Meade - Advanced Coma-Free Telescopes

LX200-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Optical Tube Assemblies

LX200-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Telescopes

The most widely used research telescope on earth now comes with the most advanced optical system in space.
Meade’s all new LX200-ACF brings Advanced Coma-Free optics within reach of aspiring astronomers everywhere.
Nearly every observatory reflector in the world is a Coma-Free, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Now
you can own what the professionals own. The LX200-ACF includes all the field-proven features of the LX200
including GPS, Primary Mirror Lock, Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser, Oversized Primary Mirror, SmartDrive™,
Smart Mount™, AutoStar® II and more. Plus, the LX200-ACF comes with observatory-class optics crafted in
Irvine, California, and a Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plössl eyepiece. The new LX200-ACF. It’s the biggest
news in astronomy since, well, the LX200.

LX400-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Optical Tube Assemblies

LX400-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Telescopes

The “advanced” in Advanced Coma-Free.

A traditional Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) is a type of reflector that delivers a coma-free, flat field of view via
hyperbolic primary and secondary mirrors. RC telescopes (from a variety of manufacturers) are found in most
of the world’s top observatories and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Because the mirrors in these telescopes
have always been very expensive to make, few amateur astronomers could enjoy them. Fortunately, Meade
engineers developed a radical new Advanced Coma-Free design by combining a hyperbolic secondary mirror with a
corrector-lens-and-spherical-primary-mirror combination that performs as one hyperbolic element. This Advanced
version of the traditional RC design produces a coma-free, flat field of view that rivals traditional RC
telescopes at a fraction of the cost. The design even eliminates diffraction spikes and improves astigmatism,
both of which are inherent in the traditional RC design. When reviewing Meade’s LX400-ACF Advanced Coma-Free,
Sky and Telescope magazine said, “ [It] does indeed perform like a Ritchey-Chrétien. The difference between
the off-axis images (compared to a Schmidt-Cassegrain) was dramatic to say the least.”

LX400-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Telescopes on MAX Robotic German Equatorial Mount

The “advanced” in Advanced Coma-Free. A traditional Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) is a type of reflector that delivers a coma-free, flat field of view via hyperbolic primary and secondary mirrors. RC telescopes (from a variety of manufacturers) are found in most of the world’s top observatories and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Because the mirrors in these telescopes have always been very expensive to make, few amateur astronomers could enjoy them. Fortunately, Meade engineers developed a radical new Advanced Coma-Free design by combining a hyperbolic secondary mirror with a corrector-lens-and-spherical-primary-mirror combination that performs as one hyperbolic element. This Advanced version of the traditional RC design produces a coma-free, flat field of view that rivals traditional RC telescopes at a fraction of the cost. The design even eliminates diffraction spikes and improves astigmatism, both of which are inherent in the traditional RC design. When reviewing Meade’s LX400 Advanced Coma-Free, Sky and Telescope magazine said, “ [It] does indeed perform like a Ritchey-Chrétien. The difference between the off-axis images (compared to a Schmidt-Cassegrain) was dramatic to say the least.”

LX90-ACF Advanced Coma-Free

As you already know, the LX90 is the ultimate all-around telescope for the money. Now, with the addition of
Advanced Coma Free optics, Meade has taken the LX90 to an even higher level above the competition. Meade have
raised the bar both for visual viewing and astrophotography without raising the price. The LX90-ACF optical
system delivers wide, coma-free images with pinpoint stars all the way out to the edge of the field.  Now the
amateur can have this amazing RC like performance for the price of an ordinary SC.