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• Solar Eclipse lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including the date
and type of eclipse along with the location and time of the first
and last contacts of the lunar shadow across the Earth.
• Lunar Eclipse lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses.
• Min. (Minimum) of Algol is the minimum brightness of the
eclipsing binary star system, Algol. Every 2.8 days during a 10
hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in magnitude as
one of the two stars passes behind the other. The combined
magnitude of the two stars dips from +2.1 to a minimum of +3.4
halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden.
• Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates fall or spring equinox.
• Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the winter or summer
solstice for the current year.
C. Glossary Menu Options
The “Select Item: Glossary” menu provides an alphabetical listing of
definitions and descriptions for common astronomical terms and
Autostar functions. Press ENTER to access the Glossary database.
Use the SCROLL keys to scroll through the alphabet. Press ENTER
on the desired letter. Scroll to the desired entry, then press ENTER
to read the description.
D. Utilities Menu Options
The “Select Item: Utilities” menu provides access to several extra
features within Autostar, including a countdown timer and an alarm.
Specific Utilities options include:
Timer selects a countdown timer. This feature is useful for things
such as astrophotography and in tracking satellites. To use the
Timer, press ENTER, then choose “Set” or “Start/Stop.”
Alarm selects a time for an alarm signal as a reminder function. To
use the Alarm, press ENTER, then choose “Set” or “Start/Stop.”
Eyepiece Calc calculates information about an eyepiece and how it
functions for the specific telescope to which Autostar is connected.
Brightness Adj uses the scroll keys to adjust the brightness of the
screen. When complete, press ENTER.
Contrast Adj uses the scroll keys to adjust the contrast of the
screen. This feature is usually only required in very cold weather.
When complete, press ENTER.
Battery Alarm sounds when the batteries are nearing replacement.
If not desired, press the scroll key to change the screen from YES to
NO. Press ENTER and the beep no longer sounds.
Landmark Survey automatically moves the telescope to all user-
defined landmarks with a pause at each location. Use the ARROW
keys to manually locate the first landmark. Press and hold ENTER
for 2 seconds; the message “ENTER to Sync.” appears. Press
ENTER and this landmark is synchronized with all other landmarks.
Important Note: To accomplish a landmark survey, all landmarks
must have been entered into the Autostar database from the same
reference point (i.e., the telescope must be in the exact same
location and mounted and aligned in the exact same way).
Sleep Scope is a power saving option that shuts down Autostar and
the telescope without forgetting its alignment. Press ENTER to
activate the Sleep function and Autostar goes dark but the internal
clock keeps running. Press any key, except ENTER
, to re-activate.
Park Scope is designed for a telescope that is not moved between
observing sessions. Align the telescope one time, then use this
function to park the telescope. Next time it is powered up, enter the
correct date and time — no alignment is required. Pressing ENTER
causes the telescope to move to its pre-determined Park position.
Once parked, the screen prompts to turn off power.
E. Setup Menu Options
The “Select Item: Setup” category primary function is to align the
telescope. However, there are numerous other features available
within “Setup.” These options are:
Date changes the date currently used by Autostar.
Time changes the time entered into Autostar. Setting the correct
time is critical for Autostar to properly calculate locations and events.
