Meade LX90 Telescopes with LNT
Easy To Use GoTo Telescope with Level North Technology & GPS
Dec 2, 2007
Meade LX90 Telescope Series
Meade LX90 telescopes come in 8", 10", and 12" sizes. With prices ranging from $1999 for the 8" to $3299 for the 12", the LX90 series is an intermediately priced line of serious amateur Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes. Astronomy enthusiasts with larger budgets might prefer Meade's LX200R or RXC400 series telescopes with more advanced optics and larger apertures. Meade also manufactures smaller telescopes and Dobsonian mounts for beginning stargazers or tight budgets.
GPS and Level North Technology (LNT)
Meade's LX90 telescopes are goto telescopes, so they have a computerized hand held controller. It has a 30,000 object data base. After the telescope is aligned, simply select the next object, press the goto button, and the telescope automatically points there.
First align the telescope. Meade's autoalign feature makes this process quite easy. There is no need to level the tripod or enter the observer's position. The level north technology finds north the level position. The GPS technology finds the telescope's location.
The telescope selects a bright alignment star and points there. Center the star and press enter. Repeat the process for a second star and the telescope knows where it is pointing. The goto feature then allows one to easily find even faint galaxies and nebulae. The hand controller has intuitive, easy to learn and use menus.
The Good
While the LX90 telescopes may not have the advanced optics of Meade's LX200R or RXC400 series telescopes, they do deliver sharp crisp images. The 12" model delivers clear sharp images of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula and other popular objects. Under clear dark skies the 12" model also has enough light gathering power to provide nice views of low surface brightness deep sky objects, such as galaxies and the Crab Nebula.
Once the telescope is aligned, the pointing is accurate. Faint deep sky objects are usually at or near the center of the main telescope field of view. The finder scope is seldom needed. When finding objects close to the horizon, the pointing is less accurate. It is also less accurate when finding the initial alignment stars, so it still helps to know the night sky. However beginners, who have not yet learned the sky, can usually just center the nearest bright star.
The Bad
The major problem with the LX90 telescopes is the difficulty of mounting the telescope on the tripod. In alt-az mode, the telescope is fastened to the tripod via a bolt through the top of the tripod into the base of the telescope. If the telescope is positioned exactly right, screwing in the bolt is very easy.
Getting the telescope to the right position is difficult. There is no way to tell when the bolt holes are aligned. It is therefore necessary to slide the telescope around on the tripod and repeatedly try to screw in the bolt. During this process nothing secures the telescope to the mount. It takes two people; one can hold the telescope while the other positions it and screws in the bolt.
Meade engineers could easily solve this problem with a raised circle and indentation on the tripod and telescope base.
The telescope comes in a difficult to transport cardboard box. JMI makes nice wheeled carrying cases for Meade, Celestron, and other similar telescopes, but having to buy a case adds to the expense.
Meade often does not stock replacement parts for older model telescopes. It can therefore be difficult to repair an older telescope should it become necessary.
Despite these problems Meade's LX90 telescopes will provide serious stargazers many clear nights of enjoyment.
