Meade LNT Instruction Manual download pdf (Page 55)

In the ear

ly 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a crude telescope considerably smaller

than the LX90, turned it to look towards the sky instead of distant trees and mountains. What

he sa

w, and what he realized about what he saw, forever changed the way mankind thought of

the universe. Imagine what it must have been like being the first human to see moons revolve

around the planet J

upiter or to see the changing phases of Venus! Because of his observations,

Galileo correctly realized Earth's movement and position around the Sun, and in doing so, gave

birth to modern astronomy. Yet Galileo's telescope was so crude, he could not clearly make out

the rings of Saturn.

Galileo's discoveries laid the foundation for understanding the motion and nature of the plan-

ets, stars, and galaxies. Building on his foundation, Henrietta Leavitt determined how to

measure the distance to stars;

Edwin Hubble proposed a glimpse into the origin of the universe;

Albert Einstein unraveled the relationship of time and light. Almost daily, using sophisticated

successors to Galileo's crude telescope, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, more and more

mysteries of the universe are being solved and understood. We are living in a golden age of

astronomy.

Unlike other sciences, astronomy welcomes contributions from amateurs. Much of the

knowledge we have on subjects such as comets, meteor showers, variable stars, the Moon and

our solar system comes from observations made by amateur astronomers. So as you look

through your Meade LX90 telescope, keep in mind Galileo. To him, a telescope was not

merely a machine made of glass and metal, but something far more - a window through which

the beating heart of the universe might be observed.

AutoStar Glossary

Be sure to make use of AutoStar’s Glossary feature. The Glossary menu provides an

alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions of common astronomical terms. Access

directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in AutoStar. See

“GLOSSARY MENU," page 25, for more information.

Objects in Space

Listed below are some of the many astronomical objects that can be seen with the LX90:

The Moon

The Moon is, on average, a distance of 239,000 miles (380,000km) from Earth and is best

observed during its crescent or half phase when Sunlight strikes the Moon’s surface at an

angle. It casts shadows and adds a sense of depth to the view (

Fig. 37). No shadows are seen

during a full Moon, causing the overly bright Moon to appear flat and rather uninteresting

through the telescope. Be sure to use a neutral Moon filter when observing the Moon. Not only

does it protect your eyes from the bright glare of the Moon, but it also helps enhance contrast,

providing a more dramatic image.

Using the LX90, brilliant detail can be observed on the Moon, including hundreds of lunar

craters and maria, described below.

Craters are round meteor impact sites covering most of the Moon’s surface. With no

atmosphere on the Moon, no weather conditions exist, so the only erosive force is meteor

strikes. Under these conditions, lunar craters can last for millions of years.

Maria (plural for mare) are smooth, dark areas scattered across the lunar surface. These dark

areas are large ancient impact basins that were filled with lava from the interior of the Moon by

the depth and force of a meteor or comet impact.

Twelve Apollo astronauts left their bootprints on the Moon in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

However, no telescope on Earth is able to see these footprints or any other artifacts. In fact, the

smallest lunar features that may be seen with the largest telescope on Earth are about one-half

mile across.

Fig. 37: The Moon.

Note the deep shad-

ows in the craters.

APPENDIX E: BASIC ASTRONOMY

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