After 20+ years of terrific service the 18'' Nasmith was finally replaced in June 2005 for a Meade 14'' LX200 as our main 'scope.
Large aperture combined with a dazzling array of state-of-the-art LX200GPS-SMT features, including 145,000-object database, Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser, GPS Alignment, and High-Precision Pointing. That's the 14'' Meade LX200 !!
The large light-collecting apertures of Meade 12" and 14" LX200GPS-SMT telescopes enable levels of resolution and image brightness that satisfy the advanced requirements of the serious amateur, as well as those of many school or college research programs. The 12" model, for example, gathers 44% more light than Meade 10" Schmidt-Cassegrains; the 14" LX200GPS-SMT has 96% more light-collecting area than the 10" telescope.
Meade 12" and 14" LX200GPS-SMT Schmidt-Cassegrains include all of the features of the 8" and 10" models: accurate GPS alignment; onboard 145,000-object database accessible in seconds through the Autostar II hand controller; Autostar Suite Software with remote telescope control via internet, the Lunar Planetary Imager (LPI), the creation of custom tours and much more; 4-speed Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser; High-Precision Pointing to within one arc-minute; and much more. And yet, notwithstanding all of their high-performance features, Meade 12" and 14" LX200GPS-SMT telescopes are readily transportable for use in the field.
The telescopes' progressive-tension primary mirror lock, in conjunction with the Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser, cancels any residual image-shift during focusing. In addition the mirror lock results in even more precise long-distance GO TO slews of the telescope, since the large mass of the telescope's primary mirror is locked in position. In Addition to that, the Smart Mount improves the pointing accuracy of the LX200GPS-SMT telescope's "Go To" system. Despite careful efforts to calibrate and then align telescopes, they may fail to precisely center objects. Smart Mount allows your telescope to learn about, and then correct for any systematic pointing errors, regardless of the cause.
