n addition to being fully computerized with a database of over
40,000 celestial objects, the New CGE Pro German Equatorial mount has
been completely redesign to offer numerous design advantages for the
Astrophotographer:
Increased Payload Capacity
Able to hold our 14" SCT telescope more securely as well as larger
optical tubes up to a maximum instrument capacity of 90lbs (not
including counterweights).
All-Star Polar Alignment
Choose
any bright alignment star for a software assisted alignment of the
mounts polar axis that will have you ready for imaging even if you
can't see the North Star.
No-Tool polar alignment
Larger hand knobs for both Altitude and Azimuth adjustments.
Meridian Tracking
Extended tracking past the Meridian of up to 20 degrees of uninterrupted imaging through the best part of the sky.
Faster slew speed
Improved gearing and motors provide faster slew speeds than ever before with a maximum slew rate of over 5°/per second.
Power Management
Redesigned electronics deliver constant regulated power to the motors
making them capable of driving the telescope even when not perfectly
balanced. This allows the CGE Pro to have the payload capacity of that
of much larger (and expensive) mounts without sacrificing smooth
tracking motion and pointing accuracy across the entire sky.
Accuracy
The hallmark of any telescope mount is its ability to find, center and
track celestial objects with the highest degree of accuracy.
Pointing
With just a standard hand control alignment, CGE Pro has the ability to
center a star in your eyepiece or ccd chip to within 5 arc minutes.
Using NexStar's advanced pointing features such as Calibration Stars,
Sync and Precise GoTo, further improves the pointing accuracy to as low
as 1 arc minute in the desired region of the sky.
Tracking
With
larger .75" pitch diameter worm, precision made cut-steel gears in
gearboxes, and seven slot skewed armature motors the CGE Pro delivers
typical tracking performance of +-9 arc seconds, which can be further
reduced with the mounts permanent periodic error correction (PPEC).
Mount Modeling
Celestron's NexStar hand control has built-in mount modeling features
essential for accurately placing small objects on the center of your
ccd chip or high power eyepiece. Aligning on multiple Calibration Stars
creates a mathematical model of the opto-mechanical inaccuracies
inherent in all equatorial mounts. This model is stored within the hand
control and is used to compensate for these inaccuracies thus improving
your pointing precision each time you slew your telescope.
And of course the CGE Pro is also fully T-Point
compatible (available from Software Bisque) for ultra precise pointing
across the entire sky.
In addition to these
improvements, the Celestron line of German Equatorial mounts has long
been recognized for features preferred by visual observers and
astrophotographer alike. Among them include:
Portability
- Set up and transportation of the CGE Pro telescopes is made easy by
separating the mount into smaller, easy-to-carry components. Unlike
fork arm mounted telescopes, the CGE's optical tubes can be quickly
removed from their mounts making even the CGE Pro1400 easily assembled
in minutes.
Stability -
Recognized for superior stability, German Equatorial mounts place the
center of gravity directly over the tripod legs and can be easily polar
aligned without the use of an optional equatorial wedge. This proven
design reduces the "tuning fork" vibration that can be associated with
undersized fork mounts. An improved Super HD Tripod supports the CGE
Pro mount. This fully extendable tripod is made from the finest 2.75"
stainless steel and can be raised to a height of 55". The tripod uses a
dual leg support for maximum rigidity with an upper leg brace to
provide an outward preload and a lower leg brace providing inward
tension.
Balance - CGE Pro
equatorial mounts can easily be balanced in both axes. Simply sliding
the counterweight for Right Ascension and moving the optical tube along
its dovetail mounting for Declination accomplish balancing the weight
of camera equipment and other visual accessories. This means that no
additional weight needs to be added to balance the telescope when
additional accessories are added.
Clearance - CGE Pro
mounts support their tubes at a single contact point allowing the tube
to move freely around its polar axis without making contact with the
telescope's mount. Software features allow the user to set the mounts
slew limits to guaranty safe motion. This is particularly useful when
adding photographic and CCD instruments that extend from the rear of
the telescopes.
All CGE mounted telescopes are
compatible with Celestron's CN-16 GPS accessory. Combine the GPS and
built-in real time clock and these telescopes will keep track and
remember their exact location and time without having to enter the
information into the hand control.
CGE Pro Mount - General Features
- Holds a maximum instrument capacity of 90 lbs
- +/-9 arc second tracking accuracy, which can be further reduced with PEC
- Permanent programmable periodic error correction (PEC) - corrects for periodic tracking errors inherent to all worm drives
- CGE PRO computerized Equatorial mount
- Heavy duty stainless steel tripod adjustable from 38 - 55"
- One 22 lbs counterweight
- Weighs 154 lbs
CGE Pro Mount - Computerized Mount Features
- Proven NexStar computer control technology
- 40,000 object database with over 100 user-definable objects and expanded information on over 200 objects
- New All-Star Polar Alignment routine for both Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
- Software Features include: Database Filter Limits, Hibernate, five alignment methods and user-defined slew limits.
- Flash upgradeable hand control software and motor control units for downloading product updates over the Internet
- Custom
database lists of all the most famous deep-sky objects by name and
catalog number; the most beautiful double, triple and quadruple stars;
variable star; solar systems; objects and asterisms
- Double line, 16-character Liquid Crystal Display Hand Control with backlit LED buttons for easy operation of goto features
- 12VDC Servo Motors with integrated optical encoders
- Drive
Motors - High quality motors with seven slot skewed armature to
minimize magnetic cogging for quiet operation and long life. Precision
made cut-steel gears in gearbox for Improve tracking precision.
- Bearing
and Shaft - Main shafts are made from 1.57" diameter steel tubing with
.40" wall thickness with two preloaded 2.68" O.D. tapered roller
bearings on each axes
- Precision worm drive system - .75" pitch
dia. precision made steel worm preloaded with two .87" OD ball bearings
to minimize run-out (a source of periodic error). 255 tooth 6" pitch
dia. precision made worm wheel with enveloping brass teeth
- Spring loaded DEC worm to minimize backlash and for easy guiding.
- 4 point RA and DEC clutch system for no-slip pointing precision
- Autoguide port, PC port and auxiliary ports located on the electronic pier for long exposure astrophotography
- One
4.72" O.D. thrust bearing and one 4.13" O.D. thrust bearing on each
axes provide a large thrust surface for additional stability.
- Rugged 9-pin thread on motor cables
- Latitude range: 10° to 65° northern or southern hemispheres
- RS-232 communication port on hand control to control the telescope via a personal computer
- Includes NexRemote telescope control software, for advanced control of your telescope via computer
- GPS-compatible with optional CN16 GPS Accessory (93967)
