August 29, 2008 #043 - Meade Instrument Co.

One of the more popular sellers of astronomical telescopes today is Meade. They advertise a spectacular range of instruments, from top of the line "RC Type", "Cats", you name it and they sell it or have sold it. Meade Instrument Company was started in the early 70's in a modest way by John C. Diebel. The company grew over the years into the giant it is today. In last couple of years it has fallen into economic troubles but seems to be recovering.

If you talk to almost any amateur they own or have owned a Meade Instrument. I had a 4" model 1022 Schmidt-Cassegrain for a few years. If you are interested in the history of the company I have a link that will give full details. There are a myriad of sites dedicated to these instruments.

I have a 70's vintage Meade catalog which I have scanned for the blog and will post over the weekend. It shows what they had for sale so you can compare it to the current offering.

By the way, doesn't the guy on page 8 look like Mr. Wizard? I can hear a chorus of who?

http://www.company7.com/meade/history.html

Clear Sky - Rich