Meade LX200 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain with lots of extras! Start Price USD 500.00 Current Price USD 2,050.00 Time Left - Bid Count 25 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, August 20, 2008 End Time Saturday, August 30, 2008 Location Gurnee, IL See more about 'Meade LX200 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain with lots of extras!' Description Up for sale is my MEADE LX200 GPS 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The scope has served me wonderfully for about two years, but I'm looking to get an equatorially mounted scope to perfect my astrophotography. The scope has not seen much use in the last year, but I've never had a problem with it or the electronics. I'm including a JMI hard case for the scope, as well as several extras. Optically, the scope is great. Some dust and blemish on the corrector from outside use, though this does not interfere with optical quality (better than damaging the coatings by cleaning them).  I am including everything that came with the scope at the time of purchase, as well as some extras.   As standard, the winning bidder will receive (purchased for $3300): Meade 10" LX200 SCT on GPS smart mount. Autostar II Go-To hand controller RS-232 computer interface Meade electronic mircofocuser Meade 8x 50mm finerscope Field tripod for LX200 1.25" Diagonal mirror Meade Series 4000 26mm Plossl eyepiece I am also including the following with the scope: Meade Series 4000 6.4mm eyepiece (purchased for $50) Meade 3x Barlow lens (purchased for $110) JMI hard case for Meade LX200 (purchased for $475) Meade LPI astro-imaging camera with Autostar Suite software (value $100) Meade broadband (skyglow blocking) filter for SCT (purchased for $150) Meade counterweight system for 10" SCT (purchased for $125) Camera mount for 10" SCT (purchased for $45) All in all, I am auctioning about $4500 worth of equipment.  I am pretty much selling most of my visual observing accessories to make way for a nice astrophotography setup, and all of my accessories for the LX200 must go. Will ship by UPS, and can personally deliver if within 2 hours drive of Gurnee, IL or Madison, WI. Would prefer payment by cashier's check or money order.  If you have any questions, please ask. I want the buyer to be as happy with this scope as I was.  Happy Bidding!   FROM MEADE'S WEBSITE, A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ITEMS ON WHICH YOU ARE BIDDING***   The most widely used research telescope on earth now comes with the most advanced optical system. Meade's LX200-ACF brings Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optics within reach of aspiring astronomers everywhere. Nearly every observatory reflector in the world uses an aplanatic (coma-free) optical system like the Ritchey-Chrétien (RC), including NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Now you can own similar optics to what the professionals use. 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 and a Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plössl 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-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 ACF 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."      f/10 Advanced Coma-Free Optics: Building from a classic RC design, Meade has created a new design with the same coma-free pinpoint star images and flatter field that discerning astrophotographers and most professional observatories have come to expect from classic Ritchey-Chrétien optics. Meade's Advanced Coma-Free system also reduces the astigmatism and eliminates diffractions spikes found in classical RCs. The LX200-ACF is the perfect platform for the demanding researcher and imaging enthusiast with telescopes available in apertures of 8 inches, 10 inches, 12 inches, and 16 inches. Meade Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTCT) increases total light tran+smission and image brightness by nearly 20% over Meade's standard coatings. Objects such as stars, galaxies and nebulae will appear significantly brighter. Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser allows you to obtain precise image focus with no image movement. Primary Mirror Lock locks the mirror in place during long-exposure astrophotography. Oversize Primary Mirror diameters are greater than their listed aperture (e.g., the diameter of the 8" LX200-ACF is actually 8.25"). This additional 1/4" yields a wide, fully illuminated field-of-view. Smart Mount™ constantly refines pointing accuracy each time an object is centered and updated. Compatible with both equatorial and altazimuth mounts.   Coma Killer - What is coma? It's not some sort of astronomical state of unconsciousness. It's an optical aberration. Precisely defined, coma is a distortion in which the image of a star cannot be focused to a point, but takes on the shape of a comet.[ more about coma killer ]Smart DriveT provides permanent periodic error correction (PPEC) on both axes by learning and averaging error over the course of one or more training periods, thereby minimizing guiding corrections during long-exposure photographs. PPEC is available on both axes and functions in both polar and altazimuth modes. Sony®GPS Receiver Sensor automatically inputs precise time, date, and geographical location to help quickly and precisely align the telescope. AutoAlignT - Telescopes with Meade's new AutoAlign come pre-aligned.They are smart scopes that know the night sky right out of the box. AutoAlign picks two fail-proof alignment stars for you and places them right in your view-finder. Just center to fine tune your alignment and the wonders of the universe are at your fingertips. AutoStar® II controller features "Hot Keys" for quick access to a 145,000 celestial object database. AutoStar II can be updated with the latest software upgrades, guided tours and timely objects like comets free at meade.com.    Specifications 8" 10" 12" 14" 16" Optical Design Advanced Coma Free Advanced Coma Free Advanced Coma Free Advanced Coma Free Advanced Coma Free Clear Aperture 203mm (8") 254mm (10") 305mm (12") 356mm(14") 406.4mm (16") Focal Length Focal Ratio 2000mm f/10(8") 2500mm f/10 (10") 3048mm f/10 (12") 3556mm f/10 (14") 4064mm; f/10 Maximum Practical Visual Power 600X (8") 650X (10") 750X (12") 850X (14") 950X (16") Telescope Mounting heavy-duty fork type; double-tine heavy-duty fork type; double-tine heavy-duty fork type; double-tine heavy-duty fork type; double-tine heavy-duty fork type; double-tine Primary Mirror Lock included (progressive tension) All models Zero Image-Shift Micro Focuser included (4-speed) All models Eyepiece Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plossl Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plossl Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plossl Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plossl Series 5000 26mm 5-Element Plossl Viewfinder 8 x 50mm 8 x 50mm 8 x 50mm 8 x 50mm 8 x 50mm GPS, True-level and North sensors included (16-channel GPS receiver) All models Pointing Precision, High Precision Mode 1-arc min. All models Autostar® II Hand Controller included (147,541 object database) All models Batteries (user-supplied) 8 x C-cells 8 x C-cells 8 x C-cells 8 x C-cells none Battery Life (approx.) 20 hrs 21 hrs 20 hrs 20 hrs n/a Slew Speeds: RA and Dec: 0.01x to1.0x sidereal, variable in0.01x increments; 2x, 8x, 16x, 64x, 128x sidereal; 1°/sec. to 8°/sec., variable in 0.1° increments All models Tracking Rates sidereal, lunar, or custom-selected from 2000 incremental rates All models Primary, Secondary Mirrors Pyrex® glass Pyrex® glass Pyrex® glass grade-A, Pyrex® glass grade-A, Pyrex® glass grade-A, Correcting Plate/Lens water white glass water white glass water white glass water white glass water white glass Total Net Telescope Weight 73 lbs. 90 lbs. 125 lbs. 166 lbs. 318 lbs. (with Field Tripod) Telescope Shipping Weight (approx.) 94 lbs. 122 lbs. 50 lbs. 225 lbs. 360 lbs. Field Tripod Height all models: 30" to 44" variable 30" to 44" variable 40" to 50" variable 40" to 50" variable 40" to 50" variable UHTC Included Included Included Included Included Price $2,899 $3,999 $4,999 $6,999 $14,999  ***Please note that the scope I am selling is the regular Meade LX200GPS, not the ACF design.  The scope specs are identical, with exception of the coma-free optics (this was a recent addition for 2008). Autostar II Computer Controller Completely redesigned and updated for the LX200GPS series, the Meade Autostar II control system includes the widest array of telescope capabilities ever offered in a commercial telescope: Built-in 145,000-Object Library Included as Standard Equipment: Enter into the Autostar II handbox any of the 145,000 celestial objects stored in the LX200GPS onboard database, press GO TO, and the telescope automatically slews (moves) to the object at 8°/sec., centering it precisely in the main telescope field. Additionally, the display reads out for each selected object its magnitude, size, object-type, visual quality rating, RA and Dec. Or, let the telescope take you on an automatic guided tour of TONIGHT'S BEST. Stored in a 3.5-Megabyte flash memory, Autostar II's database is immediately accessible on the Autostar II display and includes an incredible array of phenomena - virtually a lifetime of deep-space study, even for the advanced observer. A partial listing includes: Object List No. of Objects New General Catalog (NGC) 7840 Index Catalog (IC) 5386 Uppsala Galaxy Catalog 12,940 Morphological Catalog of Galaxies 12,939 General Catalog of Variable Stars 28,484 Other deep-space objects: 28,484 SAO and Hipparcos Star Catalogs 42,277 Draper Star Catalog (HD) 21,127 Yale Bright Star Catalog (BSC5) 6150 Large Bright Quasars Survey (LBQS) 1055 Messier Catalog (M) 110 Caldwell Catalog 109 Named Objects 227 Herschel Catalog 400 Abell Catalog of Galaxy Clusters 2712 Arp Catalog of Irregular Galaxies 645 Major planets from Mercury to Pluto 8 Lunar features 1870 Asteroids and Comets 120 Earth orbiting satellites 50 Centroids of the constellations 88 Additional Autostar II Functions: Dozens of additional handbox functions, all easily and immediately accessible, make Autostar II the most powerful electronic tool ever developed for the serious amateur. A partial listing of fewer than half of these functions includes: GO TO capability to any input RA and Dec. coordinates; a 200-object user-defined library; event menus displaying the times and/or dates of Sunrise/Sunset, Moonrise/Moonset, Moon phases, meteor showers, minimum of Algol, equinoxes and solstices; custom-guided tours defined by the user; standard tours including Tonight's Best; 24-hour timer with beeper; alarm function with beeper sounds at selected times; 16-level display brightness adjust; 16-level display contrast adjust; red-LED utility light; battery alarm for low-battery warning; 7 alignment modes; sidereal, lunar, or any of 2000 custom tracking rates; factory-trained Smart Drive periodic error correction on both telescope axes with field-training capability.   Meade LPI Imager Meade's exciting new LPI (Lunar Planetary Imager) can be used on any telescope for making images! It's VGA resolution (640x480) color CMOS chip is capable of creating high-quality lunar and planetary images, as well as daytime terrestrial images. And with the capability to make long exposures, you can digitally capture bright deep sky objects with the LPI system that only costs a fraction of a typical astronomical CCD imager system. With an effective magnification similar to a 6mm eyepiece, the Meade LPI produces images that are inherently high magnification with no additional adapters, making it the perfect tool for imaging the Moon, planets, and small, bright deep sky objects. Using a barlow lens with the LPI will increase the magnification even more, and installing the LPI is just as easy as sliding in an eyepiece. Autoguiding with the LPI requires an Autostar-equipped Meade telescope. Standard equipment includes cables with the Autostar Suite for linking the PC to the "RS232" port of these telescopes so that the software can make corrections to the telescope as the LPI tracks on a star. Autoguiding with the LPI is as easy as making an image— An initial image is downloaded, and one only has to draw a box with the computer's mouse over the star to be tracked. When used in tandem with the LX200GPS with Smart Drive activated, stars as faint as 10th magnitude may be used. CANADIAN RESIDENTS* Add 20% to the U.S. prices to cover shipping and all Canadian taxes.* Add $50 processing fee for all Canadian orders.* Product(s) will be shipped to your door.* All prices are in U.S.Dollars. This region of the Moon was taken with a Meade 8" LX90 (mounted in the altaz configuration), by a first-time user of the LPI imager and software.  Making lunar and planetary images with the LPI is simple. A hobbiest will find that they only have to do the following to make images that they will be proud of: Install the Autostar Suite software in your PC. Connect the USB cable to the camera and the PC. Windows will recognize the new device and a dialog box will appear asking if you want to install the new drivers. With the Autostar Suite CD disk still inserted in the computer, click "OK". Open Autostar Suite, click the "Image" drop-down menu at the top of the program and select "LPI Imaging". The camera's dim red L.E.D. "on" light will glow indicating you are connected. Click the drop down menu under "Object" and select the type of object that you will image, use "Moon" for taking images of the Moon for example. Center up the planet or region of the Moon that you wish to image with an eyepiece. Remove the eyepiece from the telescope's focuser, and slide in the LPI camera. The image will appear on the "Live" box on your computer at this time. You can now focus the telescope to get the sharpest image. Use the "Magic Eye" tool of the program to determine best focus. Hold down the left mouse button and draw a box around a region of interest, and let go. The LPI will "track" on that region during the exposures. When you are ready, just click the "Start" button and you will start tracking and stacking images. You can take and stack as many iamges as you like. Click "Stop" to finish. The LPI software will automatically name and save your final image. It is that easy! As your familiarity of using the LPI software improves, you can over-ride all of the automatic settings and take control of nearly every aspect of the imaging process to further improve your imaging skill. For example, the exposure settings can be user-controlled from .001 to 15 seconds. The LPI software automatically aligns multiple images images and combines them into one superior image. Generally speaking in making an astrophotograph there are still factors that can ruin an otherwise perfect image. Some of these factors would be moments of poor seeing, or high turbulence in the atmosphere, a gust of wind shaking the telescope, poor alignment that would cause poor tracking, even a small bump to any part of the telescope can cause problems. With the LPI system, the software's "Min Quality" setting can be set to discard all of the poor quality images and only combine the high quality images at or above the setting chosen. Other features include taking dark frames with the LPI, or saving every image taken instead of just the final stacked image. Below are most of the primary features of the LPI software interface for controlling the camera: Live - Displays what the imager sees in the "Live" tab in the display area. Exposure - This is the exposure time in seconds (from .001 to 16 seconds), the up and down spin buttons adjust the exposure up and down by .5 f/stop. Gain and Offset - Are like contrast and brightness on a TV. These controls are sent directly to the camera. Histogram - Displays a histogram of the image in the Live tab. It uses a monochrome converted image which is an average of the RGB of each pixel. Stretch Controls - The sliders below the histogram control the stretch of the image. The top one is black and the bottom one is white. The numbers below the sliders are the stretch values. The left one is black the right one is white. LOG Checkbox - This makes the histogram response log. ROI Checkbox - Makes a histogram in the region of interest (ROI) of the red rectangle in the Live display area drawn by the user. Magic Eye Focus - This displays a graphical representation of the focus. The two orange triangles grow together to indicate better focus. The red lines indicate the maximum obtained. Avg Checkbox - This will average the last 5 focus values to smooth out the noise in the image. Reset - This will reset the red max indicators of the Magic Eye Focus tool. Start - This will start co-adding images and continuously display the current image in the Live tab and the co-added image in a new tab with the filename as the tab. The Min Quality, Evaluation Count, Object Name, and filter selection will be used for this image. The start button will be relabeled "Stop". When Stop is pressed the co-added image will be saved as the file type selected and in the "Image Folder" under the Object Name. If there is already a file with this name then a number will be suffixed to the name. Min Quality - This selects the minimum quality that is acceptable to co-add an image. Evaluation Count - This is the number of images skipped when Start is pressed to determine a quality range. Object Name - This is the filename that will be used when the Stop button is pressed. Kernel Filter - This will insert the selected kernel filter in the image stream. When co-adding the image, the filter is applied after the co-add but is only used for display. It is applied again when the image is saved such that it is only applied once to the co-added image. Images Status - This displays the number of co added images. Quality Status - This displays the quality of the last camera image. Centroid - When you draw a rectangle around a bright object in the Live display area, two crossed lines represent the centroid of the rectangle (ROI). The rectangle will move with the centroid to keep it in the middle. This way it will track the bright spot any where on the image. The centroid is used by the shift and combine algorithm to determine how much to shift the image by.       *Recommended Minimum System For Installing Autostar Suite:      PC running Windows 98SE with 64 MB and 100 MB free disk space. Place a Bid!