Meade LXD75 AR-6 at Achromatic Refractor Report

telescope review The LXD75 AR-6 AT achromat delivers high-quality performance. ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ BY tom trusock Meade’s affordable large refractor I could carry both the telescope and mount, When artists want an image to scream but most users will probably transport the “telescope,” all they need to do is draw a sleek tube, put it telescope and mount separately. atop a tripod, and point it at the heavens. Refractors embody Acceptable correction the idea of the telescope. And for observers, what’s not to I found the optics to be slightly under- like? Besides the fact that refractors are sleek and compact, ­corrected but detected no evidence of astigmatism or other aberrations. As you they offer crisp images and fewer collima- easy to reach when collimating. As you would expect with an achromatic refractor tion troubles compared to large reflectors. would expect with a refractor, the lens was — whose objective lens only partially cor- If you yearn for a large-aperture refrac- already well collimated. rects for chromatic aberration — color tor without having to take out a second The focuser is a lockable 2" rack-and- fringes appeared around bright objects. mortgage, consider Meade’s LXD75-series pinion movement with 45/8" of focus travel For example, when observing Vega, I AR-6 AT achromatic telescope. Like any and 1½"-diameter focus knobs. A locking saw purple and green fringes. However, I achromatic refractor, the AR-6 AT’s objec- metal collar rotates the diagonal. Dual set- found the fringing surprisingly unobtrusive tive lens — a 6-inch f/8 achromatic doublet screws hold accessories in place. The for most objects. Lunar shadows showed a — does not correct color distortions as well focuser, although lubricated with thick fair amount of purple, but with a lot of as pricier apochromatic telescopes. How- grease, moved freely even in sub-zero tem- detail still present, even up to 300x. ever, this scope, along with its popular peratures and had a smooth but firm feel. In addition, I easily split the Double LXD75-series equatorial mount, delivers The dew shield is removable, but not Double in Lyra at 95x and came close to a solid performance at a price that won’t bust retractable. I found the shield, your equipment budget. extending only 4" from the lens, too short to be truly effective Commanding presence on humid nights. The AR-6 AT’s optical tube and mount The tube measures 8" arrive in separate boxes. Included, you’ll by 51" (20 by 130 centi- find the LXD75-series mount and tripod, meters) and weighs 27 the tube cradle and rings, two 10-pound pounds (12 kilograms) counterweights, an 8x50mm finder, a with the rings, finder, 26mm Plössl eyepiece, a 1¼" star diagonal, and diagonal attached. a battery pack for 8 D-cell batteries, an The mount and coun- Autostar controller, all needed cords and terweights add 65 cables, and documentation. The mount’s pounds (29 kg), raising spreader bar features holes for three 1¼" the total system weight eyepieces. Unpacking and assembling the to 92 pounds (42 kg). equipment takes approximately 20 minutes. The telescope’s sheer size gives it a com- A LARGER APERTURE delivers manding presence. Its multicoated objec- noticeably greater light-gather- tive lens sits in a mount whose adjusters are ing power. The refractor’s 6-inch objective lens gathers 9 times more light than a compa- Tom Trusock is a prolific telescope reviewer who rable 2-inch refractor and 4 times the light of observes under the dark skies of Ubly, Michigan. a 3-inch refractor. astronomy: JAMES FORBES

⁄ ⁄ ⁄ © 2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without 86 astronomy SEPTpermissionEMBER from07 the publisher. www.Astronomy.com 21h 50° 20h 19h 18h 17h 16h 50° 15h

NGC 6826 I NGC 7000 Q B X O STF 2486 DRACO IC 5067 Sh 2-112 G NGC 7027 A Deneb 40° O BOÖTES 40° U S NGC 6914 NGC 6742 T N NGC 6229 T B THE MEADE LXD75 AR-6 AT achromatic D F refractor system combines ample light- IC 1318 ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ s p e c i f i ca t i o n s 52 gathering power and accurate, reliable I C N F go-to performance from its German equa- PK 80-6.1 G Meade LXD75 AR-6 AT torial mount.CYGNUS Photo: James forbes; star atlas back- S NGC 6058 M92 M ground: astronomy: roen kelly and richard talcott M L M29 NGC 6888 Type: Achromatic refractor NGC 6745 Aperture: 6 inches (152 millimeters) L Focal length: 1,219mm Z E Focal ratio: f/8 Veil Nebula NGC 6791 H H E T K D Tube length:Vega 51 inchesM (130 cm) 15h 21h Q A H Assembled weight: 92 pounds (42 kg) CORONA BOREALIS 30° Sh 2-101 30° D NGC 6207 M13 NGC 6857 Included:Z 26mm Plössl eyepiece (47x), P P Q 17 I R 8x50mm Tfinder, 1¼" star diagonal, Q HO 412 S H R O C C battery pack for 8 D-cell batteries, N K NGC 6940 Autostar controller B NGC 6894 Mount: Computer-controlled Meade B I Abell G lXD75 equatorialLYRA mount with full X 2065 Z F L M57 N go-to control NGC 6885 A NGC 6765 U G M1-92 Database: 30,223 objects E M56 Price: $1,199 D VULPECULA E Albireo N B Contact information O X Meade Instruments Corporation 13 6001 Oak Canyon 20° M SERPENS CAPUT NGC 6830 irvine, CA 92618 P 20° M27 NGC 6823 A [t] 800.626.3233 L NGC 6905 Q 100 NGC 6210 R NGC 6820 [w] www.meade.com I NGC 6886 D DELPHINUS H Seyfert’s Sextet G HERCULES B K 1 NGC 5962 NGC 6802 M71 Z tracked well for visual use. With only a NGC 6181 H20 D rough polar alignment and using moderate95 G 102 Abell 2151 A eyepiece powers, the drive kept objects in K B B G Pal 10 the field for 15 to 20 minutes. The Auto- U E SAGITTA star’s go-to function placed more than 95 percent of the targets in a 2" low-power NGC 6891 AQUILA eyepiece, and kept objects in the included W 26mm Plössl around 85 percent of the time. Because of the optical tube’s length, it 20h 19h took slightly longer to damp down vibra18h- 17h 16h tions than I prefer. But overall, the mount performed quite well, and I consider it a major strength of the system. Also, because clean divide at 72x. A split of double stars simply jaw-dropping, and I had no the mount uses a standard dovetail, you can at low power indicates high-quality optics. trouble spotting it. The Dumbbell quickly and easily connect several different One after another, globular clusters, Nebula (M27) lay bare its distinc- telescopes. Compatibility with many other double stars, nebulae, and galaxies fell prey tively shaped apple core. telescopes is a feature potential purchasers to the big refractor. I often observe with a With the tripod legs fully extended and should value highly. 4-inch telescope, and I had forgotten what the scope pointed at the zenith, the eye- a difference just 2 more inches can make. piece stood a mere 29 inches (74 cm) off Big-aperture bargain The Hercules Cluster (M13) revealed the ground, a convenient height for seated The LXD75 AR-6 AT system provides lots dozens of pinpoint stars swarming across observing. I could easily view in any direc- of light-gathering bang for your buck and an unresolved glow. A partially resolved tion, and the scope never hit the tripod. also delivers a good out-of-the-box experi- M15, a globular cluster in Pegasus, put on ence, especially when you consider how an excellent show, and the Ring Nebula The LXD-series mount much a 6-inch refractor would have cost (M57) was an ethereal oval floating at the As with any telescope system, the optics are just a few years ago. If you’re on a budget bottom of a deep, dark well. With a 2" diag- only half the story. The mount can make or but dreaming of owning a big refractor, onal and wide-field eyepiece, the Merope break a system, so I’m happy to report the consider Meade’s offering. It might just Nebula (NGC 1435) in the Pleiades was equatorial performed like a champ. It make those dreams come true.

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