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How to Track Stars With an Orion Teletrack

Astronomers, astrologists and other stargazers often find interest and need to track the movement of the massive, hot balls of plasma called stars. Special equipment is useful in the pursuit of star tracking, and the Orion TeleTrack is one such instrument. The Orion TeleTrack is a mount designed for small telescopes, spotting scopes and cameras. This instrument can move up and down as well as left to right and has an astronomical tracking feature.

Things You'll Need

Observation instrument

Instructions

Setting Up The TeleTrack
- 1
  Remove the tripod from its box.
- 2
  Rotate the leg lock levers counterclockwise.
- 3
  Extend each leg to the desired length.
- 4
  Rotate the lock levers clockwise.
- 5
  Adjust the legs to the desired stance.
- 6
  Tighten the leg brace lock knob.
- 7
  Hold the fork arm with the circular base facing downward and place it gently on the threaded post.
- 8
  Rotate the entire fork arm assembly clockwise until it threads completely onto the post.
- 9
  Check the bubble level and adjust legs as needed to level the tripod.
- 10
  Loosen the elevator lock knob on the tripod and use the hinged hand crank to move the elevator shaft up or down to adjust to a comfortable height if needed.
- 11
  Re-tighten the elevator lock knob to secure the instrument at the new height.
- 12
  Plug the connector into the "HC" jack at the base of the mount's fork arm. Press until it clicks.
- 13
  Insert the dovetail plate of the L-bracket into the dovetail mount.
- 14
  Tighten the dovetail lock knob until snug.
- 15
  Place the threaded hole in your optical instrument onto the threads on the L-bracket.
- 16
  Turn the black knurled knob.
- 17
  Tighten by rotating the tightening lever on the underside of the L-bracket until secure.
- 18
  Set the latitude of your instrument on the latitude scale toward the top of the fork arm. Slew the mount until the arrow lines up with your latitude; then store the latitude by simultaneously pressing the "FAST" and "SLOW" buttons.
Leveling and Finding North
- 19
  Power the mount on, and slew the mount using the "UP" and "DOWN" buttons so the telescope is roughly level.
- 20
  Use the "LEFT" and "RIGHT" buttons to move the telescope so that it is pointing North. Use Polaris, if possible, for a reference.
- 21
  Power the TeleTrack mount off.
- 22
  Check the position of your instrument. It should be at "Home".
Star Tracking
- 23
  Power the TeleTrack mount on
- 24
  Choose a celestial object from a star map, planetarium software or planisphere. Set the slew speed to "FAST" and slew your telescope in the direction of the constellation.
- 25
  Set your slew speed to "SLOW" or "GUIDE" and adjust the position of your telescope until the chosen object is centered in the field of view.
- 26
  
  Choose a star in a constellation to target and track.
  
  Activate tracking by pressing the "GUIDE" and "SLOW" speed buttons simultaneously.

Astronomy