Page 2 - Slew Limits
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................4 W ARNING ................................................................................................................................
Page 4 - Warning
Congratulations on your purchase of the Celestron NexStar! The NexStar ushers in a whole new generation of computer automated technology. Simple and friendly to use, the NexStar is up and running after locating just three bright objects. It’s the perfect combination of power and portability. If you ...
Page 5 - NexStar 5 SE
1 2 3 12 1 Optical Tube 7 Tripod 2 Star Pointer Finderscope 8 Accessory Tray / Leg Brace 3 Eyepiece 9 Tilt Wedge Plate 4 Star Diagonal 10 ON/OFF Switch 5 Focuser Knob 11 Hand Control 6 Battery Compartment 12 Liquid Crystal Display 7 11 10 5 8 6 4 9 NexStar 5 SE 5
Page 7 - The Star Diagonal; Eyepiece; Slide the chrome portion of the star diagonal into the visual back.; Star Pointer Installation
make it more convenient to attach the necessary accessories as well as remove the front lens cover and install batteries when they are needed. You are now ready to attach the included visual accessories onto the telescope optical tube. The Star Diagonal The star diagonal diverts the light at a right...
Page 8 - Star Pointer Operation; Remember to; Removing the Optical Tube
2. Slide the mounting track at the bottom of the Star Pointer over the dovetail portion of the bracket. It may be necessary to loosen the two screws on the side of the mounting track before sliding it over the dovetail. The end of the Star Pointer with the glass window should be facing out towards t...
Page 9 - Attaching the NexStar to the Tripod
Attaching the NexStar to the Tripod The Celestron NexStar tripod is a sturdy, heavy duty mount on which to place your NexStar 4/5" telescope. This tripod can go anywhere, from your backyard to a remote observing site and can hold your NexStar in Alt-Az or can be polar aligned with the use of the...
Page 10 - The NexStar Hand Control
The NexStar has a removable hand controller built into the side of the fork arm designed to give you instant access to all the functions the NexStar has to offer. With automatic slewing to nearly 40,000 objects, and common sense menu descriptions, even a beginner can master its variety of features i...
Page 11 - Definition
4. Catalog Keys: The NexStar has a key on the hand control to allow direct access to each of the catalogs in its 40,000 object database. The NexStar contains the following catalogs in its database: Messier – Complete list of all Messier objects. NGC – Select list of all the deep-sky objects in the R...
Page 12 - EQ North and EQ South; Sky Align; Helpful
telescope. Finally, EQ North and EQ South alignments are designed to assist you in aligning the NexStar when polar aligned using the tripods built-in wedge. Each alignment method is discussed in detail below. Sky Align Sky Align is the easiest way to get your NexStar aligned and ready to observe. Ev...
Page 13 - Tips for Using Sky Align
4. Use the arrow buttons on the hand control to slew (move) the telescope towards any bright celestial object in the sky. Align the object with the red dot of the finderscope and press ENTER. 5. If the finderscope has been properly aligned with the telescope tube, the alignment star should now be vi...
Page 14 - Then, center the star in the eyepiece and press ALIGN.
6. Based on this information, the NexStar will automatically display the most suitable second alignment star that is above the horizon. Press ENTER to automatically slew the telescope to the displayed star. If for some reason you do not wish to select this star (perhaps it is behind a tree or buildi...
Page 15 - Tips for Using Solar System Align
Solar System Align Solar System Align is designed to provide excellent tracking and GoTo performance by using solar system objects (Sun, Moon and planets) to align the telescope with the sky. Solar System Align is a great way to align your telescope for daytime viewing as well as a quick way to alig...
Page 16 - NexStar SE
slew the telescope to the displayed star. If for some reason you do not wish to select one of these stars (perhaps it is behind a tree or building), you can either: • Press the UNDO button to display the next most suitable star for alignment. • Use the UP and DOWN scroll buttons to manually select a...
Page 19 - ate Button; Nine available slew speeds; Tracking Mode; However, the tracking can be turned off for terrestrial use:; EQ North; Tracking Rate
D D i i r r e e c c t t i i o o n n B B u u t t t t o o n n s s he NexStar has four direction buttons in the center of the hand control which control the telescope motion in altitude (up and Tdown) and azimuth (left and right). The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates. 1 = .5x 6...
Page 20 - User Defined Objects; command and
This rate compensates for the rotation of the earth by moving the telescope at the same rate as the rotation of the earth, but in the opposite direction. When the telescope is polar aligned, this can be accomplished by moving the telescope in Right Ascension only. When mounted in Alt-Az mode, the te...
Page 21 - Take Exposure; - Saves the object as a user defined sky object; Object Number
Connecting a Camera to the NexStar Mount Your NexStar mount has a camera control port that allows you to connect your camera using the supplied Shutter Release Cable and a firing cable for your model of camera (not included). To connect you camera: 1. Attach the phone jack end of the supplied cable ...
Page 23 - Direction Buttons –
S S c c o o p p e e S S e e t t u u p p F F e e a a t t u u r r e e s s Setup Time-Site - Allows the user to customize the NexStar display by changing time and location parameters (such as time zone and daylight savings). Anti-backlash – All mechanical gears have a certain amount of backlash or play...
Page 26 - MENU; ALIGNMENT; functions
ALT-AZEQ NORTHEQ SOUTHOFF MODE SIDEREALSOLARLUNAR RATE TRACKIN G VIEW TIM E-SITE SETUP TIME-SITEANTI-BACKLASHSLEW LIMITSFILTER LIMITSDIRECTION BUTTONSGOTO APPROACH CORDW RAP SCOPE SETUP LIGHT CONTROLFACTORY SETTINGVERSIONGET AXIS POSITIONGOTO AXIS POSITIONHIBERNATESUN MENUSCROLLING TEXTCALIBRATE GOT...
Page 27 - Image Orientation
A telescope is an instrument that collects and focuses light. The nature of the optical design determines how the light is focused. Some telescopes, known as refractors, use lenses. Other telescopes, known as reflectors, use mirrors. The Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system (or Schmidt-Cass for short) ...
Page 28 - Focusing; The emblem on the end of the
Focusing The NexStar's focusing mechanism controls the primary mirror which is mounted on a ring that slides back and forth on the primary baffle tube. The focusing knob, which moves the primary mirror, is on the rear cell of the telescope just below the star diagonal and eyepiece. Turn the focusing...
Page 30 - The celestial sphere seen from the outside showing R.A. and DEC.
Up to this point, this manual covered the assembly and basic operation of your NexStar telescope. However, to understand your telescope more thoroughly , you need to know a little about the night sky. This section deals with observational astronomy in general and includes information on the night sk...
Page 32 - moves in right ascension and declination.; Loosen the Latitude Adjustment Lock on the tripod.; Wedge Align; Select
Figure 6-3 This is how the telescope is to be set up for polar alignment. The tube should be parallel to the fork arm which should be pointed to Polaris. P P o o l l a a r r A A l l i i g g n n m m e e n n t t Even though the NexStar can precisely track a celestial object while in the Alt-Az positio...
Page 33 - Photography with the NexStar; Optional Accessories
Based on your current alignment, NexStar will slew to where it thinks Polaris should be. Use the tripod’s tilt plate adjustment to place Polaris in the center of the eyepiece. Do not use the hand control’s direction buttons to position Polaris. Once Polaris is centered in the eyepiece, press ENTER; ...
Page 34 - Finding the North Celestial Pole
Finding the North Celestial Pole In each hemisphere, there is a point in the sky around which all the other stars appear to rotate. These points are called the celestial poles and are named for the hemisphere in which they reside. For example, in the northern hemisphere all stars move around the nor...
Page 37 - Care and Cleaning of the Optics; Do NOT rub in circles!
While your NexStar telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs at its best. Care and Cleaning of the Optics Occasionally, dust and/or moisture may build up on the corrector plate of your telescope. Special care should be taken wh...
Page 39 - all the; Adap; to run the NexStar drive off an external
You w nce, all the Adap to run the NexStar drive off an external power source. The adapter attaches to the cigarette lighter of your car, truck, van, or motorcycle. Barlow Lens - A Barlow lens is a negative lens that increases the focal length of a telescope. Used with any eyepiece, it doubles the m...
Page 41 - Appendix A - Technical Specifications
Appendix A - Technical Specifications O O O p p p t t t i i i c c c a a a l l l S S S p p p e e e c c c i i i f f f i i i c c c a a a t t t i i i o o o n n n Schmidt Cassegrain Optical Design Design Aperture 5 inches (125mm) Focal Length 50 inches (1250mm) F/ratio of the Optical System 10 Primary Mi...
Page 44 - Appe
Resolution The minimum detectable angle an optical system can detect. Because of diffraction, there is a limit to the minimum angle, resolution. The larger the aperture, the better the resolution. n: (RA) S - Sidereal Rate This is the angular speed at which the Earth is rotating. Telescope tracking ...
Page 53 - CELESTRON TWO YEAR WARRANTY
CELESTRON TWO YEAR WARRANTY A. Celestron warrants this telescope to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for two years. Celestron will repair or replace such product or part thereof which, upon inspection by Celestron, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship. As a condition...