Page 2 - ii; Cord Wrap; ASTRONOMY BASICS
ii INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 4 W ARNING ...........................................................................................................................................
Page 3 - iii; OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
iii P OLAR A LIGNMENT ( WITH OPTIONAL W EDGE ) ......................................................................................... 29 Photography with the NexStar 4 .......................................................................................................... 30 Finding the North C...
Page 4 - Some of the many standard features of the NexStar include:; Warning
4 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 two alignment stars. It’s the perfect combination of power and portability. If you...
Page 6 - section for detailed alignment procedures).; Alignment Star
6 Input the necessary date and time information as instructed by the hand control. Press ENTER after each entry. The NexStar will also ask for time zoneand location information. Use the UP and Down scrollbuttons to select from the various options, pressingENTER after each selection. (See Hand Contro...
Page 8 - Figure 3-1: The NexStar 4 Battery Compartment
8 The NexStar 4 comes completely pre-assembled and can be operational in a matter of minutes. The NexStar is conveniently packaged in one reusable shipping carton that contains all of the following accessories: • 25mm SMA Eyepiece – 1 ¼ " • Star Pointer Finderscope and Mounting Bracket • The Sky...
Page 10 - Star Pointer Operation; Figure 3-3: The Star Pointer Finderscope with Mounting Bracket
10 The Star Pointer Finderscope The Star Pointer is the quickest and easiest way to point your telescope exactly at a desired object in the sky. It's like having a laser pointer that you can shine directly onto the night sky. The Star Pointer is a zero magnification pointing tool that uses a coated ...
Page 11 - . Remember to remove the plastic cover over the battery,
11 3. With both eyes open, look through the glass window at the alignment star. 4. If the Star Pointer is perfectly aligned, you will see the red LED dot overlap the alignment star. If the Star Pointer is not aligned, take notice of where the red dot is relative to the bright star. 5. Without moving...
Page 12 - Star Key Activation Light:; Star; The NexStar HC Hand Control
12 The NexStar 4 HC telescope is a precision scientific instrument that will allow you to enjoy viewing numerous objects in the night sky — planets, nebulae, star clusters, galaxies and more. Equipped with high speed motors and hand control, the NexStar HC allows you to remotely move your telescope ...
Page 13 - Rate Button; Utility Features
13 4. Star Key: Gives the user access to the utility functions of the hand control, such as changing the direction of the arrow keys and backlash compensation. 5. Hand Control Slew Rate Indicator Lights: Displays the speed at which the telescope will move when each direction button is pressed. Rate ...
Page 14 - STAR; GuideStar Software
14 3. Use the UP and Down arrow keys to speed up or slow down the initial speed of the altitude motors when the arrow buttons are pressed. 4. Press the STAR key on the hand control again to activate the direction buttons again. GuideStar Software The NexStar HC has an RS-232 port on the back of the ...
Page 15 - The NexStar Hand Control
15 The NexStar GT 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 over 4,000 objects, and common sense menu descriptions, even a beginner can master its variety of feature...
Page 16 - Alignment Procedure
16 Messier – Complete list of all Messier objects. NGC – Complete list of all the deep-sky objects in the Revised New General Catalog. Caldwell – A combination of the best NGC and IC objects. Planets - All 8 planets in our Solar System plus the Sun and moon. Stars – A compiled list of the brightest ...
Page 18 - Selecting an Object; Slewing to an Object; More
18 In order to accurately center the alignment star in the eyepiece, it may be necessary to decrease the slew rate of the motors for fine centering. This is done by pressing the RATE key (11) on the hand controller then selecting the number that corresponds to the speed you desire. (9 = fastest , 1 ...
Page 19 - Press the INFO Key; Press the ENTER Key; Tour Mode; Observing
19 1. Press the INFO Key . This will give you useful information about the selected object such as R.A. and declination, magnitude and most importantly, altitude above the horizon. (If a star alignment has not yet been performed, the altitude will not be displayed). The speed at which information sc...
Page 20 - Tracking Mode; EQ North; EQ South; Tracking Rate; Nine available slew speeds
20 The hand control has a "double button" feature that allows you to instantly speed up the motors without having to choose a speed rate. To use this feature, simply press the arrow button that corresponds to the direction that you want to move the telescope. While holding that button down, ...
Page 21 - User Objects
21 Sidereal 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 ...
Page 22 - Cord Wrap; Helpful
22 Goto Alt-Az - Allows you to enter a specific altitude and azimuth position and slew to it. To store a set of coordinates (R.A./Dec) permanently into the NexStar database, save it as a User Defined Object as described above. U U t t i i l l i i t t y y F F e e a a t t u u r r e e s s Scrolling thr...
Page 23 - N e x S t a r R e a d y; command functions
23 A L T - A ZE Q N O R T HE Q S O U T HO F F T R A C K I N G M O D E S I D E R E A LS O L A RL U NA RK I NG T R A C K I N G R A T E G E T A L T - A ZG E T R A - D E CG O T O A L T - A ZG O T O R A - D E C G O T O S K Y O B J E C TG O T O L A N D O B J E C TS A V E S K Y O B J E C TS A V E L A N D O...
Page 27 - The celestial sphere seen from the outside showing R.A. and DEC.
27 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...
Page 29 - Definition
29 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 ( ( w w i i t t h h o o p p t t i i o o n n a a l l W W e e d d g g e e ) ) Even though the NexStar can precisely track a celestial object while in the Alt-Az position, it is still necessary to align the polar axis of the telescope (the fork...
Page 30 - Photography with the NexStar 4
30 3. Once complete the NexStar will automatically slew to the first alignment star. If the star that is chosen is in the north, it may be below the horizon. If so, abort the slew by pressing any of the arrow direction buttons before the telescope tube comes into contact with the base. Press the UND...
Page 31 - Finding the North Celestial Pole
31 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 ...
Page 33 - Transparency
33 O O b b s s e e r r v v i i n n g g t t h h e e S S u u n n Although overlooked by many amateur astronomers, solar observation is both rewarding and fun. However, because the Sun is so bright, special precautions must be taken when observing our star so as not to damage your eyes or your telescop...
Page 34 - Seeing
34 Seeing Seeing conditions refers to the stability of the atmosphere and directly affects the amount of fine detail seen in extended objects. The air in our atmosphere acts as a lens which bends and distorts incoming light rays. The amount of bending depends on air density. Varying temperature laye...
Page 35 - Do NOT rub in circles!
35 While your NexStar telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs at its best. C C a a r r e e a a n n d d C C l l e e a a n n i i n n g g o o f f t t h h e e O O p p t t i i c c s s Occasionally, dust and/or moisture may build u...
Page 36 - • Plössl
36 You will find that additional accessories enhance your viewing pleasure and expand the usefulness of your telescope. For ease of reference, all the accessories are listed in alphabetical order. Adapter, AC (#18770) – Allows DC (battery) powered telescopes to be converted for use with 120 volt AC ...
Page 37 - Eyepiece Filters
37 Eyepiece Filters - To enhance your visual observations of solar system objects, Celestron offers a wide range of colored filters that thread into the 1-1/4" oculars. Available individually are: #12 deep yellow, #21 orange, #25 red, #58 green, #80A light blue, #96 neutral density - 25%T, #96 n...
Page 39 - Appendix A - Technical Specifications
39 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 Design Maksutov-Cassegrain Catadioptric Aperture 4 inches (102mm) Focal Length 52 inches (1325mm) F/ratio of the Optical System 13 Primary ...
Page 51 - CELESTRON ONE YEAR WARRANTY
CELESTRON ONE YEAR WARRANTY A. Celestron International (CI) warrants this telescope to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year. CI will repair or replace such product or part thereof which, upon inspection by CI, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship. As a condi...
Page 53 - ADDENDUM TO NEXSTAR 4
11-00 This document contains useful information about your NexStar 4 telescope that may not have been included in your instruction manual at the time of printing. Listed below is information regarding the utility features described under the hand control section of the manual. Please refer to this a...
