Celestron CGE925, CGE800, CGE1400, CGE1100 User Manual

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INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................................................4

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ASSEMBLY ...........................................................................................................................................................................................6

Setting up the Tripod...........................................................................................................................................................................6

Attaching the Center Leg Brace ..........................................................................................................................................................7

Attaching the Electronics Pier.............................................................................................................................................................7

Attaching the Equatorial Mount..........................................................................................................................................................8

Installing the Counterweight Bar ........................................................................................................................................................8

Installing the Counterweight...............................................................................................................................................................8

Attaching the Optical Tube to the Mount............................................................................................................................................9

Attaching the Visual Back...................................................................................................................................................................9

Installing the Star Diagonal...............................................................................................................................................................10

Installing the Eyepiece......................................................................................................................................................................10

Installing the Finderscope.................................................................................................................................................................11

Moving the Telescope Manually.......................................................................................................................................................12

Adjusting the Mount.........................................................................................................................................................................12

Balancing The Mount in R.A. ...........................................................................................................................................................13

Balancing The Mount in DEC...........................................................................................................................................................13

Attaching the Motor Cables ..............................................................................................................................................................14

Powering the Telescope ....................................................................................................................................................................14

Transporting the CGE .......................................................................................................................................................................14

HAND CONTROL...............................................................................................................................................................................16

Named Stars ......................................................................................................................................................................................17

Hand Control Operation ....................................................................................................................................................................17

Alignment Procedures.......................................................................................................................................................................18

Startup Procedure..............................................................................................................................................................................18

Auto Two-Star Align ........................................................................................................................................................................19

Auto One-Star Align .........................................................................................................................................................................19

Quick-Align......................................................................................................................................................................................20

Last Alignment .................................................................................................................................................................................20

CGE Re-Alignment...........................................................................................................................................................................20

Object Catalog ..................................................................................................................................................................................21

Selecting an Object............................................................................................................................................................................21

Slewing to an Object .........................................................................................................................................................................21

Finding Planets..................................................................................................................................................................................21

Tour Mode.........................................................................................................................................................................................22

Constellation Tour.............................................................................................................................................................................22

Direction Buttons ..............................................................................................................................................................................22

Rate Button........................................................................................................................................................................................22

Setup Procedures...............................................................................................................................................................................23

Tracking Mode........................................................................................................................................................................23

Tracking Rate..........................................................................................................................................................................23

Date/Time ...............................................................................................................................................................................23

User Defined Objects ..............................................................................................................................................................24

Get RA/DEC...........................................................................................................................................................................24

Goto R.A/Dec..........................................................................................................................................................................24

Identify....................................................................................................................................................................................24

Precise GoTo.....................................................................................................................................................................................25

Scope Setup Features.........................................................................................................................................................................25

Steup Time-Site.......................................................................................................................................................................25

Anti-backlash..........................................................................................................................................................................25

Filter Limits ............................................................................................................................................................................26

Direction Buttons .................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Goto Approach........................................................................................................................................................................26

Autoguide Rates......................................................................................................................................................................26

Mount Settings........................................................................................................................................................................26

Utility Features..................................................................................................................................................................................27

Calibrate Mount ......................................................................................................................................................................27

Move to Switch.......................................................................................................................................................................27

Home Position.........................................................................................................................................................................27

Polar Align ..............................................................................................................................................................................27

Periodic Error Correction........................................................................................................................................................28

Light Control...........................................................................................................................................................................28

Factory Settings.......................................................................................................................................................................28

Version....................................................................................................................................................................................28

Get Alt-Az...............................................................................................................................................................................28

Goto Alt-Az ............................................................................................................................................................................28

Hibernate.................................................................................................................................................................................28

Turn On/Off RTC....................................................................................................................................................................28

Turn On/Off GPS ....................................................................................................................................................................29

Image Orientation..............................................................................................................................................................................31

Focusing............................................................................................................................................................................................32

Calculating Magnification .................................................................................................................................................................32

Determining Field of View................................................................................................................................................................32

General Observing Hints ...................................................................................................................................................................33

ASTRONOMY BASICS......................................................................................................................................................................34

The Celestial Coordinate System.......................................................................................................................................................34

Motion of the Stars............................................................................................................................................................................35

Finding the North Celestial Pole........................................................................................................................................................37

Declination Drift Method of Polar Alignment ...................................................................................................................................38

CELESTIAL OBSERVING................................................................................................................................................................39

Observing the Moon..........................................................................................................................................................................39

Lunar Observing Hints ......................................................................................................................................................................39

Observing the Planets........................................................................................................................................................................39

Observing the Sun .............................................................................................................................................................................40

Solar Observing Hints .......................................................................................................................................................................40

Observing Deep Sky Objects.............................................................................................................................................................40

Seeing Conditions..............................................................................................................................................................................40

Transparency.....................................................................................................................................................................................40

Sky Illumination................................................................................................................................................................................40

Seeing................................................................................................................................................................................................41

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................................................. 42

Short Exposure Prime Focus Photography ........................................................................................................................................42

Eyepiece Projection...........................................................................................................................................................................43

Long Exposure Prime Focus Photography.........................................................................................................................................44

Periodic Error Correction (PEC)........................................................................................................................................................45

Using Periodic Error Correction ........................................................................................................................................................46

Terrestrial Photography.....................................................................................................................................................................47

Metering............................................................................................................................................................................................47

Reducing Vibration ...........................................................................................................................................................................47

CCD Imaging ....................................................................................................................................................................................47

Fastar F/2 Imaging............................................................................................................................................................................49

F/6.3 with Reducer/Corrector............................................................................................................................................................50

Medium size to small galaxies –........................................................................................................................................................50

Planetary or Lunar-- ..........................................................................................................................................................................50

Auto Guiding.....................................................................................................................................................................................51

TELESCOPE MAINTENANCE ........................................................................................................................................................ 52

Care and Cleaning of the Optics........................................................................................................................................................52

Collimation........................................................................................................................................................................................52

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES............................................................................................................................................................54

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS....................................................................................................................................................57

APPENDIX A – LONGITUDES AND LATITUDES........................................................................................................................59

APPENDIX B – RS-232 CONNECTION...........................................................................................................................................64

APPENDIX C – TIME ZONE MAP ..................................................................................................................................................66

SKY MAPS...........................................................................................................................................................................................68

Congratulations on your purchase of the Celestron CGE telescope! The CGE ushers in the next generation of computer automated telescopes. The Celestron CGE series continues in this proud tradition combining large aperture

optics with the sophistication and ease of use of our computerized GoTo mount.

If you are new to astronomy, you may wish to start off by using the CGE's built-in Sky Tour feature, which commands the CGE to find the most interesting objects in the sky and automatically slews to each one. Or if you are an experienced amateur, you will appreciate the comprehensive database of over 40,000 objects, including customized lists of all the best deep-sky objects, bright double stars and variable stars. No matter at what level you are starting out, the CGE will unfold for you and your friends all the wonders of the Universe.

Some of the many standard features of the CGE include:

• Fully enclosed optical encoders for position location.

• Ergonomically designed mount that disassembles into compact and portable pieces

• Database filter limits for creating custom object lists.

• Storage for programmable user defined objects; and

Many other high performance features!

The CGE’s deluxe features combine with Celestron’s legendary Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system to give amateur astronomers the most sophisticated and easy to use telescopes available on the market today.

Take time to read through this manual before embarking on your journey through the Universe. It may take a few observing sessions to become familiar with your CGE, so you should keep this manual handy until you have fully mastered your telescope’s operation. The CGE hand control has built-in instructions to guide you through all the alignment procedures needed to have the telescope up and running in minutes. Use this manual in conjunction with the on-screen instructions provided by the hand control. The manual gives detailed information regarding each step as well as needed reference material and helpful hints guaranteed to make your observing experience as simple and pleasurable as possible.

Your CGE telescope is designed to give you years of fun and rewarding observations. However, there are a few things to consider before using your telescope that will ensure your safety and protect your equipment.

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Y Never look directly at the sun with the naked eye or with a telescope (unless you have

the proper solar filter). Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.

Y Never use your telescope to project an image of the sun onto any surface. Internal heat build-up can damage the

telescope and any accessories attached to it.

Y Never use an eyepiece solar filter or a Herschel wedge. Internal heat build-up inside the telescope can cause these

devices to crack or break, allowing unfiltered sunlight to pass through to the eye. Never leave the telescope unsupervised, either when children are present or adults who may not be familiar with the correct operating procedures of your telescope

ASSE

Figure 2.1 - The CGE Telescope

(CGE 1400 Shown)

1 Schmidt Corrector Lens 8 Control Panel (see below) 2 Optical Tube 9 Hand Control Holder / Strap 3 Finderscope 10 Hand Control 4 Eyepiece 11 Tripod 5 Star Diagonal 12 Tripod Center Leg Brace 6 Declination Clutch Lock 13 Counterweights 7 Latitude Adjustment Scale 14 Counterweight Bar

15 R.A. Clutch Lock

CONTROL PANEL E 12v Output Jack A Dec Motor Port F On/Off Switch B R.A. Motor Port G Auxiliary Port 1 C PC Interface Port H Auxiliary Port 2 D Auto Guider Port I Hand Control Port

This section covers the assembly instructions for your Celestron CGE telescope. The CGE telescope should be set up indoors the first time so that it is easy to identify the various parts and familiarize yourself with the correct assembly procedure before attempting it outdoors.

Eyepiece

Diagonal Finderscope Power Supply Counterweight

The Celestron CGE telescopes are shipped in four boxes (the CGE 1400 comes in five boxes). In separate boxes are the following:

• Optical Tube Assembly and Standard Accessories

• Equatorial Mount, Electronic Pier, Hand Control and Counterweight Bar

• Super HD Tripod

• Counterweight(s)

Remove all the pieces from their respective boxes and place on a flat, clear work area. A large floor space is ideal. When setting 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.

CGE 800 (#11058) CGE 925 (#11059) CGE 1100 (#11061) CGE 1400 (#11063)

25mm Plossl Eyepiece - 1.25" Star Diagonal - 1.25" Star Diagonal - 1.25" Star Diagonal - 1.25" Mirror Diagonal –2" 6x30 with Bracket 6x30 with Bracket 9x50 with Bracket 9x50 with Bracket Car Battery Adapter Car Battery Adapter Car Battery Adapter Car Battery Adapter One - 11 lb. One - 25 lb. One - 25 lb. Two – 25 lb.

25mm Plossl Eyepiece - 1.25"

40mm Plossl Eyepiece - 1.25"

40mm Eyepiece - 2"

Setting up the Tripod

The tripod legs attach to the electronics pier which together form the tripod to which the equatorial mount attaches. The tripod comes with two leg support brackets; a collapsible one that is already attached to the lower legs and a removable one that must be attached. To set up the tripod:

1. Stand the tripod vertically on a level surface, with the feet facing down.

2. Grab the lower portion of two of the tripod legs and lift them slightly off the ground so that the tripod is resting on the third leg.

3. Extend the tripod legs by pulling the tripod legs apart until the collapsible leg bracket is fully extended.

Before the tripod is ready to support the equatorial head and optical tube the center leg support brace must first be installed.

Electronincs

Hand Contro

Holder

Figure 2-2

Tripod Leg

Center Leg Brace

Attaching the Center Leg Brace

For maximum rigidity, the Super HD Tripod has a center leg brace that installs on to the threaded rod below the tripod head. This brace fits snugly against the tripod legs, increasing stability while reducing vibration and flexure. To attach the center leg brace:

1. Unscrew the tension knob from the threaded rod beneath the tripod head.

2. Place the center leg brace onto the threaded rod so that the cup on the end of each bracket contours to the curve of the tripod legs.

3. Rotate the tension knob back on the threaded rod until the brace is very snug against each tripod leg.

Attaching the Electronics Pier

Before the equatorial mount head can be installed, the electronics pier must be attached to the tripod. To attach the pier:

1. Position the central column so that the electronics module is right side up (with the printing readable).

2. Place the lower end of the central column over the tripod head.

3. Rotate the column until the three holes line up with the threaded holes on the side of the tripod head. The electronics console should be positioned directly between two of the tripod leg hinges to provide easy access to it even when the counterweight bar and counterweight(s) are attached.

4. Insert the three 3/8-16 button head cap screws provided through the holes in the electronics pier and into the tripod head.

5. Tighten the screws to hold the column securely in place.

Attaching the Equatorial Mount

After the tripod is set up, you are ready to attach the equatorial mount. The equatorial mount is the platform to which the telescope attaches and allows you to move the telescope in right ascension and declination. To attach the equatorial mount to the tripod:

1. Insert the base of the equatorial mount into the top of the electronics pier.

2. Rotate the equatorial mount on the electronics pier until the holes in the mount line up with those in the pier and the dec opening (where the counterweight shaft will go) is positioned directly over one of the tripod legs.

3. Insert the three remaining 3/8-16 cap screws and washers provided through the holes in the central pier and into the equatorial mount.

4. Tighten the screws to hold the equatorial mount in place.

Installing the Counterweight Bar

To properly balance the telescope, the mount comes with a counterweight bar and at least one counterweight (depending on model). The counterweight bar is located in the same box as the Equatorial Mount Head —in a cutout along the bottom of the shipping box. To install the counterweight bar:

1. Locate the opening in the equatorial mount on the DEC axis It is opposite the telescope mounting platform.

2. Thread the counterweight bar into the opening until tight.

Once the bar is securely in place you are ready to attach the counterweight.

Since the fully assembled telescope is quite heavy, position the mount so that the tripod leg with the counterweight bar over it is pointing towards north before the tube assembly and counterweights are attached. This will make the polar alignment procedure much easier.

Counterweight

Dec Axis

Bar

Figure 2-3

Installing the Counterweight

Depending on which CGE telescope you have, you will receive either one or two counterweights. To install the counterweight(s):

1. Orient the mount so that the counterweight bar points toward the ground .

2. Remove the counterweight safety thumbscrew and washer on the end of the counterweight bar (i.e., opposite the end that attaches to the mount).

3. Loosen the locking screw on the side of the counterweight.

4. Slide the counterweight onto the shaft.

Counterweight Locking Screw

Safety Scre

and Washer

Figure 2-4

5. Tighten the locking screw on the side of the weight to hold the counterweight in place.

6. Replace the counterweight safety thumbscrew and washer.

Attaching the Optical Tube to the Mount

The telescope attaches to the mount via a dovetail slide bar which is mounted along the bottom of the telescope tube. Before you attach the optical tube, make sure that the declination and right ascension clutch knobs are

tight. This will ensure that the mount does not

Important!

1 Loosen the locking knobs on the side of the telescope mounting platform. This allows you to slide the dovetail bar on the

telescope onto the mount.

2 Slide the dovetail bar on the telescope tube into the mounting platform of the mount. Slide the telescope so that the back of

the dovetail bar is almost flush with the back of the mounting platform.

3 Tighten the locking knobs on the side of the mounting platform to hold the telescope in place.

Now that the optical tube is securely in place, the visual accessories can now be attached to the telescope.

move suddenly while attaching the telescope. To mount the telescope tube:

In order for the CGE mount to successfully locate its declination switches, the mounting platform must be positioned so that the dovetailed locking knobs are on the east side of the mount when polar aligned. In other words, when standing behind the mount facing north, the dovetail locking knobs should be on the right side of the mount.

Dovetail Slide

Bar

Dovetail Locking

Knobs

Mounting Platform

Figure 2-5

Attaching the Visual Back

The visual back is the accessory that allows you to attach all visual accessories to the telescope. The CGE 1400 comes with a 2" mirror diagonal that attaches directly to the optical tube without the use of a visual back. To attach the visual back:

1. Remove the plastic cover on the rear cell.

2. Place the knurled slip ring on the visual back over the threads on the rear cell.

3. Hold the visual back with the set screw in a convenient position and rotate the knurled slip ring clockwise until tight.

Once this is done, you are ready to attach other accessories, such as eyepieces, diagonal prisms, etc.

If you want to remove the visual back, rotate the slip ring counterclockwise until it separates from the 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 a CGE 800, 925 or 1100:

1. Turn the set screw on the visual back until its tip no longer extends into (i.e., obstructs) the inner diameter of the visual back.

2. Slide the chrome portion of the star diagonal into the visual back.

3. Tighten the set screw on the visual back to hold the star diagonal in place.

If you wish to change the orientation of the star diagonal, loosen the set screw on the visual back until the star diagonal rotates freely. Rotate the diagonal to the desired position and tighten the set screw.

The CGE 1400 comes with a 2" mirror diagonal that attaches directly onto the rear threads of the 14" optical tube. See figure 2-6.

2" Barrel Eyepiece

Eyepiece

Star Diagona

Visual Bac

2" thread-on

Mirror Diagonal

Figure 2-6

Figure 2-7

Installing the Eyepiece

The eyepiece, or ocular, is an optical element that magnifies the image focused by the telescope. The eyepiece fits into either the visual back directly, the star diagonal, or the 2" mirror diagonal. To install an eyepiece:

1. Loosen the set screw on the star diagonal until the tip no longer extends into the inner diameter of the eyepiece end of the diagonal.

2. Slide the chrome portion of the eyepiece into the star diagonal.

3. Tighten the set screw on the star diagonal to hold the eyepiece in place.

To remove the eyepiece, loosen the set screw on the star diagonal and slide the eyepiece out. You can replace it with another eyepiece (purchased separately).

NOTE: The 2" mirror diagonal has a 1 1/4" eyepiece adapter to use 1 1/4" eyepieces. You may remove the adapter to use 2" eyepieces.

Eyepieces are commonly referred to by focal length and barrel diameter. The focal length of each eyepiece is printed on the eyepiece barrel. The longer the focal length (i.e., the larger the number) the lower the eyepiece power and the shorter the

focal length (i.e., the smaller the number) the higher the magnification. Generally, you will use low-to-moderate power when viewing. For more information on how to determine power, see the section on “Calculating Magnification.”

Installing the Finderscope

The CGE telescopes come with a 6x30 or 9x50 finderscope used to help you locate and center objects in the main field of your telescope. To accomplish this, the finder has a built-in cross-hair reticle that shows the optical center of the finderscope.

Start by removing the finder and hardware from the plastic wrapper. Included are the following:

• Finderscope

• Finder Bracket

• Rubber O-ring

• Three Nylon Tipped Thumbscrews (10-24x1/2")

• Two Phillips Head Screws (8-32x1/2" or 10-24x1/2")

To install the finderscope:

1. Attach the bracket to the optical tube. To do this, place the curved portion of the bracket with the slot over the

two holes in the rear cell. The bracket should be oriented so that the rings that hold the finder are over the telescope tube, not the rear cell (see Figure 2-8). Start threading the screws in by hand and tighten fully with an Allen wrench.

Finderscope

Nylon Adjustment Screw

Finder Bracket

Figure 2-8

4. Rotate the finder until one cross hair is parallel to the R.A. axis and the other is parallel to the DEC axis.

5. Slide the eyepiece end of the finder into the front of the bracket.

6. Slightly tighten the three nylon tipped thumbscrews on the front ring of the bracket to hold the finder in place.

7. Once on, push the finder back until the O-ring is snug inside the back ring of the finder bracket.

8. Hand tighten the three nylon tipped thumbscrews until snug.

2. Partially thread-in the three nylon-tipped thumbscrews

that hold the finder in place inside the bracket. Tighten the screws until the nylon heads are flush with the inner diameter of the bracket ring. Do NOT thread them in completely or they will interfere with the placement of the finder. (Having the screws in place when the finder is installed will be easier than trying to insert the screws after the finder has been installed.)

3. Slide the rubber O-ring over the back of the finder (it

will NOT fit over the objective end of the finder). It may need to be stretched a little. Once on the main body of the finder, slide it up about one inch from the end of the finder.

Moving the Telescope Manually

In order to properly balance your telescope, you will need to move your telescope manually at various portions of the sky to observe different objects. To make rough adjustments, loosen the R.A. and DEC clutch knobs slightly and move the telescope in the desired direction. Both the R.A. and DEC axis have two knobs to clutch down each axis of the telescope. To loosen the clutches on the telescope, rotate the clutch knobs counterclockwise. Rotate the clutch knobs on each axis clockwise to lock the telescope in place.

Adjusting the Mount

In order for the clock drive to track accurately, the telescope’s axis of rotation must be parallel to the Earth’s axis of rotation, a process known as polar alignment. Polar alignment is achieved NOT by moving the telescope in R.A. or DEC, but by adjusting the mount vertically, which is called altitude, and horizontally, which is called azimuth. This section simply covers the correct movement of the telescope during the polar alignment process. The actual process of polar alignment, that is making the telescope’s axis of rotation parallel to the Earth’s, is described later in this manual in the section on “Polar Alignment.”

To adjust the mount in altitude:

Figure 2-9

1. Locate the altitude adjustment bolt just above the tripod column (see figure 2-10).

2. Using the 7/32" Allen wrench provided, turn the altitude adjustment bolt until the mount is at the right elevation.

The total altitude range is from 13° to 65°. With the 23 lb counterweight attached to the counterweight shaft, the equatorial head can go as low as 20° without hitting the tripod leg.

To adjust the mount in azimuth:

1. Locate the azimuth adjustment bolt on the flat portion of the tripod column (see figure 2-10).

Azimuth Lock Knobs

2. Loosen the two azimuth lock knobs located on the top of the tripod column.

3. Turn the azimuth adjustment bolt with the 7/32" Allen wrench until the polar axis is pointing in the right direction.

Altitude Adjustment Bolt

4. Tighten the azimuth lock knobs to hold the mount in place. The mount can be moved ± 7° in azimuth using these bolts.

Helpful Hint: Located on the side of the equatorial mount head is a hole that serves as a convenient storage place for the polar alignment Allen wrench. This will help prevent you from misplacing the tool when polar aligning in the field.

Keep in mind that adjusting the mount is done during the polar alignment process only. Once polar aligned, the mount must NOT be moved. Pointing the telescope is done by moving the mount in right ascension and declination, as described earlier in this manual. Once the appropriate adjustments have been made and you are aligned on the celestial pole, turn the clock drive on and the telescope will track.

DEC Clutch Knob

R.A. Clutch Knobs

Balancing The Mount in R.A.

To eliminate undue stress on the mount, the telescope should be properly balanced around the polar axis. Proper balancing is crucial for accurate tracking. To balance the mount:

1. Verify that the telescope securing knobs on the telescope mounting platform are tight.

2. Loosen the R.A. clutch knobs and position the telescope off to one side of the mount. The counterweight bar will extend horizontally on the opposite side of the mount.

3. Release the telescope — GRADUALLY — to see which way the telescope “rolls.”

4. Loosen the set screws on the side of the counterweight so it can be moved the length of the counterweight bar.

5. Move the counterweight to a point where it balances the telescope (i.e., the telescope remains stationary when the R.A. clutch knobs are loose).

6. Tighten the set screw on the counterweight to hold it in place.

While the above 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 the counterweight should be slightly imbalanced to the counterweight bar side. And when the tube is on the east side of the mount there should be a slight imbalance toward the telescope side. This is done so that the worm gear is pushing against a slight load. The amount of the imbalance is very slight. When taking astrophotographs, this balance process can be done for the specific area at which the telescope is pointing to further optimize tracking accuracy.

Figure 2-11

Balancing The Mount in DEC

Although the telescope does not track in declination, the telescope should also be balanced in this axis to prevent any sudden motions when the DEC clutch knob is loose. To balance the telescope in DEC:

1. Loosen the R.A. clutch knobs and rotate the telescope so that it is on one side of the mount (i.e., as described in the previous section on “Balancing the Mount in R.A.”).

2. Tighten the R.A. clutch knobs to hold the telescope in place.

3. Loosen the DEC clutch knobs and rotate the telescope until the tube is parallel to the ground.

4. Release the tube — GRADUALLY — to see which way it rotates around the declination axis. DO NOT LET

GO OF THE TELESCOPE TUBE COMPLETELY!

5. Slightly loosen the knobs that holds the telescope to the mounting platform and slide the telescope either forward or backward until it remains stationary when the DEC clutch is loose. Do NOT let go of the telescope tube while the knob on the mounting platform is loose.

6. Tighten the knobs on the telescope mounting platform to hold the telescope in place.

Once the telescope is balanced in declination, slide the dovetail bar safety clamp down the front of the telescope's slide bar until it touches the mounting platform and tighten the locking bolt. This not only acts as a safety in case the mounting platform knobs are loosened, but will also allow you to put the tube on the mount in the exact same position each time for perfect balance.

Like R.A. balance, these are general balance instructions and will reduce undue stress on the mount. When taking astrophotographs, this balance process should be done for the specific area at which the telescope is pointing.

Attaching the Motor Cables

The CGE mount comes with two power cables to connect each drive motor to the electronics pier. To attach the motor cables:

1. Locate the Declination cable (the longer cable) and plug one end of the

cable into the port on the electronics pier labeled DEC Port and plug the other end of the cable into the port located on the bottom of the declination motor (see figure2-12).

2. Locate the R.A. cable (the shorter cable) and plug one end of the cable

into the port on the electronics pier labeled RA Port and plug the other end of the cable into the port located on the bottom of the right ascension motor (see figure2-12).

Cable to DEC Motor

Cable to R.A. Motor

Powering the Telescope

Motor Ports

The CGE can be powered by the supplied car battery adapter or optional 12v AC. Use only the adapter supplied by Celestron. Using any other adapter may damage the electronics and will void your manufacturer's warranty.

Figure 2-12

1. To power the CGE with the car battery adapter (or 12v AC adapter), simply plug the round post into the 12v outlet

on the electronic pier and plug the other end into your cars cigarette lighter outlet or portable power supply (see Optional Accessories). Note: to prevent the power cord from being accidentally pulled out, wrap the power cord around the strain relief located below the power switch.

2. Turn on the power to the CGE by flipping the switch, located in the center of the pier, to the "On" position.

Transporting the CGE

Because of the Celestron CGE telescope size and weight, you should ALWAYS remove the telescope from the mount when moving the telescope. To do so:

1. Take the telescope off of the mount and return it to its shipping box.

2. Remove the counterweight from the counterweight bar.

3. Remove the counterweight bar from the mount.

4. Remove the finderscope from the optical tube.

5. Take the equatorial mount off of the central column.

12v DC Powe

On/Off Switch

Power Cord Strain Relief

Figure 2-13

6. Remove the center leg brace from the tripod.

7. Collapse the tripod legs inward, towards each other.

The telescope is now broken down into enough pieces to be easily transported.

Note: Before transporting the optical tube it is recommended that the two mirror locking screw located on the rear cell of the tube be locked down. Before tightening the screws, the primary mirror must be moved towards the rear cell of the tube. Rotate the focuser knob clockwise until you feel a slight resistance. The screws should now thread into the primary mirror mounting plate.

When not in use, your CGE telescope can be left fully assembled and set up. However, all lens and eyepiece covers should be put back in place. This will reduce the amount of dust build-up on all optical surfaces and reduce the number of times you need to clean the instrument. You may want to return everything to its original shipping container and store it there. If this is the case, all optical surfaces should still be covered to prevent dust accumulation.

The CGE has a hand controller designed to give you instant access to all the functions the CGE has to offer. With automatic slewing to over 40,000 objects, and common sense menu descriptions, even a beginner can master its variety of features in just a few observing sessions. Below is a brief description 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 CGE to use a selected star or object as an alignment position.

3. Direction Keys: Allows complete control of the CGE in any direction. Use the direction keys to move the telescope to the initial alignment stars or for centering objects in the eyepiece.

Figure 3-1

The CGE Hand Control

4. Catalog Keys: The CGE has keys on the hand control to allow direct access to each of the catalogs in its database. The CGE contains the following catalogs in its database:

Messier – Complete list of all Messier objects. NGC – Complete list of all the deep-sky objects in the Revised New General Catalog. Caldwell – A combination of the best NGC and IC objects. Planets - All 8 planets in our Solar System plus the Moon. Stars – A compiled list of the brightest stars from the SAO catalog. List – For quick access, all of the best and most popular objects in the CGE database have been

broken down into lists based on their type and/or common name:

Named Stars

Named Objects

Double Stars

Variable Stars

Asterisms

CCD Objects

IC Objects

Abell Objects

Constellation

5. Info: Displays coordinates and useful information about objects selected from the CGE database.

6. Tour: Activates the tour mode, which seeks out all the best objects for the current date and time, and automatically slews the CGE to those objects.

7. Enter: Pressing Enter allows you to select any of the CGE functions and accept entered parameters.

8. Undo: Undo will take you out of the current menu and display the previous level of the menu path. Press Undo repeatedly to get back to a main menu or use it to erase data entered by mistake.

9. Menu: Displays the many setup and utilities functions such as tracking rate and user defined objects and many others.

10. Scroll Keys: Used to scroll up and down within any of the menu lists. A double-arrow will appear on the right side of the LCD when there are sub-menus below the displayed menu. Using these keys will scroll through those sub-menus.

11. Rate: Instantly changes the rate of speed of the motors when the direction buttons are pressed.

12. RS-232 Jack: Allows you to interface with a computer and control the CGE remotely.

Hand Control Operation

This section describes the basic hand control procedures needed to operate the CGE. These procedures are grouped into three categories: Alignment, Setup and Utilities. The alignment section deals with the initial telescope alignment as well as finding objects in the sky; the setup section discusses changing parameters such as tracking mode and tracking rate; finally, the last section reviews all of the utilities functions such as the calibrating your mount, PEC and backlash compensation.

Common name listing of the brightest stars in the sky. Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the most popular deep sky objects. Numeric-alphabetical listing of the most visually stunning double, triple and quadruple stars in the sky. Select list of the brightest variable stars with the shortest period of changing magnitude. A unique list of some of the most recognizable star patterns in the sky. A custom list of many interesting galaxy pairs, trios and clusters that are well suited for CCD imaging with the CGE telescope. A complete list of all the Index Catalog deep-sky objects. A custom list of the Abell Catalog deep-sky galaxies. A complete list of all 88 constellations.

Alignment Procedures

In order for the CGE to accurately point to objects in the sky, it must first be aligned to two known positions (stars) in the sky. With this information, the telescope can create a model of the sky, which it uses to locate any object with known coordinates. There are many ways to align the CGE with the sky depending on what information the user is able to provide: Auto Two Star Alignment allows the user to select two stars and uses the entered time/location information to align the telescope; Auto One-Star Alignment involves the same process as Two-Star Align, however only uses one star position to align the telescope mount. Quick-Align will ask you to input all the same information as you would for the Auto Align procedure. However, instead of slewing to two alignment stars for centering and alignment, the telescope bypasses this step and simply models the sky based on the information given. Finally, Last Alignment restores your last saved star alignment and switch position. Last Alignment also serves as a good safeguard in case the telescope should lose power.

Startup Procedure

Before any of the described alignments are performed, the CGE needs to first index its switch position so that each axis has an equal amount of travel to move in either direction. It is a good idea to calibrate your mounts switch position after a successful alignment (see Calibrating the CGE Mount box on this page). Once the switch position has been set, the hand control will display the last entered date and time information stored in the hand control. Once the CGE is powered on:

1. Press ENTER begin the alignment process.

2. Press ENTER again to set the telescopes switch position. Press UNDO if you would like to manually move the telescope to a different switch position. This is useful if using your scope with additional equipment attached and its range of motion is limited.

3. After the telescope moves to its switch position, the hand control will display the last entered local time, date, time zone, longitude and latitude.

• Use the Up/Down keys (10) to view the current parameters.

• Press ENTER to accept the current parameters.

• Press UNDO to enter current date and time information into the hand control. The following information will be displayed:

Time - Enter the current local time for your area. You can enter either the local time (i.e. 08:00), or you can enter military time (i.e. 20:00 ).

• Select PM or AM. If military time was

entered, the hand control will bypass this step.

• Choose between Standard time or Daylight

Savings time. Use the Up and Down scroll buttons (10) to toggle between options.

• Select the time zone that you are observing

from. Again, use the Up and Down buttons

Calibrating the CGE Mount

In order to improve the pointing accuracy of your CGE telescope, the internal declination axis switch needs to be properly calibrated. This improves the pointing accuracy in two ways: First it measures and records the offset error when the declination switch is found at start-up. Second, it calculates and compensates for "cone" error inherent in all German equatorial mounts. Cone error is the inaccuracy tha results from the optical tube not being perpendicula to the mounts declination axis. The mount should always be calibrated the first time it is used and only needs to be re-calibrated if the mount is used with a different optical tube or the optical tube is subjected to rough handling.

Calibrating the mount is a very easy process and takes only a minute to do. To calibrate your CGE mount:

• First, you must complete an Auto Two-Sta

lignment as described in this section. However, you must take special notice to select two alignment stars that are on the same side of the Meridian (i.e. both in the western half of the sky or both in the eastern half of the sky). See Figure 3-2.

• Once you have completed a successful

alignment, slew to a known star that is on the other side of the Meridian from your two original alignment stars.

• Press UNDO until CGE Ready is displayed.

Press the MENU button on the hand control and select Calibrate Mount from the Utilities menu.

• Scroll down to DEC Switch / Cone and press

ENTER to begin the calibration. When the display asks you to center your calibration star, carefully center the star in the eyepiece making sure to use the Up and Right arrows keys to remove any of the backlash in the gears. Press ENTER to complete the calibration process.

This calibration offset will be stored and used to improve the accuracy of future alignments.

bserving

Tip

(10) to scroll through the choices. Refer to Time Zone map in Appendix for more information.

• Date - Enter the month, day and year of your observing session.

• Finally, you must enter the longitude and latitude of the location of your observing site.

Use the table in Appendix C to locate the closest longitude and latitude for your current observing location and enter those numbers when asked in the hand control, pressing ENTER after each entry. Remember to select "West" for longitudes in North America and "North" for latitudes in the North Hemisphere. For international cities, the correct hemisphere is indicated in the Appendix listings.

4. Select one of the four alignment methods as described below.

Auto Two-Star Align

Auto Two-Star Align allows the user to select two stars on which to align the telescope. To Auto Align your telescope:

1. Select Auto Two-Star from the alignment choices given. Based on the date and time information entered, the CGE will automatically select and display a bright star that is above the horizon.

• Press ENTER to select this star as your first alignment star.

• If for some reason the chosen star is not visible (perhaps behind a tree or building) press UNDO

to have the hand control automatically select the next brightest star.

• Or you can use the Up/Down keys to browse the entire Named Star list and select any one of

over two hundred alignment stars.

2. Once the telescope is finished slewing to your first alignment star, the display will ask you to use the arrow buttons to align the selected star with the cross hairs in the center of the finderscope. When centered in the finder, press ENTER.

3. The display will then instruct you to center the star in the field of view of the eyepiece. When the star is centered, press ALIGN to accept this star as your first alignment star.

4. After the first alignment star has been entered the CGE will automatically select a second alignment star and have you repeat this procedure for that star. When the telescope has been aligned on both stars the display will read Alignment Successful, and you are now ready to find your first object.

For the best possible pointing accuracy, always center the alignment stars using the up arrow button and the right arrow button. Approaching the star from this direction when looking through the eyepiece will eliminate much of the backlash between the gears and assure the most accurate alignment possible.

The Meridian is an imaginary line in the sk that starts at the North celestial pole and ends at the South celestial pole and passes through the zenith. If you are facing South, the meridian starts from your Southern horizon and passes directly overhead to the North celestial pole.

Figure 3-2

Auto One-Star Align

Auto One-Star Alignment works much the same way as Auto Two-Star Align but uses only a single star in the sky for alignment. This method of alignment is not as accurate as the two-star alignment and is recommended only for telescopes that are permanently and accurately polar aligned.

Quick-Align

Quick-Align uses all the date and time information entered at startup to align the telescope. However, instead of slewing to two alignment stars for centering and alignment, the CGE bypasses this step and simply models the sky based on the information given. This will allow you to roughly slew to the coordinates of bright objects like the moon and planets and gives the CGE the information needed to track objects in altazimuth in any part of the sky. Quick-Align is not meant to be used to accurately locate small or faint deep-sky objects or to track objects accurately for photography.

To use Quick-Align, simply select Quick Align from the alignment options and press ENTER. The CGE will automatically use the entered date/time parameters to align itself with the sky and display Alignment Successful.

Note: Once a Quick-Align has been done, you can use the Re-alignment feature (see next page) to improve your telescopes pointing accuracy.

Last Alignment

The CGE Last Alignment method will automatically recall the last saved mount switch positions, longitude and latitude along with the current date and time given from the real time clock, to continue using the alignment that was saved when the telescope was last powered down. This is a useful feature should your telescope accidentally lose power or be powered down.

Note: Just like with Quick-Align, you can use the Re-alignment feature (see next page) to improve your telescopes pointing accuracy after using the Last Alignment method. To maintain a more accurate alignment over a series of observing sessions, use the Hibernate feature described later in this chapter.

CGE Re-Alignment

The CGE has a re-alignment feature which allows you to replace either of the two original alignment

stars with a new star or celestial object. This can be useful in several situations:

• If you are observing over a period of a few hours, you may notice that your original two alignment

stars have drifted towards the west considerably. (Remember that the stars are moving at a rate of 15º every hour). Aligning on a new star that is in the eastern part of the sky will improve your pointing accuracy, especially on objects in that part of the sky.

• If you have aligned your telescope using the Quick-Align method, you can use re-align to align to

two actual objects in the sky. This will improve the pointing accuracy of your telescope without having to re-enter addition information.

To replace an existing alignment star with a new alignment star:

1. Select the desired star (or object) from the database and slew to it.

2. Carefully center the object in the eyepiece.

3. Once centered, press the UNDO button until you are at the main menu.

4. With CGE Ready displayed, press the ALIGN key on the hand control.

5. The display will then ask you which alignment star you want to replace. Use the UP and Down scroll keys to select the alignment star to be replaced. It is usually best to replace the star closest to the new object. This will space out your alignment stars across the sky.

6. Press ALIGN to make the change.

Helpful

Hint

Object Catalog

Selecting an Object

Now that the telescope is properly aligned, you can choose an object from any of the catalogs in the CGE's extensive database. The hand control has a key (4) designated for each of the catalogs in its database. There are two ways to select objects from the database: scrolling through the named object lists and entering object numbers.

Pressing the LIST key on the hand control will access all objects in the database that have common names or types. Each list is broken down into the following categories: Named Stars, Named Object, Double Stars, Variable Stars, Asterisms and CCD Objects. Selecting any one of these catalogs will display a numeric-alphabetical listing of the objects under that list. Pressing the Up and Down keys (10) allows you to scroll through the catalog to the desired object.

When scrolling through a long list of objects, holding down either the Up or Down key will allow you to scroll through the catalog more rapidly by only displaying every fifth catalog object.

Pressing any of the other catalog keys (M, CALD, NGC, or STAR) will display a blinking cursor below the name of the catalog chosen. Use the numeric key pad to enter the number of any object within these standardized catalogs. For example, to find the Orion Nebula, press the "M" key and enter "042".

Slewing to an Object

Once the desired object is displayed on the hand control screen, choose from the following options:

• Press the INFO Key. This will give you useful information about the selected object such as

R.A. and declination, magnitude size and text information for many of the most popular objects.

• Press the ENTER Key. This will automatically slew the telescope to the coordinates of the

object.

Caution: Never slew the telescope when someone is looking into the eyepiece. The telescope can move at fast slew

speeds and may hit an observer in the eye.

Object information 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 through object lists or enter catalog numbers and view the information about the object as described above.

Finding Planets

The CGE can locate all 8 of our solar systems planets plus the Moon. However, the hand control will only display the solar system objects that are above the horizon (or within its filter limits). To locate the planets, press the PLANET key on the hand control. The hand control will display all solar system objects that are above the horizon:

• Use the Up and Down keys to select the planet that you wish to observe.

• Press INFO to access information on the displayed planet.

• Press ENTER to slew to the displayed planet.

Tour Mode

The CGE includes a tour feature which automatically allows the user to choose from a list of interesting objects based on the date and time in which you are observing. The automatic tour will display only those objects that are within your 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 control. The CGE will display the best objects to observe that are currently in the sky.

• To see information and data about the displayed object, press the INFO key.

• To slew to the object displayed, press ENTER.

• To see the next tour object, press the Up key.

Constellation Tour

In addition to the Tour Mode, the CGE telescope has a Constellation Tour that allows the user to take a tour of all the best objects in each of the 88 constellations. Selecting Constellation from the LIST menu will display all the constellation names that are above the user defined horizon (filter limits). Once a constellation is selected, you can choose from any of the database object catalogs to produce a list of all the available objects in that constellation.

• To see information and data about the displayed object, press the INFO key.

• To slew to the object displayed, press ENTER.

• To see the next tour object, press the Up key.

Direction Buttons

The CGE has four direction buttons (3) in the center of the hand control which control the telescope's motion in altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right). The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates.

Rate Button

Pressing the RATE key (11) allows you to instantly change the speed rate of the motors from high speed slew rate to precise guiding rate or anywhere in between. Each rate corresponds to a number on the hand controller key pad. The number 9 is the fastest rate (4º per second, depending on power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars. The number 1 on the hand control is the slowest rate (.5x sidereal) 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 on the hand control. The LCD will display the current speed rate.

• Press the number on the hand control that corresponds to the desired speed. The number

will appear in the upper-right corner of the LCD display to indicate that the rate has been changed.

The hand control has a "double button" feature that allows you to instantly speed up the motors without having to choose a speed rate. To use this feature, simply press the arrow button that corresponds to the direction that you want to move the telescope. While holding that button down, press the opposite directional button. This will increase the slew rate to the maximum slew rate.

When pressing the Up and Down arrow buttons in the slower slew rates (6 and lower) the motors will move the telescope in the opposite direction than the faster slew rates (7 thru 9). This is done so that an object will move in the appropriate direction when looking into the eyepiece (i.e. pressing the Up arrow button will move the star

up in the field of view of the eyepiece). However, if any of the slower slew rates (rate 6 and below) are used to

center an object in the finderscope, you may need to press the opposite directional button to make the telescope move in the correct direction.

1 = .5x 6 = 64x 2 = 1x (sidereal) 7 = .5º / sec 3 = 4x 8 = 2º / sec 4 = 8x 9 = 4º / sec 5 = 16x

ine available slew speeds

Setup Procedures

The CGE contains many user defined setup functions designed to give the user control over the telescope's many advanced features. All of the setup and utility features can be accessed by pressing the MENU key and scrolling through the options:

Tracking Mode This allows you to change the way the telescope tracks depending on the type of

mount being used to support the telescope. The CGE has three different tracking modes:

EQ North

EQ South

Off

Tracking Rate In addition to being able to move the telescope with the hand control buttons, the

CGE will continually track a celestial object as it moves across the night sky. The tracking rate can be changed depending on what type of object is being observed:

Sidereal

Lunar

Solar

View Time-Site - Displays the current time and longitude/latitude downloaded from the optional CN-16 GPS

receiver. It will also display other relevant time-site information like time zone, daylight saving and local

Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar aligned in the Northern Hemisphere.

Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar in the Southern Hemisphere.

When using the telescope for terrestrial (land) observation, the tracking can be turned off so that the telescope never moves.

This rate compensates for the rotation of the Earth by moving the telescope at the same rate as the rotation of the Earth, but in the opposite direction. When the telescope is polar aligned, this can be accomplished by moving the telescope in right ascension only. When mounted in Alt-Az mode, the telescope must make corrections in both R.A. and declination.

Used for tracking the moon when observing the lunar landscape.

Used for tracking the Sun when solar observing.

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