8-inch aperture and Go-To!
Meade's LXD75 SN-8 AT telescope with Autostar is a precision instrument that'll give outstanding service over a lifetime. It's an excellent scope for the intermediate or advanced observer.
Expect all the conveniences. And expect ultra-sharp, ultra-bright images of planets and deep-sky objects like nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies, too. At this telescope's heart are premium-grade Meade optics.
Optical Excellence
Diffraction-limited optics - 8-inch, Schmidt-Newtonian optics, to be precise - are mounted in precision-machined aluminum cells, which are in turn enclosed in sturdy, steel tubes and coated with high-grade, baked-on, textured enamel. The optical tube assembly is closed, reducing air currents inside, preventing image distortion, and helping to keep optics clean. The corrector lens corrects fully for spherical aberration and provides pinpoint star images. Water-white glass increases light transmission more than 10 percent. Premium-grade Pyrex mirrors provide exceptional thermal stability and eliminate image shimmer. The extremely fast, well corrected f/ratios provide short photographic exposure times and wide fields of view.
Other High-Performance Features
A German equatorial mount with heavy-duty shaft and castings, as well as precision worm gears on both axes, ensures precision tracking and slewing - essential for astrophotography. For ultra-precise pointing, the HPP function puts objects in the center of the field of view, allowing quick, easy location of deep-sky objects at the farthest limits of the telescope's capability. Periodic error correction eliminates errors on the RA axis over the course of one or more training periods, minimizing guiding corrections during long-exposure photography. Nine-speed drive controls provide a rapid slew rate of 4.5 degrees per second to 1x sidereal; tracking and slewing are controlled from the AutoStar controller. Three-star alignment ensures precise alignment and eliminates the need for a complicated optical/mechanical alignment process. The variable-height field tripod with a spreader bar brace provides the excellent stability and vibration-damping required for both visual observation and astrophotography. An illuminated polar alignment viewfinder offers quick, precise polar alignment. Includes 8x50 finderscope for easy centering of objects. Powered by eight D-size batteries or by optional car cigarette lighter and AC wall adapters.
Ultra-High Transmission Coatings
The Meade UHTC group permits the highest levels of light transmission (a 20 percent increase in total telescope light transmission over that of standard-equipment coatings) ever offered on amateur telescopes.
AutoStar Controller
The AutoStar controller helps you quickly find and GoTo more than 30,000 objects in the night sky. View planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and comets - all at the push of a button. AutoStar is pre-programmed with several guided tours, including the popular Tonight's Best. To take it, just input date, time, and location. Then let AutoStar take you on a guided tour of the best objects that particular night. The AutoStar controller can be updated, too. Log on to Meade.com to download software upgrades, guided tours, and timely objects like comets - free. Keep your AutoStar up to date and your telescope will grow with you for years to come.
