CGE 925 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope w/ StarBright XLT coatings 11059-XLT is part of Celestron's "Top-of-the-Line" German Equatorial mounted astronomical telescopes. The larger CGE-925 is still portable enough to take with you, yet it offers a 33% increase in light gathering power over 8" telescopes.

Celestron CGE925 Telescope is especially at home as a solid platform for long exposure photography with optional CCD cameras or photographic equipment. Using an f/6.3 Focal Reducer makes it usable with a wide variety of CCD cameras. German Equatorial mounts are recognized as being the superior choice for astrophotography because of their rock solid stability, simple balancing and easy accessibility for attaching equipment. This, coupled with the CGE line's GoTo capability, makes it unbeatable.

As a visual instrument you can search for all of the Messier Catalog objects, and you can see hundreds of other, less famous, but equally interesting NGC, IC and Caldwell objects. Turn Celestron CGE - 925 to the planets and see amazing detail on the surface of Jupiter; see Cassini's Division in the rings of Saturn, and resolve details on the surface of Mars. Even the distant Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are within your reach.

With StarBright XLT Optical System Design you'll see the light! One of the most important factors in the evaluation of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope 's optical system performance is its transmission - the percentage of incoming light that reaches the focal plane. The design of the XLT System accomplishes two crucial objectives: Develop a coating system that is optimized for visual use and for CCD/Photographic imaging.

There are three major components that make up Celestron StarBrightXLT high transmission optical system design:

1) Unique enhanced multi-layer mirror coatings: Celestron mirror coatings are made from precise layers of Al (Aluminum), SiO2 (quartz) and TiO2 (Titanium Dioxide). Reflectivity is fairly flat across the spectrum, optimizing it for both CCD imaging and visual use.

2) Multi-layer anti-reflective coatings: Coatings are made from precise layers of MgF2 (Magnesium Fluoride), and HfO2 (Hafnium Dioxide). Hafnium gives a wider band pass than Titanium, used in comparable coatings.

3) High Transmission Water White glass : Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain optical systems with optional StarBright XLT coatings use Water White glass instead of Soda Lime glass for the corrector lens. Water White glass transmits about 90.5% of light without anti-reflective coatings. That is 3.5% better transmission than uncoated Soda Lime glass. When Water White glass is used in conjunction with StarBright - XLT 's anti-reflective coatings, the average light transmission reaches 97.4% - an 8% improvement!

These three components of Celestron StarBright XLT coatings result in one of the finest coatings available. The peak light transmission for the systems is 89% at 520 nm. The overall system transmission is 83.5% averaged over the spectrum from 400 to 750 nm.

Click here to see details about StarBright XLT.

Specificationsfor Celestron CGE-925 Telescopes 11059-XLT:

• Computerized Equatorial Mount
• Super HD Tripod
• Double line, 16 character Liquid Crystal Display; 19 fiber optic backlit Computerized Hand Control
• RS-232 communication port on hand control

Electronic and Software Features:

• GPS Compatible with optional CN 16 GPS Accessory
• GoTo system is precision accurate to 1.5 arcminutes
• 40,000+ object database with 400 user-defined objects. Features include: Compass Calibration, Polar Alignment routine, Database Filter Limits, Hibernate, Auto North and Level, Quick Align, and user-defined slew limits.
• Hibernate - maintains alignment even while powered down.
• Polar alignment routines for Northern and Southern hemispheres.
• Filter limits - displays only objects above the horizon.
• Permanent programmable periodic error correction (PEC) - corrects for periodic tracking errors inherent to all worm drives.
• Smooth ramping of slew motors to reduce wear on the drive train.
• Home sensors on R.A. and Dec axes.
• Fail-safe slew limit switches in R.A.
• Real-time clock - maintains time even when powered down.
• 12VDC Servo Motors with integrated optical encoders with 0.11 arcsecond resolution

• Celestron CGE 925 Telescope w/ StarBright XLT coatings 11059-XLT
• 1-1/4" - 25mm Plössl Eyepiece (94x)
• 1-1/4" Star Diagonal
• 6x30 Finderscope and Mounting Bracket
• 1-1/4" Visual Back
• Car Battery Adapter
• NexRemote Telescope Control Software