A hidden gem in the used telescope market
Written: May 10 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent views, impressive looks, may be used on a host of mounts
Cons: Not GOTO which means not for beginners, BIG and HEAVY!
The Bottom Line: If you see this scope on Astormart for < $2500.00 buy it! You wll not be dissapointed.
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| dkaakd's Full Review: Celestron CM-1100 (660 x 279mm) Telescope |
If you are reading this then you are either A: shopping for a new scope and trying to decide what is right for you, or B. Found a deal on a C11 or CM1100 and trying to decide if you want such a large scope.
Well, if you fit into one of those categories then you are asking the right questions. I have owned my CM1100 SCT for about 6 months now, and I think it may be the best scope on the market for the price. However, be warned this scope is not for anyone with a weak back or short attention span.
About the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA)
The Celestron CM1100 is a 2800mm Schmitt Cassagrain (SCT) telescope that usually sits atop a CI-700 German Equatorial Mount (GEM). The scope was designed in the early 1990s to be a performer, and the mount was designed to be one of the premier photographic mounts of its time.
That said, this is no small telescope. If you want to impress your friends and neighbor bring this out at a party on a nice spring evening. The scope takes only about 20 minutes to setup, then another 45 minutes to cool to a reasonable ambient temperature. This is critical for viewing through a scope of this magnitude. Without proper cool down the heat waves are visible through the eyepiece, besides your eyes will need time to adjust so have a glass of Merlot and relax.
Once properly cooled down the scope will yield excellent views of almost anything you want to see in the night sky (within reason). No, you wont see the American Flag on the moon, but this scope is sooo big you can tell your friends you can and they will believe you!
OTA itself is large. It is roughly the same size as a kitchen trash can. The tube is about 30 inches in length and almost 12 inches in diameter. It weighs in at around 35 pounds and is made of aluminum. Celestron was thinking when they built this though. They placed a silger handle on the back of the tube, which makes lifting the tube on and off of the mount much easier.
The mount with counter weights is roughly 60 pounds. Add another 25 pounds for the tripod and you have a complete setup that weighs in at more than 100 pounds. If that’s not impressive, the assemble telescope stand at nearly 7 feet tall when pointing up at azimuth. Make no mistake about it, this is a big setup.
So what can you see?
This is really the crux of what everyone wants to know. First let me say that if you are looking for a first scope this is not for you. If you want a scope you can grow into over the years this may be for you. Finally if you want a scope that will afford you excellent views and is ready for serious research then this is the way to go.
With a 28mm eyepiece:
Saturn will easily show the Cassini division
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is visible along with many moons (they look like stars)
Many of the large Globular Clusters are easily resolved to the core.
In dark locations, away from the city lights most galaxies are resolved with luminous detail.
The entire moon fills the eyepiece with incredible detail
The reason I rate this scope so high is partially the optics and partially the mount. The optics are outstanding. I can use a 7.5mm eyepiece (373x) and still get excellent detail of the planets or moon. With a 5mm (560x) I could resolve M5 to the core. This is a due to the Celestron XLT coated mirrors and optics. I don’t think a Mead would perform quite as well (neither does Cloudy Nights comparison review). The mount is rock solid. There is some backlash when moving from object to object, but the gears quickly catch-up and the system tracks with photographic perfection.
Another reason to love this scope is price. I have seen several of these scope sell on Astromart for between 1500 and 1800 with mount. This is if they are in excellent shape. The OTA only usually sells for $500 – 1000 and then you can find your own mount. I will tell you that if you buy a mount separately make sure it can handle the weight of this scope.
Another great addition to this scope is Digital Setting Circles (DSC). This allows a computer link to connect to the GEM. As the GEM moves with the sky, the computer helps the astronomer locate objects in the sky. This in my mind is a must have, but keep in mind that this is not part of the normal package and does not guide the telescope like many of todays goto scopes.
If you want a scope that will give you excellent views of the nighttime sky, is versatile enough to use for deep sky, planets, and lunar viewing this is the scope to have. There are plenty of other scopes available the Meade 12” LX200, the Celestron CGE 11” , and a small host of other large SCTs are all options. However, in the second hand market this is one of the best-hidden gems out there.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dkaakd
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Location: Frisco, Texas, USA
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
I'm just a dude that lives in Texas.
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