Celestron CGX-L GoTo EQ Mount with Tripod - Sky and Telescope’s 2017 Hot Product

The Celestron CGX-L  is culmination of years of engineering by the USA R & D division of Celestron.  The CGX-L isn’t just a pretty face, the mechanics and ergonomics are upgraded as well.  Celestron has taken their equatorial mounts to a higher level than ever before.

The new CGX-L isn't simply a beefed up CGX.  It is a thoughtful look into how people interact with their equipment.  The ergonomically-designed CGX has a fresh, attractive, bold appearance and easier set-up of than earlier EQ mounts.  It has been upgraded with mechanical and electronic changes to a 75 pound payload capacity. The new design allows for a lower profile EQ head with a better balance point.  

New features are everywhere in the mount head:

1. Ergonomic handles help you move the 47 pound head with ease.  That’s right; the head weighs 47pounds and will carry 75.  It is an incredible load to weight ratio.

2.  Additional accessory ports built into the dovetail saddle plate of the equatorial head.  There are two auxiliary ports as well as an autoguider port.  The internal cabling of the CGX-L mount works hand in hand with these new ports on the saddle helping the imager in all of us manage our cables.

3.  The dovetail saddle plate is longer for added stability and will also accept both Vixen/AVX and Losmandy/Celestron D Style dovetails.

4.  There are built in home and limit sensors.  The home sensor will take the scope back to its home position at any time and the limit sensor will prevent the mount from slewing past a certain point.

5.  There are also built-in mechanical hard stops to prevent an instrument from damage should you forget to lock the mount.

Increased 75 lb load capacity.  Exceptional load capacity to weight ratio

Additional Aux accessory ports and autoguider port on the Dec axis for better cable management

Larger 144 mm diameter worm wheels to better and more accurately drive heavier loads

Longer 270 mm dovetail saddle to better support larger optical tubes

Massive 70 mm stainless steel tripod legs with a wider stance for improved stability under heavy loads

New accessory tray holds three 1.25” and two 2” eyepieces with an upright stand for your smartphone or tablet

Heavy duty, 31.5 mm stainless steel counterweight shaft to support additional counterweights

Optional add-on polar axis finderscope custom designed for CGX and CGX-L

Supports WiFi and wireless operation accessories such as StarSense AutoAlign and SkyPortal WiFi Module (sold separately)

MOUNT FEATURES

Compact, lower profile equatorial head provides improved stability and portability. Sturdier and more rigid with quicker dampening time

Improved motors provide more torque, better slewing and tracking under heavy loads

Heavy duty belt-drive system minimizes backlash while providing smooth motor operation at full capacity

Clear windows built into motor covers so pulleys and belts can be monitored

Spring-loaded brass worm wheel and stainless steel worm gear reduce friction and provide optimum gear mesh

Internal cabling for worry-free remote operation. Power input and lower accessory ports remain stationary while the mount slews to avoid snags

Internal hard stops for both axes prevent cable tension and tripod strike

Internal optical sensors on both axes for simple and safe remote operation

-Home sensors allow the mount to always start in the index position regardless of orientation before a power reset

-Limit sensors automatically shut off slewing or tracking before reaching the hard stop fail safe

Includes Celestron's new PWI telescope control software, co-developed by PlaneWave Instruments.  Software features multi-point mount modeling for extremely precise pointing accuracy

Software Polar Align: “All-Star Polar Alignment” allows quick and very precise polar alignment. Align on any bright named star without extra polar alignment accessories, apps, or other assistance

Adjustable EQ head position to optimize center of gravity over the tripod and fully utilize the increased 3º-65º latitude range

Dual-fit Vixen/CG-5 and Losmandy/CGE dovetail saddle

+20º of additional tracking past the meridian on either side

Redesigned tripod has a widened stance for added stability. The minimum tripod height has also been lowered per user feedback

Tripod legs can be collapsed with accessory tray installed for faster setup and transport

Improved Ergonomics:

Integrated handles for easy transport and portability

All-new ergonomically designed dovetail clamping knobs

Innovative and improved polar alignment adjustment system

All-new ergonomic adjustment knobs with reduced friction for smooth and easy positioning under full loads. Stationary latitude knob with a newly-designed linkage system greatly reduces the amount of friction when polar aligning the mount. Redesigned azimuth adjustment with low-friction Teflon bearings to make adjustments easy under full load. No more binding or rough adjustments!

Easy to read latitude scale

Electronics

NexStar+ hand control with USB port

USB 2.0 port used to connect directly to PC with PWI Software

2 available autoguider ports for optimum cable management

PEC sensor and PPEC ready

Threaded 12VDC power input barrel connector

Internal Real Time Clock (keeps time and site information saved)

On/Off rocker switch with red LED

They spent years redesigning the CGEM to create the CGX, innovating on a brilliant level to create a mount that surpassed previous German Equatorial mounts in almost all fields possible. They produced an impressively efficient mount capable of performing to the highest degree of capacity... and in the time since then, they've only kept working on their designs! Now they are presenting the CGX-L, an up-scaled and improved variant on the CGX designed to be ideal for personal observatories and remote imaging sites. This design heavily improves the weight capacity of the original mount, and utilizes a wide variety of new and improved traits to all around exceed the CGX- a high benchmark to rise above!

The backlash for this amazing mount is absolutely minimal, showing this design for the top of the line quality item that it is. This is aided by the belt driven worm gears, which have been spring loaded for optimal gear meshing, and then enlarged to a full 144mm in diameter, to more accurately drive the heavier loads this mount was meant to carry. The weight capacity is declared as 75lbs- and that's a humble declaration to say the least. This piece of hardware is even tougher than its smaller cousin, the XG- which itself is one of the most solid things on the market, absolutely capable of blowing away anything similar priced in sheer quality. This places the CGX-L in the enviable position of having been designed by the CGX's creators specifically to exceed it. 

One of the more impressive features of this mount is the internal cabling in the Go-To system. The way it's designed, almost all the cabling is internal. This means that you don't need to worry about re-positioning your initial wiring setup once you've hooked the mount up to begin with; because all the cabling is internal, none of it is in the way to get tangled up and cause issues for you while you observe using the (Impressively potent!) Go-To capabilities of this mount. Your power supply and accessories can simply plug into a stationary port on the mounts body, and then never be worried about for the rest of your night!

The motors are another place where the improvement of the CGX base design over other German Equatorial Mounts is self evident. They are able to provide notably more torque when active, while the design of the mount ensures that everything is controlled to the tightest, smoothest degree. This innovative mount has a lower profile than most other GEM's as well, giving it a great boost to both stability and portability with it's lower center of gravity and compact design. And then it goes a step further in the aim of that goal, as the EQ head's position is adjustable, allowing you to optimize it to match your tripod perfectly for an ideal center of gravity. This mount continues to impress with it's next notable feature; a dual fit head that permits both Vixen and Losmandy style dovetails, massively increasing the range of scopes that can be mounted atop this beautiful device! The dovetail saddle has been expanded to 270mm, allowing it to support larger optical tubes and broader payloads. 

As a quick summary- The CGX-L is simply more responsive, with enlarged spring-loaded worm gears and belt drives that minimize backlash. Internal cabling means power and accessory ports do not move with the mount, and there are also home and limit switches, as well as internal hard stops for both RA and Dec to prevent cable wrap and tripod strike. Ergonomics have also been massively improved overall, ranging from the carry handles to the adjustment knobs, making setup and takedown both infinitely easier. Another fascinating feature is that there is a clear window built into the motor covers, letting you keep an eye on the pulleys and belts. 

And lest we forget- this is most definitely a Go-To mount. Coming with the splendid quality NexStar hand controller and a database of over 40,000 objects, this state of the art mount is definitely ready to take you on the greatest trip of the night sky possible! The Celestron CGX-L Equatorial Mount tracks 20-degrees past the meridian on either side to maximize the best imaging time. Technologies such as SkyPortal WiFi and StarSense AutoAlign are supported, and All Star Polar Alignment technology is built-in, for faster and easier polar alignment. New telescope control software for automation and remote operation has been designed for the Celestron CGX in conjunction with Planewave Instruments. This software features multi-point GoTo modeling, focusing and plate solving. With this innovative software, no third party advanced PC control software is needed! An intuitive hand controller allows you to align and move the CGX-L with ease.

This already top notch mount comes atop a tripod perfect for use with it. The sturdy 2" thick steel legs come with graduated markings that make leveling quicker and easier all around, and an included spreader bar adds even greater stability to this heavy duty duty tripod while also giving you a few more places to store your eyepieces between use!

The mount itself weighs in at a solid 52 pounds, and the heavy duty 70mm steel tripod it rests atop at 46 pounds.

Specifications

Mount	German Equatorial
Instrument load capacity	75 lb
Tripod height adjustment range	35.75” to 52.75”
Tripod leg diameter	2.75"
Latitude adjustment range	3º-65º
Tripod Weight	46.2 lb
EQ Head Weight w/o Counterweight Shaft	47 lb
Total EQ Head Weight	52.6 lb
Max Slew Speed	4º/second (3º/second is default)
Tracking Rates	Sidereal, Solar and Lunar
Number of Auxiliary ports (for hand control and accessories)	4
Autoguide port	Yes
USB Port	Yes
Software	Celestron PlaneWave Instruments
Included Items
	CGX-L Equatorial Head
	CGX-L Tripod
	Accessory Tray
	1 x 22 lb Counterweight
	NexStar+ Hand Control
	DC Power Cable (plugs into cigarette lighter socket)
	8 mm Allen Wrench (contained in rear carry handle)

In the Box