8" Catadioptric Telescope f/10 Focal Ratio 2000mm Focal Length Aplanatic Advanced Coma-Free Design Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC) Borosilicate Primary Mirror Primary Mirror Lock Losmandy-Style Dovetail Plate OTA Only - Mount and Tripod Required The Meade 8” ACF (Advanced Coma-Free) catadioptric optical tube brings
the astronomical image quality of a professional observatory to your
back yard, at a down-to-earth price. The Advanced Coma-Free optics of
this Meade 8” optical tube are designed to emulate the coma-free optical
performance of the Ritchey-Chrétien optics used in most professional
observatory telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope, but at a fraction
the cost of a true R-C.
The optical system uses a premium Schott
Borofloat glass corrector plate. An oversize low-expansion borosilicate
primary mirror provides brighter field edge illumination. The system is
fully UHTC (Ultra High Transmission Coatings) multicoated for 15%
higher light transmission than standard single-layer optical coatings.
The aluminum tube has high-efficiency glare-stop baffling. A
progressive tension primary mirror locking system locks the mirror
firmly in place once a photographic focus has been achieved. This
eliminates the possibility of the system changing focus while taking an
image. Performance is guaranteed to be diffraction-limited. For more details, click on the “ACF optics” icon above.
This 8" Meade optical tube comes with a Losmandy-style "D-plate"
dovetail that lets you mount the OTA on any German equatorial mount that
has a Losmandy-style dovetail saddle plate.
Most OTA buyers
typically already have an assortment of star diagonals, eyepieces,
finderscopes, etc. on hand, so no visual or other accessories are
provided with the 8” Meade OTA, other than dust covers. This allows you
to customize the optical tube as you see fit. The 8” Meade OTA has a
standard 2”-24 thread Schmidt-Cassegrain rear cell of the type used for
decades by Meade and Celestron. Accordingly, virtually any SCT
accessories (thread-on star diagonals, visual backs, camera adapters,
off-axis guiders, etc.) can be used with the Meade OTA. The front and
rear cells are drilled and tapped with the same hole pattern as a
fully-mounted 8” Meade scope, so a wide variety of finderscope brackets
and accessory dovetail rails can be fitted to the OTA with ease.
While this 8" Meade optical tube will perform well under mildly
light-polluted suburban skies, it is at a remote site with truly dark
and steady skies that you’ll best be able to take full advantage of its
superb coma-free optical performance and the extra light transmission of
its UHTC optics. It’s not a scope that’s at its happiest staying in a
heavily light-polluted city or suburban observing environment.
This 8” Meade optical tube has enough premium Advanced Coma-Free
performance to keep you busy observing and imaging for the rest of your
life. If you need a top-quality optical tube to put on your existing
German equatorial mount, at a price that’s far from astronomical, this
8” Meade with Advanced Coma-Free optics and UHTC multicoatings may be
the perfect OTA for you.
Specifications
Optical Design
Hybrid catadioptric
Optical Lens Diameter
8.0" (203mm )
Focal Length
78.7" (2000mm )
Focal Ratio
f/10.0
Maximum Useful Magnification
600x
Resolving Power
0.56
Optical Coatings
UHTC Ultra-High Transmission Coatings
Optical Tube Dimensions
Not specified by manufacturer
Eyepiece Barrel Diameter
1.25"
Finderscope
None
Weight
Not specified by manufacturer
Package Weight
19.5 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
24.5 x 15.0 x 13.5"
I n the Box
Dust Cover
Universal Sliding Mounting Bracket
1-Year Warranty Against Manufacturer Defects
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