Celestron CGX Equatorial 1100 SCT

11" Schmidt-Cassegrain Optics: 0.42 Arc-Second Resolution with StarBright XLT

The 11" aluminum optical tube is 24 inches long and works at f/10 with a 2800mm focal length. The Rayleigh limit is 0.5 arc seconds and the Dawes limit 0.42 arc seconds. The focus knob moves the primary mirror and takes many turns from close focus to infinity, and the manual says to allow 45 minutes to reach thermal equilibrium after a large temperature change.

Celestron's proprietary StarBright XLT optical coatings are applied to the corrector lens and mirrors, visibly increasing light transmission and contrast. The system combines enhanced multi-layer mirror coatings, multi-layer anti-reflective coatings and a corrector of water white glass, giving brighter deep space images and shorter exposure times.

CGX Mount Design: A 55 lb Capacity Imaging Platform

Celestron designed the CGX, successor to its CGEM line, with a lower profile EQ head, which provides a more compact and therefore more stable setup, a better drive system, home and limit optical sensors for remote operation, easier polar alignment adjustments and better cable management. It carries a 55 lb instrument load on a 19.2 lb tripod with 2" steel legs.

• Dual Dovetail Saddle: The saddle plate accommodates both CGE and CG-5 style dovetails; the 11" tube comes on a CGE dovetail bar.
• Internal Cabling: The CGX uses internal cabling, with 2 AUX ports, an autoguide port and a USB port.

Drive, Sensors and Periodic Error Correction

DC servo motors slew at up to 4° per second. Internal switches take the mount to its home position at power-on, software limit sensors stop it near the end of its range, and a mechanical hard stop on each axis helps prevent the telescope striking the mount or tripod. The R.A. limit lets you track 20° past the meridian.

The mount has Periodic Error Correction and an anti-backlash setting in the hand control.

NexStar+ and CPWI Control: 40,000+ Objects from Handset or PC

The NexStar+ hand control holds over 40,000 objects and offers 2-Star, 1-Star, Solar System, Last and Quick Align. Its All-Star Polar Alignment polar aligns the mount on a convenient bright star without Polaris or a polar axis finder. The hand control's USB port handles firmware updates and ASCOM control.

For a more advanced experience, connect the mount directly to your PC via its separate USB port and use the included Celestron PWI (CPWI) Telescope Control Software. Starry Night Special Edition and the SkyPortal app (with the optional SkyPortal WiFi module) are also included.

Astroimaging: f/10 and f/2 Fastar

The CGX 1100 is especially at home as a solid platform for long exposure photography, and the mount has a dedicated autoguide port.

The tube is Fastar compatible: the secondary mirror can be removed and replaced with a lens assembly sold separately by third-party manufacturers, so a camera works at f/2. Exposures are 25 times shorter than at f/10.