The CG-4 German equatorial mount supplied with this Celestron telescope does not
come with a motor drive as standard equipment, but its manual worm gear drive slow
motion controls will let you smoothly track celestial objects for visual observing
with only an occasional twist of the wrist. Adding optional
dual axis motor drive #MDCG4D
will keep objects centered in the eyepiece continuously. If family viewing is planned,
a motor drive means you don't have to worry about the object being observed drifting
out of view while changing observers. This is especially handy when observing with
small children or groups of people (at star parties or scout meetings, for example).
If astrophotography is in the cards, the #MDCG4D motor drive/drive corrector is
essential.
The mount uses precision ball-bearings in both the right ascension
and declination axes to assure smooth and hitch-free motion of your scope across
the skies. Built-in non-powered setting circles are provided to help you find objects
by using their right ascension (hour) and declination (degree) coordinates as shown
in a star chart or atlas. The right ascension hour circle is equipped with a vernier
scale that lets you adjust the telescope position in right ascension to an accuracy
of one minute.
The standard manual right ascension and declination slow motion controls
have easy-grip knobs that make manual tracking and small position adjustments a
cinch. The extra-large control knobs are positioned so that they fall easily to
hand when observing, so you don't have to grope blindly for the knobs when you need
to make adjust the scope's position. To make a casual polar alignment for visual
use quick and easy, there's a latitude scale and fine adjustment controls in both
altitude and azimuth. The mount can be used over a latitude range of approximately
20° to 60°. If astrophotography is in your plans, an optional polar finderis available
to increase the accuracy of your alignment.
The mount's adjustable height tripod has 1.75" diameter stainless steel
legs for strength and rigidity. There's a center leg brace that locks the tripod
legs firmly in place for excellent vibration-damping. The center brace is drilled
with several holes that will hold your 1.25" and 2" eyepieces conveniently at hand
and up and out of the dew-soaked grass. The no-tool locking knobs that adjust the
height of the tripod are located on the inside of the tripod legs. This keeps them
from snagging clothing in the dark, a thoughtful touch sure to be appreciated. The
tripod adjusts over a height range of 33" to 47". As with all tripods, it is at
its most rigid and stable when at its lowest height.
Two counterweights are supplied to balance the optical tube. The sliding
counterweights are locked in place with a single hand-tighten thumbscrew each, making
it easy to rebalance the scope if you add heavy accessories. The mount is easily
capable of handling the scope and any reasonable combination of accessories you
might want to add.
An adjustable dovetail slide bar allows the optical tube to be quickly
and precisely balanced fore and aft on the mount, eliminating the need for an extra
counterweight to balance a camera or other accessories. Setup and takedown times
are exceptionally fast, as no tools are required to assemble the mount and tripod
and only a single large hand-tighten knob holds the optical tube in place. A second
smaller lock knob prevents the tube from sliding off the mount should the hand-tighten
knob loosen.
The CG-4 equatorial head weighs 10 lbs (4.5 kg). The 7 lb (3.2 kg)
and 4 lb (1.8 kg) counterweights total 11 lbs (5 kg). The tripod weighs 12.5 lbs
(5.7 kg). Total weight of the complete mount set up to receive an optical tube is
33.5 lbs (15.2 kg).