The Meade LX200-ACF? telescope brings advanced Coma Free optics within reach of aspiring astronomers everywhere. The Meade LX200-ACF combines a revolutionary new optical system with the field-proven mechanical features of the original Meade LX200 - the most widely used research-grade telescope in astronomy today. Dr. Clay Sherrod says:

?I personally know over 100 amateur astronomers using LX200's out-of-the-box (new ones and old ones) to provide research data to professionals around the world. One friend of mine used his 14" LX200 to discover binary asteroids using light curves. It?s remarkable stuff that only the pros could do before.?

But the Meade LX200-ACF telescope offers inspiring views for the recreational astronomer, too. After decades of Schmidt-Cassegrain optical designs dominating the market, the Meade LX200-ACF?s evolution to patent-pending Advanced CF optics is the biggest news in astronomy since, well, the original Meade LX200. The Meade Advanced Coma Free design is an aplanatic optical system that uses a hyperbolic secondary mirror with a corrector-lens-and-spherical-primary-combination that performs as one hyperbolic element. This closed tube, patent-pending design has many advantages including better correction for astigmatism than a traditional Coma Free. As one beta-tester put it, ?The images through these telescopes have all the characteristics of a traditional CF: Outstanding contrast and image quality. Pinpoint stars to the edges of the field. Finer planetary details. More structure from nebulous objects. More stars in the field of view (without the diffraction spikes inherent in the traditional CF design). These are incredible optics made affordable.?

Meade LX200-ACF - the Coma Killer...

The crisp, flatter, coma-free images of the Coma Free optical design have long been coveted by astrophotographers and researchers (who sadly could not afford them). Such astronomers are now calling Meade?s affordable Advanced CF optics ?a gift,? ?perfect,? ?textbook,? and ?lovely.? What is coma? It?s not some sort of astronomical state of unconsciousness. It?s an optical aberration. Precisely defined, coma is a distortion in which the image of a star cannot be focused to a point, but takes on the shape of a comet. Worst yet, the majority of telescope optical systems, including the popular Schmidt-Cassegrain, have it to one degree or another.

Once, you would have had to spend tens of thousands of dollars for an aplanatic optical system (a fancy term for coma-free). Now that Meade has made the coma-free Advanced Richey-Chrétien optical system, this level of performance is affordable to the amateur.

Meade Legendary Diffraction-Limited Optics...

Only Meade individually figures their Water White glass corrector lenses and Pyrex® primary and secondary mirrors for observatory-class light transmission, temperature stability, smoothness and image correction.

Meade Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser...

The Meade Zero Image Shift Microfocuser comes standard with every LX200-ACF, and allows you to obtain precise focus with no image movement using four push-button speeds (fast, medium, slow, fine) on the AutoStar controller.

LX200-ACF Primary Mirror Lock...

The primary mirror lock does just what you would think...it locks the primary mirror of the Meade LX200-ACF in place during long-exposure astrophotography. The mirror lock also eliminates mirror flop when crossing the meridian.

Meade Smart Mount...

Meade's Smart Mount constantly refines pointing accuracy each time an object is centered and updated, and works in equatorial or altazimuth alignment. Smart Mount is an indispensable feature for permanent installations (which Meade has more of than any other manufacturer).

Meade Smart Drive...

Smart Drive provides Permanent Periodic Error Correction (PPEC) on both axes of the LX200-ACF telescope over the course of one or more training periods, thereby minimizing guiding corrections during long-exposure astrophotography.

Sony GPS Receiver Sensor...

GPS automatically inputs the precise time, date, and geographical location to help quickly and precisely align your telescope. The GPS Receiver on the Meade LX200-ACF gets a satellite fix in just a few seconds despite obstructions like trees or buildings.

Meade Auto Align Technology...

Telescopes with Meade?s AutoAlign come pre-aligned. They are smart scopes that know the night sky right out of the box. AutoAlign picks two fail-proof alignment stars for you and places them right in the viewfinder of your LX200-ACF telescope. Just center them to fine tune your alignment and the wonders of the universe are at your fingertips. Sky & Telescope says, ?Simply turn it on and this telescope aligns itself to the sky all by itself, ready to show you thousands of objects at the push of a button.?

Meade AutoStar II Controller...AutoStar on Steroids

The Meade AutoStar II features ?Hot Keys? for quick access to over 150,000 celestial objects. The AutoStar II Controller operates features like Smart Drive,? Smart Mount,? and the Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser with the push of a button. You can download software updates, guided tours, and timely objects like satellites, comets and new discoveries free at Meade.com with the AutoStar II hand controller as well.

Meade's Rock Solid Field Tripod...

Depending on the aperture, Meade LR200R telescopes come with an adjustable Sturdy Field Tripod, Giant Field Tripod, or Super Giant Field Tripod to give you a solid, research-grade foundation.

Meade Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC)...

More light means brighter views of galaxies, star clusters and faint nebulas, plus greater details on planetary and lunar surfaces. More light is what telescopes are all about. So it?s an important scientific fact that each time light reflects off a mirror or passes through a lens, some light is lost. In the case of a lens, up to 10% of the light is lost as it enters and exits each lens. Over several years, Meade engineers pioneered the exotic series of multi-layered coatings known as UHTC. They are precisely designed to improve the performance of your telescope?s optics. Unless you have a degree in optical engineering, all you need to know is that these advanced multi-coatings increase light transmission on average (across the visual spectrum) by about 15%. For example, Meade UHTC coatings will increase the image brightness of a 10" LX200-ACF by the equivalent of about 0.75 inch of aperture. That means higher performance for observers and astrophotographers alike. You?ll see brighter star clusters, more fine detail in nebulas, and more surface features on planets with UHTC than without. So go with a Meade telescope just for the UHTC. It?s that good.