Meade 12 Inch LX850 ACF Telescope with StarLock – 1208-85-01 Meade

The New LX850™ with StarLock™.
The portable astro-imaging system that can be setup, aligned and imaging in less than thirty minutes.
Only from Meade.

 

Building on the foundation of the technologically revolutionary LX800, Meade engineers have taken the next step in astrophotographic evolution. We kept the same innovative concepts like Starlock™ fulltime automatic guiding and high-precision pointing, f/8 ACF OTAs with internal Crayford-style two-speed focuser and a portable precision German equatorial mount, but reengineered it to deliver more performance with less user effort.

Here is a brief list of a few of the changes and new features made to create the new LX850:

 

• NEW polished bronze worms in both RA and DEC drivers that deliver smooth motion with low periodic error.
• NEW larger roller bearings in both RA and DEC axes to better handle larger loads.
• NEW roller bearings in the RA and DEC clutch assemblies to allow freer motion with the clutches loosened for easier balancing.
• NEW one-piece 1 inch thick saddle plate with improved dove tail clamps, thicker OTA rail and radius blocks to reduce flexure between the OTA and mount.
• NEW alternative StarLock mounting position on ACF OTAs for virtually no flexure between StarLock and the primary optics.
• NEW StarLock software improvements to guide star selection, tracking/guiding accuracy, Ultra High Precision Pointing, and Drift Alignment.
• NEW StarLock automatic guide rate calibration which analyzes the sky conditions and sets the best possible guide rates for both RA and DEC.

 

Fast f/8 Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optical systems on the 10″, 12″ and 14″ OTAs. These optics produce wider, flatter fields with no coma for pinpoint stars out to the edge of larger imaging sensors or extreme wide angle eyepieces.

 

Internal Crayford-style primary mirror focusing system with a dual speed 7:1 focus control. Precise focus is a snap.

 

StarLock full-time automatic integrated guider provides computer-assisted drift alignment for refining polar alignment, finds and centers targets and then automatically locks onto a field star as faint as 11th magnitude for guiding. No separate computer, no guide star selection, no guide scope focus. Just set up your camera and image.

 

German Equatorial Mount made from machined aluminum and stainless steel with large bearing surfaces and roller bearings in both axes for an extremely solid and stable platform.

 

Internal cabling to prevent snags and tangles during your imaging sessions.

 

Precision machined 5.8″ main gears with 225 teeth in both R.A. and DEC. with .68″ polished bronze worms for very accurate movements and tracking.

 

1.75″ diameter threaded stainless steel counterweight shaft with 26 lb. threaded stainless steel counterweights for easy and safe adjustments to telescope balance.

 

Sophisticated built-in computer for the most accurate control of the StarLock and other telescope systems.

 

AutoStar II hand control with over 144,000 object database to take you to almost any object imaginable at the push of the GoTo button. AutoStar II allows the user to setup and operate the LX850 in just the way you want.

 

Ultra-stable adjustable height tripod. Three inch diameter legs fold up for easy transport.

 

Accessories include 8×50 viewfinder, Series 5000 2″ enhanced 99% reflective diagonal, a 25mm HD-60 premium eyepiece and anti-vibration pads.

 

Zero image-shift microfocuser for exact electronic control of focus.

 

Meade StarLock features

 

StarLock — the heart of the LX850 — is the revolutionary new technology that makes target acquisition and ultra-precise guiding corrections a snap. StarLock is an integrated two-camera sensor array that provides four primary functions.

 

Full-Time Automatic Guide Star Selection and Auto-Guiding – Any time the telescope is slewed to a target, StarLock automatically identifies a suitable guide star as faint as 11th magnitude and locks on. Once locked on, the StarLock will provide guide corrections until you slew to another target or turn it off. It’s all automatic. And unlike standard autoguiders that issue guide corrections in the form of speed and time, the StarLock speaks directly with the motor controllers providing specific commands. The result is more accurate and faster guide corrections.

 

Ultra-Precision Pointing – StarLock uses its two cameras to refine pointing to an incredible accuracy of one arc-minute, which ensures the object you select will end up on your imaging sensor, a must of those faint objects you can not see visually to confirm position.

 

Drift Alignment Assist – After alignment, StarLock uses its two cameras to automatically select and GOTO two candidate stars then uses its 80mm f/5 guiding optic to snap a 30 second exposure. The telescope then calculates the distance the mount must be adjusted to be precisely aligned to the celestial pole and then moves the optical tube the calculated distance so you can re-center the candidate star using the altitude and azimuth controls on the mount head. This dramatically speeds up the drift alignment process.

 

Lightswitch Alignment – Borrowing from our award-winning Lightswitch line of telescopes, the LX850 and StarLock can select and automatically center alignment stars using its two cameras, thereby taking the guesswork out of alignment.

 

Product Number 1208-85-01
Clear Aperture 12″ (305mm)
Optical Design Advanced Coma Free (ACF)
Focal Length 2438mm
Focal Ratio f/8
Telescope Mounting Heavy-duty German Equatorial
OTA Mounting Losmandy®-style mounting plate
Optical Coatings Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC)
Resolving Power (Dawes Limit) 0.380 arc seconds
Secondary Obstruction (%) 16.86
AutoStar Controller Autostar II
Object Database 145,000 objects
Viewfinder 8x50mm with cross-hair reticle
Eyepiece HD-60 25mm, long eye relief, premium eyepiece
Diagonal Series 5000 2 inch with enhanced 99% reflectivity
Focus System Internal Crayford style zero image-shift primary mirror focus with dual speed 7:1 control
Slow Motion Controls Electronic
Control Panel 12v DC in, 12v DC out, Power, Focuser, Reticle, Handbox port, 1 computer connection port (RS232), 1 StarLock port, 1 Aux guide port
Total Instrument Capacity 90.0 lbs. (40.80 kg)
Counterweights Included. 2 x 26 lbs.
Electronic Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser Included
Accessory equipment mounting system Optional Series 5000 Auxiliary Equipment Mounting System
Power 12v DC 5 amp, using supplied Meade Universal Power Supply
Materials 
Primary Mirror Low-expansion borosilicate glass
Secondary Mirror Individually figured with primary mirror for maximum correction. Low-expansion borosilicate glass
Correcting Plate/Lens Aspheric high-spectral transmission Borofloat glass from Schott AG Germany
Optical Tube Aluminum
OTA Weight 56 lbs.

 

 

Mount Body Machined from solid 6061-T6 Aircraft grade Aluminium and stainless
steel
Finish Anodized Aluminium and stainless steel
Main gear – R.A. & Dec. 5.8 inch under cut 225 tooth aluminum
Worm gear – R.A. & Dec. .68 inch diameter precision machined polished bronze
Bearing size 3.15 inch (outer diameter)
Counterweight shaft 1.75 inch diameter, 12 inch long threaded stainless steel
Counterweights 26 lbs. and optional 10 lbs. threaded stainless steel.
Quantity: Mount only – 1 x 26 lbs., 10 inch – 1 x 26 lbs., 12 inch – 2 x 26 lbs., 14 inch -3 x 22 lbs., 130mm APO – 1 x 26 lbs.
Drive Motors DC Servo motors with encoders, both axes
Mechanical allignment Fine adjustment altitude controls
Tracking distance past meridian 20 degrees
OTA mounting system Losmandy®-style dovetail
Instrument Payload Capacity 90.0 lbs (40.80 kg)
Latitude range 10° – 70°
Tripod Giant folding adjustable height tripod with 3 inch diameter aluminum legs. Height from 29 inches to 45 inches.
Mount body weight 60 lbs.
Counterweight shaft and cap weight 17.8 lbs.
Counterweights 26 lbs. and optional 10 lbs.
Tripod weight 36 lbs.
Control Panel 12v DC in, 12v DC out, Power, Focuser, Reticle, Handbox port, 1 computer connection port (RS232), 1 StarLock port, 1 Aux guide port
Computer Control AutoStar II GoTo system
Database Over 144,000 Objects, Catalogs included: Index catalog (5,386); NGC catalog (7,840); Partial Caldwell catalog (109); Messier catalog (110); Earth orbiting satellites (26); Planets (9); Uppsala galaxy catalog (12,940); Morphological catalog of galaxies (12,939); General catalog of variable stars (29,364); SAO and Hipparcos star catalogs (42,277); Draper star catalog (21,160); Yale bright star catalog (8,977); Large Bright Quasars Survey (1,055); Namd objects (4,313); Herschel catalog (400); Abell catalog of galaxy clusters (2,712); Arp catalog of irregular galaxies (635); Lunar features (1,754); Asteroids and comets (120); Constellations (88); Solar/Lunar eclipses, meteor showers (492).
Computer Hand Control Double line, 16 character Liquid Crystal Display; 20 backlit LED buttons
GPS Yes
Home Sensors Both RA and Dec axes
Internal Clock Yes
Internal Cabling Yes
Slew Speeds 3 degrees/second
Tracking Rates .01x to 1x, 2x, 8x, 16x, 1/4°, 1/2°, 1°, 3°
Tracking Modes EQ North and EQ South
Alignment Procedures 2-Star Align, 1 Star Polar Align, Starlock assited drift align
Power 12v DC 5 amp, using supplied Meade Universal Power Supply
StarLock
Wide Field Camera 25mm x 26mm f/1.04 optic with 1/2 inch format CMOS sensor gives field of 14.72 x 11.78 degrees.
Narrow Field Camera 80mm x 400mm f/5 optic with 1/2 inch format Cmos sensor gives field
of 57.2 x 45.8 arcminutes (2.68 arcseconds/pixel)
High Precision Pointing +/- 1 arcminute
High Precision Guiding +/- 1 arcsecond (with good seeing. 1-4 second correction update rate depending on star magnitude. Faintest guide star 11th mag.
High Precision Alignment Semi-automatic drift align procedure for ulta-precise polar alignment
StarLock Weight 2.9 lbs. (1.3 kg)