Key Takeaways:
- Proper telescope mount selection is crucial for both visual observation and astrophotography, often overlooked by amateur astronomers.
- Inadequate mounts, frequently chosen due to cost constraints, compromise performance, particularly for astrophotography which demands greater stability.
- Celestron's CGX equatorial mount represents a new offering in the mid-to-heavy class of German equatorial mounts (GEM).
- The article's full content is accessible to registered subscribers of Astronomy magazine.
A critically important, but often overlooked, component of any observing setup is the mount. At a minimum, a mount needs to do two things: support the payload properly and allow for smooth tracking at high powers.
Although these requirements seem simple, a good mount can be a difficult purchase. Too often, amateurs deliberately choose mounts too small for their equipment, mainly due to expense. While visual observers can get away with this, astroimagers cannot. If you’re taking photos, you’re far better off stepping up to the next level of support, rather than trying to make do with something that is barely sufficient.
Enter Celestron’s CGX equatorial mount. This welcome piece of equipment is the company’s new entry in mid/heavy class German equatorial mounts (GEM).
Astronomy magazine subscribers can read the full article for free. Just make sure you’re registered with the website.
