 IMPORTANT NOTICE! Never use a telescope or spotting scope to look at the Sun! Observing the Sun, even for the shortest fraction of a second, will cause irreversible damage to your eye as well as physical damage to the telescope or spotting scope itself. |
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1. Optics
In early 1991 Meade engineers and opticians set out to develop the most
advanced, mid-aperture apochromatic refractors ever made available to the
amateur or professional astronomer. In studying all of the glass-types and
designs available, it rapidly became clear to Meade optical designers that
an air-spaced ED-glass doublet objective lens met all of the required design
criteria: apochromatic performance with absolutely superb color corrections
at all photo-visual wavelengths, even at the highest magnifications; relatively
light weight for rapid thermal equalization; and excellent durability and
resistance to weathering.
The objectives included with Meade ED apochromatic refractors are
manufactured entirely at the Meade Irvine facility and utilize the highest-grade
optical glasses available; they are free of striae and other imperfections
that can degrade optical performance. Each lens is individually manufactured,
pitch-polished, and hand-figured by a master optician to reach the highest
levels of resolution, contrast, and correction obtainable.
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2. Equatorial Mount
As important to the serious observer as superb imaging performance,
Meade LXD 650 and LXD 750 German-type equatorial mountings, manufactured
at the Meade Irvine factory, have revolutionized forever the way amateur
astronomers think about telescope mounting platforms. Standard features
include:
- Massive polar and declination castings with oversize thrust surfaces.
- Worm-gear tracking and microfine manual slow-motion controls in both R.A. and Dec.
- Eight ball bearings (4 on each axis) carry even heavy loads with supreme precision.
- Micrometric azimuth and elevation controls permit precise polar alignment.
- Superstable field tripods, including the Meade Giant Field Tripod supplied with LXD 750 equatorial mounts.
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3. Optional Computer Drive System
The #1697 Computer Drive System (CDS) offers an electronic package which
permits the location and observation of the major planets as well as hundreds
of deep-sky objects the very first night you use the telescope. Even for
the experienced amateur the telescope's pushbutton electric slewing, digital
readouts, Smart Drive, and much more, open up visual and photographic capabilities
heretofore undreamed of.
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4. Standard Equipment
| Specifications and Features: Meade ED Apochromatic Refracting Telescopes |
| TELESCOPE: |
4" Model 102ED |
6" Model 127ED |
6" Model 162ED |
7" Model 17SED |
| optical Design |
2-element ED Apochromat |
2-element ED Apochromat. |
2-element ED Apochromat |
2-element ED Apochromat |
| Diameter |
110mm |
135mm |
160mm |
188mm |
| Clear Aperture |
102mm (4.0") |
127mm (5.0") |
152mm (6.0") |
178mm (7.0") |
| Focal Length |
920mm f/9 |
1140mm f/9 |
1370mm f/9 |
1600mm f/9 |
| ResolvIng Power (arc secs.) |
1.1 |
0.9 |
0.74 |
0.64 |
| Super Multi-Coatings on Front Element |
Standard, both sides |
Standard, both sides |
Standard, both sides |
Standard, both sides |
| Near Focus (approx.) |
50 ft. |
75 ft. |
100 ft |
150 ft. |
| Limiting Visual Magnitude |
12 |
12.8 |
13.5 |
13.8 |
| Limiting Photographic Magnitude |
14.6 |
15.3 |
16 |
16.3 |
| Image Scale |
1.54°/inch |
1.26°/inch |
1.05°/inch |
0.90°/inch |
| Maximum Practical Visual POV".OR |
40OX |
50OX |
60OX |
70OX |
| Actual Field with SWA 40mm Eyepiece |
2.9° |
2.35° |
1.95° |
1.67° |
| 35mm Angular Film Coverage |
1.48° x 2.11° |
1. 1 9° x 1.70° |
0.99° x 1.41° |
0.85°x 1.21° |
| Optical Tube Dimensions (dia. x length) |
4.5" x 31.5" |
5.5" x 40.75" |
7" x 51" |
8" x 59.5" |
| Dow Shield (dis. x length) |
5.5" x 5.5" |
7" x 7" |
8.25" x 8.5" |
9.8' x 10" |
| Focusing Mechanism |
2.7" I.D.; 4"travel |
2.7" I. D.; 4" travel |
2.7" I.D.; 4" travel |
2.7" I.D.; 4" travel |
| Eyepiece-Holder |
2", with 1.25" adapter |
2", with 1.25" adapter |
2", with 1.25" adapter |
2", with 1.25" adapter |
| Diagonal Mirror |
2" #930 |
2" #930 |
2" #930 |
2" #930 |
| Equatorial Mounting |
LXD 650; German-type |
LXD 650; German-type |
LXD 750; German-type |
LXD 750; German-type |
| Ball Bearings |
8 - 2.25" dia. |
8 - 2.25" dia. |
8 - 3. 1" dia. |
8 - 3.1" dia. |
| Tripod |
Standard Field Tripod |
Standard Field Tripod |
Giant Field Tripod |
Giant Field Tripod |
| Tripod Legs |
Inner leg: 1.5" O.D.; |
Inner leg: 1.5" O.D.; |
Inner leg: 2" O.D.; |
Inner leg: 2" O.D.; |
| |
Outer leg: 2" O.D. |
Outer leg: 2" O.D. |
Outer leg: 3" O.D. |
Outer leg: 3" O.D. |
| Tripod Height |
30" - 44" variable |
30" - 44" variable |
40" - 50" variable |
40" - 50" variable |
| Counterweight(s) |
1 - 10 lb. |
1 - 15 lb. |
1 - 25 lb. |
1 - 25 lb. & 1 - 12 lb. |
| Worm Gear Dias. |
RA & Dec: 2.8" |
RA & Dec: 2.8" |
RA & Dec: 3.75" |
RA & Dec: 3.75" |
| Setting Circles |
RA: 4"; Dec: 4.15" |
RA: 4"; Dec: 4.15" |
RA: 4.75"; Dec: 5" |
RA: 4.75"; Dec: 5" |
| Manual Slow-Motion Controls |
RA and Dec |
RA and Dec |
RA and Dec |
RA and Dec |
| Latitude Range |
1 5° to 60° |
15° to 60° |
20° to 60° |
20° to 60° |
| Optional Computer Drive System (see below) |
#1697 CDS |
#1697 CDS |
#1697 CDS |
#1697 CDS |
| Materials |
|
|
|
|
| Objective Lens |
KF3; ED/FK01 |
KF3; ED/FK01 |
KF3; ED/FK01 |
KF3; ED/FK01 |
| Optical Tube |
aluminum |
aluminum |
aluminum |
aluminum |
| Equatorial Mounting |
aluminum castings |
aluminum castings |
aluminum castings |
aluminum castings |
| Field Tripod |
chromed steel |
chromed steel |
chromed steel |
chromed steel |
| Total Net Telescope Weight (approx., with mount & tripod) |
69 lbs. |
78 lbs. |
153 lbs. |
176 lbs. |
| Heaviest Sub-Section for Field Assembly |
23 lbs. |
23 lbs. |
55 lbs. |
55 lbs. |
| Shipping Weight (approx.) |
86 lbs. |
96 lbs. |
185 lbs. |
212 lbs. |
| Meade ED Apochromatic Refracting Telescopes Optional Computer Drive System |
| OPTIONAL DRIVE SYSTEM: |
#1697 Computer Drive System (CDS) |
| Drive Motors |
9-speed microprocessor-controlled DC servo motors in RA and Dec with Smart Drive software. |
| Slow Speeds |
2x, 32x sidereal; 2°/sec. - 8°/sec., in 1°/sec. increments |
| Onboard Celestial Object Database |
64,359 objects |
| Hand Controller |
Motorola 68HC05 microcontroller; 2 line x 16 alphanumeric character display; 19 button keypad, red LED backlit. |
| Main Controller |
16MHz 68000 microprocessor; 128K program |
| |
memory; 16K RAM; 612 byte non-volatile memory (EEROM) |
| Power Source |
18 volts DC |
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