Meade 14 Inch LX800 ACF Telescope with StarLock

Meade Instruments introduces the latest in a long line of advanced astronomical products.  The all new Meade LX800 Equatorial Telescope Mount featuring StarLock technology is the most exciting product to hit the astronomy community in a decade. 

Faster, Sharper Optical System

Building on Meade's award-winning Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optics, the LX800 employs a fast f/8 optical system with high-contrast baffling that assures crisp, pinpoint imaging to the very edge of the field.  The all-new OTAs feature an internal Crayford-style, zero image-shift focusing system with a two-speed, 7:1 control that rigidly holds the primary mirror, eliminating the need for a mirror lock.  In addition, with the LX800s optional large-format, three-element f/5 focal reducer/field flattener, you gain even wider fields, faster exposures and a flat field even on larger sensors.

Meade LX800 - Precision Machined, Solid German Equatorial Mount

Constructed of machined stainless steel and aircraft grade 6061-T6 aluminum, the Meade LX800 mount presents a rock-solid platform with precision roller bearings on both axes and a 1.75 inch stainless steel R.A. shaft.  Its .68 diameter brass worms and 5.8 inch diameter, 225-tooth aluminum gears deliver smooth, precise movement with up to a 90 pound instrument load.  Add to this internal cabling and the AutoStar II fully-computerized GoTo system with GPS, with a database of over 144,000 objects.  All this sets atop a new ultra-stable tripod.

Meade StarLock - Full-Time Automatic Guiding

StarLock is the heart of the Meade LX800 Mount.  Its the revolutionary new technology that makes target acquisition on your imaging sensor and accurate guiding during exposures completely automatic.  With Meade's exclusive LightSwitch technology at its core, StarLock uses a 80mm f/5 optic and a super wide angle lens in a two camera system that automatically finds your target in high-precision, immediately captures a field star as dim as 11th magnitude and then guides to an incredible accuracy of one arcsecond.  StarLock achieves this amazing accuracy because, unlike add-on guiders, StarLock is integrated into the telescope control system and communicates directly with the motor controllers in real time with a maximum precision of 0.01 arcseconds.

There's no need for a separate guider or computer and the StarLock requires no calibration, no user focusing or guide star selection.  StarLock even automatically programs periodic error correction and then corrects for any other errors down to virtually zero.  StarLock also provides computer-assisted polar alignment using the drift method for extreme precision.  No expensive shaft encoders or add-on guiding systems can provide this level of performance.

Meade LX800 EQ Mount Features:

• Machined from solid 6061-T6 Aircraft grade Aluminum and Stainless Steel
• Anodized Aluminum and Stainless Steel Finish
• Main Gear - R.A. & Dec. 5.8 inch under cut 225 tooth aluminum
• Worm Gear - R.A. & Dec. .68 inch diameter precision machined brass
• Counterweight Shaft - 1.75 inch diameter, 12 inch long threaded stainless steel
• Includes 1, 18lb counterweight
• Drive motors - DC Servo Motors with Encoders on both axes
• Fine Adjustment Altitude and Azimuth controls
• Tracking distance past meridian - 20 degrees
• OTA mounting system - Losmandy-style dovetail
• Payload capacity - 90 lbs.
• Tripod - Giant folding adjustable height tripod with 3 inch diameter stainless steel legs.  Height from 29 inches to 45 inches
• Mount body weight - 55 lbs.
• Counterweight shaft and cap weight - 17.8 lbs.
• Counterweight - 18 lbs.
• Tripod weight - 36 lbs.
• Control panel - 12v DC in, 12v DC out, Power, Focuser, Reticle, Handbox port, 1 computer connection port (RS232), 1 StarLock port, 1 Aux guide port
• Computer Control with AutoStar II GoTo System
• Database - Over 144,000 Objects
• GPS built in
• Home sensors on both RA and Dec axes
• Internal clock
• Internal cabling

StarLock Features

• Wide-Field Camera - 25mm x 26mm f/1.04 optic with 1/2 inch format CMOS sensor gives field of 14.72 x 11.78 degrees
• Narrow-Field Camera - 80mm x 400mm f/5 optic with 1/2 inch format CMOS sensor gives field of 57.2 x 45.8 arcminutes (2.68 arcseconds/pixel)
• High-precision guiding - +/- 1 arcsecond RMS (with good seeing) 1-4 second correction update rate depending on star magnitude.  Faintest guide star 11th mag.
• High-precision alignment - Semi-Automatic drift align procedure for ultra-precise polar alignment