Meade LX200

Meade LX200

A 16" (406.4 mm) aperture Meade LX200 in the York University Observatory
Telescope style optical telescope
Website www.meade.com/products/telescopes/lx200.html
Project Galileo Meade LX200 10 inch SCT (25.4 cm aperture)
Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) from a 16" LX200 (40.64 cm)
Jupiter and the Galilean moons through a 10" Meade LX200 telescope (25.4 cm)

The Meade LX200 is a family of commercial telescopes produced by Meade Instruments launched in 1992 with 8" (20.32 cm) and a 10" (25.4 cm) Schmidt–Cassegrain models on computerized altazimuth mounts.[1][2] Two larger models, a 12" (30.48 cm) and a 16" (40.64 cm), quickly followed. It became the best-selling serious amateur telescope.[2] The original version was later informally named the "classic" LX200 as newer upgraded versions replaced it.[3] The first of these was the LX200GPS, which featured global positioning system electronics.[3] A 360 mm (14 in) LX200GPS was later added to the line.

The advantage of the LX200 was price for its performance, which was accomplished by using electronics and software to equal the pointing performance of more expensive systems.[2] Software and optical encoders corrected for errors, and the telescope also came with auto-guiding CCD and planetarium software.[2]

A related series starting about 2008 was the even higher end RCX400 (later renamed LX400-ACF), with new optics and a motorized focus/collimation system, and with upgraded fork mount electronics. These were available in the same 8" (20.32 cm) to 16" (40.64) size range on the new fork mount, and the 16" (40.64 cm) optical tube assembly (OTA), along with a new 20" (50.8 cm) OTA, were available on a new German equatorial mount. These were all f/8 optical systems, costing up to $50,000 for the 20" on the German equatorial mount.[4]

An f/10 version of the new optics later replaced the optics of the existing LX200GPS fork mount models, with the new product line now called the LX200R (later renamed LX200-ACF).[3] The revised optics are called advanced coma free (ACF) after a lawsuit by Star Instruments and RC Optical Systems disallowed implying that they were based on Ritchey–Chrétien optics. http://www.narrowbandimaging.com/images/RC_vs_Meade.pdf

In September 2012, an amateur astronomer used an LX200GPS to record an impact on the planet Jupiter.[5]

Installations

Selected observatories with LX200 telescopes.

References

  1. ↑ Rod Mollise - The Past, Present and Future of the Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (ALCON 2003/Nashville), Power Point (.ppt)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Martin Mobberley - The new amateur astronomer - Page 34, Google Books 2010
  3. 1 2 3 Lawrence Harris - So You Want a Meade LX Telescope! (2010) - Page 17, Google Books 2010
  4. ↑ Durango Skies - LX400-ACF 20" (f/8) w/UHTC on MAX Mount w/Tripod
  5. ↑ A Fresh Impact on Jupiter

Further reading

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