Meade MEADE 226W User manual

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
MEADE® MODEL 226W
2.4" (60MM) ALTAZIMUTH REFRACTING TELESCOPE
Meade Instruments Corporation
1675 Toronto Way • Costa Mesa, California • 92626 • [phone]
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WARNING: NEVER POINTTHETELESCOPE DIRECTLY ATOR
NEAR THE SUN AT ANY TIME! OBSERVING THE SUN, EVEN
FOR THE SMALLEST FRACTION OF A SECOND MAY RESULT
IN INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE, AS WELL AS
PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE TELESCOPE ITSELF.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 5
Standard Equipment 5
Unpacking and Assembly 5
Aligning the Viewfinder 6
Using the Telescope 6
Calculating Power 7
Maintenance 7
Specifications 7
Optional Accessories 8
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(Meade Model 226W similar to illustration above)
FIG. 1: Meade Model 226W 2.4" Altazimuth Refracting Telescope
1.
Eyepiece
10. Altazimuth mount
2.
Viewfinder
11. Tripod attachment bolts
3.
Viewfinder collimation screws
12. Focusing knob
4.
Optical tube assembly
13. Diagonal mirror
5.
Vertical lock knobs
14. Objective lens cell
6. Horizontal lock knob
15. Focuser drawtube
7.
Tripod leg
16. Altitude rod slow motion fine adjustment control
8. Accessory tray supports
17. Altitude rod coarse adjustment lock knob control
9.
Accessory Tray
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INTRODUCTION
This manual details the set-up, operation, specifications and optional accessories of the Meade Model
226W 2.4” (60mm) Altazimuth Refracting Telescope. The Model 226W is an easy to operate, high
performance telescope designed for both astronomical and terrestrial observing. In order that you may
achieve maximum utilization of the instalment, we urge that you take a few minutes to read all of this
manual before making first observations through the telescope. As you read through this manual, the
technical terms associated with telescopes will be made clear.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT: (Refer to Fig. 1)
• Complete optical tube assembly (objective lens diameter = 60mm (2.4"); focal length = 700mm)
• Full-length fully adjustable hardwood tripod and accessory tray.
• Kellner 25mm (28X), and 9mm kellner (77x) Eyepieces (.965" O.D. “Outside Diameter")
• Diagonal mirror (.965" O.D.)
• 5x24mm viewfinder with bracket
• Altazimuth mount with altitude slow-motion control.
• Hardware package: 3 bolts (3" long) with wing nuts and washers
3 screws (1/2" long) with wing nuts
All other necessary hardware provided in place.
UNPACKING AND ASSEMBLY (Note: Numbers in () refer to Fig. 1)
Note that although the telescope is unassembled, all of the more difficult or complicated sections of the
instrument are already factory pre-assembled; first time assembly of the telescope should not require
more than about 15 minutes. To set up the telescope, follow this procedure:
1. Remove and identify the telescope’s components, using the listing above.
2. The optical tube may need to be adjusted to a more horizontal position for easier assembly: loosen the
altitude lock knob (17) and reposition the optical tube so as to provide easy access to the mount for
attachment of the tripod legs (7).
3. Attach the 3 hardwood tripod legs (7) to the base of the altazimuth mount (10) with the 3 hinged
accessory tray supports (8) facing inward. Three bolts (11), each about 3" long, with washers and wing
nuts, are provided for this purpose at the end of the legs that attach to the mount.
4. Attach the accessory tray (9) to the tray supports with the short screws and wing nuts provided.
5. Adjust the sliding tripod legs to the desired height by loosening the thumb screw at the bottom of the
unextended leg; then reposition the sliding center portion of the leg to desired height and firmly retighten
the thumb screw to secure the leg(s).
6. Attach the viewfinder bracket (2) to the telescope using the 2 thumbscrews provided. (During shipment,
these thumbscrews may be pre-threaded into the main telescope tube at the viewfinder location). The
thumbscrews fit through 2 holes located at the base of the viewfinder bracket and thread into the main
tube.
7. insert the diagonal prism (13) into the focuser drawtube (15) and the Ke25mm eyepiece (1) into the
diagonal mirror. Secure each in place with a moderate tightening of the respective thumbscrews. It is the
eyepiece that determines the power at which the telescope is operating. Higher or lower power
eyepieces are available to suit particular observing situations. The Ke25mm eyepiece, included as
standard equipment, yields 28 power (written as 28X) with the Model 226W.
8. The telescope is now completely assembled. To move the telescope and point it from one object to
another, first slightly loosen one of the chrome-look (star shaped) knobs (5) which serves as a vertical
lock, as well as the azimuth (horizonal) lock (6). Also loosen the altitude coarse adjustment lock knob
(17). Loosening these locks allows the telescope to be turned freely (vertically and/or horizontally) in any
direction so that the telescope can be moved to locate and point at an object. Once a sky object is found
the altitude coarse adjustment lock knob (17) can be tightened and the altitude slow motion fine
adjustment control knob (16) can then be used to effect very smooth and accurate tracking in the vertical
axis.
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ALIGNING THE VIEWFINDER
The 5x24mm viewfinder permits easy object sighting prior to observation in the higher-power main
telescope. To align the viewfinder, follow this procedure:
1. With the Kellner 25mm eyepiece in place in the diagonal prism, as described in paragraph 6, point the
main telescope at some well defined land target (e.g. the top of a telephone pole) at least 200 yards
distant.
2. Look through the viewfinder and tighten or loosen, as appropriate, the viewfinder’s 3 collimation
(alignment) screws located on the back of the finderscope bracket (3), until the cross hairs of the
viewfinder are precisely centered on the same object already centered in the main instrument’s field of
view.
3. With this alignment accomplished, objects located first in the wide-field viewfinder will then be centered
in the main telescope’s field of view. (Note: The viewfinder presents an image which is upside-down and
reversed; this is customary in all astronomical viewfinders).
Focusing the viewfinder’s image is accomplished by turning the threaded eyepiece of the viewfinder.
USING THE TELESCOPE
With the telescope assembled as described above, you are ready to begin observations.
1. First decide on an easy to find object. Land objects during the daytime are a good way to become
accustomed to the functions and operations of the telescope. At night, try observing the Moon first, if it is
visible, or a bright star.
2. To center an object in the main telescope, use the viewfinder to first sight in the object you wish to
observe. Always use the lower power Kellner 25mm (28X) eyepiece to find and center an object. Then
switch to a higher power eyepiece such as the Kellner 9mm (77X) provided as standard equipment. (For
other eyepieces, see OPTIONAL ACCESORIES, page 7). The Kellner 25mm eyepiece included with the
Model 226W presents a wide field of view, ideal for terrestrial observing or for the observation of star
fields and star clusters.
3. If you are observing an astronomical object (the Moon, a planet, star, etc.) you will immediately notice
that the object is in rather slow but continuous motion through the telescopic field of view. This motion is
caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis which results in an apparent motion of the object in the
telescope’s field of view; i.e. although the Moon, planets and stars are, for practical purposes, fixed in
their positions during any 2 or 3 hour observing session, the platform on which the telescope is sitting (the
Earth) rotates once every 24 hours underneath these fixed objects. To keep astronomical objects
centered in the field, simply move the telescope on one or both of its axes (vertical and/or horizontal) as
appropriate. The altitude slow motion fine adjustment control will allow for very smooth incremental
verticle movements; be sure the altitude coarse adjustment lock knob has been tightened before using
the fine adjustment control knob. You will notice at higher powers, astronomical objects will seem to
move through the field more rapidly.
4. Avoid touching the eyepiece while observing through the telescope. Vibrations resulting from such
contact will cause the image to move.
5. Allow a few minutes for your eye to become “dark adapted” before attempting serious astronomical
observations.
6. Avoid setting up the telescope inside a room and observing through an open window (or worse yet, a
closed window). Images viewed in such a manner may appear blurred or distorted due to temperature
differences between inside and outside air.
7. We repeat the warning stated at the outset of this manual: NEVER POINT THE TELESCOPE
DIRECTLY AT OR NEAR THE SUN AT ANY TIME! OBSERVING THE SUN, EVEN FOR THE
SMALLEST FRACTION OF A SECOND, MAY RESULT IN INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE
DAMAGE, AS WELL AS PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE TELESCOPE ITSELF.
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8. The Meade Model 226W may be used for a lifetime of rewarding astronomical and terrestrial observing,
but basic to your enjoyment of the telescope is a good understanding of the instrument. Read the above
instructions carefully until you understand all of the telescope’s parts and functions. One or two observing
sessions will serve to clarify these points forever in your mind.
9. The number of fascinating objects visible through your Meade refractor is limited only by your own
motivation. Obtain a good star atlas (see ‘‘Meade Star Charts” in OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, page 8)
and read the listings of objects visible through 60mm (2.4") telescopes. These objects include:
• Cloud belts across the surface of the planet Jupiter.
• The 4 major moon’s of Jupiter, visible around the planet .changing position each night.
• Saturn and its famous ring system.
• The Moon: a veritable treasury of craters, mountain ranges and fault lines.
• Deep-Space: Nebulae, galaxies, multiple star systems, star clusters—hundreds of such objects
are visible through the Model 226W.
• Terrestrial objects: Your Meade telescope may also be used for high resolution land viewing. In this
case, note that the diagonal prism results in an image which is reversed left-for-right, but which is
correctly oriented up-and-down. For a fully corrected image, the #927 45° Erect Image Roof Prism (.965”
O.D.) is required. See “OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES”, page 7. Terrestrial observations should almost
always be made using a low power eyepiece (50X or less) for bright, sharp images. Land objects will not
normally accept higher powers well because the telescope is being pointed through the thickest part of
the Earth’s atmosphere, unlike astronomical observations made by pointing the telescope up and through
the atmosphere.
CALCULATING POWER
The power, or magnification, at which a telescope is operating is determined by two factors: the optical,
or focal length of the telescope's main (objective) lens and the focal length of the eyepiece being used.
The focal length of the Model 226W’s objective lens is 700mm. To compute power, divide the focal length
of the eyepiece into the focal length of the objective lens. The resulting quotient is the magnifying power
of the telescope when used with the eyepiece in question. For example, the Kellner 25mm eyepiece
yields with the Model 226W, a power of:
Power = 700mm + 25mm = 28
Similarly, if the Kellner 9mm eyepiece is used, the resulting power will be 700mm 9mm = 77X. The
letter “Ke” refers to the “Kellner” optical design (3-element) which yields very well corrected images with
refracting telescopes and is generally preferred over the more common Huygens, “H”, (2-element)
because of its higher quality and better eyerelief for more comfortable viewing. The optical design of the
eyepiece has no bearing on power, however. The Meade Series 2 Orthoscopic eyepieces (4-element)
described in “OPTIONAL ACCESSORES” on page 7 of this manual present extremely sharp, well
resolved images through the Model 226W throughout a wide range of magnifications.
A few words of wisdom about power. Why not 1000 power or more? Meade is a serious telescope
manufacture known for quality and honest marketing. The theoretical power or magnification with a
telescope is virtually limitless. However, there are practical limits imposed by the earth’s atmosphere and
optical resolution as to what can be seen well at a given power. The most often useful higher
magnification with any 60mm diameter telescope is in the range of 90 to 120 power. The general rule to
use with any telescope, regardless of size: Only use as much power as a good image supports: this often
varies with the stability of the air being viewed through and is one reason why having various eyepieces is
useful. Higher powers are no guaranty of better images, in fact the opposite is often true. Meade has
attempted to maximize the performance of your telescope for the most useful power range to provide the
greatest possible utility and enjoyment.
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MAINTENANCE
As with any quality optical instrument, lens surfaces should be cleaned as infrequently as possible. A
little dust on the surface of the objective lens causes negligible degradation of image quality and should
not be considered reason to “clean" the lens. When lens cleaning does become necessary, use a
camel's hair brush or compressed air to gently remove dust. Wipe only with a soft, clean cloth, applying
as little pressure as possible to avoid scratching glass surfaces.
SPECIFICATIONS
700mm
60mm (2.4”)
f/11.7
Altazimuth
Objective (main) lens focal length
Objective lens diameter
Focal ratio
Mounting type
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
See your Meade dealer for further details on any of these accessories.
#927 45° Erect-Image Roof Prism (.965" O.D.): Correctly orients the telescopic image during terrestrial
observing and yields an image position at a 45° angle to the main telescope tube, resulting in a more
comfortable observing position in most cases.
Additional Eyepieces (.965" O.D.): The Meade Series 2 eyepieces listed below present extremely
sharp, highly resolved images in the Model 226W throughout a wide range of magnifications. Each
eyepiece is shown with its optical type (OR = Orthoscopic; MA(Ke) = Modified Achromatic(Kellner) and
the power obtained when used with the Model 226W telescope:
Eyepiece
Power When Used wi
OR4mm
175X
OR6mm
117X
OR9mm
78X
OR18mm
39X
OR25mm
28X
MA40mm*
18X
Model 226W
‘The MA40mm eyepiece is an excellent low-power, wide field ocular, highly recommended for terrestrial
applications or for observing large star fields.
Meade Star Charts: Bound 12" x 14" charts printed on heavy, coated paper, suitable for field use.
Includes listings and mapped locations of hundreds of interesting deep space objects for observation
through the telescope.
CALL FOR FREE FULL-LINE MEADE CATALOG
714-556-2291 8:30AM-4:00PM PACIFIC TIME
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