Meade 8" (203MM) LIGHTSWITCH

Type : CATADIOPTRIC

For a lot of telescope users, aligning the telescope is always a frustrating experience - even when it is considered a "Go To". There's always something you have to know...be it the perfectly correct time, the date, your latitude or longitude. How many new users have been stumped by not knowing the names of the alignment stars? Or not being able to see an alignment star that is blocked by a tree or a house? All of these little things can add up to beginning an observing evening in an unpleasant way and that's not what enjoying astronomy is all about. Now imagine yourself setting up a very portable telescope called the Meade LS 8" ACF. Thanks to its new LightSwitch™ Technology, you simply turn it on and let it do the work. Inside a built-in Integrated Sensor Module (ISM) takes over the job and Global Positioning System (GPS) connects with overhead satellites to automatically recognize your telescope's position on Earth. Once this fix takes place, this means your telescope also understands the local time - without even looking at a watch! As silent as a cat on wheels, the Level North Technology (LNT™) sensors take over and the Meade LS Telescope seeks out two alignment stars and automatically begins charting out a "real time" night sky map in its memory banks for your own personal time and location.

But, the Meade LS-8 ACF Telescope doesn't stop there...

It's a marvelous experience to look through a telescope at a distant object - but nothing can match the experience of knowing things like how far, how fast, how hot, how high, etc. Thanks to The Astronomer-Inside™, the Meade 8" f/10 LS-8 delivers like no other telescope on today's market can. Right at the telescope the user has the capabilities of a complete audio/visual library at their fingertips... just waiting to give you a full tour of the night sky. Thanks to a built-in speaker and video-out jack, the whole family can share in the fun! Just think of what a great outreach tool the Meade LS-8 can be...

But don't stop there, either... the Meade LS-8 has even more to offer!

Built on the foundation of Meade's superb Advanced Coma Free Optics in a size capable of revealing all the Messier objects and such a huge portion of the NGC catalog as to keep most observers happy for a lifetime, this telescope is going to offer outstanding planetary and lunar views at a professional level. What more could you ask? What's that you say? Eyes like a CCD camera? Then stop dreaming and take a look at tomorrow's technology... the built-in ECLIPS™ CCD Camera. Now you can take vibrant, high-resolution, low-noise images of objects right at the telescope and view them on the spot using the scope's video output function. What's more, you can also store them on an MiniSD card for later modifications - or sharing! Just exactly what does that mean? Can you imagine sending Grandma an email with a picture of comet you just viewed? Or how about an image of Saturn? For those who really like challenges, a built-in CCD camera means you can push the Meade LS-8 beyond its visual limits by taking timed exposures of objects far fainter than the human eye can see - and revealing them right at the telescope before your eager eyes!

Meade LS-8 ACF LightSwitch Telescope Features...
Single arm fork Altitude-Azimuth (Alt-Az) mount provides rigid structure with large precision roller bearings on both axis designed to carry large OTAs.
Precision worm gear drives with 4.875” main gears in both axis for smooth and accurate tracking and slewing.
Long fork arm length to allow clearance with the base for most cameras.
Runs on internal “C” cell batteries for 3-5 hours of portable field operation with hand control holder built into base.
Off-On LightSwitch and USB and other ports for accessory equipment.
Heavy-duty stable tripod with quick attachment of the mount
8” ACF optical tube assembly (OTA) provides 8" clear aperture with 2000mm focal length for an f/10 system.
Advanced Coma-Free optical system for performance that only professionals or extreme amateurs have had.
Standard SC threaded back cell that accepts most existing accessories designed for all Schmidt-Cassegrain models over the last 30 years.
Integrated Sensor Module (ISM) with GPS and Level North Technologies (LNT).
Electronically Controlled Locate Identify Position System (ECLIPS) CCD imaging module.
Multimedia output includes professionally produced audio and video content for hundreds of objects and custom guided tours designed for your location, time and date.
Multimedia presentations feature the voices of Sandy Woods of “Star Date” astronomy radio program and George Woods, Hollywood actor and the voice on many productions.
Built-in speaker in drive base and audio out jack for audio instructions and object descriptions.
Video out for video presentations and images of many objects, instant display of images from the ECLIPS imager and easy on-screen menu navigation.
AutoStar III hand controller easily control telescope for automatic location of objects, tours and many other features including 100,000 object database.
ECLIPS CCD Imager is an essential part of the LightSwitch alignment system.
Sensitive wide-angle color 640x480 CCD imager for taking your own astrophotographs. Save your photos on a MiniSD card (user supplied).
With a video monitor connected to the video out jack, see real-time images of the objects you see in the eyepiece.
New electronics provide full USB support for accessories like additional DSI CCD cameras.
MiniSD card slot for easy software upgrades and storing your astrophotographs.

Optical Specifications :
Aperture : 200mm
Focal Length : 2000mm
Focal Ratio : 10

Accessories Highlight :
AUTOSTAR III HANDBOX WITH 100,000 OBJECTS
SPEAKER BUILT IN MOUNT CONNECTIONS USB
ECLIPS CCD IMAGER

Optional Accessories :
WIDE RANGE OF ADDITIONAL EYEPIECES
FILTERS

Meade 8" (203MM) LIGHTSWITCH