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Level: Young, beginner-astronomers interested in a high-quality, low-priced portable telescope.

Optical Class & Design: Achromatic Refractor - 2-element, multi-coated lenses precision polished from crown and flint optical glass components

Aperture: 70mm (2.8")

Focal Length: 700mm

Focal Ratio: f/10

Eyepiece Size: Uses 1.25" eyepieces

Unique Features: Hybrid diagonal mirror, yoke-style slow motion altitude control, well-suited for terrestrial viewing

Mounting: Low-Backlash Altazimuth Mount

Included Accessories: 5 x 24mm viewfinder with 6-point bracket, 9mm & 25mm 1.25" eyepieces, full-length aluminum tripod with accessory tray, StarLocator™ astro software

What You Can See: Major Solar System Planets including cloud belts and satellites of Jupiter, rings and satellites of Saturn, prominent features on Mars, craters and mountains on the Moon. Solar system asteroids, comets, star clusters, constellations. Bright, deep-space nebulae and galaxies.

Explore the Galaxies far away, or the wildlife in this one, all at the touch of a button, with this fantastically priced, all-inclusive telescope.

Now even the most novice of amateur astronomers can locate and explore the planets, asteroids, and comets, as well as nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and hundreds of other deep-space objects, all at the push of a button with the included Autostar Hand Controller. The Meade ETX-80AT Astro Telescope brings the full range of celestial images to your eye with an astonishing level of clarity and resolution. And, carrying on Meade's incredible ETX tradition of optical and mechanical excellence, the 70mm ETX includes many of the same features as their larger ETX telescopes, and is 36 percent brighter than the ETX-60AT.

For the introductory student of astronomy, or for the casual observer, the Meade ETX-80AT opens up the skies at modest cost to an amazing breadth of celestial detail utterly invisible without the telescope.

For the non-celestial inclined, the Meade ETX telescopes make excellent land-view instruments for the birdwatcher, the naturalist, or for the home with a view as well. ETX image quality and resolution typically far exceed the levels normally expected of terrestrial telescopes. Terrestrial observers quickly appreciate the advantages afforded by the Autostar hand controller, notwithstanding the Autostar's primary applications to astronomical observing. Using Autostar, many land objects can be readily followed, or tracked, from a distance, using one of nine selectable speeds from slow to fast .

Sky & Telescope Magazine calls the Autostar Hand Controller "the greatest happening in amateur astronomy yet." For all of Meade's advanced imaging capabilities, portability, ease of use, and contemporary cosmetic design, Meade ETX telescopes are above all uniquely defined by the revolutionary Autostar hand controller. This great device is included as standard equipment with ETX 70mm Telescope. The 4

The Maksutov-Cassegrain design of the C90 uses a combination of mirrors and lenses; this "folded" optical system has a focal length of 1200mm in a body only nine inches long. The Maksutov design delivers high power views without a trace of the chromatic aberration, also called blue fringing, that distorts high power views in competing refractor style spotting scopes. At 40X magnification where some low cost spotting scopes are starting to seem fuzzy, the C90 is just getting started. The C90 uses the same 1.25 inch eyepieces used in astronomical telescopes. The standard equipment 32mm plossl eyepiece gives a magnification of 38X, but many other eyepieces can be used to vary the magnification. A nice upgrade is Celeston’s 8 to 24mm Zoom Eyepiece , which allows you to dial in any magnification from 50X up to 150X.

A unique feature of the C90 is the internal flip mirror which allows viewing astronomical objects overhead or terrestrial objects with the 45 degree correct image prism. When I focus on the Moon and planets at night the view is crisp and clear; I can easily make out details like small craters and mountain peaks inside some of the Moon’s large craters. When I looked at Jupiter the other night with an optional 12.5mm X-Cel eyepiece (about 100X magnification), I could easily see Jupiter’s major cloud bands. The C90 also makes a handy spotting scope in the daytime because it’s small and portable. I can easily transport the scope and a tripod to the lake when I want to do a little wildlife spotting.

High magnification viewing requires a solid tripod, of course. Celestron’s Photo and Video Tripod seems steady enough for visual use but it seems a little light for photography. The other drawback to high magnification viewing is a narrow field of view; high magnification makes it harder to follow moving targets like birds in flight.

Overall the Celestron C90 Maksutov Spotting Scope does a fine job as a companion to good pair of binoculars. With my 8x40 binoculars I could see two Western Grebes on the lake; with the C90 I could zoom in and watch as the adult grebe offered a freshly caught fish to its offspring. The C90 also doubles as a portable astronomy scope; it won’t show the flag on the Moon but it will show thousands of craters on the Moon as well as showing the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Compact yet powerful
• Upgradeable with 1.25" eyepieces
• Adaptable for astronomy and photography

• Narrow field of view
• Needs a solid tripod