First Light

[Visionary]

My beautiful Meade LX90 8" had first light this evening. In every way it performed to my unrealistically high expectations. As I didn't polar aline I used manual slewing to keep Jupiter in the centre of my field of view. The variable slew rate of the Meade made this an easy task. The view of Jupiter was dramatic, full of pastel colour and marveiously distinct bands across the face of Jupiter. The Great spot was equally defined.
Being an 8" the physical task of assembling the scope was easy. I had planned this night for sometime I was genuinely impressed at how the scope performed. So in summary, one very happy camper and a remarkable scope. We are both in for many more nights together.

[madwayne]

Hi David

Nice report and great to see it was clear enough in Sydney last night.

Surprised you needed to manually track Jupiter. Did you do a 2 or 3 star alignment prior to viewing? I Thought you would be tracking as long as there is power to it, at least that was how my LX90 worked when I had it a few years ago. Biggest regret in astronomy was selling it. Mind you my 12" go to Dob is pretty cool.

Wayne

[julianh72]

It's well worth taking the two minutes or so that it takes to set up a basic Easy (Two-Star) Align, as spelt out on page 19 of the manual:

1. Turn on the power as soon as you have the scope outside on the tripod, and start the initialisation process. Allow a couple of minutes to let the GPS get the location and time / date - get the rest of your gear ready while it is getting a fix. (You need to be outside for this - it probably won't be able to get a fix indoors.) First time around, it might take a few minutes to get a fix, but it should be much quicker on subsequent set-ups, because it remembers your previous location, and will have a fairly up-to-date ephemeris of GPS satellite data.

2. Loosen the axis clamps, and manually level the tube and point it to magnetic North (using the supplied levelling bubble / compass in the star diagonal). Tighten the two axis clamps, and don't release them again in this viewing session. Follow the prompts to tell Autostar that you have the scope in the Magnetic North Home position.

3. Follow the prompts, and align on the two target stars, using the motor controller to fine-position the scope alignment.

Voila! As long as you only move the scope using the motor controller (DON'T release the axis clamps and manually slew it!), it will find targets and track them for the rest of the night. With even a quick-and-dirty Two-Star Align, you should find that it will keep a target in the field of view for 15 minutes or more without needing to touch the controls.

[Visionary]

Julian & Wayne,

Many thanks and yes next time I will be taking page 19 of the Meade manual with me and in easy to read large print!
I was taken by surprise. I was expecting to fiddle around and sort of fumble and stumble. It was a real shock when directly after pointing at Jupiter it leapt out of the eye piece in glorious pastel bands, I really didn't expect such a result.
Next time the scope goes outside it will be in the company of an experienced Astronomer who has very kindly offer to walk me through the initial steps of using the Meade LX 90 in the way it was designed to be used.
I also think this maybe a great moment to give a shout of thanks to Don @ Bintel for his patience and his guidance in both selecting the scope and of course the accessories that make the scope function, so many thanks Don!
Last night was incredibly exciting and I know with utter confidence that this is just the first in a long series of nights that now stretch out in front of me. I am also confident that when I have questions that Gentlemen such as Wayne & Julian are there to help. Many thanks and yes page 19 will be with me next time.

Cheers

David

[madwayne]

Hi again David

You're most welcome with the advice. Don and the team at Bintel are exceptional. They will only sell you what you need and not just take your money. I have no hesitation in recommending them.

Wait till you get your scope out of the bright lights, it will blow your mind. In fact you should look up the Ice in Space astro camp. It's on near Maitland in March New Moon period, around 20th. I've got my approval from home and now have it from work too so I'll be there for sure. If you like camping and want to mix with other astronomers this could be for you.

Clear skies.

Wayne

[Visionary]

Wayne,
I would love to get the scope under some dark sky's. The Space Astro camp is an event that I would really like too attend. I believe that being in an environment that is space/sky centred will sharpen up the learning curve very nicely. When dealing with enthusiasts at Bintel the difference between expert and sales person is stark they are experts. Like you I will be returning to Bintel when I need more gear. Having more experienced astronomers dipping into this area of the forum is a huge help.