We love stargazing under the night sky, perhaps taking in Jupiter’s red spot or Saturn’s three moons. We can’t imagine a better way to spend an evening, and because of this, we’ve taken a look at the Meade Instruments LX90 Telescope. The Meade LX90 is one of the best high-end telescopes on the market. In order to understand its features and what makes it stand out so, we’ve compared it to a few other models on the market.
Product Specs of the Meade LX90
The Meade LX90 is a patented coma free (ACF) telescope. The advanced design of the Meade LX90 provides for a stunningly clear picture with maximum image brightness and contrast.
This telescope comes with the Meade AudioStar computer systems, which help you locate the stars or planets you’re searching for. The Meade AudioStar system has over 30,000 objects in its library and the ability to download even more from Meade’s website. You can easily align with the stars by using the Sony GPS receiver incorporated within the telescope.
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The Meade LX90 has an 8” diameter with a focal length of 2000mm. It comes with a series 4000 26mm 5-element Plossl eyepiece and a sturdy tripod and mount. This model of the Meade telescope only weighs 33 pounds which makes it much more portable than some other high-end models on the market.
How It Compares
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.
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Meade Instruments 205005 ETX125
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Meade Instruments LX200-ACF
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Meade ETX60AT Telescope
Meade Instruments LX90 Telescope
No products found.
Ease of Use
This telescope is relatively easy to use. You can quickly find and navigate the stars or guided tours provided with the software provided. The mount and tripod are secure and allow the telescope to move effortlessly.
Assembly Time
As long as you are familiar with telescopes and refer to the manuals, it doesn’t take long to set up the telescope and get it going. You will need to familiarize yourself with the software in order to make the most of the telescope, and you will need to use the cable to access your computer.
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Design Quality
We love the Ultra-High Transmission Coatings on the all glass components. The design on the coma-free Meade LX90 provides for crystal clear viewing with brighter images and higher contrast of stars to the black sky.
Warranty
Meade offers a one-year warranty on all of their telescopes that they are free from any defects in materials or workmanship
Pros
- Has a “Tonight’s Best” feature that highlights what you should look at each night
- Sturdy tripod that is easy to move
- Easily view objects in the sky regardless of lights or distractions from the outside
Cons
- Expensive
- Cord has a tendency to get tangled easily
- Eyepiece doesn’t have much eye relief
Meade Instruments 205005 ETX125
To properly review the Meade LX90, we needed to compare it to other Meade telescopes. We looked at the Meade 205005 ETX125. This model is a few steps below the LX90, and that is reflected in the price. It is a much more reasonable price if you are looking for a quality telescope under a $1000.
The 205005 ETX125 model features Ultra-High Transmission coatings on the glass components, a Plossl eyepiece, AudioStar software and a focal ratio of f/15 with a focal length of 1900mm.
Ease of Use
This guided telescope has the ease of use of the Meade LX90 because it uses the same AudioStar computer software to help you find the stars and planets you are looking for. It’s easy to set up and attach to the tripod.
Assembly Time
As long as you are familiar with telescopes and refer to the manual, you should be up and running on this telescope in under an hour.
Design Quality
While this telescope doesn’t feature the coma-free technology of the LX90, it does provide excellent viewing with bright, clear images and high contrast.
Warranty
Meade offers a one-year warranty on all of their telescopes to certify them as free from any defects in materials or workmanship.
Pros
- Much better price point
- Comes with a sturdy tripod
- Computerized dual-arm mount and Periodic Error Correction (PEC)
Cons
- Alignment sometimes makes it hard to locate some objects
- Although a few steps down from the LX90, this telescope is still not for beginners
- Focus knob is a little loose
Meade Instruments LX200-ACF
We’ve taken a look at a telescope that is a few steps down from the Meade LX90, and now we are going to look at one that is more advanced as well as more expensive. The LX200-ACF is the top of the line telescope.
The LX200-ACF features Coma Free optics with a 2000mm focal length. Like the LX90, it has Ultra-High Transmission coatings. It comes with a 4000 26mm Plossl eyepiece and tripod.
What sets this telescope apart from the others is that it comes with the AutoStar II computer system, which features over 145,000 objects in its library. It has multiple guided tours and Permanent Periodic Error Correction. Stars are easy to find with its 16 channel GPS receiver built into the telescope.
Ease of Use
The more complex the telescope the more options there are to take advantage of. While this high-end telescope is easy to use, you need to understand how telescope work to fully be able to use it. The software is more complex, and understanding all the ways in which to focus and find stars is more complex than with other telescopes. This is a serious telescope, and, so as long as you are familiar with its advanced options, you should find it easy to use.
Assembly Time
This takes longer to set up and use than the other models on our list, but that should be expected given it is a more complex telescope.
Design Quality
This telescope has accuracy and quick star alignment. There really is no better telescope in this price range.
Warranty
Meade offers a one-year warranty on all of their telescopes. For the much greater price, we wouldn’t have minded a bit longer warranty with this one.
Pros
- Comes with more advanced software with large object library
- Drive base has multiple input and output ports
- Heavy duty double fork mount and tripod
Cons
- Heavy and harder to move (45 pounds not including tripod)
- Double the price of the LX90
- Cable can be unreliable at times
Meade ETX60AT Telescope
The final telescope on our list is the Meade ETX60AT model. This is the smallest and most adorable model we reviewed. The ETX60At features a 60mm diameter lens with an electronic hand controller. It is lightweight at only ten pounds and easy to take with you wherever you want to go stargazing.
It comes with software that gives you access to over 1,400 objects in its library. It does not come with a stand or tripod but is small enough that it can be placed on sturdy objects easily.
Ease of Use
This telescope is more basic than the other models on our list and for that, it’s much easier to use for those getting started with astronomy.
Assembly Time
You can be up and running in a few minutes with this telescope if you are familiar with how telescopes work. While this is more basic, it still requires knowledge of how telescopes work.
Design Quality
This comes with a 9mm eyepiece that still allows you to see planets and their distinct qualities. We love that this telescope is small and truly portable.
Warranty
Meade offers a one-year warranty on all of their telescopes.
Pros
- Great viewing quality despite smaller scale
- Easy to move and take with you
- Great hand-held device to move telescope around
Cons
- Short focal length
- Objects farther away don’t have the clarity as with other models
- Limitations for viewing deep space
Conclusion
Meade has created telescopes for all levels of amateur astronomers but our favorite is the LX90. While it does come at a premium, the clarity, and brightness by which you’ll be able to view stars, planets, and deep space is priceless. This model easily helps you find objects in space and even recommends new ones to observe each day. The Meade LX90 is an excellent choice and hope it provides you many nights of stargazing.
Last update on 2023-06-08 at 08:23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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