In September I bought a C14 and then a CGX-L mount, because the C14 was a little bit hefty for my CGX mount. I tried some imaging with the C14/CGX-L combination, and it worked pretty well until anything more intense than a gentle breeze came along. The big C14 acts like a big sail and everything moves.
A few nights ago I was doing some unguided imaging with my 80mm ED doublet on top of my C8 mounted on the CGX-L. The first thing I noticed was I was getting round stars with exposure times up to 90 seconds. The other interesting thing was the moderate wind was not moving the setup at all. I was still getting round stars. In a previous session, when there was not wind, I was getting round stars with my C14 up to 30 seconds at a 3910mm focal length. I didn’t try longer exposure times that night.
I no longer do any imaging in my light polluted neighborhood because it takes more effort and a lot more time to get decent data. I have a dark site 50 minutes away I drive to for any kind of realistic imaging or viewing. I haven’t been setting up all the equipment I have for guided imaging and I often leave my laptop, guide camera, and guide scope at home. It takes long enough just for my basic setup and drive time. If I had a permanent observatory it would be different. I have learned to do a very accurate polar alignment while using my CGX-L and so far it works better than with any mount I have owned previously.
The CGX-L/C8 combination seems to be a sweet combination. It just doesn’t move even with a refractor on top of my sct. I have yet to try imaging with my C11 on my mount, but on the next clear night I will be traveling to a dark place again to try out that combination.
I thought about getting a much more expensive mount after I bought my C14 but the C14 Edge/CGX-L combination was already costing me over 8000 dollars with a few add-ons. I dreamed about getting an AP1100 but I am doing quite well with what I have, so why worry?
I am not giving up on auto guiding. It is still kind of new for me and I am sure I will need it for those dim targets I want to image. It will be interesting to see how well my CGX-L does using a guide scope and camera.
A few nights ago I was doing some unguided imaging with my 80mm ED doublet on top of my C8 mounted on the CGX-L. The first thing I noticed was I was getting round stars with exposure times up to 90 seconds. The other interesting thing was the moderate wind was not moving the setup at all. I was still getting round stars. In a previous session, when there was not wind, I was getting round stars with my C14 up to 30 seconds at a 3910mm focal length. I didn’t try longer exposure times that night.
I no longer do any imaging in my light polluted neighborhood because it takes more effort and a lot more time to get decent data. I have a dark site 50 minutes away I drive to for any kind of realistic imaging or viewing. I haven’t been setting up all the equipment I have for guided imaging and I often leave my laptop, guide camera, and guide scope at home. It takes long enough just for my basic setup and drive time. If I had a permanent observatory it would be different. I have learned to do a very accurate polar alignment while using my CGX-L and so far it works better than with any mount I have owned previously.
The CGX-L/C8 combination seems to be a sweet combination. It just doesn’t move even with a refractor on top of my sct. I have yet to try imaging with my C11 on my mount, but on the next clear night I will be traveling to a dark place again to try out that combination.
I thought about getting a much more expensive mount after I bought my C14 but the C14 Edge/CGX-L combination was already costing me over 8000 dollars with a few add-ons. I dreamed about getting an AP1100 but I am doing quite well with what I have, so why worry?
I am not giving up on auto guiding. It is still kind of new for me and I am sure I will need it for those dim targets I want to image. It will be interesting to see how well my CGX-L does using a guide scope and camera.
