Meade ETX125AT Telescope w/ UHTC, Autostar Controller (497) and Tripod (884)

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Product Details

Product Manual [854kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 31.5 x 24.5 x 12.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 39 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008IOVZ
• Item model number: 0515-03-21
• Batteries: 8 AA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,312 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)

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  Camera & Photo > Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics > Telescopes > Catadioptric

• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 5, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer
The ETX-125EC permits a broad range of astronomical study. In deep space, the ETX-125EC's larger aperture enables the observation of galaxies and nebulae in much wider extension and permits the resolution of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 12.5. The entire Messier listing of 110 objects is now not only visible, but, in addition, every object takes on a readily discernible structure. The Autostar controller turns the ETX-125EC into an automatic celestial object-locating system.

The UHTC Difference

Each time light encounters a mirror (above) or lens (below), some light is lost. In the case of a lens, light is lost at both the entrance to and exit from the lens. UHTC dramatically decreases this light loss.

Image brightness in a telescope is crucially dependent on the reflectivity of the telescope's mirrors and on the transmission of its lenses. Neither of these processes, mirror-reflectivity or lens-transmission, is, however, perfect; light loss occurs in each instance where light is reflected or transmitted. Uncoated glass, for example, reflects about 4% of the light impacting it; in the case of an uncoated lens 4% of the light is lost at entrance to and at exit from the lens, for a total light loss of about 8%. Meade standard mirror and lens coatings equal or exceed the reflectivity and transmission, respectively, of virtually any optical coatings currently offered in the commercial telescope industry.

Ultra-High Transmission coatings (UHTC), recently developed at the Meade Irvine coatings facility, however, have permitted the vacuum-deposition of a series of exotic optical coatings precisely tuned to optimize the visual, photographic, and CCD imaging performance of Meade telescopes. This telescope includes primary and secondary mirrors coated with aluminum enhanced with a complex stack of multi-layer coatings of titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide. The thickness of each coating layer is precisely controlled to within 1% of optimal thickness. The result is a dramatic increase in mirror reflectivity across the entire visible spectrum; at the important hydrogen-alpha wavelength of 656nm. - the predominant wavelength of emission nebulae -- reflectivity is increased from 89% to over 97%.

This telescope presents dramatically brighter images on the full range of celestial objects — from emission and planetary nebulae such as M8, M20, and M57 to star clusters and galaxies such as M3, M13, and M101. Observations of the Moon and planets, since they are observed in reflected (white) sunlight, benefit in image brightness from the full spectrum of increased transmission.

And more

The computer-driven Autostar controller makes it easy to find 30,000 celestial objects.

Just plug the Autostar into the telescope's HBX port in place of the standard-equipment electronic controller, do a quick telescope alignment, and you're ready to observe any object in the Autostar's 30,000-object database.

ETX optical systems include a Maksutov meniscus corrector lens of Grade-A BK7 optical glass. High-transmission magnesium fluoride (MgF2) coatings on both sides of the correcting lens, as well as aluminum-silicon monoxide coatings on the primary and secondary mirrors, are provided as standard equipment. Use the standard pushbutton electronic controller at any of four dual-axis speeds: 8x sidereal for image centering in the main telescope at high power; 32x for image centering at lower powers or for pushbutton object tracking in the altazimuth mode; slow mode for image centering in the viewfinder or for terrestrial tracking of nature and sightseeing; or medium speed for fast slewing across the sky. The observer can instantly select any of these speeds simply by depressing the speed button on the controller.

The telescope’s ultraportable design allows the viewer to view from any flat surface, be it a window sill, car hood, or picnic table. The optional tripod can raise the telescope to any comfortable height.

The Nuts and Bolts

1. Eyepiece 2. Viewfinder 3. Eyepiece Holder Thumbscrew - Tightens the eyepiece in place. 4. 90° Eyepiece Holder - Holds the eyepiece upright for easy viewing. 5. Optical Tube - The main optical component that gathers the light from distant objects and brings this light to a focus for examination with the eyepiece. 6. Vertical Lock - Controls the manual vertical movement of the telescope. 7. Fork Arms - Hold the optical tube in place. 8. Focus Knob - Moves the telescope’s optical tube in a finely-controlled motion to achieve precise image focus. 9. Horizontal Lock - Controls the manual horizontal rotation of the telescope. 10. Computer Control Panel A. ON/OFF Switch. B. Auxiliary Ports - Provide connection for current and future Meade accessories. C. Handbox (HBX) Port - for the Electronic Controller or the optional Autostar handbox. D. The 12v connector, designed to accept an external power supply such as the optional AC Adapter or Power Cord. E. LED power indicator light. 11. Base Housing - Supports the telescope for placement on a flat, level surface, such as a tabletop or optional tripod. 12. Holes for Optional Tripod - See your tripod’s instruction sheet for mounting information. 13. Right Ascension (R.A.) Setting Circle. 14. Flip-Mirror and Flip-Mirror Control Knobs - ETX telescopes include an internal mirror. With the flipmirror control in the "up" position, light is diverted to the eyepiece. With the flipmirror control in the "down" position, as shown in Fig. 2b, light proceeds straight out the photo port for photography. 15. Photo Port - Attach any 35mm camera with a removable lens to this port using an optional adapter. 16. Declination Setting Circle (on left fork arm). 17. Viewfinder Alignment Screws - adjust these screws to align the viewfinder. 18. Viewfinder Alignment Bracket. 19. Dust Cap 20. Battery Compartment (not shown, underneath base).

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Product Description
An impressive optical tool to observe continually changing celestial phenomena through effortless pushbutton electronic control.<p>Level: Serious, Intermediate Amateur Users interested in a high-quality, versatile, easily-upgradable telescope - Also a great portable field tool for Professionals<p>Optical Class & Design: Mirror-lens (Maksutov- Cassegrain) - BK7 corrector lens, Pyrex primary mirror and EMC super multi-coatings,and UHTC<p>Aperture: 127mm (5")<p>Focal Length: 1900mm<p>Focal Ratio: f/15<p>Eyepiece Size: Uses 1.25" eyepieces<p>Unique Features: Superclear BK7 Optical Glass for studies into the Ultraviolet Region, Portable, Flip-Mirror Optical System for "straight through" or standard viewing (Automatic Tracking also with Deluxe Field Tripod, Advanced Field Tripod or Table Tripod)<p>Electronic Control: Included Autostar Controller Enables 9-Speed Electronic Slow Motion Control for Tracking, Slewing, Centering and Locating - Also with "GO TO" Object Locating and Automatic Tracking<p>Mounting: Fork Mount with Dual Axis Drive System<p>Included Accessories: 8x25mm Right-Angle Viewfinder, Super Plossl 26mm Eyepiece<p>What You Can See: Detail of Jupiter, a wider extension of deep space objects, discernable structure of all 110 objects in the Messier listing, increased brightness levels and super-clear distant objects. Overall greater detail and resolution of all astronomical subjects over the ETX-90AT due to increased light collection.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Versatile Instrument, October 10, 2003

By	John Minsk "John" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great instrument for beginners and amateurs alike. Highly portable and easy to set up, which is important in light polluted areas such as Natick, MA. This allows me to get up and go to dark sky areas for fantastic viewing. Even in light polluted suburbia, the Moon, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Andromeda Galaxy, and the Orion Nebula are clearly visible as well as many other Messier objects. If you're a beginner, don't expect to see the flag on the Moon, Hubble Space Telescope can't even see that, or canals on Mars. Do expect to see amazing craters during crescent Moons and polar ice caps during Mars opposition. Jupiter is impressive to look at due to it's shear size. You can make out cloud belts and the famous eye of the 300 year storm. Jupiter's four largest moons show up as small points of light and they change location each night. It's as if you're looking at a miniature solar-system. Saturn and it's rings are among the most beautiful objects to observe. On very clear nights you can make out the Cassini division in Saturn's rings as well as it's largest moon, Titan. Andromeda Galaxy is viewed as a fuzzy cloud with more detail observable in darker skies. Use a CCD camera to overcome your eye's limitation by capturing the color and detail that are shown in pictures. The Autostar is an excellent educational tool with detailed information on each object. It allows you the hands-on experience of learning which makes it fun. Follow the instructions carefully for configuring the Autostar. The more accurate the motor calibration, the easier it will be to align to the stars. It helps to set your watch to the atomic clock which can be found at www.time.gov and use that for the time entered. This will give an accurate position of the stars according to the Earth's rotation. Make sure your telescope is pointed "True North" and follow the instructions for the fork arm location on the telescope. Learn the locations of a few stars during the different seasons in order to make the alignment procedure simpler. I found that if I placed the telescope slightly to the East of "True North" then each time the star it was aligning to was in my 26mm eyepiece. Don't be afraid to pick up the tripod and move it clockwise or counterclockwise until the star your aligning to is shown in the eyepiece. Then you can use the motor to center the star in the eyepiece. The less you use the motor for aligning the more accurate it seems to be and the faster it slews to the object.

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My childhood dream- works like a champ!, August 17, 2003

By	Michael Kaselis Jr. (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews

Like many of you out there, I have dreamed about owning a telescope since I was a little boy. The time finally came to fulfill that dream and after a great deal of research and sweat, this was the telescope for me. I purchased from Oceanside Photo and Telescope (Amazon did not stock it at the time) and they were very helpful with timely delivery. I had owned a cheap, "Wal-Mart" scope before and it was an exercise in frustration to see anything at all. As far as optics go, one gets what one pays for. I wanted a top-quality scope but also one that was fairly portable. Buyer beware: a scope with enough light gathering power and focal length to be really versatile tends to be one that is best left in place. This one seems to be as close to a no-compromise scope as it gets. It has more than adequate light gathering ability, the design allows an impressive focal length in a very small package, the optics are first rate, and it is reasonably portable.
My first attempt at getting it up and running failed- my fault because of impatience. I didn't take the time to align it properly and (no surprise) couldn't find anything. The manual says to take your time and do it as carefully as you can and they're not kidding. PLEASE take your time and do it right. Once I got the hang of the whole process it was quite easy and the Autostar system would place the scope pretty close to dead-on target everytime. The scope itself is made very well and the limiting factor in everything I've tried to look at has been atmospherics and light pollution, not the scope. Necessary accessories- my opinion- would include the AC converter (comes with a jack for auto use. The scope will work with batteries (needs eight AA's) but is very slow and the batteries get used up fast), a few extra lenses (it comes with one low-mid power lens), and possibly the dew shield. I found the even a little condensation really spoiled my view and the water can damage the optics. I would also advise anyone to talk to someone knowledgeable or invest in a good basic book before investing in lenses so you don't end up wasting a lot of money. Back to the scope: This scope is a precision, professional quality instrument and if you can afford it and take the time to learn how to use it, you will not be disappointed.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Telescope!!!!! Beginner or Expert!!!!!, February 9, 2004

By	Heath Taylor (Friendswood, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This is an awesome scope that is so much fun to use and makes it easy as can be to learn about astronomy. It comes with everything you need to see some of the most amazing outerspace objects, nebulas, other galaxies,and more. I can not say enough how easy and fun you will have with this scope. You can use it for terrestrial or space exploration. The only negative to the scope is do not expect to get many hours out of the AA batteries. Some things to do: first is buy an electronic focuser or a focus extender (flexible kind), I have the electronic focuser because it was just easy to use. Next, buy rechargeable batteries NiMH, or build you a 12volt power supply like I did with a lead-acid battery and small battery box. It will last you for several weeks of viewing and plenty of power. The price is not cheap, but remember you get what you pay for these days. I started with a lesser scope and had to upgrade a month later to this one. Just do it right the first time and get the ETX-125 now instead of wasting your time and money with other smaller scopes. Again, this is an awesome scope you will be proud you purchased and impress your friends!