| This Meade 10” LX80 Multi-Mount telescope has:
• 10” f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain optics
• high light transmission UHTC multicoatings
• heavy-duty LX80 go-to tri-mode altazimuth/equatorial Multi-Mount and tripod
• AudioStar computer hand control with audio output
• 8 x 50mm finderscope
• 26mm Series 4000 Super Plössl eyepiece (97x)
• exceptional mount flexibility and value when compared to similar catadioptrics from other manufacturers
This Meade LX80 telescope puts a quality 10” Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube on a smooth and precise multi-mode go-to German equatorial mount (that can also be used in your choice of two different altazimuth configurations). It’s a flexible combination that will take you on a tour to anywhere in the night sky you might choose to go. And the special Astronomer Inside software and speaker built into its AudioStar computer hand control will tell you and your family and friends many fascinating details about 500 of those objects as you observe them.
The optical tube of the 10” Meade LX80 has UHTC multicoatings that are 15% brighter than standard optical coatings. With a light grasp an amazing 1317 times that of even the sharpest dark-adapted eye, this big 10” Meade SCT can reveal to you star clusters, nebulas, planets, and galaxies in amazing detail. And you can image those objects with your DSLR or CCD camera.
This Meade LX80 telescope is value-priced to make large aperture Schmidt-Cassegrain astronomy available to almost everyone. Its light weight optical tube (only 29.5 pounds) and easily assembled battery-operated multi-mode go-to mount make it easy to set up and use – either in your back yard or at a distant dark sky site. Outstanding optical quality and a very reasonable price make it a scope that virtually any beginning or advanced astronomer can afford and enjoy now – and use as the heart of an ever-expanding multiple OTA observing system as your interests grow. This Telescope’s Optical System . . . - Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube: 10" aperture (2540mm focal length f/10). State-of-the-art UHTC multicoated optics for 15% better light transmission than standard optical coatings. Oversized primary mirror for optimum light collection. Low-expansion borosilicate glass mirrors, with a corrector lens made of high spectral transmission Borofloat glass from premium specialty glass maker Schott AG Germany.
- Finderscope: 8 x 50mm straight-through achromatic design with crosshair reticle.
- Visual back: Removable 1.25" visual back holds visual and imaging accessories such as a star diagonal, T-adapter, tele-extender, etc.
- Star diagonal: 1.25" prism type.
- Eyepiece: 1.25" 26mm Super Plössl (97x). The eyepiece field of view is 0.51° across (allowing the full Moon to squeeze completely into the eyepiece field), for good lunar and deep space views.
This Telescope’s Mount . . . - Heavy duty Meade LX80 tri-mode go-to Multi-Mount. The Meade LX80 Multi-Mount can be used both in a German equatorial configuration for viewing and long exposure astrophotography and in a single optical tube altazimuth mode for fast set-up viewing and lunar/planetary photography. The mount’s payload capacity in either mode is 40 pounds. The mount can also be used in a dual optical tube altazimuth configuration (adding a second optical tube on the opposite side of the mount from the 10" SCT tube). In this configuration, the mount’s payload is 70 pounds. This lets you use the mount as the heart of an observing system that can handle a wide variety of other optical tubes as your observing and imaging interests grow.
The Meade LX80 mount includes dual-axis slewing/tracking motors with positioning encoders for go-to computer control. Two 11 pound counterweights are provided to balance the 29.5 pound weight of the 10" optical tube in both the German equatorial and single tube altazimuth modes. The scope is powered by 8 user-supplied AA batteries. An optional AC adapter and optional car battery cord are also available to power the mount. For more details on the Meade LX80 Multi-Mount, here’s a link to a more complete description.
- AudioStar computer hand control: The supplied AudioStar computer control system provides fully computerized go-to object location and tracking in both altazimuth and German equatorial modes. The AudioStar has a database of over 30,000 celestial objects it can find and track for you. The AudioStar computer hand control has Meade’s exclusive Astronomer Inside software and a built-in speaker that will talk to you, giving you four hours of professionally-produced audio descriptions of 500 of the celestial objects the AudioStar can find for you. Astronomer Inside puts the knowledge and experience of a professional astronomer in the palm of your hand. There are more details about the AudioStar system and the LX80 mount at this link.
- Adjustable height tripod:
The Meade LX80 Multi-Mount includes an adjustable height tripod with 2" diameter stainless steel legs that adjust over a height range of 30.5" to 47". In addition, each leg has an adjustment for 0.2" fine-tuning of the leg height to aid in leveling the mount.
- Dovetail optical tube mounting system: The Meade LX80 mount comes with two Vixen-style dovetails for attaching optical tubes. One is on the mount head for German equatorial and single optical tube altazimuth use. The second head can be attached to the end of the counterweight shaft for mounting a second optical tube in a two optical tube altazimuth configuration and is removable when not needed. A Vixen-style dovetail bar on the underside of the 10" SCT optical tube allows the tube to be quickly and precisely installed and balanced on the mount, whether in an altazimuth or German equatorial configuration. Setup and takedown times are exceptionally fast. Two large hand-tighten knobs hold each optical tube in place.
What can you see through an 10" Meade LX80 Multi-Mount go-to SCT with UHTC optics?
With 57% more light gathering capacity than an 8" telescope, this Meade LX80 Multi-Mount’s 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain optics give the Universe a visual and photographic sharpness and grandeur at dark sky sites that no smaller telescope can approach – no matter how good that smaller scope might be. With a photographic limiting magnitude of 17, all of these sights can be photographed in detail.
This big 10" scope will perform well on faint deep space objects such as galaxies and nebulas under mildly light-polluted suburban skies, if provided with the proper light pollution filter. However, it is at a site with truly dark and steady skies that you’ll best be able to take full advantage of its large aperture and excellent optical performance. If you’re a deep space enthusiast with regular access to dark skies, the 10" LX80 SCT may be the perfect scope for you. And with a heaviest single component weight of only 35 pounds, you’ll find this LX80 is the easiest 10" scope to transport and set up.
If you’re one of those busy people whose schedule doesn’t leave you much time to enjoy astronomy, an easy-to-use fully-computerized 10" LX80 SCT with its unique Astronomer Inside software and talking AudioStar computer hand control will make the most of your limited observing opportunities.
Just how much can you find to see and photograph with a 10" Meade LX80 Multi-Mount SCT? Enough wonders to last a lifetime!
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