Toys for Boys
Yee New Telescope Mount..
On Monday, the essentially new (a floor model) CGEM (= Celestron German Equatorial Mount) arrived via UPS. I bought this substantial beast for $999 plus s/h - a major discount on new models ($1399) or lightly used ones listed on AstroMart. So after LOST's weirdness, I finally pulled all the contents out of the boxes and assembled it.
The CGEM MOUNT
The upper section (equatorial head) weighs more than 30 lbs and is of rugged construction. The tripod is shown at 'minimum' - it could be raised by a full section length.
Closeup on the Equatorial Head Area
Note - the small cradle on top is for my 80mm f/7.5 Vixen Scope, it is not part of the original equipment.
And now - the Equipment Curse!
As per usual in the astronomy world, any major equipment purchase/upgrade has a direct correlation with the amount of crappy/cloudy weather forecast. In my case - the next 7 out 10 days are forecast to be cloudy/rainy/crappy.
No doubt that the curse will be extended when the 8-inch imaging scope and other upgrades arrive by this weekend.
:-/
On Monday, the essentially new (a floor model) CGEM (= Celestron German Equatorial Mount) arrived via UPS. I bought this substantial beast for $999 plus s/h - a major discount on new models ($1399) or lightly used ones listed on AstroMart. So after LOST's weirdness, I finally pulled all the contents out of the boxes and assembled it.
The CGEM MOUNT
The upper section (equatorial head) weighs more than 30 lbs and is of rugged construction. The tripod is shown at 'minimum' - it could be raised by a full section length.
Closeup on the Equatorial Head Area
Note - the small cradle on top is for my 80mm f/7.5 Vixen Scope, it is not part of the original equipment.
And now - the Equipment Curse!
As per usual in the astronomy world, any major equipment purchase/upgrade has a direct correlation with the amount of crappy/cloudy weather forecast. In my case - the next 7 out 10 days are forecast to be cloudy/rainy/crappy.
No doubt that the curse will be extended when the 8-inch imaging scope and other upgrades arrive by this weekend.
:-/