Product Catalog

Imagine you’re a seasoned astrophotographer saving up for the fast f-ratio, wide-field, coma-

free, custom telescope of a lifetime. One that can handle the largest CCD chips. One with state-

of-the-art optics and mechanics. One that is praised as “approaching perfection by industry

critics and astronomers alike. Suddenly you find out your telescope is available for one-fifth

of what you thought—and you won’t have to wait six months for it to be built. What would you

do? You’d buy one.

Sky & Telescope Magazine says the LX400-ACF “fills a significant gap that existed between similar

aperture Schmidt-Cassegrains and custom-made Ritchey-Chrétien reflectors. Until now, the only

systems comparable to the LX400-ACF were custom-made and had to be pieced together with components

from different vendors. To deliver a comparable research-grade system, fully integrated, out-of-

the-box, would be a grand achievement at half the price. At less than one-third of the price, it’s a

miracle. That explains why the LX400-ACF won a 2005 “Best of What’s New Award from Popular Science

Magazine.

Sky & Telescope’s glowing review ended with this thought: “Some hobbyists mistakenly believe

that a product review without equal doses of praise and criticism is biased or unbalanced. Truth is,

I can’t find many negative things to say about the LX400-ACF…the LX400-ACF is a winner.

Pat ent-Pe nding (f/8) A dvanced Coma-Free optics. Astrophotographer Jason Ware says “the

LX400-ACF is a huge jump [over the Schmidt-Cassegrain] as far as sharpness of image, flatness of field, and color.” The fast

(f/8) Advanced Coma-Free design produces a large, coma-free field of view from edge-to-edge. The corrector plate reduces

astigmatism inherent in the traditional RC design (see pg. 49).

Legendary Diffraction-limited optics. Only Meade individually gures their Water White glass

corrector lenses and Pyrex

primary and secondary mirrors in our own plant in Mexico for observatory-class light transmission,

temperature stability, smoothness and image correction. Advanced Coma-Free Optics are Meade’s very best. And our optics lead

the industry (see pg. 128).

Laser-Aligned, Fixed Ov ersized Primary Mir ror. Laser aligned to the true optical path, then

bonded in place, the mirror is fixed but literally floats on neoprene rubber seals. This results in zero stress to the glass and no

distortion to the optics.

Electronic Front Focusing System. Patent-pending digital system electronically moves the entire

front cell (corrector lens and secondary) in precise increments as fine as 1/1000 of a millimeter. A fixed primary means no

image shift or focus backlash. Sky & Telescope says, “I’ve never used an electric focusing system that I liked more.”

Ni ne Focus Position Presets. Customize up to nine perfect focus settings for moving from eyepiece to

eyepiece, camera to camera, or observer to observer. Recall preset positions with the touch of a few buttons.

Electronic Collimation. The very best astrophotographs come from well-collimated (aligned) optics.

The LX400-ACF’s unique collimation process is so easy that you can collimate in just seconds with simple up-down/left-right

buttons on the AutoStar

II controller.

Bui lt-In Ant i-Dew Heater. A unique heating coil is affixed to the outside edge of the corrector lens.

Temperature is adjusted via the AutoStar II controller. Uses a fraction of the energy of aftermarket anti-dew heaters.

Sky & Telescope says it “worked exceptionally well.”

Sony

GPS Receiver Sensor. Automatically inputs exact time, date, and geographical location to help quickly

and precisely align your telescope. Gets a satellite fix in seconds despite obstructions like trees or buildings.