The Celestron CG-4 German equatorial mount is a great value if you have a light-weight fast focal ratio 3" to 6" optical tube and want a simple no-frills equatorial mount (one that can be motorized) to hold your scope for visual use and casual astrophotography.
The Celestron CG-4 German equatorial mount is the mount supplied as standard equipment with the Celestron Omni series of telescopes. These include scopes ranging in size from a 4" f/10 refractor up to a 6" f/5 refractor and a 6" f/5 Newtonian reflector (up to a maximum payload of 20 lbs).
The Celestron CG-4 mount does not come with a motor drive as standard equipment, but its manual worm gear drive slow motion controls will let you smoothly track celestial objects for visual observing with only an occasional twist of the wrist. Adding optional dual axis motor drive #MDCG4D will keep objects centered in the eyepiece continuously. If family viewing is planned, a motor drive means you don't have to worry about the object being observed drifting out of view while changing observers. This is especially handy when observing with small children or groups of people (at star parties or scout meetings, for example). If astrophotography is in the cards, the #MDCG4D motor drive/drive corrector is essential.
The Celestron CG-4 mount uses precision ball-bearings in both the right ascension and declination axes to assure smooth and hitch-free motion of your scope across the skies. Built-in non-powered setting circles are provided to help you find objects by using their right ascension (hour) and declination (degree) coordinates as shown in a star chart or atlas. The right ascension hour circle is equipped with a vernier scale that lets you adjust the telescope position in right ascension to an accuracy of one arc minute.
The standard manual right ascension and declination slow motion controls have easy-grip knobs that make manual tracking and small position adjustments a cinch. The extra-large control knobs are positioned so that they fall easily to hand when observing, so you don't have to grope blindly for the knobs when you need to make adjustments to the scope's position.
To make a casual polar alignment for visual use quick and easy, there's a latitude scale and fine adjustment controls in both altitude and azimuth. The mount can be used over a latitude range of approximately 20° to 60°. If astrophotography is in your plans, an optional polar finder #3912 is available to increase the accuracy of your alignment.
The mount's adjustable height tripod has 1.75" diameter stainless steel legs for strength and rigidity. There's a center leg brace that locks the tripod legs firmly in place for excellent vibration-damping. The center brace is drilled with several holes that will hold your 1.25" and 2" eyepieces conveniently at hand and up and out of the dew-soaked grass. The no-tool locking knobs that adjust the height of the tripod are located on the inside of the tripod legs. This keeps them from snagging clothing in the dark, a thoughtful touch sure to be appreciated. The tripod adjusts over a height range of 33" to 47". As with all tripods, it is at its most rigid and stable when at its lowest height.
Two counterweights totaling 11 pounds (one 7 lb. and one 4 lb.) are supplied to balance the optical tube. The sliding counterweights are locked in place with a single hand-tighten thumbscrew each, making it easy to rebalance the scope as you add and remove accessories.
A Vixen-style dovetail slot in the CG-4 head allows an optical tube using an optional Vixen-style dovetail to be quickly and precisely balanced fore and aft on the mount, eliminating the need for an extra counterweight to balance a camera or other accessories. Setup and takedown times are exceptionally fast, as no tools are required to assemble the mount and tripod and only a single large hand-tighten knob holds an optical tube in place. A second smaller lock knob prevents the tube from sliding off the mount should the hand-tighten knob loosen.
The CG-4 equatorial head weighs 10 lbs (4.5 kg). The 7 lb (3.2 kg) and 4 lb (1.8 kg) counterweights total 11 lbs (5 kg). The tripod weighs 12.5 lbs (5.7 kg). Total weight of the complete mount set up to receive an optical tube is 33.5 lbs (15.2 kg).
The CG-4 mount is protected by Celestron's two-year warranty.
