Instruction Manual

About Coronado

Coronado® was founded in 1997 by David Lunt and Geraldine Hogan as Coronado

Technology Group. David Lunt’s 40 plus years experience at the forefront of optical

design and innovation translated into patented technology allowing the classical Fabry-

Pérot etalon to be constructed in a novel way. Tremendous demand changed the initial

concept of producing a few hydrogen-alpha (H-a) telescopes a month for the advanced

solar amateur. As word got out that these telescopes and ﬁ lters produced amazing views

of the Sun, Coronado grew rapidly. As demand vastly exceeded the small company’s ability to produce,

the owners of Coronado decided to sell their operation to a company with the experience in higher volume

manufacturing but still had then dedication to quality and detail that Coronado was known for. That

company is Meade Instruments.

Since 1997 Meade Instruments’ Coronado brand has grown to become the largest selling solar telescopes

and ﬁ lters. We now manufacture four lines of H-a telescopes and ﬁ lter systems from the low cost, high

performance PST (Personal Solar Telescope) to the ultimate 90mm SolarMax II along with the specially

designed Cemax series of eyepieces and custom solar accessories. In June of 2010 Meade Instruments

Corp. announced the introduction of the revolutionary SolarMax II line of solar observing telescopes and

ﬁ lters. The new SolarMax II represents a breakthrough in solar observing with the new RichView™ tuning

system. This patented system allows direct tuning of the primary etalon ﬁ lter. No other commercially

available H-a telescope can provide the tuning range and accuracy of the SolarMax II. Observers can now

tune for the highest contrast views of active regions, ﬂ ares, ﬁ laments, and other surface detail, or quickly

and easily re-tune for prominences on the solar limb.

We continue to maintain the founders philosophy for building ﬁ lters — Safety, Quality, and Performance.

You can rest assured that your new instrument has been hand assembled and tested before being sealed

in the box. In fact, every telescope and ﬁ lter is ﬁ eld tested on the Sun so we are conﬁ dent you can look

forward to a lifetime of fantastic H-a views of our dynamic Sun. If you have any questions please do not

hesitate to contact us.

Filter Safety

Safety - It is widely known that there are inherent dangers involved with observing the

Sun. Meade Instruments has always been, is, and always will be, obsessed with the

safety of its products. A proposed new product is not released until it has been fully

proven that it can be made completely safe for the user. All Coronado instruments are

tested and sealed at our facilities as complete, safe, and working units. Do not attempt

to disassemble any Coronado product, doing so will void your warranty and could

compromise your safety. Before each use make sure your ﬁ lter does not appear damaged in any way, if

you have any doubts please call our customer support. Meade is obsessed with safety and you should be

too.

We recommend you establish a safety checklist for each viewing session, ensuring that all adaptors,

ﬁ lters and blocking ﬁ lters are installed and secure before aligning the system to the sun. Make this safety

check part of your observing routine. Never leave a solar telescope unattended.

An additional safety consideration is exposure to the Sun. Always use sunscreen, and wear a hat and long

sleeved shirt while observing.