Detailed information about this product's features  ACF optical tube optics
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 flat field, 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 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 and a mirror lock for astrophotography. Performance is guaranteed to be diffraction-limited, with a flatter coma-free field edge-to-edge than other commercially-available catadioptric optical systems. For more details, click on the “optics" icon above.
Designed to mount on your existing German equatorial mount, this 8" OTA comes without dovetail or mounting rings so you can customize the mounting method to your preferences. The #PM8 mounting rings from Parallax Instruments are sized specifically to hold the 8" Meade OTA, and can be installed on an appropriate optional Vixen- or Losmandy-style dovetail plate to suit your mount.
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.
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