LX800™ — THE PICTURE PERFECT PLATFORM FOR EFFORTLESS ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY.

Meade's new Series 6000 3 element air-spaced f/7 apochromatic refractor. This finely machined and finish OTA features superior optical performance, a 3" Crayford-style 10:1 focuser and an optional 3" field flattener.

PRECISION MACHINED, SOLID GERMAN EQUATORIAL MOUNT
Constructed of machined stainless steel and aircraft grade 6061-T6 aluminum, the 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 inch 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.

STARLOCK — FULL-TIME AUTOMATIC GUIDING
StarLock — the heart of the LX800 — is 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 wideangle 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.

LX800 SERIES FEATURES
Meade Instruments all new LX800 Series of imaging/visual telescopes uses exciting advanced technologies in optics, electronics and mechanics to bring you a superior system for imaging and visual observations. Here are some of the exciting features of the LX800 line.

• New 130mm 3-element, air-spaced apochromatic f/7 refractor with 3" Crayford-style 10:1 focuser. Beautifully machined and finished with case. Optional 3" field flattener available.
• New StarLock full-time automatic integrated guider assists with ultra precise drift polar alignment, finds and centers targets and then automatically locks onto a field star as faint as 11th magnitude for one arcsecond guiding. No separate computer, no guide star selection, no user focus. Just setup your camera and image.
• German Equatorial Mount made from machined aluminum and stainless steel with large bearing surfaces and roller bearings in both axes for an extremely solid and stable platform.
• New Precision machined 5.8" main gears with 225 teeth in both R.A. and DEC. with .68" worms for very accurate movements and tracking.
• 1.75" diameter threaded stainless steel counterweight shaft with 18 lb. threaded stainless steel counterweights for easy and safe adjustments to telescope balance.
• New sophisticated built-in computer for the most accurate control of the StarLock and other telescope systems.
• AutoStar II hand control with over 144,000 object database to take you to almost any object imaginable at the push of the GoTo button. AutoStar II allows the user to setup and operate the LX800 in just the way you want.
• Precise altitude and azimuth controls for mount polar alignment.
• New Ultra-stable adjustable height tripod.  Three inch diameter legs fold up for easy transport.
• Internal cabling to prevent snags and tangles.
• Accessories include 8x50 viewfinder, Series 5000 2" enhanced 99% reflective diagonal and a 25mm HD-60 premium eyepiece.

OTA SPECIFICATIONS

• Optical Design:  Apochromatic Refractor
• Clear Aperture:  130mm
• Focal Length:  910mm; F/7
• Optical Coatings:  Fully multi-coated
• Resolving Power:  .89 arcseconds
• Viewfinder:  8x50 w/crosshairs
• Eyepiece:  HD-60 25mm long eye relief premium eyepiece
• Diagonal:  Series 5000 2 inch with enhanced 99% reflectivity
• Focal Reducer / Field Flattener (optional):  3 inch diameter, 2 element, fully multicoated field flattener
• Focus System:  Crayford-style 3 inch zero image shift focuser with dual speed 10:1 control
• OTA Mounting:  Vixen®-style mounting plate
• Optical Tube:  Aluminum
• Total Net OTA Weight:  25 lb.
• OTA Shipping Weight:  40 lb.

MOUNT SPECIFICATIONS

FIRST SHIPMENTS FALL 2011