Celestron 5 SE - Manual

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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) ...

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...

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...

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...

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; ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...