Backyard Voyager

Telescope review: Celestron 9.25" Schmidt-Cassegrain with CG5 "go-to" equatorial mount

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The 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope:

A Practical Observing Guide

Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes first became commercially available in 1966. For the last twenty-five years the 8-inch versions have been the most popular telescope on the market.

If you are new to SCTs, or new to amateur astronomy in general, this book should clear up many of your questions.

Choosing and Using a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope

I admit it. One of the reasons I first looked at this odd-sized Schmidt-Cassegrain was that, like so many others, I had heard the internet born rumors surrounding the Celestron 9.25. Although no one could explain exactly why, this SCT was thought to be different. One of the early reviewers called it the SCT for people who hated SCTs. Some said it was created as an optical experiment by one of the company's former owners. Others raved about the contrast. They likened the scope to an apo-- the greatest thing since Newton first used a mirror to gather light, they said.

Celestron Advanced Series 9.25 SCT

Celestron Advanced Series -- a 9.25

inch Schmidt-Cassegrain (SCT) telescope

on a CG5 tracking equatorial mount with

a database of 40,000 objects

It was supposed to have a cult following, which always sounds intriguing. Celestron wasn't confirming any of the stories, but they did little to dispel the notions. It was free advertising, after all. And, as it turned out, there really was a kernel of truth behind the rumors-- a small kernel, but undeniably present. At any rate, I was interested.

So I did my homework. This was to be my first telescope, or at least my first since a dimly recalled early sixties refractor of what must have been 60mm. Money was tight and I had to make the right decision. I knew this wouldn't be a passing fancy, and wanted to push the inevitable aperture upgrade into the distant future. In this, of course, I ultimately failed, but I did give it a try.

I needed a fairly big scope that was still manageable. I had read the maxim equating "best" with "most used." It also had to be good for planetary observation. And, knowing myself and having an inkling of the problems inherent to light pollution, I wanted the go-to technology. Additionally I wanted an equatorial mount, which in the future wouldn't limit me to just one OTA. Finally, I suspected that I would eventually try my hand at astrophotography. Lacking the funds necessary for long exposure work, I would probably begin that journey within the confines of our solar system, which would be easier with a slower focal ratio. So, in other words, I needed a light gathering, high-tech, planet killing, high magnification, inexpensive, observational astrograph that I could easily transport.

Of course I soon found out that no telescope excels at every task. There are always quality and feature tradeoffs involved in any scope decision, and most people who stick with the hobby for any length of time end up with more than one telescope. That wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. What I needed was a jack of all trades and master of none-- which, in the end, brings us to the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Now it was just a matter of size.