Celestron CGX-L GOTO Equatorial Mount

Celestron's newly designed CGX-L Computerized Equatorial mount is the latest addition to our fully computerized equatorial mount series. Capable of carrying Celestron’s largest optical tubes with ease, CGX-L is designed for backyard observatories and remote imagers looking for exceptional load capacity to weight ratio, compact design, and innovative features that fully support large telescopes, imaging kits, and the latest in wireless tech accessories.

Key design goals included larger 144 mm diameter worm wheels which provide smoother operation and can more accurately drive heavier loads, longer 270 mm dovetail saddle to support larger optical tubes, remote operation friendly features such as home and limit optical sensors, easier polar alignment adjustments, and better cable management overall. In addition to that, we’ve made mechanical and ergonomic improvements throughout to make the mount sturdier, easier to use, and easier to transport. COMPACT. ERGONOMIC. INNOVATIVE.

NEW CGX-L FEATURES

Increased 75 lb load capacity. Exceptional load capacity to weight ratio

Additional Aux accessory ports and autoguider port on the Dec axis for better cable management

Larger 144 mm diameter worm wheels to better and more accurately drive heavier loads

Longer 270 mm dovetail saddle to better support larger optical tubes

Massive 70 mm stainless steel tripod legs with a wider stance for improved stability under heavy loads

New accessory tray holds three 1.25” and two 2” eyepieces with an upright stand for your smartphone or tablet

Heavy duty, 31.5 mm stainless steel counterweight shaft to support additional counterweights

Optional add-on polar axis finderscope custom designed for CGX and CGX-L

Supports WiFi and wireless operation accessories such as StarSense AutoAlign and SkyPortal WiFi Module (sold separately)

MOUNT FEATURES

Compact, lower profile equatorial head provides improved stability and portability. Sturdier and more rigid with quicker dampening time

Improved motors provide more torque, better slewing and tracking under heavy loads

Heavy duty belt-drive system minimizes backlash while providing smooth motor operation at full capacity

Clear windows built into motor covers so pulleys and belts can be monitored

Spring-loaded brass worm wheel and stainless steel worm gear reduce friction and provide optimum gear mesh

Internal cabling for worry-free remote operation. Power input and lower accessory ports remain stationary while the mount slews to avoid snags

Internal hard stops for both axes prevent cable tension and tripod strike

Internal optical sensors on both axes for simple and safe remote operation

-Home sensors allow the mount to always start in the index position regardless of orientation before a power reset

-Limit sensors automatically shut off slewing or tracking before reaching the hard stop fail safe

Includes Celestron's new PWI telescope control software, co-developed by PlaneWave Instruments. Software features multi-point mount modeling for extremely precise pointing accuracy

Software Polar Align: “All-Star Polar Alignment” allows quick and very precise polar alignment. Align on any bright named star without extra polar alignment accessories, apps, or other assistance

Adjustable EQ head position to optimize center of gravity over the tripod and fully utilize the increased 3º-65º latitude range

Dual-fit Vixen/CG-5 and Losmandy/CGE dovetail saddle

+20º of additional tracking past the meridian on either side

Redesigned tripod has a widened stance for added stability. The minimum tripod height has also been lowered per user feedback

Tripod legs can be collapsed with accessory tray installed for faster setup and transport

IMPROVED ERGONOMICS:

Integrated handles for easy transport and portability

All-new ergonomically designed dovetail clamping knobs

Innovative and improved polar alignment adjustment system

All-new ergonomic adjustment knobs with reduced friction for smooth and easy positioning under full loads. Stationary latitude knob with a newly-designed linkage system greatly reduces the amount of friction when polar aligning the mount. Redesigned azimuth adjustment with low-friction Teflon bearings to make adjustments easy under full load. No more binding or rough adjustments!

Easy to read latitude scale

ELECTRONICS

NexStar+ hand control with USB port

USB 2.0 port used to connect directly to PC with PWI Software

2 available autoguider ports for optimum cable management

PEC sensor and PPEC ready

Threaded 12VDC power input barrel connector

Internal Real Time Clock (keeps time and site information saved)

On/Off rocker switch with red LED

SPECIFICATIONS

Mount German Equatorial
Instrument load capacity 75 lb
Tripod height adjustment range 35.75” to 52.75”
Tripod leg diameter 2.75"
Latitude adjustment range 3º-65º
Tripod Weight 46.2 lb
EQ Head Weight w/o Counterweight Shaft 47 lb
Total EQ Head Weight 52.6 lb
Max Slew Speed 4º/second (3º/second is default)
Tracking Rates Sidereal, Solar and Lunar
Number of Auxiliary ports (for hand control and accessories) 4
Autoguide port Yes
USB Port Yes
Software Celestron PlaneWave Instruments
Included Items
CGX-L Equatorial Head
CGX-L Tripod
Accessory Tray
1 x 22 lb Counterweight
NexStar+ Hand Control
DC Power Cable (plugs into cigarette lighter socket)
8 mm Allen Wrench (contained in rear carry handle)

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

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