whenever the telescope is operating - virtually eliminating repetitive corrections during astrophotography.
        The dual-axis Smart Drive even corrects for declination errors, not just right ascension errors as with competitive scopes. Smart Drive software can achieve periodic errors of 5 arc seconds or less - an observatory standard of precision. In CCD imaging, where short exposures of deep-space objects are often all that is required for stunning results, the Smart Drive often permits imaging without any manual guiding at all.

  • Smart Mount Technology (SMT): This standard equipment software program provides improved (and constantly improvable) pointing accuracy with an RCX400. The already high pointing accuracy of the telescope is further refined with every object that you center precisely and synchronize on during a night's observing. The program works in both altazimuth and equatorial modes. It includes a simple routine to refine the pointing accuracy for the entire sky with your particular equipment configuration and alignment. The refined pointing data can be saved and reused for both permanent and portable setups.

  • High Precision (HP) pointing capability: The RCX400 permits the most accurate pointing capability ever offered in a commercial telescope. You can command the telescope to go to an object located on the opposite side of the sky (for example, a distance of 120 degrees in sky-angle) and, in conjunction with the telescope's unique sync command, the RCX400 precisely locates and centers the desired object. HP capability is accessible in either the altazimuth or equatorial mode of operation.
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