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Meade - DS-2130AT-LNT
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$ 399.00
Reg.$ 599.00
SAVE $ 200.00 | |
| 20135
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Click here for recommended accessories |
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The Meade DS-2130 LNT puts good quality 5.1” aperture Newtonian reflector optics on an
easy-to-use computerized go-to altazimuth mount. It can take you effortlessly on a tour of the
best sights in the heavens any night the skies are clear. The DS-2130AT LNT provides a
well-balanced mix of performance, portability, and computerized convenience at an extremely
affordable price.
For the observer whose interests are the brighter solar system and deep space objects, the
DS-2130 LNT has a lot to offer. Its reflector optics provide sharp images of subtle lunar and
planetary details that are free from the spurious color you’ll find in comparably-priced
achromatic refractors. Outside the solar system, binary star systems and globular star clusters
are sharp and well-resolved, with the contrasting colors of many binary systems showing nicely.
The brighter nebulas and galaxies stand out nicely against a dark sky background.
Includes:
* 130mm aperture Newtonian reflector optical tube;
* Rack and pinion focuser with 1.25” eyepiece adapter; single-arm fork mount with electric
slow-motion controls;
* 9-speed (2x sidereal through 4.5°/sec.) dual-axis motor drive system with sidereal-rate
tracking;
* #494 Autostar computer controller;
* Internal battery compartment accepting six (user-supplied) AA-size batteries;
* 1.25” 9.7mm (103x) and 26mm (38x) Super Plössl eyepieces;
* Red dot non-magnifying finder;
* Adjustable height field tripod with accessory tray;
* Dust cap;
* Planetarium software and instructional DVD;
* Operating instructions.
Newtonian reflector optical system: 130mm (5.1”) aperture 1000mm focal length f/7.7
system. Aluminum optical tube. Both primary and diagonal mirror can easily be collimated for peak
optical performance.
Finderscope: SmartFinder wide-angle non-magnifying variable brightness red dot finder. The
SmartFinder is a quick and easy way to point your telescope exactly to the desired object in the
sky. There’s no need to worry about the inverted images you see through traditional finders. Just
align the red dot seen in the SmartFinder with the desired star in the sky and you’re done.
Focuser: rack and pinion, with 1.25” eyepiece adapter.
Two eyepieces: Both are four-element fully multicoated 1.25” Super Plössl designs. The
first is a 26mm providing a magnification of 38x. The eyepiece field of view is 1.32° across,
over two and a half times wider than the diameter of the full Moon for expansive views of open
star clusters and nebulas. The second is a 9.7mm providing 103x with a 0.48° field for more
close-up views of the planets, globular star clusters, and a full Moon that more than fills the
eyepiece field.
Fork mount/drive system: Lightweight single fork arm altazimuth design with pre-installed
dual DC servo motor drives. A compartment in the drive base accepts eight user-supplied AA
batteries for powering the telescope.
Adjustable height tripod: The pre-assembled aluminum tripod is adjustable in height to put
the scope’s eyepiece at a comfortable level for observing. The tripod’s center leg brace holds a
convenient accessory tray to keep your eyepieces and accessories up and out of the dew-soaked
grass. The tray has a built-in holder for the Autostar computer hand control.
Autostar computer control with LNT: The supplied Autostar #494 computer hand control has
an illuminated numeric keypad and a two-line 16-character display. It includes a database of
1,471 stars and objects that it can find and follow for you automatically, including the complete
Messier and Caldwell catalogs of famous deep space objects; the best variable stars and multiple
star systems; the planets; the Moon; and more. The objects have been specifically chosen as being
those that are best-suited for observing with the DS-2130 LNT. They provide an excellent
introduction to the wide variety of astronomical objects visible through the telescope.
The Autostar computer uses patented LNT (Level North Technology) to automatically line up your
telescope on the sky. A built-in electronic level sensor, electronic magnetic North sensor, and
high precision clock combine with the Level North Technology software in the Autostar computer to
make aligning on the sky as easy as remembering your own zip code. You don’t have to be able to
identify stars like Altair or Zubenelgenubi or know how to read a star chart to line up your
telescope on the sky. You can find hundreds of fascinating deep space objects your first night
out, even if you have never used a telescope before.
Supplied software: The scope comes with the AutoStar Software Suite Astronomer’s Edition –
a CD-ROM Windows-based planetarium program for your PC that can display over 10,000 stars and deep
space objects on your computer screen – galaxies, nebulas, star clusters, stars, and planets. It
lets you explore the universe on your computer when the skies are cloudy and you can’t use your
scope. It can print out star charts to use later at the telescope and help you plan your
observing sessions. Also included is an instructional DVD that shows you how to set up your scope
and get the most out of observing with it.
What you see through the Meade DS-2130 LNT: All of the major planets except Pluto are
easily observable through the DS-2130 LNT. You can study Saturn and its ring system; the primary
cloud belts of Jupiter and its four major satellites; the Moonlike phases of Mercury and Venus;
prominent features on Mars; and the starlike images of the distant planets Uranus and Neptune.
The Moon stands out in stark, almost three-dimensional detail – showing you craters by the
hundreds, mountain ranges, scarps, and valleys. Within our Milky Way galaxy the scope displays
hundreds of nebulas, star clusters, double and multiple stars, and variable stars – plus dozens
of external galaxies in all their variations of form and structure.
It has four and a half times the light gathering capacity and more than twice the resolving power
of the more common 60mm beginning scope. This gives significantly brighter and more detailed
images than is possible with a smaller scope. For the introductory student of astronomy, or for
the casual observer, the Meade DS-2130 LNT opens up the skies at modest cost to an amazing
breadth of celestial detail that is utterly invisible without the telescope.
DS-Series LNT computer
The patented LNT (Level North Technology) of the DS-Series scopes includes an electronic level
sensor, an electronic magnetic North sensor, and a high precision internal clock. These
components combine with the Level North Technology software in the built-in Autostar computer to
make aligning on the sky as easy as remembering your own zip code. You don’t have to be able to
identify stars like Altair or Zubenelgenubi or know how to read a star chart to line up your
telescope on the sky.
Simply take the scope outside and set it up on its supplied tripod. The internal clock keeps
track of the time and date, so there’s no need to tell the scope the precise time when you turn
it on. Also, the scope will remember your last observing location, so there’s no need to reenter
that information if you’re observing from the same site. If you’re observing from a different
location, simply enter the city and state you are observing from – or just your zip code!
The scope will then use its built-in level and magnetic North sensors to level the optical tube
and point it north. The internal clock will tell the software the correct time. The software will
determine where and when on earth it is and what the sky looks like overhead. It will then move
the scope automatically to its first alignment star.
If the star is not precisely centered under the red dot in the SmartFinder non-magnifying finder,
you can use the Autostar hand control pushbuttons to center it to improve the pointing accuracy.
Let the scope repeat the process for its second alignment star and you’re ready to start
observing. It takes only a few keystrokes on the computer hand control to have the scope move
automatically to your night’s first observing target and start tracking it so you can observe at
your leisure. You can find hundreds of fascinating deep space objects your first night out, even
if you have never used a telescope before. The LNT system makes setting up a DS-Series scope fast
and easy, and using it virtually foolproof.
The Autostar computer hand control plugs into the telescope’s drive base to permit a wide array
of telescope options. First and foremost is its automatic go-to capability. The Autostar computer
can show you the planets and hundreds of deep space objects the very first night you use your
scope – even if you’ve never used a telescope before!
At the push of a button, your DS-Series scope will move at a fast 4.5° per second to any of the
1471 objects in its database. You can choose from deep-sky objects including 66 named objects
(e.g., the Orion Nebula); 74 galaxies; 31 diffuse nebulas; 19 planetary nebulas; 11 quasars; all
109 objects from the Caldwell Catalog of the best objects for small telescopes; and all 110
objects from the Messier catalog. You can choose from 863 stars; the 200 most interesting from
the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) catalog; 79 famous named stars; 395 double stars;
and 189 variable stars. The Autostar will also locate the centroids of all 88 constellations and
50 objects in the solar system (8 major planets from Mercury to Pluto; the Moon; 26 asteroids;
and 15 periodic comets). You can use it to track 50 Earth satellites, including the International
Space Station, the Hubble space telescope, and Mir. You can also automatically move to any object
that’s not in the database simply by entering its right ascension and declination coordinates,
perhaps to the comet positions published monthly in Astronomy and Sky & Telescope magazines. You
get pushbutton 9-speed dual-axis operation, from a slow 2x the sidereal rate for centering
objects to fast 4.5 degrees per second to locate them.
The hand control gives you a continuous digital readout of the telescope position in r.a. and
dec. You can add user-defined objects of your own to its 1471 star and object database. In
addition, the Autostar computer readout will display the distance, temperature, mass, size, and
historical information about any of the stars and objects in its database. And it will take you
on self-guided tours of the best objects visible from your location on any given night, along
with over 20 other menu options.
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