Meade ETX 80 Review

The computerized Meade ETX 80 telescope delivers a quality viewing experience with superior brightness and sharpness. This telescope is surprisingly easy to set up and use. It wouldn't take a trained astronomer to operate it. Even someone who uses it for recreational or hobby purposes only shouldn't have a problem getting it aligned or finding all kinds of neat celestial objects to view.

Setting the telescope up for the first time can be done fairly quickly. A bubble-level and compass is included to help ensure the scope is facing the right direction (North) and that it is level. Once that is done, the viewer simply needs to find the two guide stars. This can be done manually or with the computerized AutoStar remote.

The AutoStar remote takes all of the work out of stargazing. Novices can simply input their location, the time, and date on the remote and the telescope will automatically focus on different points of interest. The AutoStar remote also features guided tours. The most popular tour is called "Tonight's Best" and will take the viewer around the night sky pointing out objects that are best seen at that particular time and date.

The AutoStar remote can also be used as a teaching tool. It provides facts about each object that it is programmed into it. It has information about distance, temperature, date of discovery, and more for each of the celestial objects. Such objects that are most commonly found include stars, nebulae, the moon, Jupiter's cloud belts, and Saturn's rings.

The wider 1.25" diameter of the eyepiece makes for an extended field of view. This enhances the sharpness of objects that are being viewed both on land and in space. The Achromatic Refractor and the built in flip Barlow lens are high-quality pieces which say a lot about the quality of the telescope. The mount is a double tine fork design which gives this powerful telescope a strong sturdy mount. It's important to have a sturdy base when using a telescope. Any jostling can interfere with the alignment and blur an image.

The 80mm clear aperture also reduces the blurriness that can occur when viewing spherical objects. Often a star will appear to have a comet-like tail. The Meade ETX 80 gives a clear and highly magnified view of stars, even some located deep in space. The craters of the moon are a stunning sight through this telescope and are sure to delight the novice eye just as much as it will please a schooled astronomer.

In addition to being high-powered and fully computerized, the Meade ETX 80 is compact enough to tote around to various locations. It is also a great telescope for those spur of the moment urges to stargaze. With minimal set up time and the automated focusing thanks to AutoStar, this telescope is perfect for families with a stargazing hobby and budding astronomers alike.