- 180mm Aperture Maksutov-Cassegrain OTA
- 2700mm Focal Length, f/15 Focal Ratio
- StarBright XLT Multi-Coated Optics
- 28mm Eyepiece, 90° Star Diagonal
- 2" Visual Back, 1.25" Reducer Adapter
- CGX Motorized GoTo Equatorial Mount
- NexStar+ Computer Hand Controller
- 40,000-Object Database
- Guided Tours and Custom Object Filters
- 2" Stainless Steel Tripod
The 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain CGX telescope (CGX 700 Mak) is a
specialized instrument designed for detailed, high contrast views of
smaller celestial objects like the planets. With the Maksutov-Cassegrain
optical tube and sturdy equatorial mount and tripod, this kit will
provide unparalleled views of the planets and up-close views of the
lunar surface, including craters and maria, Maks are also well suited to
hunting smaller, fainter, deep sky objects such as globular clusters
and planetary nebulae. Astronomers located in urban astronomers will
appreciate the Mak’s ability to bring out more contrast in celestial
objects. Transporting the entire system to a dark site is not a problem
either. The optical tube, mount head, tripod, counterweight bar, and
counterweight all disassemble, with no tools required, into separate
manageable pieces.
Maksutov-Cassegrain Optical Design
The Mak is a catadioptric telescope, which means the optical design
includes both a lens and a mirror. The light coming through a Mak passes
through the corrector lens to the primary mirror and back to a
spherical secondary mirror before it hits your eyepiece. Images are
bright, sharp, and virtually free of chromatic aberration.
The Maksutov-Cassegrain’s optical design offers several unique
benefits. Instead of a secondary mirror, the Mak features a “secondary
spot” of reflective coating applied directly to the inside of the
corrector plate. Because of this, the telescope does not require
frequent collimation like a Schmidt-Cassegrain. Also, the secondary spot
is significantly smaller than a traditional Schmidt-Cassegrain
secondary mirror, giving the Mak its signature high-contrast views.
One important thing to note about Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes is
that the larger, heavier Maksutov corrector plate takes longer to cool
down and adjust to ambient air temperature compared to a
Schmidt-Cassegrain of the same aperture.
CGX Mount & Tripod
The CGX is the culmination of Celestron engineers’ decades of
experience in equatorial mount design, incorporating feedback from
imagers worldwide. Combined with the 700 Mak, it is a state-of-the-art
deep-sky astronomical imaging system.
The CGX is an incredibly sturdy equatorial mount which rigidly
supports the 700 Mak. The mount was designed more compactly, so the
instrument load is held closer to the R.A. axis, thus reducing torque
from the load. It was also designed using FEA (Finite Element Analysis)
software, which helped to optimize the stout structure of the mount. As a
result, the CGX can support more weight than other mounts with similar
mass. With its 55 lbs load capacity, it can easily handle the 700 Mak,
which weighs only 17 lbs, along with a camera and any accessories.
Expect a vibration-free setup, even in somewhat windy conditions. The
700 Mak connects directly to the CGX with its CGE dovetail mounting bar.
The heavy-duty adjustable height tripod has 2” diameter steel tripod
legs with an extra-wide stance for improved stability. Graduated
markings on the tripod legs make it easy to extend them to the same
height and level the tripod.
The mount is packed with functionality and conveniences that make
imaging with the 700 Mak easy. The fully computerized mount will
automatically “GoTo” any of the 40,000+ astronomical objects selected
from the NexStar+ hand controller’s database and automatically track the
object as it appears to move across the night sky.
Designed with imaging in mind, the CGX motor drive system builds upon
learnings from previous generations of mounts. You can trust CGX to
accurately track during an exposure. At the heart of the system are low
cog DC servo motors with integrated optical encoders. The low cog design
helps the motors run smoothly, while the integrated optical encoders
provide accuracy. The motors connect to the worm gears with a
belt-and-pulley system (instead of spur gears) to reduce gear backlash
when the motor changes directions. The steel worm gears are supported by
precision bearings and spring-loaded against a brass worm wheel, which
also helps ensure a smoothly operating drive system with minimal
backlash and no binding.
To track objects in the night sky, the mount must first be
polar-aligned. Celestron makes this process easier than ever with the
innovative All-Star Polar Alignment procedure. No extra equipment, such
as a polar finder scope, is required. (An optional polar alignment
finder scope is available if desired.) Best of all, the alignment can
usually be completed in about 15 minutes, even without a clear view of
Polaris.
All mounts have some amount of “periodic tracking error” inherent in
them caused by tiny gear imperfections. To mitigate this, the CGX has
Permanent Periodic Error Correction (PPEC). This allows you to run a
routine to record the periodic errors only once; the recording is kept
in memory, and subsequently corrects for the mount’s periodic tracking
error. If an even higher level of tracking accuracy is desired, the CGX
also has a dedicated autoguider port to connect an autoguiding camera
directly to the mount to correct for any residual tracking errors.
Conditions for imaging are best when celestial objects are at their
highest point in the sky with the darkest background, called the
meridian. But some German equatorial mounts have trouble tracking near
the meridian because they need to perform a “meridian flip,” readjusting
their position to avoid the tube striking the mount. CGX does not
suffer from this problem, imaging through the meridian with ease and not
requiring a meridian flip until the object is a full 20° past the
meridian.
The NexStar+ also has dozens of other functions to control every aspect of the mount’s behavior. These include:
- Multiple ways to align the mount to the night sky
- Adjustable slew rates up to 5°/second
- Northern or Southern hemisphere compatibility
- Adjustable autoguiding rates
- Hibernate mode so the mount can be powered down without loss of alignment
- Continual firmware development, with new features added regularly
In addition to the autoguider port, the CGX also has other ports to
enhance and expand the capabilities of the mount. The hand controller
has a USB 2.0 port for those who wish to control the mount with an
external computer and optional third-party software (see “Ready for
Remote Imaging” section below). There are also 2 AUX ports on the mount
that can support optional accessories such as StarSense AutoAlign.
Transporting the entire system to a dark site is extremely
manageable, even for one person. The optical tube, mount head, tripod,
counterweight bar, and counterweight all disassemble into separate
pieces. The only tool ever required is a supplied hex key, which has a
holder built into the mount, so you can’t lose or forget it. CGX also
features two ergonomic carry handles that make carrying and setting up
this heavy-duty mount much more comfortable. When it’s time to transport
your mount, the tripod accessory tray “nests” into the legs when
collapsed, stabilizing the tripod in your vehicle and ensuring that you
don’t lose the tray.
Ready for Remote Imaging
Today’s imagers do not necessarily want to be near their telescope
outside when they are capturing images. Rather, they would prefer to be
indoors controlling the mount and camera with a computer, while the
telescope is in the backyard, or even hundreds of miles away in a dark
remote observing site. Not every mount is capable of remote observing
operation, but the CGX was designed specifically with this in mind.
Celestron’s engineers thought through every scenario that might occur in
the field, since it’s very likely that no one will be around to
immediately “rescue” a remote telescope if something unexpected occurs.
One of the most critical problems that can occur during remote
operation is the optical tube inadvertently striking the mount. This
will not only ruin an exposure and require realignment with the sky, but
could also damage expensive equipment. This type of strike cannot
happen with CGX because optical switches on each axis stop the motors
before the astrograph can run into the mount, without loss of alignment.
Should power be somehow interrupted, the mount has “home position”
optical switches that allow easy remote realignment of the mount. The
mount’s cables are all wired internally through the mount, and all
external inputs, including the power jack, are on a stationary section
of the mount. This prevents cables from becoming snagged or tangled and
unplugged as the astrograph is moving. The mount also has hard stops to
physically limit the motion of the astrograph on each axis, preventing
the internal cabling from being overly twisted or pulled and potentially
failing. In addition, the hard stops provide a “fail safe” safety
measure to protect the astrograph should the limit switches somehow
fail. The power jack for the mount utilizes a threaded barrel connector,
ensuring the power cable won’t become unplugged and cause the mount to
lose power.
For remote imaging, the mount needs a way to be controlled by an
external computer. The CGX has two ways to connect to a computer via USB
2.0. First, it has a USB port on the mount itself which is used
exclusively to connect to a PC running the included Celestron PWI
telescope control software. Developed in partnership with PlaneWave
Instruments, the software has an intuitive graphical user interface and
provides an excellent solution for remotely operating the mount. It
incorporates multi-point mount modeling to provide the most accurate
alignment of the mount to the sky possible. In addition, the included
NexStar+ hand controller also has its own USB 2.0 port for computer
connection; this can be used with optional third-party telescope control
software by use of an ASCOM driver.
Accessories Included
The CGX 700 Mak comes complete with a 2” Visual Back, a 2” Star
Diagonal with 1.25” adapter, a 28 mm wide-field 2” eyepiece, and a large
8x50 straight-through finderscope. The optical tube accommodates the
larger 2” accessories, such as 2” Barlow lenses, the 2” eyepiece and filter kit, and larger wide-field eyepieces.
StarBright XLT Technology
StarBright XLT is Celestron’s revolutionary optical coating system
that outperforms any other coating in the commercial telescope market.
There are three major components that make up our StarBright XLT
high-transmission optical system design:
- Unique enhanced multi-layer mirror coatings made from precise layers
of aluminum, SiO2 (quartz), TiO2 (titanium dioxide), and SiO2 (silicon
dioxide). Reflectivity is fairly flat across the spectrum, optimizing it
for both imaging and visual observing.
- Multi-layer anti-reflective coatings made from precise layers of
MgF2 (magnesium fluoride) and HfO2 (hafnium dioxide). Hafnium—a rare
element that costs nearly $2,000 per kilogram—gives us a wider band pass
than the titanium used in competing coatings.
- High-transmission water white glass is used instead of soda lime
glass for the corrector lens. Water white glass transmits about 90.5%
without anti-reflective coatings; that’s 3.5% better transmission than
uncoated soda lime glass. When water white glass is used in conjunction
with StarBright XLT’s anti-reflective coatings, the average transmission
reaches 97.4%, an 8% improvement.
| Optical Tube Info: |
|
|---|
| Optical Design | Maksutov-Cassegrain |
| Aperture | 180mm (7.08") |
| Focal Length | 2700mm (106.3") |
| Focal Ratio | f/15 |
| Focal Length of Eyepiece 1 | 28mm (1.1") 2" eyepiece |
| Magnification of Eyepiece 1 | 96x |
| Finderscope | 8x50 Straight Through |
| Star Diagonal | 2" with 1.25" adapter |
| Optical Tube | Aluminum |
| Highest Useful Magnification | 420x |
| Lowest Useful Magnification | 67x |
| Limiting Stellar Magnitude | 13.9 |
| Resolution (Rayleigh) | 0.64 arc seconds |
| Resolution (Dawes) | 0.52 arc seconds |
| Light Gathering Power (Compared to human eye) | 661x |
| Secondary Mirror Obstruction | 40mm (1.57") |
| Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Diameter | 22% |
| Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area | 5% |
| Optical Coatings | StarBright XLT |
| Optical Tube Length | 571.5mm (22.5") |
| Optical Tube Diameter | 222.25mm (8.75") |
| Optical Tube Weight | 19 lbs (8.6 kg) |
| Dovetail | CGE Dovetail Bar |
| Mount Info: |
|
|---|
| Mount Type | Computerized Equatorial |
| Instrument load capacity | 55 lbs (25 kg) |
| Height adjustment range (includes mount and tripod) | 1200.15mm - 1968.5mm (47.25" - 77.5") |
| Tripod Leg Diameter | 50.8mm (2") Steel tripod with graduated markings on lower section |
| Latitude adjustment range | 3° - 65° |
| Mount Head Weight | 44 lbs (20 kg) |
| Accessory Tray | Yes |
| Tripod Weight | 19.2 lbs (8.7 kg) |
| Weight of Counterweights | 2 x 11 lbs |
| Slew Speeds | 9 slew speeds - max speed 4°/second |
| Tracking Rates | Sidereal, Solar and Lunar |
| Tracking Modes | EQ North & EQ South |
| GPS | N/A |
| Dovetail Compatibility | Dual saddle plates (Vixen and CGE saddle) |
| Number of Auxiliary ports | 2 Aux ports (Hand Control can use either Aux port) |
| Autoguide port | Yes |
| USB Port | Yes, input for Mount and Hand Control |
| Power Requirements | 12V DC, 4 amps |
| Motor Drive | DC servo motors |
| Alignment Procedures | 2-Star Align, 1-Star Align, Solar System Align, Last Alignment, Quick Align |
| Periodic Error Correction | Yes |
| Computerized Hand Control | 2 line x 18 character backlit Liquid Crystal Display, 19 LED backlit buttons, USB 2.0 port for PC connection |
| NexStar+ Database | 40,000+ objects, 100 user defined programmable objects. Enhanced information on over 200 objects |
| Software | PWI Telescope Control Software, Celestron's Starry Night Special Edition Software, SkyPortal App |
| Total Kit Weight | 104.2 lbs (47.26 kg) |
Celestron CGX 700 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope
CGX GoTo EQ Mount with Tripod
2" Star Diagonal with Reducer Adapter
2" 28mm Eyepiece
8x50 Finderscope with Bracket
Limited 2-Year Warranty
|
|
[ITEMPRICE]