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 Plossl
eyepiece. The new LX200-ACF. It's the biggest news in astronomy since, well, the LX200.
The ""advanced" in Advanced Coma-Free.
A traditional Ritchey-Chretien (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-Chretien. 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."
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.