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Celestron - CGE-1100 with STARBRIGHT XLT Coatings
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$ 4424.00
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Click here for recommended accessories |
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The CGE-1100 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope is part of Celestron’s “Top-of-the-Line” German
Equatorial mounted astronomical telescopes. With the optical tube assembly of the CGE-1100
weighing only 27.5 lb., this telescope is still portable enough to be taken to dark skies, and it
has 89% more light gathering power than an 8” telescope. This model features our standard
StarBright coatings.
This telescope is especially at home as a solid platform for long exposure photography with
optional CCD cameras or photographic equipment; it is a serious scientific research tool. Using
an f/6.3 Focal Reducer makes it usable with a wide variety of CCD cameras.
German Equatorial mounts are recognized as being the superior choice for astrophotography because
of their rock solid stability, simple balancing and easy accessibility for attaching equipment.
Couple these mechanical features with other performance features like a designated autoguider
port, permanent periodic error correction and equatorial alignments, and the CGE 1100 would
please any serious amateur or college astronomy program.
As a visual instrument you can search for all of the Messier Catalog, NGC, IC and Caldwell
objects. Turn this scope to the planets and see amazing detail on the surface of Jupiter; see
Cassini’s Division in the rings of Saturn, and resolve details on the surface of Mars. Even the
distant Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are within your reach.
In addition to being fully computerized with a database of over 40,000 celestial objects, the CGE
German Equatorial mount offers numerous design advantages:
Portability – Set up and transportation of the CGE telescopes is made easy by
separating the CGE instruments into smaller, easy-to-carry components. Unlike fork arm mounted
telescopes, the CGE’s optical tubes can be quickly removed from their mounts making even the CGE
1400 easily assembled by only one person.
Stability – Recognized for superior stability, German Equatorial mounts place
the center of gravity directly over the tripod legs and can be easily polar aligned without the
use of an optional equatorial wedge. This proven design reduces the “tuning fork” vibration that
can be associated with undersized fork mounts. An improved Super HD Tripod supports the CGE
mount. This fully extendable tripod is made from the finest cold rolled carbon steel and can be
raised to a height of 50\”. The tripod uses a dual leg support for maximum rigidity with an upper
leg brace to provide an outward preload and a lower leg brace providing inward tension.
Balance – CGE equatorial mounts can easily be balanced in both axes. Simply
simply sliding the counterweight for Right Ascension and moving the optical tube along its
dovetail mounting for Declination accomplish balancing the weight of camera equipment and other
visual accessories. This means that no additional weight needs to be added to balance the
telescope when additional accessories are added.
Clearance – CGE mounts support their tubes at a single contact point allowing
the tube to move freely around its polar axis without making contact with the telescope’s mount.
This is particularly useful when adding photographic and CCD instruments that extend from the
rear of the telescopes.
All CGE mounted telescopes are compatible with Celestron’s CN-16 GPS accessory. Combine the GPS
and built-in Hibernate mode and these telescopes will keep track and remember their exact
location and time without having to enter the information into the hand control.
Celestron has brought its renowned StarBright technology to an even higher level of light
transmission with the introduction of our new optional StarBright XLT High Performance Optical
Coating System.
StarBright XLT Optical System Design - You’ll See The Light.
One of the most important factors in the evaluation of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope’s optical
system performance is its transmission - the percentage of incoming light that reaches the focal
plane. The design of the XLT System accomplishes two crucial objectives: Develop a coating system
that is optimized for visual use and for CCD/Photographic imaging.
The StarBright XLT System - What Makes It Different Makes It Better
There are three major components that make up our StarBright XLT high transmission optical system
design:
1. Unique enhanced multi-layer mirror coatings
Our mirror coatings are made from precise layers of Aluminum (Al), SiO2 (quartz), TiO2 (Titanium
Dioxide), and Si02. Reflectivity is fairly flat across the spectrum, optimizing it for both CCD
imaging and visual use. Click here to see a plot of the reflectivity of XLT’s Mirror Coatings.
2. Multi-layer anti-reflective coatings
Made from precise layers of MgF2 (Magnesium Fluoride), and HfO2 (Hafnium Dioxide) A rare element
costing nearly $2000 per kilogram, Hafnium gives us a wider band pass than Titanium, used in
competing coatings. Click here to see a plot of XLT’s corrector transmission.
3. High Transmission Water White glass
Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain optical systems with optional StarBright XLT coatings use Water
White glass instead of Soda Lime glass for the corrector lens. Water White glass transmits about
90.5% without anti-reflective coatings. That is 3.5% better transmission than uncoated Soda Lime
glass. When Water White glass is used in conjunction with StarBright XLT’s anti-reflective
coatings, the average transmission reaches 97.4% - an 8% improvement! Click here to see a plot of
water white glass versus soda lime.*
These three components of our StarBright XLT coatings result in one of the finest coatings
available. The peak transmission for the systems is 89% at 520 nm. The overall system
transmission is 83.5% averaged over the spectrum from 400 to 750 nm.
Recognized For Superior Stability
An improved Super HD Tripod supports the
CGE mount. This fully extendable tripod is made from the finest cold rolled carbon steel and can
be raised to a height of 50”. The tripod uses a dual leg support for maximum rigidity with an
upper leg brace to provide an outward preload and a lower leg brace providing inward
tension. CGE Equatorial Mounts Can Easily be Balanced on Both
Axes
Balancing the weight of camera equipment and other visual accessories is
accomplished by simply sliding the counterweight for Right Ascension and moving the optical tube
along its dovetail mounting for Declination. This means that no additional weight needs to be
added to balance the telescope when additional accessories are added. Clearance For
Accessories
CGE mounts support their tubes at a single contact point allowing the tube
to move freely around its polar axis without making contact with the telescope’s mount. This is
particularly useful when adding photographic and CCD instruments that extend from the rear of the
telescopes. GPS Compatible
All CGE mounts are compatible with
Celestron’s CN16 GPS accessory (Item #93967). Combine the GPS and built-in Hibernate mode and
these mounts will keep track and remember their exact location and time without the need to
re-enter the information into the remote hand control.
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