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Basic Information about the CGE Pro Series

In January of 2009, Celestron introduced a new line of computerized scopes - the CGE Pro Series.  CGE Pro is a step up on capacity and stability from the original CGE series.  Utilizing a NexStar hand control, the CGE Pro series consists of a German equatorial mount (GEM) on a steel-legged tripod.  The series includes 9 1/4, 11 and 14 inch SCT models.  The 14 inch model is also available with a Fastar optical tube making it compatible with Starizona's HyperStar system.  The mount is also sold without an optical tube. The computerized hand control is a version of the NexStar hand control with the latest GEM-specific firmware.  This hand control responds to the same PC commands (via the RS-232 port on the bottom) as other NexStar-driven scopes and thus could be used with any program offering a setting for the NexStar GPS, for example.  The mount includes a real-time clock to keep the date/time settings required for alignment and can also use the CN-16 GPS module for precise time and location information.  The mount also includes a standard autoguider port.

The CGE Pro series provides a very stable platform for a wide variety of optical tubes. It is an excellent platform for both visual and photographic work and is an excellent choice for a permanent observatory setup.  For those looking for a more stable astrophotography platform, particularly for imaging with a larger SCT optical tube with many accessories, the CGE Pro is recommend over the CGE and CGEM.

Following are the basic statistics for the series:

Additional information is found on Celestron's web site (www.celestron.com).

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