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How to Find an Alignment Star for a Meade LX200

The most recent models of the Meade LX200 telescope can find any star in their object library right out of the box. Earlier models, such as the LX200 Classic, need to know the time, the location and the current position of a given star before they can automatically locate other objects in the night sky. Because there are so many reference stars to choose from, it's easy to get the idea that locating a reference star is complicated. However, if you can find three of the most familiar constellations, you can easily set up your LX200 any time of the year.

Things You'll Need

Meade LX200 Classic telescope
Compass (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Look for the constellation Orion, "The Hunter," in the southern sky from December to March. Orion is easy to recognize from the three closely aligned stars in his "belt." The star on his right "shoulder" -- your left -- is Betelgeuse, and the star at his left "hip" is Rigel. The LX200 can use either of these stars for alignment.
- 2
  Look for the Big Dipper in the Northern sky from April to September. The star at the very tip of the "handle" is Alkaid, which the LX200 can use as a reference star.
- 3
  Find the constellation Cygnus, "The Swan," in the Northern sky in October and November. Cygnus will look like a cross lying on its side -- the bright star at the head of this cross is Deneb. Deneb can serve as a star to orient the LX200.

Astronomy