Meade Instruments LX850 - Manual (Page 6)

Meade Instruments introduces the latest in a long line
of advanced astronomical products: the LX850™. Using
revolutionary new technology, every aspect of this
system has been designed to deliver the new standard
in astrophotographic and visual performance.
Precision Machined German
Equatorial Mount
Constructed of machined stainless steel and aircraft
grade 6061-T6 aluminum, the LX850 mount presents
a rock-solid platform with precision roller bearings on
both axes and a 1.75 inch stainless steel RA 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, GPS and the AutoStar II fully-
computerized GoTo system with a database of over
144,000 objects. All this sets atop a new ultra-stable
tripod.
Faster, Sharper Optical System
Building on Meade’s award-winning Advanced Coma-
Free™ (ACF™) optics, the LX850 employs a fast f/8
optical system with high-contrast baffling that assures
crisp, pinpoint imaging to the very edge of the field.
The all-new OTAs feature an internal Crayford-style,
zero image-shift focusing system with a two-speed,
7:1 control that rigidly holds the primary mirror (patent
pending). In addition, with the LX850’s optional large-
format, three-element f/5 focal reducer/field flattener,
you gain even wider fields, faster exposures and a
flat field even on larger sensors (available soon). Also
available is Meade's new Series 6000 3 element air-
spaced f/7 apochromatic refractor. This finely machined
and finished OTA features superior optical performance,
a 3" Crayford-style 10:1 focuser and an optional 3" field
flattener.
StarLock™ — Full-Time
Automatic Guiding
StarLock — the heart of the LX850 — 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 wide-angle 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 0.1 arcseconds.
There’s no need for a separate guider or computer and
StarLock requires no calibration, no user focusing or
guide star selection. 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 (patent pending).
Telescope Features
AutoStar #497 HANDBOX
Telescope F
eatures
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