Meade 8" and 10" Schmidt - Cassegrain Telescopes, with standard equatorial wedge and optional variable-height standard field tripod.

Designed for advanced visual and astrophotographic applications, Meade 8" and 10" LX50's include important standard-equipment features for the serious observer:

Battery-Powered, Completely Cordless Operation: Meade LX50 models operate for more than 50 hours from six AA-size batteries inserted through the telescope's control panel. Or use the standard-equipment 25 ft. cord to power the telescope directly from any automobile cigarette lighter plug.

 

The LX50 electronic hand controller

Declination Motor and Hand Controller: Plug the hand controller into the LX50 control panel and you're ready for full dual-axis drive capability at any of four photo-guide or microslew speeds: 2x, 8x, 16x, or 32x, plus quartz-controlled sidereal-rate tracking in R.A. Use the 2x rate for photo-guiding; 8x for image centering at higher powers; 16x for image centering at moderate powers; and 32x for microslewing of the telescope–roving over the surface of the Moon, for example. Switch speeds instantly using the speed-control button on the hand controller.

Super Multi-Coated Optics: The exact same EMC Super Multi-Coated optical tube assemblies included with the Meade LX200 models.

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"I spent over a year reading telescope specifications before I bought my first telescope, a Meade 8" LX50. I want to say how happy I am with this product. My prime concern was portability, and the LX50 is perfect, as it has DC power, and the 8" aperture is light enough for me to carry and set up. The optics offer superb views of star clusters, nebulae, and planets. Would I recommend this telescope? I already have, not only to people in my local astronomy section but also on the Internet." –Patricia Kocinski, Rochester, New York.

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Control Panel: Includes connectors for CCD autoguiders; for the standard-equipment Declination motor; and for the optional Magellan II Computer-Corrector. A North-South switch permits telescope operation anywhere in the world.

Massive LX200-type Fork Mounts: Meade LX50 mounts are manufactured of the same aluminum castings as LX200 models. Massive, rigid mountings that include the Meade LX worm-gear drive system with low periodic error for advanced photographic or CCD imaging applications.

 

Magellan II Computer-Corrector for LX50 Telescopes

Magellan II hand controller.

Available optionally for any Meade LX50 model (including the 7" LX50), the Magellan II hand controller plugs into the LX50 control panel and puts a dazzling array of important features at the observer's fingertips:

Manually slew to the R.A. and Dec of any object you wish to observe, or call up an object from Magellan's massive 12,218-object database. Magellan's two powerful microprocessors calculate the telescope's position in milliseconds and direct your manual movements of the telescope for fast, accurate object location.

Use Magellan II's hand controller for 4-speed, dual-axis drive corrector functions, combined in the same hand controller as the computerized object-location capabilities described above.

Use the 32x microslew speed and the FIND button to move to an object automatically: after manually slewing the LX50 "close" (e.g., within one or two degrees) to a desired object, direct the telescope at the push of the FIND button to move automatically the remaining distance to the object.

Magellan II is easy to use! The high-resolution, 4096-pulse Hewlett-Packard encoders enable location of even the faintest, most obscure objects every time. Encoder precision is 5.3 arc minutes. Magellan's standard-equipment database includes a wide range of important celestial objects:

 

7,840 NGC objects; the complete NGC catalog 4,093 IC objects from the Index Catalog 125 user-defined objects 110 Messier objects; the complete catalog 42 alignment stars for the Magellan system 8 major planets, from Mercury to Pluto ______ 12,218 objects, total

The Meade Magellan II System does not "convert an LX50 into an LX200;" only the LX200 has the extremely high precision encoders and electronic control systems required for automatic GO TO positioning to an accuracy of one arc minute, among many other advanced features. Magellan II is, however, the finest computer system available, short of an LX200. Telescope alignment by the 2-star method is accomplished in seconds. And Magellan II's optical encoders tuck neatly into compartments designed into the LX50 fork mounting. The unit is powered by connection of the hand controller to the LX50 control panel; no external power source is required.

Specifications for #2024 Magellan II Computer-Corrector for Meade 7", 8", and 10" LX50 Telescopes: Includes Magellan II hand controller with red-backlighted LCD display, 19 pushbuttons, and four dual-axis speed rates (2x, 8x, 16x, 32x). High-resolution, 4096-pulse encoders for both telescope axes; 12,218-object computer database; 2-star alignment; RS-232 serial interface; attachment hardware; instructions. Initial installation on any 7", 8", or 10" LX50 model requires less than 15 minutes.

 

Meade 8" LX50

Specifications of 8" Model LX50: 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly with EMC super multi-coatings (D=203mm, F=2000mm, f/10); heavy-duty LX200-type fork mount with 4"-dia. sealed polar ball bearing; 5.75" LX worm gear and quartz-microprocessor-controlled DC servo-motor in RA; tangent arm and DC servo motor control system in Dec; multi-function control panel; manual and electric slow-motion controls and setting circles in both axes; keypad hand controller; 4-speed drive controls on both axes; battery compartment accepting six (user-supplied) AA-size batteries; 25 ft. power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto cigarette lighter plug; 6 x 30mm viewfinder; eyepiece-holder and diagonal prism (1.25"); MA25mm multi-coated eyepiece; standard equatorial wedge with elevation scale, fine elevation control, bubble level, and azimuth control; operating instructions.

Meade 8" LX50 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, with standard equatorial wedge and optional variable-height standard field tripod.

 

Meade 10" LX50

Specifications of 10" Model LX50: Includes 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly with EMC super multi-coatings (D=254mm, F=2500mm, f/10); heavy-duty LX200-type fork mount with 4"-dia. sealed polar ball bearing; 5.75" LX worm gear and quartz-microprocessor-controlled DC servo-motor in RA; tangent arm and DC servo motor control system in Dec; multi-function control panel; manual and electric slow-motion controls and setting circles in both axes; keypad hand controller; 4-speed drive controls on both axes; battery compartment accepting six (user-supplied) AA-size batteries; 25 ft. power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto cigarette lighter plug; 8 x 50mm viewfinder; eyepiece-holder and diagonal prism (1.25"); MA25mm multi-coated eyepiece; standard equatorial wedge with elevation scale, fine elevation control, bubble level, and azimuth control; operating instructions. For added stability in sensitive applications, the 10" LX50 may also be purchased with the Superwedge in place of the standard wedge.

Meade 10" LX50 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, with standard equatorial wedge and optional variable-height standard field tripod.

 

Specifications and Features: Meade 8", and 10" LX50 Telescopes

Optical Design	Schmidt-Cassegrain
Clear Aperture	203mm (8"); 254mm (10")
Primary Mirror Diameter	209.6mm (8.25"); 263.5mm (10.38")
Focal Length	2000mm (8"); 2500mm (10")
Focal Ratio (Photographic Speed)	f/10
Near Focus (approx.)	25 ft. (8"); 50 ft. (10")
Resolving Power (arc secs.)	0.56 (8"); 0.45 (10")
Super Multi-Coatings (EMC)	Standard
Limiting Visual Magnitude (approx.)	14.0 (8"); 14.5 (10")
Limiting Photographic Magnitude (approx.)	16.5 (8"); 17.0 (10")
Image Scale (degs./inch)	0.72 (8"); 0.57 (10")
Maximum Practical Visual Power	500X (8"); 625X (10")
35mm Angular Film Coverage	0.68° x 0.97° (8")
	0.54° x 078° (10")
Optical Tube Dimensions (dia. x length)	9.1" x 16" (8"); 11.75" x 22" (10")
Secondary Mirror Obstruction (dia.; %)	3.0"-14.1% (8")
	3.7"-13.7% (10")
Telescope Mounting	Heavy-duty fork-type; double tine
Setting Circle Diameters	Dec: 6"; RA: 8.75"
RA Motor Drive System	4-speed, microprocessor - controlled 9v. DC servo motor, 5.75" LX worm gear
Hemispheres of Operation	North and South, switchable
Declination Control System	4-speed, microprocessor - controlled 9v. DC servo motor, tangent arm
Slow-Motion Controls	Manual and electric, RA and Dec
Bearings	Dec: Nylon; RA: 1 - 4" dia. and 1 - 2.25" dia. ball bearing
Hand Controller	PIC16C54 microcontroller, 5 - button keypad; red LED speed-rate indicator
Main Controller	PIC16C57 microcontroller
Onboard Celestial Object Database	N/A
Slew Speeds	RA and Dec: 2x, 8x, 16x, 32x sidereal
Materials: Tube body	Aluminum
Mount castings	Aluminum
Primary & Secondary Mirrors [Note 1]	Pyrex® glass
Correcting Plate/Lens	Clear float glass
Telescope Dimensions, swung down	9.25" x 16" x 25" (8")
	12" x 19" x 31" (10")
Shipping Carton Dimensions	31" x 22" x 14" (8")
	38" x 26" x 18" (10")
Total Net Telescope Weight	71 lbs. (8"); 89 lbs. (10")
Heaviest Sub-Section for Field Assembly	38 lbs. (8"); 55 lbs. (10")
Total Shipping Weight (approx.)	91 lbs. (8"); 122 lbs. (10")
#1220 Field De-rotater	N/A
Equatorial Wedge Latitude Range	23° to 64° (8")
	15° to 64° (10")
Field Tripod Height (optional)[Note 2]	30" to 44" variable

[1] All Pyrex glass used in Meade Schmidt-Cassegrains and Maksutov-Cassegralns is of Grade-A quality, fine-annealed.
[2] The standard equatorial wedge adds approx. 9", and the Superwedge approx. 12", to the stated tripod heights.