Meade Instruments’ StarNavigator line of telescopes has, for years, been a boon to amateur astronomers, providing GoTo functionality at a modest price. These computer-controlled optics eliminate complex and time-consuming setup, allowing the user to find an object quickly and easily and start observing right away.
Meade has updated the StarNavigator line for 2017, with six telescopes in its Next Generation series—two achromatic refractors, two Newtonian reflectors, and two Maksutov-Cassegrain models, in apertures ranging from 90mm to 130mm. All feature Meade’s new AudioStar robotic mount, an update to Meade’s iconic AutoStar controller that “knows the night sky right out of the box.” AudioStar offers guided tours and audio commentary on 500 of the more than 30,000 objects in its database. Capable of multiple tracking speeds, the mount and controller function together to provide smooth and precise tracking of fast-moving objects like the moon and slower deep-sky subjects like nebulae. The mount is powered by eight user-supplied AA batteries, which also supplies power to the AudioStar controller via the coiled communications cord.
StarNavigator NG refractors include the NG 102mm f/6.5, with a 660mm focal length, and the NG 90mm f/10, with a focal length of 900mm. Both have achromatic optical tube assemblies to prevent chromatic aberration, and both are suited to observing objects within the solar system. Reflectors in the NG line include the NG 114mm f/8.8 and the NG 130mm f/7.7, both with 1,000mm focal lengths—useful for observing deep-sky objects like nebulae and galaxies. (The 130mm model comes as a travel pack with a carry bag.) Catadioptric NG models include two Maksutov-Cassegrain-style telescopes: the NG 125mm f/15, with a 1,900mm focal length, and the NG 90mm f/13.8, with a focal length of 1,250mm. Both are suited to near- and deep-sky viewing.
All StarNavigator NG models come with anti-reflection multi-coated optics for maximum light transmission, a single fork-arm motorized alt-az mount, and an adjustable height aluminum tripod.
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