Vixen Optics Sphinx SX2 Equatorial Mount with Star Book One and HAL 130 Tripod

Made for long observation sessions, Vixen's Sphinx SX2 Equatorial Mount features precision motors and gears for accurate long-duration tracking. Dual stepper motors provide smooth and virtually vibration-free tracking that run at up to 250pps. Its full-circle brass wheel gear allows the mount to track over extremely long periods with little error. The RA and DEC motors are situated inside the mount to reduce interference, and act as counterbalance for smaller scopes, eliminating the need for the counterweights and shaft. When not in use, the counterweight shaft retracts into the mount and out of the way.

The Sphinx comes with the Star Book One (SB1) hand controller to help find, observe, and track celestial objects. Since near and deep sky objects appear to move at different speeds, the SB1 features celestial, solar, lunar, and King's rate tracking speeds. An integrated autoguider port adds to the mount's usability.

The Sphinx is offered here with Vixen's HAL 130 tripod. Its adjustable height allows the user to set the position of the telescope to their liking for easy and comfortable viewing. The top of the tripod, is powder-coated with a durable finish that resists chipping, flaking, and fading. The tripod is collapsible for convenient storage and portability.

Gears and Motors

• Two stepping (pulse) motors at 250 pulses per second
• 180-tooth full circle micro-movement wheel gear
• 40mm aluminum-alloy die-cast Right Ascension axis
• 35mm aluminum-alloy Declination axis
• ±7° azimuth adjustment, twin tangent screws/knobs with about 1.2°/rotation
• 0-70° altitude adjustment, 3-altitude zone settings, 2° increment altitude scale, twin T-bar handles with 0.8°/rotation

Star Book One

• Powered by mount through connector port
• LED display screen backlight
• Red backlit keypad
• Independent screen and keypad dimming control
• ST-4 compatible integrated autoguider port
• Sidereal tracking with different tracking speeds: Celestial, solar, lunar, and King's rate
• Variable manual slewing speeds from 0.1x to 999x
• Backlash compensation
• Periodic error correction (PEC) removes inaccuracies inherent in gears and allows for more accurate tracking, especially for long-exposure astrophotography
• Adjustable screen brightness
• Selectable tracking for Northern and Southern hemisphere

HAL 130 Tripod

• Lightweight aluminum
• White powder-coated head
• Variable height from 25 to 39"
• Maximum leg spread of 63.5" diameter
• Folded length of 32"
• 77 lb payload capacity
• Weighs 12.1 lb