Meade Infinity 102, Instruction Manual

Have a good time when you’re observ-

ing. You may not know everything that 

there is to know about a telescope or 

what all the sights in the universe are, 

but that’s OK.  Just point and observe at first.

You will enjoy your telescope even more as 

you learn more about it. But don’t be scared 

off by difficult terms or complicated proce-

dures. Don’t panic! Just relax and enjoy your 

scope.
You will begin to grow and learn more about 

astronomy the more you observe. Browse 

the internet or go to the library and read 

some books about the stars and planets. 

Read about astronomers of old. Many of 

them had telescopes no bigger than the one 

you are using right now. Galileo, who is one 

of the first astronomers to use a telescope, 

discovered four of the moons of Jupiter with 

a telescope about the same size as yours 

(and his didn’t even focus very well!).

OBSERVING

Observe during the daytime:  Try out your 

telescope during the daytime at first.  It is 

easier to learn how it operates and how to 

observe when it is light.  
Pick out an easy object to observe:  A dis-

tant mountain, a large tree, a lighthouse or 

skyscraper make excellent targets.  Point the 

optical tube so it lines up with your object.  
Unlock the lock knob:  To move the tele-

scope horizontally you will need to unlock 

the horizontal lock knob (just rotate to unlock 

or lock; when locking, only tighten to a “firm 

feel,” do not over tighten).

Use the viewfinder:  If you have not done so, 

align the viewfinder (2) with the telescope’s 

eyepiece (1) as described earlier.  Look 

through the viewfinder until you can see the 

object.  It will be easier to locate an object 

using the viewfinder rather than locating with 

the eyepiece.  Line up the object using the 

viewfinders red dot.

Look through the eyepiece:  Once you 

have the object lined up in the viewfind-

er, look through the optical tube’s eye-

piece.  If you have aligned your viewfinder, 

you will see the object in your eyepiece.  

Focus:  Look through the eyepiece and prac-

6

TOO MUCH POWER?

Can you ever have too much power? If the type of 

power you’re referring to is eyepiece magnification, 

yes you can! The most common mistake of the 

beginning observer is to “overpower” a telescope 

by using high magnifications which the telescope’s 

aperture and atmospheric conditions cannot 

reasonably support. Keep in mind that a smaller, 

but bright and well-resolved image is far superior 

to one that is larger, but dim and poorly resolved. 

Powers above 400x should be employed only under 

the steadiest atmospheric conditions.

tice focusing on the object you have chosen.  

Try out the coarse and fine adjustment 

controls:  Practice using the fine adjustment 

control (11 & 12) to move the telescope.  

These can come in very handy, especially 

when you wish to move the telescope in very 

small (fine control) steps.

Observe the Moon:  When you feel comfort-

able with the viewfinder, the eyepieces, the 

locks and the adjustment controls, you will 

be ready to try out the telescope at night.  

The Moon is the best object to observe the 

Looking at or near the 

Sun

 will cause 

irreversible

 damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.