When observing with the telescope during the daytime, do not point the telescope even close to the Sun. Fig. 1: The Meade Model 102ACHR/500 Refracting Telescope Captions for Fig. 1 Contents 1. Cradle Rings 2. Viewfinder 3. Focuser Lock Knob 4. Eyepiece 5. Diagonal Prism 6. Focus Knob 7. Declination (Dec) Slow Motion Control 8. Right Ascension (R.A.) Setting Circle 9. Dust Cover for Optional #812 Polar Alignment Finder 10. Latitude Scale 11. Fine Latitude Adjustment Knob 12. Tripod

WHEN OBSERVING DURING THE DAYTIME, DO NOT POINT THE TELESCOPE EVEN CLOSE TO THE SUN. DO NOT PLUG OR UNPLUG THE KEYPAD FROM THE POWER PANEL OF THE TELESCOPE WHILE THE POWER IS ON. ALL MEADE TELESCOPES ARE UNDER CONTINUOUS TECHNICAL REVIEW, AND SPECIFICATIONS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SHIP OUR LATEST MODELS. Meade telescopes, spotting scopes, and accessories are warranted to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of or

Place the optical tube assembly roughly in the center of the cradle rings and close the rings over the tube. Then tighten the cradle ring lock knobs (15) to a firm feel; do not overtighten these knobs. Please note that you may want to change the rotational position of the optical tube to gain a more comfortable observing position of the focuser (17). This adjustment may be performed several times in one observing session, as desired. • Insert the 25mm eyepiece (19) into the focuser, and tighten

(Note: The viewfinder presents an image which is upside-down.) UNDERSTANDING CELESTIAL MOVEMENTS AND COORDINATES Understanding where to locate celestial objects, and how those objects move across the sky is fundamental to enjoying the hobby of astronomy. Most amateur astronomers adopt the simple practice of “star-hopping” to locate celestial objects by using star charts or astronomical software which identify bright stars and star patterns (constellations) that serve as “road maps” and “landmark

When unsteady air conditions prevail (as witnessed by rapid “twinkling” of the stars), extremely high-power eyepieces result in poor magnification, where the object detail observed is actually reduced by the excessive power. – 12 – MAINTENANCE Cleaning As with any quality instrument, lens or mirror surfaces should be cleaned as infrequently as possible. Front surface aluminized mirrors, in particular, should be cleaned only when absolutely necessary. In all cases avoid touching any mirror surfac

Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or SmartFinder ™ as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. Meade114EQAR 3/28/07 9:52 AM Page 3 1 INTRODUCTION Your telescope is an excellent beginner’s instrument, and is designed to observe objects in the sky. It can be your personal window on the universe. The telescope is shipped with the following parts: • Optical tube • Aluminum tripod with an accessory tray • Two 1.25" eye

As you read this manual, the technical terms associated with telescopes will be made clear. Standard Equipment • Complete optical tube assembly with a 4.5" (114mm) diameter primary mirror, viewfinder mounting bolts with mounting nuts and rack-and-pinion focuser. Mirror focal length = 1000mm; f/8.8 • Equatorial mount with aluminum tripod and leg braces. • Accessories: MA 25mm (40x) eyepiece (1.25"O.D.), MA 12mm (83x) eyepiece (1.25"O.D.) 2x Barlow lens 5 x 24 viewfinder and bracket Counterweight

3, and thread the three screws up through the bottom of the tripod head and into the bottom of the field tripod adapter. Firmly tighten the three screws, so that the tripod head and the field tripod adapter are rigidly connected. The field tripod adapter may be left permanently attached to the field tripod. 3. Place the equatorial head onto the top of the field tripod adapter. Be sure the two azimuth knobs are unthreaded far enough to allow the equatorial head to slide past the azimuth stud. 4

Longer, non-standard set screws may protrude too far into the optical tube and cause serious damage to the telescope. (1) Bracket Slide (4) Collimation Screws (2) Objective Lens Cell (5) Eyepiece (3) Focus Locking Ring Fig. 6: 8x50mm Viewfinder b. Focusing the Viewfinder The 8x50mm viewfinder has been factory pre-focused to infinity. Should this focusing need adjustment for your eyes, loosen the knurled collar at the objective lens-end of the viewfinder (3, Fig. 6), enabling rotation of th

Objects located below the 0-0 line of the Dec. circle carry minus Declination coordinates. Each division of the Dec. represents a 1° increment. The R.A. circle runs from 0hr to (but not including) 24hr, and reads in increments of 5min. Note that the R.A. circle (17, Fig. 5) is double-indexed, i.e., there are 2 series of numbers running in opposite directions around the circumference of the R.A. circle. The upper series of numbers (increasing counterclockwise) applies to observers located in the