Meade LX200-ACF 16"/406mm Catadioptric Telescope without Tripod

Product Highlights

• 406mm (16") Catadioptric OTA
• 4064mm Focal Length, f/10 Focal Ratio
• Advanced Coma-Free Optical System
• Ultra-High Transmission Coatings
• Zero Image-Shift Electronic Focuser
• Dual-Tine Motorized Fork Mount
• AutoStar II GoTo Hand Controller
• 145,000+ Object Database
• 16-Channel GPS Receiver
• Mount and OTA Only; Tripod/Pier Required

Designed, engineered, and built for research-grade work, the Meade Instruments LX200-ACF 406mm f/10 Catadioptric GoTo Telescope represents the largest aperture in the series to yield bright and clear views with the capability to reach far into deep space.

Outfitted with a large 406.4mm (16") oversized primary mirror, the optical path is made in Meade's proprietary Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) hybrid catadioptric lens/mirror/corrector plate configuration, with their Ultra-High Transmission Coating (UHTC) system. The ACF and UHTC work together, along with the large light bucket and long focal length, to produce images with virtually zero distortion, off-axis coma, fringing, astigmatism, or other aberration across the entire field of view and with accurate high-contrast colors.

Ideal for astrophotography, the LX200-ACF is outfitted with a single-speed internal focuser for manual coarse focusing, plus an electronic zero image-shift focuser that can make micro-adjustments to achieve tack-sharp images and hold them in place without the backlash common in many conventional focusing mechanisms. Complementing this precision focus control is a primary mirror lock that prevents any focus adjustments during long-exposure photography or observation sessions.

Controlling the mount and focuser is the Autostar controller. This full-featured GoTo system has a database of over 145,000 objects with multiple custom guided tours — including audio tours via its built-in speaker. Complete with variable slew and tracking rates, plus autoguider compatibility, the Autostar helps to unlock the true potential of the optical tube assembly (OTA). Its dual-tine motorized fork mount is outfitted with a 16-channel GPS receiver that transmits accurate day, time, and location to the Autostar hand controller, and True Level and True North sensors assist in accurate setup for more precise alignment as well as GoTo and tracking accuracy. Meade offers the LX200 here with just the OTA and mount, for users who already have a heavy-duty tripod or a permanent pier to support the massive 245-pound weight. Meade makes the LX200 ready to go out of the box by including a 2" 90° dielectric star diagonal, a 1.25" reducer adapter, a moderate-magnification eyepiece, and a large 8x50 finder with quick-release bracket.

Optical Tube Assembly

• Oversized 406.4mm (16") aperture draws in enough light for observing deep-sky objects
• Moderate f/10 focal ratio makes the OTA ideal for long-exposure astrophotography when mount/OTA is used with an equatorial wedge
• Long 4064mm focal length produces a high magnification potential to perform deep-sky observations easily
• Advanced Coma-Free catadioptric design
• Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC) system
• Resolution: 0.285 arcsec, Dawes' Limit
• Internal mirror lock prevents focus adjustments for long-exposure astrophotography
• Internal single-speed coarse focuser complements the included zero image-shift electronic focuser

Optical Technologies

Advanced Coma-Free System:

• Reduces off-axis comas and astigmatism for sharper images
• Eliminates diffraction spikes for better resolution
• Aplanatic design produces flat, distortion-free images across the field of view — especially at the edges

Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC):

• All corrector plate and mirror surfaces are fully multi-coated
• Engineered to optimize visual, photographic, and CCD imaging
• Improves light transmission across the entire visible spectrum through the optical path
• Corrector plate coatings made up of multiple layers of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and magnesium fluoride (MgF2)
• Mirror coatings consist of aluminum with multi-layer coatings of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and silicon dioxide (SiO2)

Autostar II GoTo Computer Controller

General:

• Full GoTo capabilities
• Intuitive menu-driven interface
• 145,000 object database
• Multiple guided tours available based on when and where it is set up
• Guided audio tours via built-in speaker
• Tracking accuracy: ±1 arcsec
• Smart Drive system for Periodic Error Correction (PEC) and Permanent Periodic Error Correction (PPEC): Trains out tracking errors for more precision
• Tracking Rates: Sidereal, lunar, custom: Select from 2000 incremental rates
• Multiple slew speeds: 1x, 2x, 8x, 16x, 64x sidereal, 0.25°/sec, 0.5°/sec, 1°/sec, 2°/sec (max)
• Fast slew speeds from 1 to 8°/sec, user selected at 0.1°/sec increments; Fine slewing and photographic guiding speed from .01x to 1x sidereal in one one-hundredth increments
• Calculate future dates and times for events like sunrises and sunsets; moonrises, moonsets, and moon phases; solar and lunar eclipses for the next 100 years; meteor showers; equinoxes and solstices
• Flash updatable via the Meade website

Database details:

• Solar system: Sun, moon, asteroids, comets
• Moon features including landing points, mountains, craters and lakes
• Satellites: Including the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, GPS satellites, and geosynchronous orbit satellites
• Deep-sky objects including nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and quasars
• Stars: Catalog of named/double/variable/nearby stars; and catalogs including Hipparcos, SAO, HD, and HR
• 88 Northern and Southern Hemisphere constellations
• General catalogs including Caldwell, Messier, IC, and NGC
• User-defined objects

Physical properties:

• 2-line, 16-character LCD display with red backlight
• 20 red backlit alphanumeric control buttons
• Built-in speaker
• 24" coiled control cable
• Integrated red utility light helps to find gear, or switch eyepieces and filters

Mount

• Mount only; heavy-duty tripod or permanent pier required for proper use; EQ wedge required for long-exposure astrophotography to avoid field rotation
• Heavy-duty double-tine alt-azimuth fork mount
• Dual-axis motors with 11"-diameter worm gears
• Four 80mm declination roller bearings and 150mm and 100mm azimuth roller bearings provide smooth movement with limited vibration
• Smart Mount system automatically detects, calculates, and corrects any systematic pointing errors, regardless of the cause; set through the Autostar controller
• 16-channel GPS receiver accurately transmits viewing day, time, location to hand controller for faster setup and alignment
• True Level and True North Sensors (LNT) assist in accurate setup for more precise alignment as well as GoTo and tracking accuracy
• Integrated time chip maintains current time, even when powered down, for faster setup time
• Runs on included 12 CDC, 5A power supply
• Control Panel: 12 VDC In, 12 VDC Out, Power, Focuser, Reticle, Handbox port, Two RS232 computer connection ports, 1 Aux guide port
• Weight: 245 pounds

Specifications

Based on Astronomy magazine’s telescope "report cards", scopes of this size and type generally perform as follows . . .
Terrestrial Observation:	No
Lunar Observation:	Very Good
Planetary Observation:	Very Good
Binary and Star Cluster Observation:	Very Good
Galaxy and Nebula Observation:	Very Good
Photography:	Yes
Terrestrial Photography:	No
Lunar Photography:	Yes
Planetary Photography:	Yes
Star Cluster / Nebula / Galaxy Photography:	Yes

In the Box

Meade LX200-ACF 16"/406mm Catadioptric Telescope Kit

Series 5000 Plossl 26mm Wide Angle Eyepiece (1.25")

#828 Viewfinder 8x50mm Blue Tube with Bracket

#929 2" 90-Degree Mirror Diagonal w/ UHTC

AutoStar II Computerized Hand Controller

Eyepiece Holder

Computerized Altazimuth Fork Mount

1-Year Warranty Against Manufacturer Defects