New Celestron CPC 925 XLT Telescope Arrives - Dave's Story

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SUMMARY

The Celestron CPC 925 XLT telescope has been received by the user, who expressed excitement about its robust build and features. Weighing 26 kg for the main unit and 18 kg for the tripod, it is bulkier than anticipated but offers impressive ease of use for sky alignment and object tracking. The user successfully observed Jupiter and several Messier objects, highlighting the telescope's capabilities. Recommendations for the Celestron CPC range are made for those seeking user-friendly telescopes, with a caution about "aperture fever" leading to future upgrades.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of telescope types and mounts, specifically fork mounts.
  • Basic knowledge of astronomical objects and their designations (e.g., Messier objects).
  • Familiarity with astrophotography techniques and equipment.
  • Awareness of online astronomy communities and resources, such as Cloudy Nights.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the Celestron CPC range specifications and models.
  • Explore astrophotography techniques for beginners.
  • Learn about the Messier catalog and its significance in astronomy.
  • Join online astronomy forums like Cloudy Nights for community engagement and knowledge sharing.
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, amateur astrophotographers, and anyone interested in purchasing a high-quality telescope for stargazing and astrophotography.

davenn
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Yipeee ... my new scope has arrived :)

hopefully tonite It will make "first light" last nite was cloudy

http://www.telescopesdirect.com.au/Celestron-CPC-925-GPS-XLT-Computerised-Telescope?sc=189&category=-289

Golly Gosh its some what bulkier than I expected hahaha, I was hoping to take it to Cairns, Queensland, Australia in November for the total solar eclipse, but that aint going to happen. The main scope unit is 26kg (~ 56lbs) and the tripod another 18kg.
But I have to credit Celestron, it is built strong! compared to the tiny forks of the early Celestrons that came out in the '70's and '80's

Am looking forward to reviving my astro photography activities that have been pretty much in recess since I left New Zealand 12 years ago.

Dave
 
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Davenn, every telescope that is worth the price will be more massive than you expect, and doubly so for the tripod and mount. You have to live to learn with that. I had a mild stoke some years back and my main 'scope has languished in the detached garage as a result. Huge oak tripod, massive mount, and heavy 6" OTA ( APO refractor) make it a bit problematic to set up and tear down in the dark.
 


yeah true but this was really more massive haha
my existing scope is a 8' Newtonian on a Dobsonian mount
I did have a 10" Meade back in NZ, mounted on a German Equatorial
I really hate those things they are so hard to "point and shoot"
so I'm no stranger to larger scopes, but the online photos of this new scope gave no indication as to how big the fork mount is and as I said its very substantial compared to the early celestron scopes like the C8

well there is some blue sky today ... hopefully I will be able to give the scope its first tryout tonite :)

Dave
 


hey Guys ...
well after a really cloudy start to the evening the sky finally cleared and I was able to do a sky alignment with the scope wow really easy to do. and from there its easy to goto any object in its huge database.

Jupiter was impressive and looked it periodically over several hours watching the 4 Galelian (sp?) moons doing their little dance around the planet.
went through a few other well known objects M's 45, 42, 41 and a couple of fainter ones M's 1, 79, 77 till the rising bright moon washed out the sky

People... if you are looking for awesome easy to use scopes to buy, I recommend the Celestron CPC range of scopes. They have a range of mirror sizes that surely there's one that will fit a lot of budgets :) I have no affilliation with them, just impressed with their gear :) Just remember once you get a scope you WILL be afflicted with the astronomers disease called "aperture fever" and you will forever be looking forward to the upgrade to a scope with a bigger mirror hahaha

Dave

Note to mods ... for consideration... there is nowhere on the astronomy forum for people to just casually discuss their observing activities, posting a few pics etc hence all my posts in this particular part of the astronomy forum. Would it be worth creating a subsection for that ?

thanks
Dave
 
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davenn said:
Note to mods ... for consideration... there is nowhere on the astronomy forum for people to just casually discuss their observing activities, posting a few pics etc hence all my posts in this particular part of the astronomy forum. Would it be worth creating a subsection for that ?

thanks
Dave

That might be a good use of your PF blog...
 


Davenn, have you been to cloudynights.com? It's a site dedicated to amateur astronomy with sections for discussing everything in the sky and also to post any pictures. It's a pretty nice site. PF isn't really for these things, although the Fun, Photos, and Games forum in the General section may be appropriate for any pictures you take.
 


Drakkith said:
Davenn, have you been to cloudynights.com? It's a site dedicated to amateur astronomy with sections for discussing everything in the sky and also to post any pictures. It's a pretty nice site. PF isn't really for these things, although the Fun, Photos, and Games forum in the General section may be appropriate for any pictures you take.

cloudynights site don't think I have been there tho the name rings a bell, maybe some one else mentioned it in the dim distant past haha will check it out thanks
ok on that part in the general section :)

DaveC ... haven't looked at the blogging option for PF don't know how that works will have to investigate, thanks for that idea :)

thanks guys
Dave
 


Here is a nice place to check for astronomy.

http://forum.ourdarkskies.com/

There are some very advanced astrophotographers who will post their images here. Greg and Neil have posted most of their work here prior to publishing "Star Vistas". Good bunch of people.