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Part I: Introduction 

 

 

Part I : Introduction 

 

A simple mount, yet efficient 

When  designing  the  Star  Discovery  mount, 
Sky-Watcher  engineers  kept  these  words  in 
mind.  A  simple  mount  that  can  really  do 
astronomy,  helps  beginners  to  discover  the 
night  sky  efficiently  and  will  become  a  tool 
that can fulfill your passion. 

The  Star  Discovery  mount  is  not  only 
designed  to  drive  a  telescope,  but  is  also  a 
multi-role  platform  for  cameras  and  video 
recorders. 

Perfect 

for 

lightweight 

astrophotography,  time  lapse  photography, 
wide view and panorama photography, video 
panning and so many more activities. 

With motors on both axes the Star Discovery 
mount  can  be  driven  from  one  point  to 
another  accurately  in  no  time  and  can 
pinpoint any object. Any night sky object will 
be  in  the  center  of  the  field  of  view  in  no 
time,  or  your  camera  will  frame  that  scene 
exactly as you like it.  

The  Star  Discovery  mount  even  includes 
digital  encoders  and  the  patented “Freedom 
Find 

TM

”  technology  like  the  biggest  Sky-

Watcher  mounts.  After  moving  to  a  new 
object  the  telescope  will  automatically  begin 
to  track  the  new  object  accurately.  No  re-
setup is required in one observing session. 

If not enough the Star Discovery mount can host the SynScan Version 4, the latest SynScan 
GO-TO  handset.  This  handset  can  drive  the  Sky  Discovery  mount  to  any  object  selected 
from its huge 42000+ object database, including objects from Messier, IC, NGC and Caldwell 
catalogs,  the  planets,  named  stars,  double  stars,  variable  stars  and  even  user-defined 
objects like new comets. 

 

 

 

 

NEVER  USE  YOUR  TELESCOPE  TO  LOOK  DIRECTLY  AT  THE 

SUN. PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE WILL RESULT. 

 

NEVER USE AN EYEPIECE-TYPE SOLAR FILTER. 

 

NEVER USE YOUR TELESCOPE TO PROJECT SUNLIGHT ONTO 

ANOTHER  SURFACE;  THE  INTERNAL  HEAT  BUILD-UP  WILL 

DAMAGE THE TELESCOPE OPTICAL ELEMENTS. 

 

USE  A  PROPER  SOLAR  FILTER  FIRMLY  MOUNTED  ON  THE 

FRONT OF THE TELESCOPE FOR VIEWING THE SUN.  

 

WHEN  OBSERVING  THE  SUN,  PLACE  A  DUST  CAP  OVER 

YOUR  FINDERSCOPE  OR  REMOVE  IT  TO  PROTECT  YOU 
FROM ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURE. 

 

NEVER LET A TELESCOPE POINTING THE SUN UNATTENDED. 

 

Part II: Getting Started 

Summary of Contents for Star Discovery Mount

Page 1: ...INSTRUCTION MANUAL Star Discovery Mount Copyright Sky Watcher SL26032014 V1...

Page 2: ...IV Terrestrial Photography Installing the Mounting Bracket 11 General Operations 12 Setting and retrieving preset positions 12 Camera Cruising Function 13 Video Cruising and Time Lapse Photography Fu...

Page 3: ...ted Freedom Find TM technology like the biggest Sky Watcher mounts After moving to a new object the telescope will automatically begin to track the new object accurately No re setup is required in one...

Page 4: ...Leg support for Hand Controller A3 Mounting bracket assembly Common Parts 1 The Star Discovery mount 2 The tripod with adjustable legs 3 The accessory tray Specific Parts to SD GoTo B1 SynScan version...

Page 5: ...just the clutch knob Fig 6 to obtain a locking force enabling the main tube to be pushed manually while staying steady once released The final step is to connect the controller to the mount On the arm...

Page 6: ...iece is its focal length expressed in mm It is important because the enlargement provided by the eyepiece is directly linked to its focal length Here is the formula to calculate the enlargement provid...

Page 7: ...lace Please install the eyepiece as follow For reflectors Fig 9 Unscrew the thumbscrews on the end of the focus tube then insert the desired eyepiece and re tighten the thumb screws to hold the eyepie...

Page 8: ...way then turn the knurled ring at the end of the finder scope until the image is in focus Fig 1 NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITH THE FINDER SCOPE IT COULD IMPAIR DEFINITIVELY YOUR VISION Choose a d...

Page 9: ...proposes two red light models SKU 92015 a voltage regulated LED flashlight that emits soft red light to assist telescope operation with adjustable brightness and SKU 92010 a multipurpose flashlight wi...

Page 10: ...n the Southern Hemisphere it should be oriented North 2 Rotate the altitude axis to enable the altitude scale to read local latitude according to the enlarged view to the right set to 21 on image as e...

Page 11: ...on off by simultaneously pressing the buttons 1 and 2 While tracking the backlight of the button representing the current selected speed will flash If tracking is off the backlight will be continuousl...

Page 12: ...he mounting bracket please note the bracket has a metal plate reinforcement on one side as shown in Fig 1 This metal plate should face the blocking screw on the vertical axe Gently slide the mounting...

Page 13: ...perations The hand control always activates the celestial object tracking function after power is turned on For terrestrial application user could press buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously to turn off the...

Page 14: ...e starts the cruising again This function can be turn on off by pressing GO buttons when the mount is in Camera Cruising operation 3 By default when the mount stops at a pre stored position the active...

Page 15: ...and d positions are skipped A position which is not set after turning on power will also be skipped during cruising If both axes positions are changed between two preset points the axis with shorter s...

Page 16: ...sition after it finishes the photography 5 Start panoramic photography Press buttons a and c simultaneously to start taking panoramic pictures The mount will start taking pictures from the preset lowe...

Page 17: ...er EQ8 mount After moving to a new object the telescope will automatically begin to track the new object accurately No re setup is required in one observing session Moving the mount around In many sit...

Page 18: ...al setup 1 Once the mount has been leveled and powered please see the SynScan Version 4 will start the initialization process by displaying the Firmware Version Press ENTER to proceed to the next step...

Page 19: ...croll keys to select Yes or No YES indicates the time entered in the previous step is daylight saving time while NO indicates the time entered is in standard time Press the ENTER key to confirm and pr...

Page 20: ...is step the mount will select a slow speed allowing centering the star in the eyepiece field of view easily Don t move the mount manually otherwise you will overshoot the star position and lost it If...

Page 21: ...o the next step During this step the mount will select a slow speed allowing centering the star in the eyepiece field of view easily Don t move the mount manually otherwise you will overshoot the star...

Page 22: ...p continued on p24 Locating NGC Objects Press the NGC 5 shortcut key to access the NGC catalog The screen will display NGC Catalog NGC The NGC catalog index number ranges from 1 to 7840 Use the number...

Page 23: ...see below h Double stars please see below i Variable stars please see below j Deep Sky Tour same as TOUR 1 button menu k User Objects same as USER 9 button menu Press ENTER key to select the desired m...

Page 24: ...ng The screen will display Save Press the ENTER key again to start saving the coordinates Users should use the scroll keys to select a storage space index number between 1 and 25 and press the ENTER k...

Page 25: ...selected object The screen will display View Object Press the ENTER key to have the mount slew towards the target When the mount stops the SynScan hand control will return to the previous step The mo...

Page 26: ...SynScan Version 4 menu tree The SynScan Version 4 menu tree is a useful reference to the menus that the controller will display when connected to the Star Discovery Mount In this manual only the most...

Page 27: ...ity Choosing the best time to observe The best conditions will have still air and obviously a clear view of the sky It is not necessary that the sky be cloud free Often broken cloud conditions provide...

Page 28: ...support available alongside with the list of distributors and dealers worldwide on our worldwide internet site http www skywatcher com Sky Watcher offers this product with the best available quality i...

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