Celestron CGX 1100 RASA

Celestron CGX 1100 RASA

Short profile

• Telescope
• Generous 25 kg payload, 2" heavy-duty steel tripod with markings for quick height adjustment
• Spring-loaded worm gears with toothed belts that minimize backlash for faster response times
• Internal cabling, power and accessory connections do not move with the mount
• Improved ergonomics through improved pole height adjustment and intuitive carrying handles
• Home and limiting switches - internal hardware stops for R.A. and Dek to avoid cable clutter and collisions with the tripod
• Tracks up to 20º either side of the meridian, supports SkyPortal WiFi and StarSense AutoAlign modules.
• Includes sophisticated new control software developed jointly with Planewave Instruments.
• Handles multi-point go-to modeling, focusing and plate solving. No additional control software is needed, saving you hundreds of dollars!
• Weight of the mount: 20 kg
• Weight of the tripod: 8.7 kg

Product description for Celestron CGX 1100 RASA

CGX 1100 RASA
The CGX mount only resembles the cheaper CGEM-II at first glance, but has been developed from scratch and offers much more.
The 20 kg mount has a real, photographic payload of 25 kg. This means that you can really work with a 25 kg payload and do not have to plan in generous reserves for photography, as is far too often the case. Thanks to the large carrying handles, it is even easier to transport than a comparable, somewhat lighter classic equatorial mount! With the dual dovetail clamp for CG-5 (Vixen, Celestron) or CGE (3-inch Losmandy), you can easily switch between small solar telescopes and large Schmidt-Cassegrains, for example.

To make photography fun too, the mount has been fitted with high-torque, fast-response motors that are connected to the axes via a sturdy toothed belt. This means that the mount reacts almost immediately to control commands, even from an autoguider. There is no gear backlash, and since the worm gears are also spring-loaded, the backlash is largely eliminated - you do not have to readjust even with large temperature differences, worms and gears have optimum contact.

The new, large screws are easy to grip so that you can loosen or tighten them easily even when wearing gloves - the pole height adjustment has also been revised so that you can easily adjust the mount even when fully loaded. A polar finder will be available as an option, but is generally unnecessary: with the All-Star polar alignment, you can align the mount to any brighter star through the telescope, and for perfection, the alignment is always superior to the polar finder. As a special feature, you can move the mount on the base plate of the extra-wide tripod head - so you can place the center of gravity perfectly over the tripod, for the entire usable latitude range from 3 to 65° north or south latitude. The flat base can also be easily adapted to your own columns. Celestron supplies a flange drawing (PDF) for fixed installation

As a photo mount, it is just as suitable for mobile use as it is for remote operation. Internal sensors ("switches") automatically bring the mount into the home position and prevent it from moving too far during panning and hitting anything. The internal cabling is also designed for safety: all connections (power, hand controller, AUX and autoguider) are in the base of the mount and do not move with it.

The hand controller can be controlled in the classic way via ASCOM and the hand controller (new: with USB connection) vie PC, or you can use the control software included in the scope of delivery, which was developed together with Planewave Instruments. Multipoint GoTo modeling, plate solving and control of the focuser are just some of the functions that you normally have to retrofit for remote operation - with the CGX, this software is included in the scope of delivery. Here you do not need the hand controller, but can use the USB port of the mount directly.

The telescope:
The Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt-Astrograph makes it very easy for you to create impressive astrophotos with modern DSLR or astronomical CCD cameras. The fast f/2.2 system with a large field of view has two major advantages over classic photography at f/10: Much shorter exposure times and therefore less susceptibility to tracking errors. This means you can get better images in less time and often even do without an autoguider.
The Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph is the legitimate successor to Celestron's Schmidt camera, which was still used with film negatives in the 1970s.

Today, as CCD sensors are just as large as slide negatives or even larger, this Schmidt Astrograph offers a full 43mm image circle, so you can get pin-sharp stars even on large sensors - up to 52mm can be used. This large illuminated image circle and a focal length of just 620mm make it the perfect instrument for photographing large regions of the sky and extended objects. For example, you can create mosaic images of the entire sky or hunt variable stars, supernovae or comets.

Optical performance
The Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph has newly designed optics with a four-lens corrector with rare earth glasses that suppress color and imaging errors such as coma and field curvature. Never before has an astrograph in this price range delivered this optical quality and spot size over the entire field of view. The design also allows for very low vignetting.

Other features
Other features such as a special linear brass bearing of the focuser and the Feathertouch micro-focuser allow you to make precise adjustments for the perfect image. A 12V MagLev fan reduces cool-down time and provides ideal airflow through the tube and dust-protected vents.

The Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph was developed as a complete system for astrophotography and delivers the best results with DSLR and astronomical CCD cameras. Every element of the system, down to the thickness of the glass in the fully multi-coated optical window or optional filters, has been considered and matched.