Meade 10" LX200 ACF Computerized Telescope - 1010-60-03

The Meade LX200-ACF brings Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optics within reach of aspiring astronomers everywhere. The LX200-ACF includes all the field-proven features of the LX200 including GPS, Primary Mirror Lock, Oversized Primary Mirror, SmartDrive; Smart Mount, AutoStar II, and more. The new LX200-ACF is the biggest news in astronomy since, well, the LX200.

Traditionally, Ritchey-Chretien (RC) optics were required to deliver a coma-free, flat field of view in astronomical telescopes. Because the mirrors in these telescopes have always been very expensive to make, few amateur astronomers could enjoy them. Fortunately, Meade engineers developed a radical new Advanced Coma-Free design by combining a hyperbolic secondary mirror with a corrector-lens and spherical-primary-mirror combination that performs as one hyperbolic element. This ACF design produces a coma-free, flat field of view that rivals traditional RC telescopes, at a fraction of the cost. The design even eliminates diffraction spikes and improves astigmatism. The Meade Advanced Coma-Free optics are Coma killers. What is coma? It's an optical aberration which causes a distorted star image, in which the image of the star cannot be focused to a point, but takes on the shape of a comet.

f/10 Advanced Coma-Free Optics: Building from a classic RC design, Meade has created a new design which is the perfect platform for the demanding researcher and imaging enthusiast, with telescopes available in various apertures. This telescope has an aperture of 10".

Meade Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC) increases total light transmission and image brightness by nearly 20% over Meade's standard coatings. Objects such as stars, galaxies and nebulae will appear significantly brighter. An optional Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser (ordered separately) will allos you to obtain precise image focus with no image movement. Perfect for astroimaging or during planetary observation. Focus is controlled thru the Autostar II handbox.

An oversize Primary Mirror for a brighter image, and a Primary Mirror Lock prevents the mirror from shifting, to eliminate image movement during long-exposure astrophotography. In addition, the Smart Drive provides permanent periodic error correction (PPEC) on both axes by learning and averaging error over the course of one or more training periods, thereby minimizing guiding corrections during long-exposure photographs. PPEC is available on both axes and functions in both polar and alt-azimuth modes.

AutoAlign: Telescopes with Meade's new AutoAlign are smart scopes that know the night sky right out of the box. AutoAlign picks two alignment stars for you and places them right in your view-finder. Just center to fine tune your alignment and the wonders of the universe are at your fingertips. A Sony GPS Receiver Sensor automatically inputs precise time, date, and geographical location to help quickly and precisely align the telescope.

The AutoStar II controller features "Hot Keys" for quick access to a 145,000 celestial object database. AutoStar II can be updated with the latest software upgrades, guided tours, and timely objects like comets, for free via the internet.