Meade ETX-90AT (f/13.8) Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope
by Meade

List Price: $499.00
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details

• Aperture - 90mm or 3.5"
• Optical Design - Maksutov-Cassegrain
• Focal Ratio - f/13.8
• Focal Length - 1250mm
• Classic Meade Blue Optical Tube

• Corel Photo & Video Pro X3 Bundle [Old Version]
• Meade Universal AC Adapter for LXD75 mount and any ETX-PE and AT, LS, LT, LX (up to 14-Inch), MAX.
• Meade #505 Cable Connector Kit with Software

Description of Meade ETX-90AT (f/13.8) Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

What can you see with an ETX90? You won't see the flag on the Moon, but you will see sharp, color free views of mountains and valleys, craters, and lava flows. The planets are also a delight. I'll never forget seeing Saturn's rings with my own eyes for the first time. Although you can see the rings of Saturn and the cloud bands of Jupiter with the included 26mm Plossl eyepiece (about 48X magnification), you'll want to increase the magnification to bring out more detail. I find that a magnification of about 100X is ideal on most nights. You can reach 100X by using a Barlow Lens, I like the Ultima 2X Barlow , or a smaller eyepiece such as the X-CEL 12.5mm Eyepiece . It's tempting to crank up the power to 200X or more, but on most nights I didn't see any more detail.

As good as the optics are, however, the most amazing feature of the ETX-90AT is the Autostar computer. The ETX-90AT with Autostar was the first computerized "go-to" telescope for under a thousand dollars. While bright objects like the moon are easy to find, the Autostar excels at finding the galaxies and star clusters that make space so fascinating. Maybe it's because I play with computers anyway, but I found the Autostar easy to use. The owners manual instructs you to begin the alignment by pointing the telescope North and tilting the telescope to level. I don't use a compass or a spirit level to do this, I simply point the telescope at the North Star, Polaris, and lower the telescope 44 degrees using the setting circles. This works because my home is near 44 degrees latitude. Don't know which star is Polaris? You'll want some kind of star chart that identifies the stars by name, NightWatch by Terence Dickinson is one of my favorites.

Many of the best galaxies and star clusters were discovered by a French comet hunter named Charles Messier. These so-called "M" objects looked to Messier like comets in the small telescopes of his day. My first night with the ETX, I switched on the "tour" mode. After looking at a few favorites, the cluster M52 came up on the Autostar. I pressed GO TO, and the telescope aimed itself at a cluster I hadn't looked at before. And darned if it didn't look just like a distant comet passing in front of a few small stars! I was so impressed, I bought an ETX for my step-son who works for the Air Force.

It's only fair to warn you, however, that if you find yourself enjoying astronomy, you may start wanting a bigger telescope! --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Excellent optics
• The Autostar computer finds objects and describes them for you
• Small and easily portable

Cons:

• It's small--the only way to see more detail is with a bigger telescope