Meade ® 12" and 14" LX200GPS-SMT Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes 

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 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.

Observing with the 12" LX200GPS-SMT: The advantage of large aperture immediately becomes apparent when observing with the 12" LX200GPS-SMT. Objects merely visible in smaller telescopes now take on new dimensions, with fainter, more tenuous nebular detail observable; the Orion Nebula grows to more than twice the area visible in an 8" telescope and with subtle color variations. Jupiter's surface is a web of interlocking structural detail, even under moderate seeing conditions; shadowy detail on the surface of Jupiter's largest satellite, Ganymede, is often observable. With a limiting photographic magnitude of  over 18.0 with the standard  Meade Ultra-High Transmission Coatings group, the 12" LX200GPS-SMT is a valuable tool in supernova patrols, in the plotting of faint asteroids, and in many other areas of significant astronomical research.

Observing with the 14" LX200GPS-SMT: With a resolving power of 0.32 arcseconds, the Meade 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain is an advanced instrument capable of serious research. When equipped with the optional Ultra-High Transmission Coatings group, the telescope presents an image brightness fully equivalent to that of a 15" telescope with standard coatings. Observing with the Meade 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain is an extraordinarily rewarding experience. The advantages of the telescope's large diffraction-limited aperture are immediately apparent, particularly to the advanced observer with an eye trained to discern extremely fine detail on the full range of celestial phenomena - lunar, planetary, and deep-space. Studies of the more obscure Messier and NGC objects such as the planetary nebula NGC 3242 in Hydra, the spiral galaxy M100 in Coma Berenices, and the open cluster NGC 6231 in Scorpius, show a heightened level of resolution invisible in smaller telescopes. Difficult objects like the Crab Nebula (M1) in Taurus, the Spiral Galaxy (M33) in Triangulum, and the Owl Nebula (M97) in Ursa Major begin to show their essential structures under high-power visual observation; these same objects present magnificently detailed images as the subjects of long-exposure CCD or film cameras. Under favorable atmospheric conditions binary stars may be resolved to the telescope's theoretical limit, and, just as importantly, the telescope's high-contrast internal mirror baffling allows for the resolution of a large number of binaries where the brightness of the primary far exceeds that of the secondary. Note in the 14" telescope the subtle shadings of Saturn's inner ring structure, as well as the varying contrast levels of the cloud belts and the small polar cap on the planet's surface. Jupiter's cloud belts reveal a tremendous range of color shadings, as well as whirls, festoons, and discontinuities almost too numerous to count. Observation of transits of Jupiter's four primary satellites across the disc of the planet, and of the shadows of these satellites on the planet, is routine. Even at distant oppositions Mars displays significant surface detail; at close oppositions the planet becomes a mass of intricately-connected dark plains and ochre-colored deserts.

The Meade 14" LX200GPS-SMT includes an all-new fork mounting of uncommon structural rigidity. For added strength and stability the fork's polar cross-bar assembly is cast in one continuous piece from one fork arm to the other; the motor drive base includes a thickened cast floor to minimize flexure of the telescope when mounted on the optional Superwedge at low latitudes. The mounting combines with the Autostar control system for long-distance slews across the skies
to locate targets to a precision of within a few arcminutes. The mounting, Autostar, and the telescope's research-class optics make the 14" LX200GPS-SMT the perfect choice for the visual observer or imaging specialist looking to explore new astronomical frontiers.

Specifications and Features:

TELESCOPE: 12" and 14" LX200GPS-SMT

Optical Design Schmidt-Cassegrain
Clear Aperture 305mm (12"); 356mm(14")
Primary Mirror Diameter 314mm (12.375");370mm (14.57")
Focal Length, Focal Ratio 3048mm f/10 (12"); 3556mm f/10 (14")

Near Focus (approx.) 75 ft. (12"); 100 ft. (14")
Resolving Power (arc secs.)  0.38 (12"); 0.32 (14")
Ultra-High Transmission Coatings: Standard on all Meade Telescopes from Bintel
Limiting Visual Magnitude (approx.) 15.0 (12"); 15.4 (14")
Limiting Photographic Magnitude (approx.) 17.5 (12"); 18.5 (14")
Image Scale (degs./inch) 0.48 (12" f/10); 0.40 (14" f/10)

Maximum Practical Visual Power 750X (12"); 850X (14")
35mm Angular Film Coverage 0.45° x 0.65° (12"); 0.39° x 0.56° (14")

Optical Tube Dimensions (dia. x length)  13.6" x 25" (12"); 15.8" x 31" (14")
Secondary Mirror Obstruction (dia.; %) 4.0"-11.1% (12"); 4.9"-12.4% (14")

Telescope Mounting heavy-duty fork type; double tine
Setting Circle Diameters Dec: 5"; RA: 8.75"
RA and Dec. Control Systems  both axes: 185-speed, microprocessor-controlled, 12v. DC servo motor; 5.75" LX worm gear with Smart Drive Software.
Primary Mirror Lock  included (progressive tension)
Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser included (4-speed)
GPS Alignment included (16-channel GPS receiver, electronic sensors for true-level and North, with magnetic declination compensation)
GO TO Pointing Precision (approx.) 2-arc mins. (1-arc min. in HP-mode

Slew Speeds RA and Dec. 0.01x to 1.0x sidereal, variable in 0.01x increments; 2x, 8x, 16x, 64x, 128x sidereal; 1°/sec. to 8°/sec., variable in 0.1° increments
Tracking Rates sidereal, lunar, or custom-selected from 2000 incremental rates
Hemispheres of Operation North and South, automatically selected by GPS or user.

Slow-Motion Controls manual and electric, RA and Dec.
Bearings Dec: 3 x 1.83" dia. ball bearings; RA: 1 x 4" dia. and 1 x 2.25" dia. ball bearings

Autostar Hand Controller Atmel 89C451 & PIC16C57 microcontrollers; 2 line x 16 alphanumeric character display; 20-button keypad, red LED backlit

Main Telescope Controller distributed intelligence architecture using 8 networked microcontrollers (Motorola 68HC11, Atmel 89C451, 3 x PIC16C62, 2 x PIC16C54, Sony digital signal processor); 3.5-Megabyte flash memory (field reprogrammable), 32K RAM
Batteries (approx.) 8 x C-cells (user-supplied); 20 hrs.
Onboard Celestial Object Database 147,541 objects

Materials:
Tube Body; Mount Castings aluminum; aluminum
Primary, Secondary Mirror [Note 2] Pyrex® glass, grade-A, fine-annealed
Correcting Plate clear float glass

Giant Field Tripod, height 4." - 50" variable
Superwedge (optional) 17.5kgs. (12"); 18kgs. (14")
Superwedge Latitude Range 24°-65°

Telescope Dimensions, swung up 381mm x 508mm x 939mm (12"); 431mm x 609mm x 1117mm (14")
Total Net Telescope Weight 56.8kgs (12"); 75.4kgs.(14")
Total Shipping Weight (approx.), including optical tube, fork mount, and giant field tripod 68kgs. (12"); 102kgs. (14")

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