Computerized Equatorial mount with its new EdgeHD optical system. With an optical tube assembly weighing only 28 lbs., this telescope is still portable enough to be taken to dark skies, and has 89% more light gathering power than an 8" telescope and 40% more than the 9.25". For astrophotography, the German Equatorial mount offers easier balancing, unlimited space at the rear of the telescope tube to mount a camera, and whole sky access. Now you can enjoy all of the NexStar software and database features with the extra stability and portability of a German Equatorial mount.
The Celestron EdgeHD optical system takes all of the compact power popularized by the Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (SCT) and combines it with an improved high definition optical system for wide field, astrograph quality images.
As a visual instrument Celestron EdgeHD optics deliver pinpoint images even with your widest field eyepiece. You can search for all of the Messier Catalog objects, and see hundreds of other equally interesting NGC, IC and Caldwell objects with amazing clarity. For astroimaging, the EdgeHD optics produce aberration-free images across your favorite CCD or DSLR camera. All EdgeHD optics are designed to produce an extremely flat focal plane precise enough to match the strict tolerances of the largest commercial ccd detectors, allowing all stars to be in tight focus to the very edge of the chip.
Some companies boast that their telescopes give diffraction limited stars in the very center of the field of view. EdgeHD optics not only produce diffraction limited stars on axis, but maintain diffraction limited stars across the entire field of view of many of the most popular astrophotography cameras. Even at the very edge of a full frame camera chip, the EdgeHD 11 delivers diffraction limited stars of less than 2 arc seconds.
Axiom Eyepiece - EdgeHD 11" optical tubes come with Celestron's top of the line Axiom eyepiece. With a 23mm focal length and 82° AFOV you get an incredible combination of power and wide field of view. Plus each Axiom eyepiece is optimized to deliver pinpoint images when used with a flat field telescope.
Increased Payload Capcity - With a maximum payload of 90lbs the CGE Pro mount is able to hold the 11" telescope more securely even when fully loaded with all your imaging gear.
All-Star Polar Alignment - Choose any bright alignment star for a software assisted alignment of the mounts polar axis that will have you ready for imaging even if you can't see the North Star.
Pointing - With just a standard hand control alignment, CGE Pro has the ability to center a star in your eyepiece or ccd chip to within 5 arc minutes. Using NexStar's advanced pointing features such as Calibration Stars, Sync and Precise GoTo, further improves the pointing accuracy to as low as 1 arc minutes n the desired region of the sky.
Tracking - With larger .75" pitch diameter worm, precision made cut-steel gears in gearboxes, and seven slot skewed armature motors the CGE Pro delivers typical tracking performance of +-9 arc seconds, which can be further reduced with the mounts permanent periodic error correction (PPEC).
Cooling vents located on the rear cell allows warm air to be released from behind the primary mirror.