Celestron CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain
- The 7 inch (18 cm) Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
- f/15 focal ratio offers high-contrast planets and lunar landscapes, perfect for planetary photographers and visual observers
- with 2700 mm focal length and 3.1° field of view
- celestron's high-quality StarBright XLT coating ensures maximum light transmission
- the CGEM II, successor to the popular CGEM mount, with a load capacity of 18 kg, offers a modern design and supports the 700 Mak safely and vibration-free
CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain
The CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope (CGEM II 700 Mak) is a specialist for detailed, high-contrast observations of smaller celestial objects such as the planets. With the Maksutov-Cassegrain tube, the robust equatorial mount and the stable tripod, this telescope system enables incomparable planetary observations and detailed images of the lunar surface, including its craters and seas. Maks can also be used for smaller, fainter deep-sky objects such as globular clusters and planetary nebulae. Astronomers, close to cities, will appreciate the Mak's ability to bring out more contrast in celestial objects. Transporting the entire system is also no problem. The optical tube, mount head, tripod, counterweight rod and counterweight can be disassembled into individual handy parts without tools.
Maksutov-Cassegrain Optical Design
The Mak is a catadioptric telescope, which means that the optical design includes both a lens and a mirror. The light coming through a Mak passes through the corrector lens to the primary mirror and back to a spherical secondary mirror before hitting your eyepiece. Images are bright, sharp and virtually free of chromatic aberrations.
The optical design of the Maksutov-Cassegrain offers several unique advantages. Instead of a secondary mirror, the Mak has a "secondary spot" with a reflective coating that is applied directly to the inside of the corrector plate. For this reason, the telescope does not require frequent collimation like a Schmidt-Cassegrain. In addition, the "secondary spot" is significantly smaller than a conventional Schmidt-Cassegrain secondary mirror, which enables the characteristic high-contrast image.
With Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes, it is important to note that the larger, heavier Maksutov corrector plate takes longer to cool down and adjust to the ambient temperature than a Schmidt-Cassegrain with the same aperture.
CGEMII mount + tripod
The CGEM II is a robust equatorial mount that can support the telescope without vibration. With a payload of 18 kg, it can easily handle the 7 kg of the 700 Mak tube, providing sufficient payload for your camera and any accessories. The sturdy, height-adjustable tripod has 2" diameter steel tripod legs with graduated markings to quickly and easily adjust the legs to a consistent height. The 700 Mak mounts directly to the CGEM II with the 3" CGE dovetail bar.
The mount is packed with features that make working with the 700 Mak easy. The fully computerized mount automatically moves to any of over 40,000 astronomical objects as selected from the NexStar+ hand controller database.
The CGEM II's drive system was designed with the demands of astrophotography in mind and tracks precisely. At the heart of the system are the DC servo motors with integrated optical encoders for quiet, smooth operation. They have a very low starting resistance, so there are no voltage peaks that could overload the power supply unit. The motors drive precision-bearing steel drive worms that act on brass worm wheels. These components also contribute to the smooth, quiet and precise operation of the drive.
To track objects in the night sky, the mount must first be polar aligned. Thanks to the built-in All-Star Polar Alignment, polar alignment is no problem, even without looking at the celestial pole - the polar finder is superfluous (a polar finder is optionally available.) The best thing about it is that the setup can usually be completed in less than 15 minutes, even without a clear view of Polaris.
All classic mounts have a certain "periodic worm error" caused by tiny gear irregularities. To prevent this, the CGX has a permanent periodic error correction (PPEC). For this purpose, the periodic error is recorded and saved once, after which the control software of the hand controller automatically corrects the periodic worm error. For even greater tracking accuracy, the mount also has a special autoguider port to connect an autoguider camera directly to the mount.
The best conditions for observation are when celestial objects are at their highest point in the sky, the so-called meridian. But some equatorial mounts have difficulty tracking near the meridian because they have to perform a "meridian flip": The telescope must be slewed around. CGX does not suffer from this problem because tracking beyond the meridian is possible and no meridian flip is required. It tracks up to 20° above the meridian.
Together with the NexStar+ hand controller, the mount also has dozens of other functions.
These include:
Multiple methods for aligning the mount to the night sky
A slew rate of up to 5° per second
Usable in the northern and southern hemispheres
Autoguider port
Sleep mode, so the mount can be turned off without losing alignment.
Continuous firmware updates
In addition to the autoguider port, the CGEM II also has other ports. The hand control has a USB 2.0 port to control the mount with a PC and optional third-party software. There is an AUX port on the mount for optional accessories such as StarSense AutoAlign or the SkyPortal Wifi module.
Cable management can be a challenge in astrophotography: The camera requires one cable, another leads to the mount's power supply, plus the cables from the computer connection and autoguider - to minimize cable routing issues and avoid unwanted problems, the mount is internally wired for worry-free remote operation. This also eliminates the need to connect or disconnect an external declination motor cable.
Accessories included:
The CGEM II 700 Mak comes complete with a 2 inch visual back eyepiece tube, a 2 inch star diagonal mirror with 1.25 inch adapter, a 28 mm wide angle eyepiece and a large 8x50 finder. The telescope is prepared for larger 2 inch accessories such as 2 inch Barlow lenses, 2 inch eyepieces and similar.
Celestron CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Short profile
- The 7 inch (18 cm) Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
- f/15 focal ratio offers high-contrast planets and lunar landscapes, perfect for planetary photographers and visual observers
- with 2700 mm focal length and 3.1° field of view
- celestron's high-quality StarBright XLT coating ensures maximum light transmission
- the CGEM II, successor to the popular CGEM mount, with a load capacity of 18 kg, offers a modern design and supports the 700 Mak safely and vibration-free
Product description for Celestron CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain
CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain
The CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope (CGEM II 700 Mak) is a specialist for detailed, high-contrast observations of smaller celestial objects such as the planets. With the Maksutov-Cassegrain tube, the robust equatorial mount and the stable tripod, this telescope system enables incomparable planetary observations and detailed images of the lunar surface, including its craters and seas. Maks can also be used for smaller, fainter deep-sky objects such as globular clusters and planetary nebulae. Astronomers, close to cities, will appreciate the Mak's ability to bring out more contrast in celestial objects. Transporting the entire system is also no problem. The optical tube, mount head, tripod, counterweight rod and counterweight can be disassembled into individual handy parts without tools.
Maksutov-Cassegrain Optical Design
The Mak is a catadioptric telescope, which means that the optical design includes both a lens and a mirror. The light coming through a Mak passes through the corrector lens to the primary mirror and back to a spherical secondary mirror before hitting your eyepiece. Images are bright, sharp and virtually free of chromatic aberrations.
The optical design of the Maksutov-Cassegrain offers several unique advantages. Instead of a secondary mirror, the Mak has a "secondary spot" with a reflective coating that is applied directly to the inside of the corrector plate. For this reason, the telescope does not require frequent collimation like a Schmidt-Cassegrain. In addition, the "secondary spot" is significantly smaller than a conventional Schmidt-Cassegrain secondary mirror, which enables the characteristic high-contrast image.
With Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes, it is important to note that the larger, heavier Maksutov corrector plate takes longer to cool down and adjust to the ambient temperature than a Schmidt-Cassegrain with the same aperture.
CGEMII mount + tripod
The CGEM II is a robust equatorial mount that can support the telescope without vibration. With a payload of 18 kg, it can easily handle the 7 kg of the 700 Mak tube, providing sufficient payload for your camera and any accessories. The sturdy, height-adjustable tripod has 2" diameter steel tripod legs with graduated markings to quickly and easily adjust the legs to a consistent height. The 700 Mak mounts directly to the CGEM II with the 3" CGE dovetail bar.
The mount is packed with features that make working with the 700 Mak easy. The fully computerized mount automatically moves to any of over 40,000 astronomical objects as selected from the NexStar+ hand controller database.
The CGEM II's drive system was designed with the demands of astrophotography in mind and tracks precisely. At the heart of the system are the DC servo motors with integrated optical encoders for quiet, smooth operation. They have a very low starting resistance, so there are no voltage peaks that could overload the power supply unit. The motors drive precision-bearing steel drive worms that act on brass worm wheels. These components also contribute to the smooth, quiet and precise operation of the drive.
To track objects in the night sky, the mount must first be polar aligned. Thanks to the built-in All-Star Polar Alignment, polar alignment is no problem, even without looking at the celestial pole - the polar finder is superfluous (a polar finder is optionally available.) The best thing about it is that the setup can usually be completed in less than 15 minutes, even without a clear view of Polaris.
All classic mounts have a certain "periodic worm error" caused by tiny gear irregularities. To prevent this, the CGX has a permanent periodic error correction (PPEC). For this purpose, the periodic error is recorded and saved once, after which the control software of the hand controller automatically corrects the periodic worm error. For even greater tracking accuracy, the mount also has a special autoguider port to connect an autoguider camera directly to the mount.
The best conditions for observation are when celestial objects are at their highest point in the sky, the so-called meridian. But some equatorial mounts have difficulty tracking near the meridian because they have to perform a "meridian flip": The telescope must be slewed around. CGX does not suffer from this problem because tracking beyond the meridian is possible and no meridian flip is required. It tracks up to 20° above the meridian.
Together with the NexStar+ hand controller, the mount also has dozens of other functions.
These include:
Multiple methods for aligning the mount to the night sky
A slew rate of up to 5° per second
Usable in the northern and southern hemispheres
Autoguider port
Sleep mode, so the mount can be turned off without losing alignment.
Continuous firmware updates
In addition to the autoguider port, the CGEM II also has other ports. The hand control has a USB 2.0 port to control the mount with a PC and optional third-party software. There is an AUX port on the mount for optional accessories such as StarSense AutoAlign or the SkyPortal Wifi module.
Cable management can be a challenge in astrophotography: The camera requires one cable, another leads to the mount's power supply, plus the cables from the computer connection and autoguider - to minimize cable routing issues and avoid unwanted problems, the mount is internally wired for worry-free remote operation. This also eliminates the need to connect or disconnect an external declination motor cable.
Accessories included:
The CGEM II 700 Mak comes complete with a 2 inch visual back eyepiece tube, a 2 inch star diagonal mirror with 1.25 inch adapter, a 28 mm wide angle eyepiece and a large 8x50 finder. The telescope is prepared for larger 2 inch accessories such as 2 inch Barlow lenses, 2 inch eyepieces and similar.
Celestron CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain
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