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Thank
you for choosing Celestron. Welcome to the support page
for the NexStar 114GT telescope.
 At Celestron, our commitment to quality does not end when
the product ships out. We pride ourselves on providing excellent
support systems for our customers. One of the ways in which
we have distinguished ourselves is by having some of the
best technical support resources for our customers. We have
developed this section to address some of the common questions
and concerns about the NexStar 114GT.
We understand that a telescope can be intimidating for the
new user, especially when combined with a computer system.
The NexStar 114GT was designed to be easy to set up and use,
but we know that problems or questions often arise during
the set up or use of a telescope. Below, we have listed some
of the most commonly asked questions we have received about
the NexStar 114GT. Before contacting Tech Support, please
take a moment to look through the list of questions, your
answer may be a click away!
If you do not find the answers you are looking for, we encourage
you to contact our Technical Support Department. You can
contact Tech Support online by clicking
here.
We are committed to answering e-mails in a timely manner
and are usually able to answer e-mail queries within 24 hours.
You may also contact Tech Support by phone at 310-328-9560.
We strive to return calls or voicemail messages within 24
hours and are often able to return calls within several hours.
Our Technical Services department is composed of highly
trained operators who are not just knowledgeable about the
product, but passionate about the work we do here. They are
committed to answering questions in a timely manner whether
over the phone or by e-mail. They work hand in hand with
our Service Department to ensure that customers receive their
products back in a timely manner, and that all concerns are
addressed.
Celestron's Frequently
Asked Questions
NexStar 114GT Telescope Questions
Answers
Q: How do I get an erect image in my eyepiece?
A: Unfortunately, the inverted image
cannot be corrected on Newtonian style telescopes. These were designed
for astronomical use, where an inverted image is not an issue. Only refractor
style scopes can be corrected for terrestrial use. Binoculars and spotting
scopes are simply small refractor telescopes that have erecting prisms
built-in.
Q: Why does Mars appear as a small dot, even with my 10mm eyepiece?
A: You need to use a higher power
eyepiece. Remember that the smaller the focal length of the eyepiece
you use, the higher the magnification you will see in the scope. The
NexStar 114 comes with a 25mm eyepiece and a 10mm eyepiece, which give
you 40x and 100x respectively. To get better planetary images, you need
to use an optional eyepiece of a shorter focal length. This scope is
capable of using an eyepiece down to 3.6mm which will give you 270x and
will show a larger disk than what you are seeing now. It will still be
a small disk, but you will be able to see more detail than with the provided
eyepieces.
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| Mars through an ocular (eyepiece) with 7 arc minute FOV equal to
400x |
Mars through an ocular (eyepiece) with 14 arc minute FOV equal
to 200x |
Q: Why does my scope move well past the alignment stars when I attempt to use Auto-Align?
A: Having the wrong model selected
in the hand control can charge the gear ratios the scope uses to calculate
the correct position of objects in the sky. To correct this, go into
the main menu using button #3 and go into the Utilities menu. Choose “Model
Select” and select 114mm off the list. It will ask you to recycle
the power. Simply unplug the power supply and wait a few seconds before
plugging it back in. This should take care of any pointing issues.
Q: Why does there appear to be a black circle in the middle of my image when I look at a star or planet?
A: If you can see the shadow of the
secondary mirror and spider vanes in the eyepiece, the scope is not focused.
As you move the focuser, the image should get smaller until you reach
a point where the shadow disappears. This image is now in focus. If you
continue turning the knob, the shadow returns and the image starts getting
larger, you have passed focus and need to turn the knob in the opposite
direction. If you want to make the focused image larger, you will need
to use a higher power eyepiece.
Q: When I try to align the scope, why does my scope point down to the ground?
A: This sounds like the tube ring
was installed upside down. This is an easy fix. Look for the silver knob
on the large black ring that holds the telescope in place. This knob
is most likely located on the bottom of the tube ring with the hinge
on top. This is exactly 180 degrees out of phase. Holding the tube, remove
the silver thumbscrew and remove the tube from the ring. Now grab the
ring and rotate it 180 degrees so the hinge is at the bottom and the
silver screw is at the top. Replace the tube in the ring the same way
you removed it and tighten the silver thumbscrew. This should take care
if it.
Q: Why doesn't my accessory tray look like the one in the manual and why doesn't it appear to fit on my tripod?
A: There was a product design change
that replaces the triangular tray with a round version. Here is the correct
way to mount it. Carefully remove the plastic bolt from the accessory
tray. Spread the tripod legs apart as far as they go and place the tray
on the top of the leg brace assembly. Then take the plastic bolt and
thread it in from the bottom of the leg brace assembly and in through
the accessory tray that is mounted on the top of the leg brace assembly.
You will see that the tray is being pulled down making the legs more
stable and the tray more secure. It also has a built in hand control
holder eliminating the separate hand control hook that mounted to the
leg.
Q: I have a star or planet centered in my Star Pointer finderscope, but I can't see anything in the eyepiece. What am I doing wrong?
A: It sounds as if the Star Pointer
is not aligned to the telescope’s optics. This must be done once
when the scope is first set up. To do this, all you have to do is “reverse
engineer” it. Take the scope out in the daytime and point the scope
down the street towards the top of a telephone pole, street sign, or
license plate on a car (or any target that’s easily recognizable).
Using your lowest power eyepiece (the one with the highest focal length
number printed on it), look into the eyepiece of the main scope and center
it on the target. Now look through the Star Pointer and the first thing
you’ll notice is that the red dot is not aimed at the same target.
Now adjust the small round thumbscrews on the star pointer to adjust
the elevation and azimuth of the red dot until it lies on top of the
same object you are viewing through the eyepiece. Once this is done,
you are ready to view. Now anything you point the red dot at will be
in your field of view of your eyepiece. The Star Pointer should remain
in alignment unless the finder is bumped into something, like when you
move the scope in and out of the house. If this happens, simply realign
it. This can also be done at night using a distant streetlight.
Q: Why does the front of the telescope droop downward whenever I point it close to level?
A: This scope comes with
a slip clutch in the altitude axis. If the tube is placed
in the tube ring too far forward, the scope’s weight
will overcome the tension of the clutch and the scope will
slip downward. Your scope will have an easy time moving downward,
but will not likely be able to move upward without the motor
slipping. This can throw off your alignment. To eliminate
this, you need to balance the optical tube in the tube mounting
ring. Simply loosen the sliver thumbscrew located at the
top of the tube ring. Slide the tube forward in the ring
until the complete “NexStar“ logo can be read
behind the ring and tighten the silver thumbscrew down.
Q: Why can’t my telescope point straight upward?
A: Due to the design
of the fork assembly and the balance point of the tube, your
scope will be unable to point directly to the zenith. The
electronics have special filters in the hand control that
limit the menu choices to only what is within the slew limits
of the telescope. Any object that is within this circle that
the scope cannot reach will not appear in the menus until
it comes back into view. This circle is only about 20 degrees
in diameter. The earth rotates at about 15 degrees per hour,
so any object that is within this circle will be visible
in a little over an hour.
Q: Why are all nine planets not in the “planet” database?
Where did Jupiter and Saturn go?
A: This telescope is
equipped with electronic filters that prevent you from being
able to select objects that are below your visible horizon
or outside of the scope’s range of slewing. It does
this by removing any objects from the catalogs that are not
currently over the horizon at that moment. This way you do
not waste your time and battery life by slewing to objects
that are below the horizon or too close to the zenith. As
soon as these planets rise over the eastern horizon, their
names will reappear in the planet catalog. If a planet sets
behind the western horizon, its name will be removed from
the displayed list.
Q: How do I remove the black cardboard cover form
the end of the optical tube?
A: This cover does not
get removed. This piece is actually a light baffle which
prevents stray light from entering the back of the optical
tube from behind the mirror. Removing this can allow the
stray light to enter the tube and wash out your image. The
main lens cap is removed from the opposite end of the tube,
the side nearest the focuser and Star Pointer finderscope.
The light from your target travels through this opening,
bounces off the mirror at the bottom of the tube, and goes
back up the tube to strike the secondary mirror, where it
is redirected out the side of the tube to the eyepiece.
Q: I use a compass to align my scope north, but
my telescope will still not place an alignment star within
the finderscope’s field of view. Why not?
A: The telescope’s
computer needs a single reference point in space in order
to locate he approximate positions of the alignment stars.
This scope uses true north and level to define this point.
Unfortunately, a compass reads magnetic north and not true
north. The lines of magnetic flux in the Earth’s magnetic
field do not run in straight lines, resulting in variances
between true north and magnetic north that can exceed 20
degrees. The best way to find true north is to look for Polaris,
the North Star. It lies less than a degree away from true
north and is easily found by using the pointer stars in the
big dipper. When aligning your telescope, you place Polaris
in the center of the Star Pointer, then lower the tube so
that it is level and then start the alignment procedure.
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