Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount CGEM Series Manual

Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount Manual

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  • Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount | CGEM Series Manual - Page 1
    CGEM Series INSTRUCTION MANUAL CGEM 800 ● CGEM 925 ● CGEM 1100
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    Finderscope ...11 Installing the CGEM 1100 Finderscope ...11 Removing the Lens Cap ...13 Moving the Telescope Manually ...13 Balancing the Mount in R.A...13 Balancing the Mount in DEC ...14 Adjusting the Mount ...14 Adjusting the Mount in Altitude...14 Adjusting the Mount in Azimuth ...15 Powering
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    ...30 Set Mount Position ...30 Set Mount Position...30 Turn On/Off GPS ...30 Turn On/Off RTC...30 Periodic Error Correction ...30 TELESCOPE BASICS...32 Metering ...48 Reducing Vibration ...48 CCD Imaging ...49 Auto Guiding...49 TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE...50 Care and Cleaning of the Optics ...50
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    the Universe. It may take a few observing sessions to become familiar with your telescope, so you should keep this manual handy until you have fully mastered your telescope's operation. The hand control has built-in instructions to guide you through all the alignment procedures needed to have the
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    AS 12 11 Figure 2.2 - CGEM (CGEM 1100 Shown) 1 10 9 8 E D C B A 1 Optical Tube 2 Telescope Mounting Platform 3 Equatorial Mount 4 Latitude Adjustment Knob 5 Hand Control 6 Tripod CONTROL PANEL A On/Off Switch B 12v Input Jack 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 Tripod Center Leg Brace/Accessory Tray 8 Counterweight
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    up your Celestron telescope you must start with the tripod and work up from there. These instructions are laid out in the order each task must be performed. Setting up the Tripod The CGEM tripod comes with an all metal center leg brace / accessory tray to give rock solid support to the mount. The
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    to fit between the screw tips. Figure 2-2 Attaching the Equatorial Mount The equatorial mount allows you to tilt the telescope's axis of rotation so that you can track the stars as they move across the sky. The CGEM mount is a German equatorial mount that attaches to the tripod head. On one side
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    in the equatorial mount on the DEC axis 4. Thread the counterweight bar into the opening until tight. Figure 2-4 5. Tighten the counterweight bar lock nut fully for added support. Once the bar is securely in place you are ready to attach the counterweight. Since the fully assembled telescope can
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    the Hand Control Holder The telescope comes with a hand control holder to place the computerized hand control. The hand that the mount does not move suddenly while attaching the telescope. To mount the telescope tube: 1. Loosen the mounting screw on the side of the telescope mounting platform.
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    rear cell. Installing the Star Diagonal The star diagonal is a prism that diverts the light at a right angle to the light path of the telescope. This allows you to observe in positions that are physically more comfortable than if you looked straight through. To attach the star diagonal onto the
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    tipped thumbscrews until snug. Installing the CGEM 1100 Finderscope The CGEM 1100 telescope comes with a 9x50 finderscope. The mounted in the included quick-release bracket then attached to the rear cell of the telescope. To install the finderscope: 1. Locate the finderscope mounting
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    4. Insert the screws through the bracket and into the rear cell. Figure 2-10 WARNING: If you remove the mounting bracket, do not completely thread the screws back into the rear cell of the telescope. The screws may be long enough to obstruct the movement of, and possibly damage the primary mirror
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    Moving the Telescope Manually In order to properly balance your telescope, you will need to move your telescope manually at instructions describe a perfect balance arrangement, there should be a SLIGHT imbalance to ensure the best possible tracking. When the scope is on the west side of the mount
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    is pointing down before loosening the mounting platform screw. 6. Tighten the knobs on the telescope mounting platform to hold the telescope in place. Like R.A. balance, these are general balance instructions and will reduce undue stress on the mount. When taking astrophotographs, this balance
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    in right ascension and declination, as described earlier in this manual. Powering the Telescope The telescope mount can be powered by the supplied car battery adapter or optional 12v AC adapter. Use only adapters supplied by Celestron. Using any other adapter may damage the electronics or cause
  • Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount | CGEM Series Manual - Page 16
    of the individual components of the computerized hand controller: 1. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Window: Has a dual-line, 16 character display screen that is backlit for comfortable viewing of telescope information and scrolling text. 2. Align: Instructs the telescope to use a selected star or
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    RS-232 Jack: Allows you to interface with a computer and control the telescope remotely. Hand Control Operation This section describes the basic hand control procedures needed to operate all Celestron computerized telescopes. These procedures are grouped into three categories: Alignment, Setup and
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    control. Index Marks 1. Press ENTER to begin the alignment process. 2. The hand control will ask the user to set the mount to its index position. Move the telescope mount, either manually or with the hand control, so that the index marked in both R.A. and Dec are aligned (see Fig 3-2). Press
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    finder, press ENTER. 3. The display will then instruct you to center the star in the field of is essential for an accurate calibration of the mount. Finally you can chose to continue to add full sky pointing accuracy, your computerized telescope automatically filters and chooses its initial
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    control, do the following: 1. Press the UNDO button until the display reads "CGEM Ready" 2. Press the MENU button and use the Up and Down keys to the display by using the same procedure as above.  To improve the telescope pointing accuracy, you can use the Re-Align feature as described below.
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    telescope without having to re-enter addition information.  If you have used the computer assisted polar alignment method and have manually moved the mount, it may be necessary to re-align the mount until you are at the main menu. 4. With CGEM Ready displayed, press the ALIGN key on the hand
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    can be obtained without having to do a star alignment. After the telescope is powered on, pressing any of the catalog keys allows you to scroll set filter limits (see Filter Limits in the Setup Procedures section of the manual). To activate the Tour mode, press the TOUR key (6) on the hand
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    and can be used for accurate centering of objects in the eyepiece and photographic guiding. To change the speed rate of the motors:  Press the RATE key change the way the telescope tracks depending on the type of mount being used to support the telescope. The telescope has three different tracking
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    and press ENTER. The display will then ask you to enter first the R.A. and then the declination of the desired object. Save Land Object: The telescope can also be used as a spotting scope on terrestrial objects. Fixed land objects can be stored by saving their altitude and azimuth relative to the
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    to the objects you are currently observing. For example, if your telescope is pointed at the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, choosing Identify LIMITS DIRECTION BUTTONS GOTO APPROACH AUTOGUIDE RATES OTA ORIENTATION MERIDIAN MOUNT SETTINGS RA LIMITS RA POSITIVE RA NEGATIVE DEC POSITIVE DEC
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    control arrow buttons are pressed (especially when changing directions). The CGEM anti-backlash features allows the user to compensate for backlash by on which side of the Meridian the telescope tube is on. This can create confusion especially when guiding on a star when doing astrophotography.
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    that are as far as 10 degrees beyond your Meridian.  Favor West - If the target object is accessible from both sides of the mount, selecting "Favor West" instructs the telescope to point to the object as if it were on the west side of the meridian. The optical tube will then be positioned
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    proves to be a problem, the direction that the telescope takes to center an object can be changed. To change the telescopes slewing direction, see Goto telescope, the mount has built-in calibration routines allowing it to compensate for mechanical variation inherent in every German equatorial mount
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    mounted or leave their telescope in one location for long periods of time. To place your telescope in Hibernate mode: 1. Select Hibernate from the Utility Menu. 2. Move the telescope to a desire position and press ENTER. 3. Power off the telescope. Remember to never move your telescope manually
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    pressing the Align button. Once synced on the star, you are free to manually move the mount in both axes in order to rebalance. When you are ready to slew the telescope to your next object, just remember to manually return the tube to the same bright star and carefully center it in the
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    SKY OBJECT SAVE SKY OBJECT SAVE DB OBJECT ENTER RA & DEC GOTO LAND OBJECT SAVE LAND OBJECT ALIGN ALIGNMENT STARS CALIB. STARS POLAR ALIGN ALIGN MOUNT DISPLAY ALIGN SYNC UNDO SYNC ALIGNMENT SELECT LOCATION SET TO INDEX ENTER TIME DLS/ST TIME ZONE ENTER DATE - MM/DD/YY TWO STAR ALIGN
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    light path of the Schmidt-Cassegrain optical design Image Orientation The image orientation changes depending on how the eyepiece is inserted into the telescope. When using the star diagonal, the image is right-side-up, but reversed from left-to-right (i.e., mirror image). If inserting the eyepiece
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    mounted on a ring that slides back and forth on the primary baffle tube. The focusing knob, which moves the primary mirror, is on the rear cell of the telescope go right through focus without seeing the image. To avoid this problem, your first astronomical target should be a bright object (like the
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    apparent field of each eyepiece that Celestron manufactures is found in the Celestron Accessory Catalog (#93685). General a window to the next. This inconsistency can and will affect the ability to focus your telescope. In most cases you will not be able to achieve a truly sharp image, while
  • Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount | CGEM Series Manual - Page 35
    Up to this point, this manual covered the assembly and basic operation of your telescope. However, to understand your telescope more thoroughly, you need to know a little about the night sky. This section deals with observational astronomy in general and includes information on the night
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    Motion of the Stars The daily motion of the Sun across the sky is familiar to even the most casual observer. This daily trek is not the Sun moving as early astronomers thought, but the result of the Earth's rotation. The Earth's rotation also causes the stars to do the same, scribing out a large
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    axis is pointing. For specific information on adjusting the equatorial mount, please see the section "Adjusting the Mount." This method can be done in daylight, thus The CGEM mount has a polar alignment function called "All-Star" polar alignment that will help you polar align your telescope for
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    Alignment After polar alignment it's a good idea to check the pointing accuracy of the telescope to see how much it may have been affected by moving the mount. Since the polar alignment process requires you to "sync" the telescope on a bright star before you begin, it will be necessary to undo the
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    press fits into the front of the mount. See figure 5-4 3. Loosen the DEC clutch knob and move the telescope so that the tube is perpendicular to northern hemisphere all stars move around the north celestial pole. When the telescope's polar axis is pointed at the celestial pole, it is parallel to
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    and bring out detail on the planetary surface, try using Celestron eyepiece filters. Observing the Sun Although overlooked by many amateur so as not to damage your eyes or your telescope. Never project an image of the Sun through the telescope. Because of the folded optical design, tremendous
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    To center the Sun without looking into the eyepiece, watch the shadow of the telescope tube until it forms a circular shadow.  To ensure accurate tracking, be airglow, and light pollution greatly affect transparency. While not a problem for the brighter stars and planets, bright skies reduce the
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    Figure 6-1 Seeing conditions directly affect image quality. These drawings represent a point source (i.e., star) under bad seeing conditions (left) to excellent conditions (right). Most often, seeing conditions produce images that lie some where between these two extremes. 42
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    the market today. Second, the "B" or manual setting should NOT run off the battery. Many telescope without an eyepiece or camera lens in place. To attach your camera you need the Celestron to your telescope. 1. Remove all visual accessories. 2. Thread the T-Ring onto the T-Adapter. 3. Mount your
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     Any 100 to 400 ISO color slide film  Fuji Super HG 400  Ektar 25 or 100 2. Center the Moon in the field of your telescope. 3. Focus the telescope by turning the focus knob until the image is sharp. 4. Set the shutter speed to the appropriate setting (see table below). 5. Trip the shutter
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    job a little easier, align the finder as accurately as possible. This allows you to get the object in the telescope's field based on the finder's view alone. Another problem introduced by the high magnification is vibration. Simply tripping the shutter  even with a cable release  produces enough
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    reticle to monitor your guide star. For this purpose, Celestron offers the Micro Guide Eyepiece (#94171) Here is a brief summary of the technique. 1. Polar align the telescope. For more information on polar aligning, see the Polar Alignment section earlier in the manual. 2. Remove all visual
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    errors. Using the PEC function is a three-step process. First, the CGEM needs to know the current position of its worm gear so that it has Insert a high power eyepiece with illuminated cross hairs into your telescope. Orient the guiding eyepiece cross hairs so that one is parallel to the declination
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    with PEC, off-axis guiding is still mandatory for view. Metering The CGEM Series telescope has a fixed aperture manual for specific information on metering and changing shutter speeds. Reducing Vibration Releasing the shutter manually mounted on a tripod, the exposure length is virtually unlimited. 48
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    50.4" (1280mm) 58" (1481mm) 69" (1764mm) Table 7-3 Auto Guiding The CGEM mount has a designated auto guiding port for use with a CCD autoguider. The diagram below may be useful when connecting the CCD camera cable to the telescope and calibrating the autoguider. Note that the four outputs are
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    Celestron repair department. If your telescope is in need of internal cleaning, please call the factory for a return authorization number and price quote. Collimation The optical performance of your telescope have to manually track the star. Or, if you do not want to power up your telescope, you can
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    de-focused star and notice in which direction the central shadow is skewed. 2. Place your finger along the edge of the front cell of the telescope (be careful not to touch the corrector plate), pointing towards the collimation screws. The shadow of your finger should be visible when looking into
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    image very symmetrical just inside and outside of focus. In addition, perfect collimation delivers the optimal optical performance specifications that your telescope is built to achieve. If seeing (i.e., air steadiness) is turbulent, collimation is difficult to judge. Wait until a better night if it
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    in alphabetical order. Barlow Lens - A Barlow lens is a negative lens that increases the focal length of a telescope. Used with any eyepiece, it doubles the magnification of that eyepiece. Celestron offers two Barlow lens in the 1-1/4" size. The 2x Ultima Barlow (#93506) is a compact triplet design
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    German equatorial mount Celestron Radial Guider® is specifically designed for use in prime focus, deep sky astrophotography and takes the place of the T-Adapter. This device allows you to photograph and guide simultaneously through the optical tube assembly of your telescope. This type of guiding
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    radial guider. It makes guiding easier and exposures much shorter. Sky Maps (#93722) - Celestron Sky Maps are the ideal teaching guide for learning the night the telescope. Each camera make (i.e., Minolta, Nikon, Pentax, etc.) has its own unique mount and therefore, its own T-Ring. Celestron has
  • Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount | CGEM Series Manual - Page 56
    Mount Eyepiece Star Diagonal Accessory tray Tripod 11097 CGEM 800 11098 CGEM 925 11099 CGEM 1100 203mm (8") SchmidtCassegrain 2032mm F/10 6x30 CGEM Computerized Equatorial Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area by Diameter Optical tube length Telescope Weight 480x 29x 14 .68 arc seconds .57 arc
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    pole Celestial Sphere Collimation DDeclination (DEC) E Ecliptic Equatorial mount The apparent magnitude that a star would have if it defined as "the apparent yearly path of the Sun against the stars". A telescope mounting in which the instrument is set upon an axis which is parallel to the axis
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    a point source. A planet is far away but it can be resolved as a disk. Most stars cannot be resolved as disks, they are too far away. A telescope in which the light is collected by means of a mirror. The minimum detectable angle an optical system can detect. Because of diffraction, there is a limit
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    TTerminator UUniverse VVariable Star WWaning Moon Waxing Moon ZZenith Zodiac telescope at this rate. The rate is 15 arc seconds per second or 15 degrees per hour. The boundary line between the light and dark portion
  • Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount | CGEM Series Manual - Page 60
    with a computer via the RS-232 port on the computerized hand control and using an optional RS-232 cable (#93920). Once connected, the telescope can be controlled using popular astronomy software programs. Communication Protocol: The CGEM Mount communicates at 9600 bits/sec, No parity and a stop
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    Additional RS232 Commands Send Any Track Rate Through RS232 To The Hand Control 1. Multiply the desired tracking rate (arcseconds/second) by 4. Example: if the desired trackrate is 150 arcseconds/second, then TRACKRATE = 600 2. Separate TRACKRATE into two bytes, such that (TRACKRATE =
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    APPENDIX D - MAPS OF TIME ZONES 62
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    right to modify or discontinue, without prior notice to you, any model or style telescope. If warranty problems arise, or if you need assistance in using your telescope contact: Celestron Customer Service Department 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 U.S.A. Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212
  • Celestron CGEM Computerized Mount | CGEM Series Manual - Page 71
    Celestron 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 U.S.A. Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212-5835 Web site at http//www.celestron.com Copyright 2008 Celestron All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.) Item # 11097-INST $10.00 02-09 - Rev3
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INSTRUCTION MANUAL
CGEM 800
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CGEM 925
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CGEM 1100