Meade Telescopes

Meade Instruments is acknowledged as one of the most innovative and dynamic companies in the telescope market. Known for its groundbreaking telescopic designs, Meade has introduced dozens of improvements over the years that have made amateur astronomy easier and more enjoyable than ever. Meade was founded in 1972 by John Diebel. It was started as a one man mail order business, supplying small refracting telescopes. The first Meade advertisement appeared in the July 1972 issue of Sky and Telescope. The business eventually grew to offer a variety of accessories such as eyepieces, adapters, focusers and filters. John was a visionary who was determined to provide the amateur astronomers with quality products at a reasonable price and great consumer experience. As the business grew, Meade Instruments started to enter the world of telescope manufacturing as they introduced the first commercially available 8” Schmidt Cassegrain telescope with a worm drive (for more accurate tracking), the Meade Model 2080, in September of 1980. From this point, Meade innovation took off.