In his book Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes, Harold Richard Suiter analyzes the effects of dirty, telescope optics in full mathematical detail. Dirt happens, and in moderate amounts it has amazingly little effect on performance. If you do leave a fingerprint on, say, a binocular lens, clean it off using the method described below. The acids in skin oil can attack optical coatings over time. Never touch the surface of a lens or mirror. Telescope retailers sell cheap, durable cases to store and protect eyepieces. Eyepieces should be capped on both ends or kept in plastic bags or small plastic food containers. That way dust won’t settle on them in storage. I store my two reflectors with their main and secondary mirrors both facing somewhat down. As for the eyepiece holder, a plastic canister for 35-mm film fits the standard 1¼-inch focuser size. If it’s missing a cap, make your own a shower cap, or a plastic bag or dishcloth held over the front of the tube by a rubber band, works fine. Keep the lens caps on when the instrument is not in use. The first tactic against dirt is defensive, and this is when you should be vigilant. The right attitude toward telescope optics means knowing when to be vigilant and when to relax. Dirt on lenses or mirrors scatters light, making dark skies less dark and bright objects less crisp - but not nearly as much as you probably think. Then again, life is full of imperfections, and there’s no point fretting about them. Much of the time you’ll be using it right at the limit of its capabilities, and when you’re trying to see very faint objects or fine detail, little things make a big difference. In addition to GoTo and tracking capability, the AudioStar permits a wide array of fascinating and educational functions such as multiple Guided Tours, digital positional readouts, the ability to link with a PC using optionally available software and cord, and much more.When cleaning lenses and mirrors, the most important rule is the doctor's Hippocratic Oath: "First, do no harm."Īny telescope or binocular that you use for astronomy, no matter how humble it may be, deserves the best care you can give it including the cleaning of telescope optics. Once aligned with the sky, the AudioStar is ready to take you to any object in the over 30,000 object database. This computerized celestial object locating system plugs into the telescope's handbox port allowing a quick telescope alignment. The Meade AudioStar features audio files and an internal speaker. With the included AudioStar hand controller you have easy access to over 30,000 objects that you can view with a simple press of a button! AudioStar Astronomer Inside technology features a built-in speaker that plays over four hours of educational content about the celestial objects you view! The LX85 mount also includes an integrated autoguider port to readily connect to your autoguider camera, making your astro-imaging experience easy and straightforward. Seamlessly image the best parts of the night sky without having to worry about performing a meridian flip. With its built-in integer gearing motor drive, you’ll be able to track through long exposures using Meade’s Smart Drive feature for recording permanent periodic error correction (PPEC). This stable mount can impressively handle slight load imbalances with ease. The LX85 mount features fully automated GoTo slewing to (and tracking of) over 30,000 objects in the night sky. The focuser features a 10:1 reduction fine focus knob, brass compression rings (so you don’t mar the barrel of your eyepieces or camera adapters) and a 2” to 1.25” step down adapter (also with a brass compression ring). From a dark-sky location away from city lights, objects such as the Veil Nebula will reveal structures you may not have seen before. And with the 2” linear bearing Crayford focuser, try pairing it with a low power 2” eyepiece with a large apparent field of view. With an 800mm focal length, pairing this telescope with a DSLR or other astro camera will yield large and rich swaths of sky, perfect for framing any number of deep-sky objects. The f/4 system is incredibly fast, meaning with a camera it will collect a lot of light in a short time, perfect for taking shorter exposures while still recording all sorts of detail in the nebulae and galaxies. The Meade 8” f/4 LX85 astrograph reflector telescope is a compact wide field telescope, with an immense amount of light grasp, thanks to the large 8” BK7 (Borosilicate) mirror and >90% enhanced reflectivity coatings.
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