 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. |
As a new LX50 owner, you are preparing for a journey into the universe with
the most advanced amateur telescope ever produced. The advent of this instrument
is the culmination of twenty years of innovation and design at Meade Instruments;
never before have the features you have in your hands been available to
amateur astronomers. Your telescope comes to you ready for adventure; it
will be your tour guide and traveling companion in a universe of planets,
galaxies, and stars.
Meade 8", 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain and 7" Maksutov-Cassegrain
LX50 Telescopes are instruments of advanced mirror-lens design for astronomical
and terrestrial applications. Optically and mechanically, the 7", 8",
and 10" telescope models are perhaps the most sophisticated and precisely
manufactured telescopes ever made available to the serious amateur. These
telescopes enable the visual astronomer to reach out for detailed observations
of the Solar System (the planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Mars) and beyond to distant
nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. The astrophotographer will find a
virtually limitless range of possibilities. With the precision Meade worm-gear
motor drive system, long exposure guided photography becomes not a distant
goal, but an achievable reality. The capabilities of the instrument are
essentially limited not by the telescope, but by the acquired skills of
the observer and photographer.
The 7", 8", and 10" LX50's are, with the exception of a few
assembly operations and features, almost identical operationally. Most standard
and optional accessories are interchangeable between the three telescopes.
The instructions in this manual generally apply to all three telescopes;
when exceptions to this rule occur, they are clearly pointed out.
[ toc ]
1. What is the LX50? An overview
a. Battery-powered, completely cordless operation! Meade LX50 models operate
from 6 AA-size batteries inserted through the telescope's control panel.
Or use the standard-equipment 25 ft. cord to power the telescope directly
from any auto cigarette lighter plug.
b. Standard-equipment Declination Motor and Hand Controller permit 4-speed
dual-axis capability: Plug the hand controller into the LX50 control panel
and you're ready for full dual-axis drive capability at any of 4 photo-guide
or microslew speeds: 2x, 8x, 16x, or 32x, (plus quartz-controlled sidereal-rate
tracking in R.A.) Switch speeds instantly using the speed-control button
on the hand controller. Dual-axis drive rate is indicated by a red LED.
c. Multi-function control panel: Including jacks for CCD autoguiders/imagers;
and for the standard-equipment Declination Motor.
d. Legendary Meade optical systems: The same EMC Super Multi-Coated optics
as provided with Meade LX200 models.
e. Massive LX200-type fork mounts: Meade LX50 mounts are manufactured of
the exact same virgin aluminum castings as Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrains.
Massive, rigid mountings that include the Meade LX worm-gear drive system
with low periodic error for advanced photographic or CCD imaging applications.
No competing mid-priced equatorial mounting even comes close.
[ toc ]
2. Standard Equipment
a. 7" Model LX50
Includes 7" Maksutov-Cassegrain (f/15) optical tube assembly with EMC
Super Multi-Coatings; heavy-duty LX200-type fork mount; 5.75" LX worm
gear system in R.A., multi-function control panel display on the drive base;
DC servo Declination Motor; manual and electric slow-motion controls on
both axes; setting circles on both axes; keypad handheld controller; 4-speed
drive controls on both axes; battery compartment accepting (user-supplied)
AA-size batteries; 25 ft. power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto
cigarette lighter plug; 6 x 30mm viewfinder with crosshairs; 1.25"
diagonal prism; MA25mm multi-coated eyepiece (1.25"); standard equatorial
wedge with elevation scale, bubble level, and azimuth control; and complete
operating instructions.
b. 8" Model LX50
Includes 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain (f/10) optical tube assembly with EMC
Super Multi-Coatings; heavy-duty LX200-type fork mount; 5.75" LX worm
gear system in R.A., multi-function control panel display on the drive base;
DC servo Declination Motor; manual and electric slow-motion controls on
both axes; setting circles on both axes; keypad handheld controller; 4-speed
drive controls on both axes; battery compartment accepting (user-supplied)
AA-size batteries; 25 ft. power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto
cigarette lighter plug; 6 x 30mm viewfinder with crosshairs; 1.25"
diagonal prism; MA25mm multi-coated eyepiece (1.25"); standard equatorial
wedge with elevation scale, bubble level, and azimuth control; and complete
operating instructions.
c. 10" Model LX50
Includes 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain (f/10) optical tube assembly with EMC
Super Multi-Coatings; heavy-duty LX200-type fork mount; 5.75" LX worm
gear system in R.A., multi-function control panel display on the drive base;
DC servo Declination motor; manual and electric slow-motion controls on
both axes; setting circles on both axes; keypad handheld controller; 4-speed
drive controls on both axes; battery compartment accepting (user-supplied)
AA-size batteries; 25 ft. power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto
cigarette lighter plug; 8 x 50mm viewfinder with crosshairs; 1.25"
diagonal prism; MA25mm multi-coated eyepiece (1.25"); standard equatorial
wedge with elevation scale, bubble level, and azimuth control; and complete
operating instructions.
Next Page
Related Topics: