After 27 Years of Continuous Production, Meade Drops
Schmidt-Cassegrain Optics in Favor of Its Superior Advanced Coma-Free™
Optical System
Meade's Proprietary Coma Free Optical System Rivals the
Performance of Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes to
Deliver an Unparalleled Observatory-Level Viewing Experience at an
Affordable Price
IRVINE, Calif. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) August 12, 2008 --
Meade Instruments®
(NasdaqGM: MEAD), the leading designer and manufacturer of
telescopes and optical accessories for both professional and amateur
astronomy enthusiasts worldwide, announced today that it has completed
its landmark transition from manufacturing Schmidt-Cassegrain optics to
its proprietary Advanced Coma-Free™ (ACF™)
optical technology. Bolstering the company’s
commitment to serving the amateur astronomy community through
innovative, professional grade products at an affordable price, Meade’s
departure from the classic Schmidt-Cassegrain optics to the
high-performance ACF optical system enables serious amateur astronomers
to advance their hobby with an optical system that outperforms
Schmidt-Cassegrain systems and delivers the benefits of a Ritchey-Chrétien
viewing experience without the associated high costs.
Available exclusively in Meade’s LX90,
LX200, LX400 and LXD75 8”
telescopes (all formerly engineered using Schmidt-Cassegrain
technology), Meade’s changeover from
Schmidt-Cassegrain to the superior Advanced Coma Free technology is the
product of years of engineering and manufacturing expertise resulting in
a superior technology that delivers the same sharp, flat, coma-free
field of view from edge to edge as a typical Ritchey-Chrétien
telescope. In the hands of the serious astronomer or astrophotographer
the Advanced Coma-Free telescopes produce razor sharp star images across
the entire field of view that is on par with the view offered by the
best professional observatories.
“World-renowned for producing stunning, tack
sharp views of the night sky, Ritchey-Chrétien
telescopes are used by the world’s top
astronomers, but their high cost makes them unattainable for most
amateur astronomers,” said Steve Muellner,
CEO. “Over three and a half decades of
experience in designing and manufacturing advanced optical systems for
the amateur astronomy community puts us in a position to be able to
provide an observatory-class viewing experience at an affordable price.
Amateur astronomy has made tremendous strides over the past 30 years,
and the advent of Advanced Coma-Free optics represents a massive leap
forward for the astronomy world.”
Engineered using an aplanatic design like a Ritchey-Chrétien,
Meade’s ACF optical design consists of a
hyperbolic secondary and corrector lens/primary mirror combination that
performs as one hyperbolic element, eliminating coma and diffraction
spikes found in the much more expensive Ritchey-Chrétien
telescopes. The patented technology results in a more concentrated light
field that yields a high-resolution, high-contrast view of pinpoint
stars and extended objects across a larger usable field of view. Well
suited for wide field and photographic observations, the precision
polished and figured front corrector lens minimizes the astigmatism
inherent in the traditional RC designs and each lens is coated with Meade’s
unsurpassed Ultra High Transmission Coatings (UHTC™)
for maximum image contrast and brightness.
For more information on Meade’s Advanced
Coma-Free optics as well as the LX and LXD families of telescopes, visit www.meade.com.
ABOUT MEADE INSTRUMENTS
Built on the pillars of exploration, discovery, imaging, and sharing,
Irvine, Calif. based Meade Instruments is the leading designer and
manufacturer of telescopes and optical accessories with an enviable
worldwide reputation for its well-engineered products that enable both
professional and amateur astronomy enthusiasts to experience the wonder
and excitement of exploring the universe we live in. Offering the
industry’s broadest product line of
astronomical telescopes, solar telescopes, binoculars, microscopes and
related optical accessories, the company distributes its products
worldwide through a network of specialty retailers, mass merchandisers
and domestic and foreign distributors. Additional information on Meade
and its products including its ETX, LX Coronado and MySky
series is available at http://www.meade.com.
“Safe-Harbor" Statement under the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This news release contains
comments and forward-looking statements based on current plans,
expectations, events, and financial and industry trends that may affect
the Company's future operating results and financial position. Such
statements involve risks and uncertainties which cannot be predicted or
quantified and which may cause future activities and results of
operations to differ materially from those discussed above. Such risks
and uncertainties include risks and uncertainties previously set forth
in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
For additional information, please refer to the Company's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/optical/coma_free/prweb1206084.htm
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