INFINITY SERIES 60 & 70mm Telescopes - MEADE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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MEADE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
60mm | 2.4” Alt-azimuth Refracting Telescope
70mm | 2.8” Alt-azimuth Refracting Telescope INFINITY SERIES
60 & 70mm Telescopes
WARNING! Never use a Meade® telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or viewfinder as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.
INTRODUCTION determines how much detail you will be
Your telescope is an excellent beginner’s able to see in your telescope. The focal
instrument, and is designed to observe length information will help later on to 1
objects in the sky and also on land. It can calculate magnification.
be your personal window on the universe or
allows you to intimately study the behavior of Setting up your telescope involves these
nesting birds on a distant hillside. simple steps:
• Setting up your tripod
The telescope is shipped with the following • Attach the accessory tray
parts: • Attach the optical tube to the mount
• Optical tube • Attach the viewfinder
• Aluminum tripod with accessory tray • Attach the diagonal mirror and eye-
• Two 1.25” eyepieces: MA25mm, MA9mm piece
• 90 degree erect image diagonal mirror • Align the viewfinder
• 2X Barlow
• Red-dot viewfinder with bracket Study the picture on the next page and
• Yoke-style mount become acquainted with the parts of
your telescope. Then proceed to “Set-
The Infinity 60 optical tube has a focal length ting up your Tripod.”
of 800mm, and its objective lens has a diam-
eter of 60mm.
The Infinity 70 optical tube has a focal length
of 700mm and diameter of 70mm.
The lens diameter is one of the most
important pieces of information about the
telescope. The size of the objective lens
FIGURE 1 Figure 1: Meade 60 & 70mm Alt-azimuth Refracting Telescope
Inset A: Accessory Tray Assembly
Inset A
2 Inset B: Tripod Leg
1. Eyepiece
Inset C: Viewfinder Assembly
2. Viewfinder (see Inset C)
3. Viewfinder alignment screws (2) (see Inset C)
4. Optical tube assembly
5. Vertical lock knobs
6. Horizontal lock knob
7. Tripod legs
8. Leg brace supports
9. Leg brace Inset B
10. Red dot viewfinder power switch
11. Altitude rod lock knob
12. Accessory tray mounting bolt hole (see Inset A)
13. Diagonal mirror
14. Objective lens cell
15. Focuser drawtube and thumbscrews
16. Altitude rod slow motion fine adjustment control
17. Altitude rod
18. Alt-azimuth mount Inset C
19. Adjustable sliding center leg extension
(see Inset B)
20. Tripod leg lock thumbscrew (see Inset B)
21. Dew shield/lens shade
22. Front lens cap (not shown)
23. Focusing knob
24. Viewfinder bracket (see Inset C)
25. Viewfinder bracket mounting bolts and thumb-
screws (not shown, see Fig. 4)
26. Accessory tray
SETTING UP YOUR TRIPOD with the slotted holes on each leg brace. line up more precisely with a target.
The tripod is the basic support for your tele- 2. Thread the provided wing-nuts from the 1. Note the two thumbscrews (25)
scope and comes pre-assembled from the bottom side of each leg brace and into threaded onto two bolts (see Fig. 3
factory; except for the accessory tray. The the accessory tray bottom (see Fig. 2). 4) on the optical tube. Remove the
tripod height may be adjusted so that you Tighten to a firm feel. thumbscrews from the tube.
can view comfortably. 3. Repeat with the two other leg braces. 2. Line up the two holes on the viewfind-
Note: Number in brackets, e.g., (3), refer er bracket over the two bolts. Slide the
to the item numbers in Fig. 1. ATTACH THE OPTICAL TUBE TO THE bracket over the bolts. See Fig. 1, inset C.
1. To setup the tripod, spread the legs out MOUNT 3. Replace the thumbscrews onto the bolts
evenly and place it on a solid surface. and tighten to a firm feel.
The optical tube gathers distant light which is
2. Set the height of your tripod: focused in the eyepiece.
a. Rotate and loosen the leg lock thumb- ATTACH THE DIAGONAL MIRROR AND
1. Remove the two lock knobs (5) from the
screw (20) to unlock the leg lock. optical tube mount. EYEPIECE
b. Slide the inner portion of the leg (19) in 2. Slide the altitude rod (17) into the altitude The diagonal mirror reflects the light from the
or out to the desired length. Repeat for lock knob hole(11). optical tube to a more comfortable viewing
the other two legs. 3. Place the optical tube (4) between the position.
c. Rotate and tighten the leg lock thumb- forks of the mount, oriented as shown in
screw to re-lock the leg lock. Fig. 3. Fig. 2
d. Repeat for the other two legs. 4. Thread a lock knobs (5) through each of
the holes in the forks of the mount and
ATTACH THE ACCESSORY TRAY tighten to a firm feel.
The tray helps stabilize the tripod and is also
a convenient holder of eyepieces and other ATTACH THE VIEWFINDER
Meade accessories, such as the Barlow lens. An eyepiece (1) has a narrow field of view.
1. Place the triangular accessory tray(26) A viewfinder (2) has a wider field of view,
onto the leg braces(9). Line up the three which makes it easier to locate objects. The
holes at each corner of the accessory tray viewfinder has a red dot to make it easier to
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.1. Slide the diagonal mirror (13) into to-find land object such as the top of a Alt-azimuth is just a complicated way of
the focuser drawtube (15). telephone pole or a distant mountain or saying that your telescope moves up
4 2. Tighten the drawtube thumbscrew to tower. Look through the eyepiece in the and down and from side to side. Other tele-
hold the diagonal mirror securely. diagonal mirror and turn the focuser knob scopes may be mounted in different ways.
3. Slide the MA 26mm eyepiece (1) into diag- (23) until the image is sharply focused.
onal mirror. Center the object precisely in the eye- 1. Slightly loosen both of the star-shaped
4. Tighten the diagonal mirror thumbscrew to piece’s field of view. altitude control knobs (5) and altitude rod
hold the eyepiece securely. 2. Turn on the red-dot viewfinder by rotating lock knob(11). Loosening these knobs
the large knob under the viewfinder lens allow you to move the telescope up and
ALIGN THE VIEWFINDER clockwise(10). Turn the knob to adjust the down.
intensity of the red dot as desired. 2. Slightly loosen the horizontal lock
Perform the first part of this procedure during
3. Look through the viewfinder. Turn one or knob (6). Loosening this lock allows
the daytime and the last step at night.
both of the viewfinder’s alignment screws the telescope to be moved from side
1. Point the telescope at an easy-
Fig. 3 (3) until the red-dot is precisely over the to side.
place tube between
same object as you centered in the eye- 3. Once an object is found, re-tighten the
forks piece. control knobs. You can then use the slow
4. Check this alignment at night on a ce- Fig. 4
lock lestial object, such as the Moon or
knob a bright star, and use the viewfinder’s viewfinder
alignment screws to make any necessary mounting
lock bolts
knob
refinements.
slide rod 5. When finished, turn off the viewfinder by
through turning the large knob under the viewfind-
hole er lens counter-clockwise until it clicks.
TO MOVE THE TELESCOPE
Your telescope is alt-azimuth mounted.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.motion control (16) to make smooth and SUN WARNING about the same size as yours (and his
precise movements as you can follow NEVER USE YOUR TELESCOPE didn’t even focus very well!).
(or “track”) an object vertically as it moves 5
in the eyepiece. TO LOOK AT THE SUN! OBSERVING
4. To use the slow motion control feature(16) LOOKING AT OR NEAR THE SUN WILL CAUSE Observe during the daytime: Try out your
aim the telescope at an object and tighten INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO YOUR telescope during the daytime at first. It is
the control knobs(5). Then lock the EYE. EYE DAMAGE IS OFTEN PAINLESS, SO easier to learn how it operates and how to
altitude lock knob(11) and rotate the slow THERE IS NO WARNING TO THE OBSERVER THAT observe when it is light.
motion control(16) to follow the target in DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE. Pick out an easy object to observe: A dis-
the vertical direction. DO NOT POINT THE TELESCOPE OR ITS VIEW- tant mountain, a large tree, a lighthouse or
FINDER AT OR NEAR THE SUN. DO NOT LOOK skyscraper make excellent targets. Point the
THROUGH THE TELESCOPE OR ITS VIEWFINDER optical tube so it lines up with your object.
THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE AS IT IS MOVING. CHILDREN SHOULD ALWAYS
HAVE ADULT SUPERVISION WHILE OBSERVING. Unlock the lock knobs: To move the tele-
We have one very important rule that scope, you will need to unlock the horizontal
you should always follow when using (6) and vertical (5 & 11) lock knobs (just
your telescope: dures. Don’t panic! Just relax and enjoy your rotate to unlock or lock; when locking, only
Have Fun! scope. tighten to a “firm feel,” do not over tighten).
You will begin to grow and learn more about
Have a good time when you’re observing. astronomy the more you observe. Browse the THE MEADE 4M COMMUNITY
You may not know everything that there is to internet or go to the library and read some You haven’t just bought a telescope, you have em-
know about a telescope or what all the sights books about the stars and planets. Read barked on an astronomy adventure that never ends.
in the universe are, but that’s OK. Just point about astronomers of old. Many of them had Share the journey with others by accepting your free
membership in the 4M community of astronomers.
and observe at first. telescopes no bigger than the one you are
using right now. Galileo, who is one of the first Go to www.Meade4M.com to activate your membership
You will enjoy your telescope even more as astronomers to use a telescope, discovered today.
you learn more about it. But don’t be scared four of the moons of Jupiter with a telescope
off by difficult terms or complicated proce-
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.with the viewfinder, the eyepieces, the locks that it makes other objects in the sky difficult
Use the viewfinder: If you have not
and the adjustment controls, you will be to see. These are nights that are excellent
6 done so, align the viewfinder (2)
with the telescope’s eyepiece (1) as
ready to try out the telescope at night. The for lunar observation.
Moon is the best object to observe the first
described earlier. Look through the
time you go out at night. Pick a night when Observe the Solar System: After observing
viewfinder until you can see the object. It will
the Moon is a crescent. No shadows are the Moon, you are ready to step up to the
be easier to locate an object using the view-
seen during a full Moon, making it appear flat next level of observation, the planets.
finder rather than locating with the eyepiece.
and uninteresting. There are four planets that you can easily
Line up the object using the viewfinders
observe in your telescope: Venus, Mars,
crosshair.
Look for different features on the Moon. The Jupiter and Saturn.
most obvious features are craters. In fact
Look through the eyepiece: Once you have
you can see craters within craters. Some Nine planets (maybe more!) travel in a fairly
the object lined up in the viewfinder, look
craters have bright lines about them. These circular pattern around our Sun. Any system
through the optical tube’s eyepiece. If you
are called rays and are the result of material of planets orbiting one or more stars is called
have aligned your viewfinder, you will see
thrown out of the crater when it was struck
the object in your eyepiece.
by a colliding object. The dark areas on the TOO MUCH POWER?
Moon are called maria and are composed of
Focus: Look through the eyepiece and prac-
lava from the period when the Moon still had Can you ever have too much power? If the type of
tice focusing on the object you have chosen. power you’re referring to is eyepiece magnification,
volcanic activity. You can also see mountain
yes you can! The most common mistake of the
ranges and fault lines on the Moon.
Try out the coarse and fine adjustment beginning observer is to “overpower” a telescope
controls: Practice using the fine adjustment by using high magnifications which the telescope’s
Use a neutral density filter (often called a aperture and atmospheric conditions cannot
control (16) to move the telescope. These
“moon filter”) when observing the Moon. reasonably support. Keep in mind that a smaller,
can come in very handy, especially when but bright and well-resolved image is far superior
Neutral density filters are available from Me-
you wish to move the telescope in very small to one that is larger, but dim and poorly resolved.
ade as an optional accessory and enhance
(fine control) steps. Powers above 400x should be employed only under
contrast to improve your observation of lunar the steadiest atmospheric conditions.
features. Spend several nights observing the
Observe the Moon: When you feel comfort-
Moon. Some nights, the Moon is so bright
able
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.a solar system. Our Sun, by the way, is a of the moons each night is an excellent
single, yellow dwarf star. It is average as far Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto exercise for novice astronomers.
as stars go and is a middle aged star. comprise the outer planets. These planets, 7
Beyond the planets are clouds of comets, icy except for Pluto, are made mostly of gases Any small telescope can see the four
planetoids and other debris left over from the and are sometimes called gas giants. If they Galilean moons of Jupiter (Fig. 5), plus a few
birth of our sun. Recently astronomers have had grown much bigger, they may have be- others, but how many moons does Jupiter
found large objects in this area and they may come stars. Pluto is made mostly of ice. actually have? No one knows for sure! Nor
increase the number of planets in our solar are we sure how many Saturn has either. At
system. Jupiter is quite interesting to observe. You last count, Jupiter had over 60 moons, and
can see bands across the face of Jupiter. held a small lead over Saturn. Most of these
The four planets closest to the Sun are rocky The more time you spend observing these moons are very small and can only be seen
and are called the inner planets. Mercury, bands, the more details you will be able to with very large telescopes.
Venus, Earth and Mars comprise the inner see.
planets. Venus and Mars can be easily seen Probably the most memorable sight you will
in your telescope. One of the most fascinating sights of Jupiter see in your telescope is Saturn. Although
are its moons. The four largest moons are
Venus is seen before dawn or after sunset, called the Galilean moons, after the astrono-
because it is close to the Sun. You can ob- mer Galileo, who observed them for the first
serve Venus going through crescent phases. time. If you’ve never watched the Galilean
But you cannot see any surface detail on moons in your telescope before, you’re
Venus because it has a very thick atmo- missing a real treat! Each night, the moons
sphere of gas. appear in different positions around the Jovi-
an sky. This is sometimes called the Galilean
When Mars is close to the Earth, you can dance. On any given night, you might be
see some details on Mars, and sometimes able to see the shadow of a moon on the
even Mars’ polar caps. But quite often, Mars face of Jupiter, see one moon eclipse anoth-
is further away and just appears as a red dot er or even see a moon emerge from behind
with some dark lines crisscrossing it. Jupiter’s giant disk. Drawing the positions
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.Fig. 5
you may not see many features on the Optional color filters help bring out detail and
surface of Saturn, its ring structure will contrast of the planets. Meade offers a line
8 steal your breath away. You will prob- of inexpensive color filters.
ably be able to see a black opening in
the rings, known as the Cassini band. What’s Next? Beyond the Solar System:
Once you have observed our own system
Saturn is not the only planet that has rings, of planets, it’s time to really travel far from
but it is the only set of rings that can be seen home and look at stars and other objects.
with a small telescope. Jupiter’s rings cannot
be seen from Earth at all—the Voyager You can observe thousands of stars with
spacecraft discovered the ring after it passed your telescope. At first, you may think stars
Jupiter and looked back at it. It turns out, are just pinpoints of light and aren’t very
only with the sunlight shining through them, interesting. But look again. There is much than the other?
can the rings be seen. Uranus and Neptune information that is revealed in stars.
also have faint rings. The first thing you will notice is that not all Almost all the stars you can see in the sky
stars are the same colors. See if you can find are part of our galaxy. A galaxy is a large
blue, orange, yellow, white and red stars. grouping of stars, containing millions or
The color of stars sometimes can tell you even billions of stars. Some galaxies form
about the age of a star and the temperature a spiral (like our galaxy, the Milky Way) and
that they burn at. other galaxies look more like a large football
and are called elliptical galaxies. There are
Other stars to look for are multiple stars. many galaxies that are irregularly shaped
Very often, you can find double (or binary) and are thought to have been pulled apart
stars, stars that are very close together. because they passed too close to—or even
These stars orbit each other. What do you through—a larger galaxy.
notice about these stars? Are they
different colors? Does one seem brighter You may be able to see the Andromeda
galaxy and several others in your telescope.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.They will appear as small, fuzzy clouds. The 26mm eyepiece delivers a bright,
Only very large telescope will reveal spiral or Use a compass to make a circle, or trace wide field of view and is the best to
elliptical details. around the lid of a jar. Draw what you see use for most viewing conditions. Use 9
in your eyepiece inside the circle. The best the high-power 9mm eyepiece to view
You will also be able to see some nebulas exercise for drawing is to observe the moons details when observing the Moon and plan-
with your scope. Nebula means cloud. Most of Jupiter every night or so. Try to make Ju- ets. If the image become fuzzy, switch back
nebulas are clouds of gas. The two easiest piter and the moons approximately the same down to a lower power. Changing eyepieces
to see in the Northern Hemisphere are the size as they look in your eyepiece. You will changes the power or magnification of your
Orion nebula during the winter and the Triffid see that the moons are in a different position telescope.
nebula during the summer. These are large every night. As you get better at drawing, try You can also change magnification by using
clouds of gas in which new stars are being more challenging sights, like a crater system a Barlow lens. The Barlow lens included with
born. Some nebulas are the remains of on the moon or even a nebula. your telescope doubles the power of your
stars exploding. These explosions are called telescope. Place the Barlow into the eye-
supernovas. Go your library or check out the internet for piece holder before you insert the eyepiece.
more information about astronomy. Learn
When you become an advanced observer about the basics: light years, orbits, star
you can look for other types of objects such colors, how stars and planets are formed,
SURF THE WEB
as asteroids, planetary nebula and globular red shift, the big bang, what are the different
clusters. And if you’re lucky, every so often a kinds of nebula, what are comets, asteroids • The Meade 4M Community:
bright comet appears in the sky, presenting and meteors and what is a black hole. The http://www.meade4m.com
• Sky & Telescope:
an unforgettable sight. more you learn about astronomy, the more http://www.skyandtelescope.com
fun, and the more rewarding your telescope • Astronomy:
http://www.astronomy.com
The more you learn about objects in the will become. • Astronomy Picture of the Day:
sky, the more you will learn to appreciate the http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.goc/apod
• Photographic Atlas of the Moon:
sights you see in your telescope. Start SOME OBSERVING TIPS http://www.lpi.ursa.edu/research/lunar_orbiter
a notebook and write down the observations Eyepieces: Always begin your observa- • Hubble Space Telescope Public Pictures:
you make each night. Note the time and http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html
tions using the 26mm low-power eyepiece.
the date.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.Meade offers a complete line of eye- placed at the edge of the field, ready to be inside and outside air. Also, it is a good idea
pieces and Barlows for your telescope. further observed. to allow your telescope to reach the ambient
10 Most astronomers have four or five (surrounding) outside temperature before
low-power and high power eyepieces Vibrations: Avoid touching the eyepiece starting an observing session.
to view different objects and to cope with while observing through the telescope. Vibra- When to observe: Planets and other
different viewing conditions. tions resulting from such contact will cause objects viewed low on the horizon often lack
Objects move in the eyepiece: If you are the image to move. Avoid observing sites sharpness—the same object, when ob-
observing an astronomical object (the Moon, where vibrations cause image movement (for served higher in the sky, will appear sharper
a planet, star, etc.) you will notice that the example, near railroad tracks). Viewing from and have greater contrast. Try reducing
object will begin to move slowly through the upper floors of a building may also cause power (change your eyepiece) if your image
the telescopic field of view. This movement image movement. is fuzzy or shimmers. Keep in mind that
is caused by the rotation of the Earth and Let your eyes “dark-adapt:” Allow five or a bright, clear, but smaller image is more
makes an object move through the tele- ten minutes for your eyes to become “dark interesting than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one.
scope’s field of view. To keep astronomical adapted” before observing. Use a red-fil-
objects centered in the field, simply move tered flashlight to protect your night vision STAR CHARTS
the telescope on one or both of its axes— when reading star maps, or inspecting the Star charts and planispheres are useful for a variety of
vertically and/or horizontally as needed—try telescope. Do not use a regular flash-light or reasons. In particular, they are a great aid in planning a
using the telescopes coarse and fine adjust- turn on other lights when observing with a night of celestial viewing.
ment controls. At higher powers, astronom- group of other astronomers. You can make A wide variety of star charts are available in books,
ical objects will seem to move through the your own red filtered flashlight by taping red in magazines, on the internet and on CD Roms.
Meade offers AutoStar SuiteTM software. Contact your
field of view of the eyepiece more rapidly. cellophane over a flashlight lens. local Meade dealer or Meade’s Customer Service
department for more information.
Place the object to be viewed at the edge Viewing through windows: Avoid setting
of the field and, without touching the tele- up the telescope inside a room and observ- Astronomy and Sky and Telescope magazines print
scope, watch it drift through the field to the ing through an opened or closed window star charts each month for up-to-the-minute maps of
the heavens.
other side before repositioning the telescope pane. Images may appear blurred or distort-
so that the object to be viewed is again ed due to temperature differences between
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.Using too high a power eyepiece is one of length.
the most common mistakes made by new HAVE A GOOD TIME, Objective lens diameter is how big the
astronomers.
ASTRONOMY IS FUN! front lens is on your scope. Telescopes 11
Dress Warm: Even on summer nights, the are always described by how large
air can feel cool or cold as the night wears their objective lens is. Depending on your
on. It is important to dress warm or to have a SPECIFICATIONS telescope model, the lens diameter is either
sweater, jacket, gloves, etc., nearby. 60mm or 70mm.
Infinity 60 model:
Know your observing site: If possible, Objective lens diameter 60mm(2.4”) Other telescopes are 90mm, 8 inches, 16
know the location where you will be observ- Optical tube focal length 800mm inches, or even 3 feet in diameter. The Hub-
ing. Pay attention to holes in the ground and Focal ratio f/13.3 ble Telescope’s objective lens has a diame-
other obstacles. Is it a location where wild Mounting type Alt-azimuth ter of 2.4 meters (that’s 7.8 feet across!).
animals, such as skunks, snakes, etc., may Viewfinder Red-dot The focal ratio helps determine how fast the
appear? Are there viewing obstructions such photographic speed of a telescope is. The
as tall trees, street lights, headlights and so Infinity 70 model: lower the focal ratio number, the faster the
forth? The best locations are dark locations, Objective lens diameter 70mm(2.8”)
the darker the better. Deep space objects Optical tube focal length 700mm ASTRONOMY RESOURCES
are easiest to see under dark skies. Focal ratio f/10
But it is still possible to observe even in a Mounting type Alt-azimuth • The Meade 4M Community
city. Viewfinder Red-dot 27 Hubble, Irvine, CA 92618
• Astronomical League
Surf the Web and visit your local library: What do the specifications mean? Executive Secretary
The internet contains a huge amount of Optical tube focal length is the distance light
5675 Real del Norte, Las Cruces, NM 88012
• The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
astronomical information, both for children travels in the telescope before being brought 390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112
and adults. Check out astronomy books from to focus in you eyepiece. Depending on the • The Planetary Society
your library. Look for star charts—these are telescope model, the focal length is either
65 North Catalina Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
available on a monthly basis in Astronomy • International Dark-Sky Association, Inc.
800mm or 700mm long. Look at the specifi- 3225 N. First Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719-2103
and Sky and Telescope magazines. cation table to find out your telescopes focal
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.exposure. f/5 is faster than f/10. The USE THE SPECIFICATIONS TO CALCU- and your new eyepiece magnifies objects 55
faster the ratio, the faster exposure time LATE THE MAGNIFICATION OF YOUR times.
12 is needed when a camera is hooked up EYEPIECE
to the telescope. Your telescope has A great accessory for your telescope is
The power of a telescope is how much it
slower focal ratio at f/8.5. Sometimes, a Barlow lens If you use a Barlow lens
magnifies objects. For a Infinity 70, the
astronomers use focal reducers to make with one of your eyepieces, it doubles the
26mm eyepiece magnifies an object 27
slow exposure telescopes have faster focal magnification of your eyepiece. Other types
times. The 9mm eyepiece magnifies objects
ratios. of Barlows can triple or further increase the
78 times.
Alt-azimuth mounting simply means your power of an eyepiece. To find out how much
telescope moves up and down (altitude If you obtain other eyepieces, you can calcu- the magnification is when you use a Barlow,
or “alt”), and side to side, (azimuth or “az”). late how much magnification they have with multiply your eyepiece’s magnification
Other mounting configurations are available your telescope. Just divide the focal length by two.
for other telescopes, such as equatorial of the telescope by the focal length of the Eyepiece’s magnification x 2
mounting. eyepiece. =
Focal Length of the Telescope Magnification with a 2X Barlow lens
÷
Focal Length of the Eyepiece For the Infinity 70 the 26mm low-power eye-
= piece magnifies an object 27 times. Multiply
Magnification 27 by 2 and you get 54 times magnification
with a Barlow.
Look at the specifications. For the Infinity
70, you will see that the focal length of your It’s worth repeating: Keep in mind that a
scope is 700mm. Let’s say that you have bright, clear, but smaller image is more
obtained a 13mm eyepiece. You can tell that interesting than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one.
what the focal length of your eyepiece is as Using too high a power eyepiece is one of
it is always printed on the side of an eye- the most common mistakes made by new
piece. Divide: 700 ÷ 13, which equals 54.85. astronomers. So don’t think that higher
Round this off to the nearest whole number magnification is necessarily better—quite
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.often the best view is with lower magnifica- tissues often.
tion value! CAUTION: Do not use scented or lotioned 13
tissues or damage could result to the optics.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR TELESCOPE Fig. 6
DO NOT use a commercial photographic
Your telescope is a precision optical instru- lens cleaner. push here to open
ment designed for a lifetime of rewarding battery compartment
viewing. It will rarely, if ever, require factory CHANGING THE VIEWFINDER BATTERY
servicing or maintenance. Follow these If the viewfinder red dot does not illumi- CR2032
guidelines to keep your telescope in the best nate, verify the viewfinder is on by rotating battery
condition: the knob below the viewfinder lens clock-
wise. If the red dot does not illuminate, the
• Avoid cleaning the telescope’s lenses. A battery may need replacing.
little dust on the front surface of the tele- battery
scope’s correcting lens will not cause loss To replace the battery, press the left side compartment
of image quality. of the viewfinder housing labeled “push”.
The battery compartment will slide out on
• When absolutely necessary, dust on the the right side of the viewfinder (see Fig. JOIN AN ASTRONOMY CLUB, ATTEND A STAR
front lens should be removed with very 6). Replace the battery with a Lithium PARTY
gentle strokes of a camel hair brush or CR2032 battery with the positive side up. One of the best ways to increase your knowledge of
blown off with an ear syringe (available at astronomy is to join an astronomy club. Check your
Then push the battery compartment back local newspaper, school, library, or telescope dealer/
most pharmacies). into the viewfinder and power on. store to find out if there’s a club in your area.
• Fingerprints and organic materials on the OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES Many groups also hold regularly scheduled Star
front lens may be removed with a solution Parties at which you can check out and observe
of 3 parts distilled water to 1 part isopro- Additional Eyepieces (1.25” barrel with many different telescopes and other pieces of
pyl alcohol. You may also add 1 drop of diameter): For higher or lower astronomical equipment. Magazines such as Sky and
biodegradable dishwashing soap per pint magnifications with the telescopes that Telescope and Astronomy print schedules for many
popular Star Parties around the United States and
of solution. Use soft, white facial tissues accommodate 1.25” eyepieces, Meade
Canada.
and make short, gentle strokes. Change Series 4000 Super Plössl eyepieces,
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.available in a wide variety of sizes,
14 provide a high level of image resolution
and color correction at an economical
price. Contact your Meade Dealer or
see the Meade catalog for more information.
Visit us on the web at www.meade.com.
MEADE CONSUMER SOLUTIONS
If you have a question concerning your telescope,
call Meade Instruments Consumer Solutions De-
partment at (800) 626-3233. Consumer Solutions
Department hours are 7:00AM to 5:00PM, Pacific
Time, Monday through Friday. Write or call the
Meade Consumer Solutions Department first,
before returning the telescope to the factory, giving
full particulars as to the nature of the problem,
as well as your name, address, and daytime
telephone number. The great majority of servicing
issues can be resolved by telephone, avoiding
return of the telescope to the factory.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY This warranty is not valid in cases where the
product has been abused or mishandled,
Every Meade telescope and telescope where unauthorized repairs have been 15
accessory is warranted by Meade attempted or performed, or where
Instruments Corp (“Meade”) to be free of depreciation of the product is due to normal
defects in materials and workmanship for wear-and-tear. Meade specifically disclaims
a period of TWO YEARS from the date of special, indirect, or consequential damages
original purchase in the U.S.A. Meade will or lost profit which may result from a breach
repair or replace a product, or part thereof, of this warranty. Any implied warranties
found by Meade to be defective, provided which cannot be disclaimed are hereby
the defective part is returned to Meade, limited to a term of one year from the date
freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase. This of original retail purchase.
warranty applies to the original purchaser
only and is non-transferable. Meade This warranty gives you specific rights. You
products purchased outside North America may have other rights which vary from state
are not included in this warranty, but are to state.
covered under separate warranties issued
by Meade international distributors. Meade reserves the right to change product
specifications or to discontinue products
RGA Number Required: Prior to the without notice.
return of any product or part, a Return
Goods Authorization (RGA) number must This warranty supersedes all previous
be obtained from Meade by writing, or by Meade product warranties.
calling (800) 626-3233. Each returned part
or product must include a written statement
detailing the nature of the claimed defect,
as well as the owner’s name, address, and
phone number. ©2014 Meade Instruments Corp.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.OBSERVATION LOG
OBSERVER:
OBJECT NAME:
DATE & TIME OBSERVED:
CONSTELLATION:
EYEPIECE SIZE:
SEEING CONDITIONS: EXCELLENT GOOD POOR
NOTES:
DRAWING OF IMAGE
photocopy this page©2014 Meade Instruments Corp. All rights
reserved. Specifications subject to change
www.meade.com
without notice.
626-3233
1-800 Meade Instruments Corp.
27 Hubble, Irvine, 92618
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