Meade DS2130ATS Telescope

by Meade

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 27 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005QWYO
• Batteries: 8 AA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,407 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Manufacturer Product Review

Meade Digital Series telescopes bring microprocessor technology and the very latest in electromechanical design to the serious beginning or intermediate observer. Completely re-engineered and redesigned, Meade DS-2000 telescopes provide extremely smooth motions in both altitude and azimuth, and, most importantly, include a fully integrated Autostar control system as standard equipment. Oversize bearings on both telescope axes of all models negate the imprecisions found universally, virtually without exception, on competing models.

#494 Autostar Computer Controller: With the standard-equipment Meade Autostar Computer Controller plugged into the control panel of your DS telescope, locating any astronomical object in the sky is as easy as pushing a button. Identical in operating characteristics to the Autostar controller available for the Meade ETX-70AT telescope, Autostar for DS telescopes is easy to use, even for the beginner who has never before operated a telescope.

Autostar's celestial object database includes more than 1500 astronomical objects, any of which may be entered on to the Autostar display; alternately, the Right Ascension and Declination of any object in the sky may be input to the Autostar display. In either case when the observer presses GO TO, the telescope automatically moves to the object at 4.5°/sec. on both telescope axes, and places the object in the telescopic field of view. Autostar's database for DS-2000 telescopes includes the following celestial objects:

Deep-space objects from the Index Catalog (IC) and New General Catalog (NGC): 66 named objects (e.g., the Orion Nebula) 74 galaxies 31 diffuse nebulae 19 planetary nebulae 135 star clusters Other deep-space objects: 109 objects from the Caldwell Catalog of the best objects for small telescopes 110 Messier (M) objects; the complete Messier catalog 943 stars from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) catalog, including 395 double stars, 189 variable stars, and other stars of special note In the Solar System: 50 Earth-orbiting satellites 26 asteroids, including all of the brightest asteroids 15 periodic comets 8 major planets, from Mercury to Pluto 1586 objects, total

Additional Capabilities: Beyond the location of database objects, Autostar allows for a wide range of important — indeed revolutionary — telescope capabilities:

Automatic GO TO capability to any astronomical object of known coordinates (RA and Dec.). Enter an object's coordinates to the Autostar display, press GO TO, and Autostar moves the telescope to locate the object and place it in the telescopic field.

Digital Readouts of telescope position, continuously in RA and Dec.

Precise sidereal-rate tracking. Once Autostar locates an object, it directs the telescope to track the object automatically on both telescope axes, simultaneously, keeping the object centered in the field.

9-Speed Dual-Axis Operation. Use Autostar's pushbuttons to move the telescope on either or both axes, simultaneously, at any of nine drive speeds, from very slow 2x sidereal to fast 4.5°/second.

GO TO capability to any of 200 user-defined objects.

Use Meade StarNavigator sky software, included with every DS telescope, on your PC to GO TO any object on the PC display at a click of the mouse. (Requires optional #506 Connector Cable Set).

Plus: over 20 other menu options, including guided tours of the best objects observable on any specified date; major event menus; utility functions (e.g., timer, alarm, eyepiece power calculations); and much more.

For the beginning or intermediate observer Autostar is a revelation that permits the observation of hundreds of objects the very first night out. And, with its wide-ranging capabilities, Autostar is a valuable tool in the hands of the most experienced observer as well.

Optical Systems: The Meade DS-2070AT 70mm (2.8") refractor includes a 2-element achromatic (color-corrected) objective lens, precision polished from crown and flint optical glass components, and yields sharp, round, pinpoint stellar images. Multi-coatings on the lens increase light transmission and image contrast through the optical system. Newtonian reflecting telescopes, Models DS-2114ATS and DS-2130ATS, of the series include high-resolution primary and secondary mirrors free of the optical zones and irregularities often found on optics of lesser quality. Integrated to the focuser sleeves of these models is an achromatic relay lens, allowing longer telescope focal lengths to be housed in short, compact tubes. All Meade DS-2000 telescopes resolve to the theoretical limits of their respective apertures.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for the "Occasional" Astronomer, April 21, 2005

By 

William F. Mansey "LargoGuy" (Largo, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Meade DS2130ATS Telescope (Electronics)

This is an inexpensive telescope and this fact is reflected in the quality of the focuser and overall construction. HOWEVER - If you are like me and only use a telescope occasionally, this scope is IDEAL. The optics are surprisingly good and the image quality is crystal clear. The Autostar controller works quite well at finding and tracking objects. The scope is very easy to use and I recommend it for the beginning or, as in my case, "occasional" astronomer who does not want to have an expensive investment taking up space in the closet.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars View into another world., May 8, 2005

By 

Rook Williams "Rook" (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meade DS2130ATS Telescope (Electronics)

This telescope is awesome. A large appature, combined with portability and computer controls makes it truly a wonder to use. I can clerly see Andromeda and the Orion Nebula. So clearly in fact, I feel sometimes that I have stepped into another world.