Backyard Voyager
For anyone thinking of buying their first SCT, or for anyone who recently purchased one, this book is a must.
In addition to well-written information on catadioptric optical systems, Rod Mollise reviews many of the Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes on the market today.
Back
But will a CG5 hold a C9.25?Next
This question was often asked when Celestron first offered their version of the CG5 mount. At the time the question was valid. The tripod that was initially sold with the mount was generally considered insufficient, but that problem was soon fixed, and the mount now ships with solid, two-inch tubular steel legs.
There are still those who wonder if the CG5 is sturdy enough for an OTA in the 20 lb. range, such as the C9.25. If you are expecting the sturdiness and tracking accuracy necessary to acquiring the kind of long exposure CCD captures needed for world class galaxy images, then you may be right. But to get that level of accuracy usually starts at around $10,000.00.
Celestron CG5 mount with three weights
supporting a 21 pound, C9.25 OTA.
For visual use and for planetary and lunar imaging the CG5 is easily sturdy enough for use with a C9.25. In fact, more than a few planetary photographers are even using this mount successfully in combination with C-11 OTAs.
I had ordered a set of JMI’s Wheely Bars to make the scope, mount and tripod more portable around the house, but didn’t have them yet. Nevertheless, the entire setup only weighed 69 pounds and wasn’t difficult to carry into the back yard. I didn't attempt to use the go-to for the first few nights, but when I did, it worked exactly as advertised.
The manual is well written and the alignment procedures are straightforward. Ialways use a procedural option which allows the selection of alignment stars of your choice. I usually stick with two sets of star choices for a month or two, changing once the star locations have “moved” across the sky significantly. I say two sets, because as the night progresses your go-to accuracy will gradually degrade. After a few hours it may become necessary to re-align using a different set of stars.
Along with considerable hand wringing, this question was often asked when Celestron first offered their version of this mount. At first the question was valid. The tripod initially sold with the mount was insufficient, but that problem was fixed years ago.
A few people are still complaining, however, stating that a CG5 isn't sturdy enough for a 21 pound OTA, such as the C9.25. If you are expecting the sturdiness and tracking accuracy necessary to acquiring the kind of long exposure CCD captures needed for world class galaxy images, then you may be right. But to get that level of accuracy usually starts at around $10,000.00.
For visual use and for planetary and lunar imaging the CG5 is sturdy enough to use a C9.25 with ease. In fact, more than a few planetary photographers are even using this mount successfully in combination with C-11 OTAs.
I've been very pleased with the accuracy of this system. It almost never fails to place the target somewhere within the field of view. The alignment procedure can be a little tricky at first, and might have given me problems had I not read about it in the forums. It is important when slewing toward your chosen star to end the slew with the “up” and “right” arrows. Sometimes means having to first purposely overshoot the mark.