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Specs for the DS-114AT Reflecting Telescope

Meade Instruments Corporation was founded in 1972 and has grown to become a worldwide manufacturer of telescopes and telescope accessories. Its telescopes include designs such as Schmidt-Cassegrain, reflector and Dobsonian models. The DS-114AT reflecting telescope provides owners with the ability to monitor a wide range of celestial phenomena, bringing distant targets into sharper view by magnifying the incoming light from the object.

Optics
- A Meade DS-114AT telescope utilizes a reflecting design that allows light to bounce from a primary mirror to the secondary mirror, which directs this light to the viewer. The aperture of the telescope is 4.49 inches in diameter and the maximum magnification power is 325X. Focal length for this model is 35.83 inches, resulting in a focal ratio of f/8. Find this ratio by dividing the focal length by the diameter of the aperture. The optical tube measures 5.5 inches in diameter and 34 inches long.
Mount
- A single-arm, motorized mounting system provides this telescope with a base. An alt-azimuth alignment moves the telescope along two axes but does not have the tracking control found on equatorial mounts. Instead, the motor moves the telescope at the same rate of the Earth's rotation and is capable of adjusting the telescope up to a speed of 5.5 degrees per second. The tripod has three adjustable, full-length aluminum legs and a tray for accessories. Motorized operation requires 10 AA batteries.
Control
- The Meade DS-114AT has a Autostar control system with a 68HC11 processor that operates at 8 MHz, 512KB of reloadable flash memory and aǮAutostar Handbox interface. Dimensions for the Autostar measure 0.93 inches in depth, 5.6 inches long, 2.10 inches wide on the connector end and 3.08 inches wide on the LCD end. The display is a two-line, 16-character LCD with a red LED backlight. This Autostar unit weighs 0.35 lbs., storing the location of more than 1,400 celestial objects.
Features
- Meade DS-114AT telescopes include an eyepiece with a focal length of 0.98 of an inch and a Barlow lens that multiplies the magnification of eyepieces. These accessories fit into an eyepiece holder tightened with thumbscrews and focused manually with knobs. A viewfinder helps users spot their target easier than through the eyepiece. This viewfinder is adjusted inside its bracket with four alignment screws. The telescope also has a dust cap, protecting the optics when not in use.

Astronomy