Meade 16" LX600-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Telescope

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Meade 16" f/8 LX600 ACF Telescope with StarLock w/o Tripod

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16" f/8 Advanced Coma Free Optics - 3251mm focal length
StarLock automatic guider and AutoStar II GOTO system included
Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC)
Internal Crayford style focuser with 7:1 reduction and zero image shift
Includes 2" 28mm PWA eyepiece, 2" Series 5000 diagonal mirror, 8x50 finderscope, AC adapter, DC cable, but does not include tripod/wedge

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Item # 55664

Mfg Model # 1608-70-01N

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Ready to take your visual and optical astronomy to the next level? The fast f/8 Advanced Coma Free optical system produces a wider, flatter field with no coma for pinpoint stars out to the edge of larger imaging sensors and extreme wide angle eyepieces. Includes StarLock for full time guiding at one arc second precision and LightSwitch style auto-alignment, Crayford style zero shift focuser with reduction, AutoStar II GOTO system with over 145,000 object library, and much more.

Designed and Manufactured in North America.

This 16" LX600 has 16" diameter f/8 ACF optics (focal length 3251mm) and Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC) for maximum image brightness and contrast. The redesigned mirror mounting system achieves zero image shift and includes an internal Crayford style focuser with two speed, 7:1 reduction control that allows for quick and easy adjustments.

The ACF primary, secondary and corrector plate glass blanks are manufactured in the USA exclusively for Meade.

The optical path and components of the ACF telescope design

The optical path and components of the ACF telescope design

The dual fork mount features 11" main gears and boasts pointing accuracy of one arcminute or better in High Precision Mode. This rock solid platform is sure to exceed the need for the most demanding applications.

Includes StarLock — the advanced technology that makes target acquisition on your imaging sensor and accurate guiding during exposures completely automatic.

Comes fully equipped with AutoStar II keypad with 145,000 object library, Meade 2" Series 5000 diagonal, PWA 28mm eyepiece and 8x50 viewfinder with quick release bracket, and both an AC adapter and a DC power cord.

Power panel includes the following ports: 12V input, 12V output, illuminated reticle, handbox, RS-232 x1, StarLock, Aux, and Focuser. Meade Microfocuser compatible, Microfocuser item #07080 sold separately.

NOTE: Shown in photo with MAX Tripod and Wedge, not included. Sold without tripod, pier or wedge, ready for your own custom mounting.

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for two years from date of purchase. This warranty is provided by Meade for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact Meade at 800-626-3233.

Product Support

Visit our product support section for instruction manuals and more

Specs

Best for viewing

Fainter deep sky
Best for imaging

Deep sky
User level

User level

Beginner Level - Suited for a wide range of uses, these products are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required depending on the type of product. Optical instruments with this rating will have very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment and complexity. Beginning level telescopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulae! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Intermediate Level - These products offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Advanced Level - These products provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. Optical instruments with this rating have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but might be on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These products will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Advanced
Optical design

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece. Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens. Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Advanced Coma-Free (ACF)
Optical diameter

Optical diameter

For telescopes, the optical diameter (also known as aperture) is the size of a telescope's main light-collecting lens or primary mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. Telescopes with larger optical diameters collect more light, which leads to an increase in brightness and image resolution compared to smaller instruments.

For binoculars, the optical diameter (also known as objective lens diameter) is the size of each of the front-facing objective lenses of a binocular measured in millimeters. Binoculars with larger objective lenses collect more light, which increases image resolution and brightness. Binoculars with larger objective lenses are recommended for low light situations, and binoculars with at least 50mm or larger objective lenses are recommended for pleasing astronomical observations at night.

406mm
Focal length

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

3251mm
Focal ratio

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

f/8.0
Magnification with included eyepieces

155x
Resolving power

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

0.29arc*sec
Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

58x
Highest useful magnification

Highest useful magnification

The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification. But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

300x
Highest theoretical magnification

812x
Limiting stellar magnitude

Limiting stellar magnitude

The limiting stellar magnitude is a measure of the faintest star you can see through the telescope.

15.7
Optical quality

Optical quality

"Diffraction Limited" means that the limits of image detail are determined by the physical properties of light, and not by optical defects in the telescope.

Diffraction limited
Finder scope

8x50
Focuser

Internal
Diagonal degrees

2" 90° Mirror Star
Mount type

Altazimuth
Astro-imaging capability

Astro-imaging capability

The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

Lunar, planetary & long exposure
Weight, optical tube

318.0 lbs.
Additional included accessories

Series 5000 PWA 28mm eyepiece, AutoStar II hand controller, AC adapter and DC power cable
Other features

Internal zero-shift Crayford style focuser, Starlock automatic guider, LightSwitch style automatic alignment
Warranty

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

Two year

Shipping Info

When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available.

A per-item shipping charge (in addition to the standard shipping and handling charge) applies to this product. This charge varies based on the shipping method.

Standard Delivery: $700.00

SHIPPING RESTRICTIONS APPLY FOR THIS PRODUCT

This product is available to ship Standard delivery to the 48 continental United States. Delivery is not available to APO/DPO/FPO addresses, US territories/protectorates or Canada. 3 Day, 2nd Day and Next Day delivery is not available.

The Meade 16" f/8 LX600 ACF Telescope with StarLock w/o Tripod is a very large, multi-box, telescope and may arrive through freight service on a pallet for curbside delivery.

Returns

The Return Policy & Procedure for this product is different than Orion's standard return policy. Click here to learn more.

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User level

Optical design

Optical diameter

Focal length

Focal ratio

Resolving power

Lowest useful magnification

Highest useful magnification

Limiting stellar magnitude

Optical quality

Astro-imaging capability

Warranty

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