The Starfinder Equatorial Mount: The equatorial mount included with Meade Starfinder Newtonian Equatorial Reflector is designed for serious astronomical purposes and greatly facilitates the tracking of celestial objects. Each mount is manufactured of machined aluminum and provides a solid platform for the optical tube system. Polar and declination shafts are of 1" diameter solid steel, ground, turned, and polished. Both axes incorporate Nylon bearings at the critical thrust points, easily permitting the addition of a 35mm camera or guide telescope without risk of strain on the mechanism. Even with the addition of such auxiliary equipment, the telescope moves from object to object with consummate ease. Setting circles are provided on both axes to facilitate the location of faint objects directly from their catalogued coordinates.

Battery-Powered Cordless Drive System: With the motor drive in operation on Equatorial Meade Newtonian Telescopes, the observer need not touch the telescope to follow the stars, planets, Moon, or deep-space objects in their paths across the sky: the drive system enables the instrument to track these objects automatically, compensating fully for the effects of the Earth's rotation. Also included is an automatic clutch mechanism so that, even when the motor drive is in operation, the telescope tube may be moved manually at will in any direction. When the observer releases manual contact with the telescope, the drive automatically resumes tracking. Meade Starfinder motor drive system operates for more than 50 hours from six (user-supplied) AA-size batteries and tracks celestial objects by means of a DC servo motor , actuated through a reduction gear system.

Meade Starfinder Equatorial telescopes include high-performance components throughout:

• Rack-and-Pinion Focusing Mechanisms: The Meade #77 2" Giant Rack-and-Pinion Focuser provided with all Equatorial models includes eyepiece-holders for wide-field 2" barrel eyepieces as well as for standard 1.25" oculars. Incorporating helical-cut rack and pinion gears, the #77 focuser yields smooth, backlash-free focusing of the image throughout its 2.6" travel distance. A drawtube lock fixes focuser sleeve position when heavier accessories are placed into the eyepiece-holder. The low-profile design of the #77 focuser avoids the field vignetting of focusers with longer drawtubes.
• Spiral-Wound Optical Tube: Sonotube? optical tubes of  Meade Starfinder reflectors have excellent insulating characteristics, so that thermal tube currents are reduced to an absolute minimum.
• Mirror Cells and Secondary Supports: Meade Starfinder Telescope Equatorial Newtonian Reflector includes a steel 4-vane secondary mirror support for precise centration and alignment of the secondary mirror.

Applications of the Telescope : Meade Starfinder Equatorial Telescopes open up the skies for a breathtaking array of visual observations: galaxies, nebulae, star clusters as well as the Moon, planets, comets, and other objects within the solar system, may be studied in detail.

Portability: All Starfinder Meade telescope models break down easily into 2 or 3 basic components for transport in the field.

Optical Design :		Equatorial reflector
Optical Diameter :		16.0" (406mm)
Focal Length :		72.0" (1830mm)
Focal Ratio :		f/4.5
Maximum Useful Magnification :		600x
Resolving Power (arc seconds) :		0.28
Optical Coatings :		Multicoated
Optical Tube Dimensions :		19.0 x 66.0" Spiral-wound Sonotube
Mount Type :		German-type equatorial
Eyepiece Barrel Diameter :		1.25"
Finderscope :		8x50mm
Tripod :		Not applicable
Motor :		9-Volt DC
Slow-Motion Controls :		Motorized
Setting Circle Diameters :		R.A.: 6" Dec.: 6"
Limiting Visual Magnitude :		15.6
Image Scale :		0.79 degrees/inch
Secondary Mirror Obstruction :		6.2%
Latitude Range :		25? x 60?
Weight :		247.00 lb (112.03 kg)

• Equatorial mount
• Rack-and-pinion focusing
• Spiral-wound optical tube
• Mirror cells and secondary supports
• Battery-powered cordless drive system
• Sonotube optical tube

• Meade Starfinder Equatorial Newtonian Reflector Telescope 1645-02-12
• 26mm (70x) Super Plossl Eyepiece (1.25")
• 8x50mm Finderscope
• 1.25" and 2.00" Eyepiece Holders
• 1-Year Warranty