Manual
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION StarSense™ is patented technology that allows your telescope to determine its position and align itself with the night sky automatically. StarSense AutoAlign’s internal camera captures an image of the sky, and then analyzes it to identify the stars in the image. Based on this information, StarSense can determine the coordinates of the center of the image. After repeating this process a few times, the system can create an accurate model of the night sky.
System Requirements When setting up StarSense for the first time, a wide-angle/low power eyepiece and high power eyepiece are recommended. Start with the wide-angle/low power eyepiece. StarSense AutoAlign works with most computerized Celestron telescopes and several different optical tubes. Refer to the compatibility charts below. Telescope Compatibility Compatible Not Compatible NexStar SE Series NexStar i Series CPC, CPC DX Ultima 2000 NexStar GT (with Aux.
Optical Tube Compatibility The StarSense camera replaces the finderscope on your telescope. Use one of the two included camera brackets to attach the camera, the large bracket (already installed), or the small bracket. Refer to the chart below to determine which bracket fits your optical tube. Large Bracket Small Bracket All Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrains Celestron 6” f/8.
ASSEmBLy attachING the starseNse camera to your telescope 1. Remove the finderscope and bracket from your telescope tube . 3. Slide the StarSense camera onto the camera base and secure it with the thumbscrew(s) . The camera slides on the large base front to back, and slides on the small base back to front . Note: Some optical tubes, like the NexStar Se, may have a small plastic rail which secures the Star Pointer . Remove this rail with a Phillips head screwdriver . Remove StarPointer 2.
4. Plug the included auxiliary cable into the back of the StarSense Camera on one end, and your mount’s auxiliary port on the other end. 2. Remove the lens shroud by unthreading it. 3. Slide the bracket off the front of the camera. Be careful not to lose the two orange rings. Note: If your telescope does not have an auxiliary port, the Auxiliary Port Splitter, (item #93919 available from Celestron), is required. First, plug the splitter into the auxiliary port.
Using with a Finder Although StarSense replaces the need for a finderscope, you may still wish to use a finder for quick reference, or to assist with the one-time center calibration of the StarSense camera and telescope. Some optical tubes, like Schmidt-Cassegrains and EdgeHDs have threaded holes to accept finderscope brackets in multiple locations.
Quick Start: Aligning StarSense Set up your telescope in a relatively unobstructed area that shows most of the sky. If you have obstructions like buildings or trees, StarSense will skip them during the auto alignment procedure. Connect the StarSense Hand Control and camera to your telescope as described in Assembly. Remove the camera’s dust cap. 1. Set your telescope up with an eyepiece and position the telescope in its home position or index marks. The tripod does not need to be level.
After a successful automatic alignment, StarSense will display “Alignment Complete.” 8. Press ENTER to continue. First Time Setup: Calibrate Center The first time you use StarSense AutoAlign, StarSense needs to know the center of the telescope’s field of view in relation to its camera. This one-time calibration process takes place inside the camera and will not require you to physically adjust the camera or your telescope.
10. Now, perform another StarSense Auto alignment. When alignment is complete, your telescope is ready to view objects and StarSense will accurately locate them in your eyepiece’s field of view. StarSense Manual Align StarSense Manual alignment allows you to point the telescope in the part of the sky you wish to use for taking alignment images. This is particularly useful in locations where the horizon is obstructed or you have limited visibility.
which accounts for flexure and other mechanical inaccuracies to provide the best possible pointing accuracy. Solar System Align Solar System Align provides good tracking and GoTo performance by using solar system objects (the Sun, Moon and planets) to align the telescope with the sky. Solar System Align is a great way to align your telescope for daytime viewing as well as a quick way to align the telescope for night time observing.
To save an alignment: 1. When the hand control displays StarSense Ready, press ALIGN. 2. Scroll UP/DOWN (also the 6 and 9 keys) to select Save / Load Align and press ENTER. 3. Scroll UP/DOWN (also the 6 and 9 keys) to select the slot you wish to save under. There are 10 available save positions, 0-9. 4. Press OPTION (Celestron logo key on bottom left) and ENTER simultaneously to save the alignment. The save name is a date code in YYMMDD HHMMSS format. To load an alignment: 1.
STARSENSE OVERVIEW starseNse camera uSB Port for future upgrades and development lens shroud Modular Jack Connection to mount Camera lens large Bracket (pre-installed on camera in box) attachment Screws modular Jack: Connects the StarSense Camera to your telescope using the provided cable . usB port: Available for future software development and camera firmware upgrades . camera lens: A fully multi-coated 20mm f/2 lens responsible for capturing images to align the telescope .
6. ME NU: Displays the many utilities and setup functions, such as tracking rate, user defined objects, and others. 7. OPT ION (Celestron Logo): Can be used in combination with other keys to access more advanced features and functions. 8. E NTER: Selects any of StarSense’s functions, accepts entered parameters, and slews the telescope to displayed objects. 9. BACK: Exits the current menu and displays the previous level of the menu path.
• Press ENTER. The telescope will slew to the object displayed on the hand control. While the telescope is slewing, you can still access many of the hand control functions, such as displaying information about the object. Caution: Never slew the telescope when someone is looking into the eyepiece. The telescope can move quickly and may hit an observer in the eye.
Motor Speed Button Help Button The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates. Pressing the MOTOR SPEED button allows you to instantly change the speed of the motors from high-speed slew rate to precise guiding rate, or anywhere in between. Each rate corresponds to a number on the hand control key pad. The number 9 is the fastest rate (approximately 3.5º per second, depending on power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars.
Database Setup Press ENTER to accept the value. SkyTour Filters: Allows you to set the minimum magnitude limit (brightness) for objects that will be displayed when the SKY TOUR button is pressed. When using your telescope from a dark sky location, set the minimum magnitude to a higher number. When using your telescope from an urban location or when the Moon is full, set the minimum magnitude to a lower number. The filter limit can be set between 0 (very bright objects) and 25.5 (extremely faint objects).
• R.A. Limits (For equatorial mounts only): Sets the limits that the telescope can slew or track in Right Ascension (R.A.) before stopping. The slew limits are represented in degrees and by default set to 0°, the position of the telescope when the counterweight bar is extended out horizontally. However, the slew limits can be customized depending on your needs.
To adjust, press ENTER. While viewing an object in the eyepiece, observe the responsiveness of each of the four direction buttons. Note which directions you see a pause in the star movement after the button has been pressed. Working one axis at a time, adjust the backlash settings high enough to cause immediate movement without resulting in a pronounced jump when pressing or releasing the button. Now, enter the same values for both positive and negative directions.
Time and Location View / Modify Time: Allows you to view and make changes to the date, time, time zone offset, and Daylight Savings Time. View / Modify Location: Allows you to view and make changes to the longitude and latitude of your current location. Please note that changing your current location will result in a loss of alignment. You will need to realign your telescope after making location changes. Press the OPTION button to toggle between city database and longitude/latitude.
Specifications Camera Specifications Imaging Sensor Aptina MT9M034 1.2 Megapixel CMOS Pixel Array 1280 x 960 Pixel Size 3.75μm x 3.75μm Objective Lens Diameter 20mm (2-element) Objective Lens Focal Length 40mm Objective Lens Focal Ratio/F-stop F/2 Control Board 32-bit processor with embedded Linux Operating System USB Port USB 2.
