Celestron Advanced VX 22020 Manuel d'utilisateur télécharger pdf (Page 2)

SkyandTelescope.com December 2014 67

WHAT WE LIKE:

Sharp stars to the ﬁ eld edge

WHAT WE DON’T LIKE:

Using larger imaging chips could pose a problem

Di erent from other Schmidt-Cassegrains, the Edge

includes a built-in corrector-lens system that both ﬂ attens

the SCT’s normally curved ﬁ eld and reduces coma, the

blurring of stars at the ﬁ eld edge. For more on the Edge,

see Dennis di Cicco’s review of the Edge  (S&T: Feb.

, p. ). The Edge  is a scaled-down version of its

innovative big sister.

I thought I’d purchase a new mount too — one that

Celestron is pairing with the Edge , the Advanced VX.

The VX’s payload capacity is  pounds ( kg), making

it the company’s smallest computer-equipped GEM. But

it’s well matched for a C. Celestron currently o ers the

combination as a package for $,.

I purchased the telescope and mount last year,

and they arrived in pristine condition. The tube came

equipped with a -mm ﬁ nder and a Vixen-format dove-

tail bar to ﬁ t the VX. S&T recently borrowed a StarSense

and an o -axis guider from Celestron and shipped them

to me to complete the package so I could write this review.

The box that contained the VX mount included the

GEM head, a -inch steel-legged tripod, a single -pound

counterweight, the NexStar Plus computer hand control,

a cable for updating the mount’s ﬁ rmware, an instruction

manual, the basic version of Software Bisque’s TheSkyX

planetarium software, and a DC power cord with a

cigarette-lighter-style plug.

The Edge  is a striking pale green and the mount is

impressively well ﬁ nished for a GEM in this price class. I

particularly appreciated the VX’s large adjustment knobs,

well-laid-out control panel, and big power switch that’s

easy to manipulate with gloved hands.

Visual Use

On my ﬁ rst clear night, I hustled the new scope out to my

club’s dark site. I didn’t run into any problems assembling

the mount or attaching it to the scope. After a little prac-

tice, most people won’t need more than  to  minutes

to set up the Edge/VX combo for visual use.

The big deal, though, was not how easy the scope

and mount were to assemble, but how easy they were to

transport. The package breaks down into easily manage-

able components that encourage me to use it frequently.

At  pounds (. kg) for the telescope,  pounds for the

mount head, and  pounds for the tripod, I never had to

strain. The telescope was quite stable on the mount with

vibrations dying out in a couple of seconds.

A GEM must be property aligned on the celestial

pole to track stars accurately. Polar alignment is simple

for visual use. Remove the end caps from the VX’s right

ascension housing, turn the scope perpendicular to the

mount’s head to open up a hole in the declination axis,

and then sight Polaris through the hollow polar bore.

After these steps, the mount’s Go To system will ﬁ nd

objects with even the roughest polar alignment, though

tracking will be poor.

Before the VX can locate objects, it must be Go To

aligned. The ﬁ rst step is entering the time, date, time

zone, daylight-savings time status, and location into the

hand control. Most of these entries will be a one-time job

because the mount is equipped with a battery-powered,

real-time clock that keeps the date and time current.

There are several alignment options, but the most

accurate is the two-star alignment. When you select that

option, the VX will point at two stars it chooses from its

database. After you center them in the ﬁ nder and main

scope, the hand control will ask if you want to add calibra-

tion stars. You may add as many as four, but I found three

su cient for excellent pointing accuracy.

Even at a magniﬁ cation of ×, anything I requested

from horizon to horizon was in the eyepiece when the

mount stopped. In the year that I’ve had the VX, it amaz-

ingly has never missed an object when I’ve been careful

to do the alignment as outlined in the manual. The only

problem I have encountered has been the -foot-long

hand-control cable, which is a bit short.

The Edge f/7 Reducer

The addition of Celestron’s Edge focal reducer converts

the f/, ,-mm-focal-length Edge  to an f/,

,-mm-focal-length telescope that delivers lower pow-

ers and wider ﬁ elds of view. The reducer is speciﬁ cally

designed to work with the Edge’s built-in corrective lenses

to preserve the scope’s ﬂ at ﬁ eld. Although intended for

astrophotography, I found the reducer very e ective for

visual use as well.

A DSLR is attached to the Celestron oﬀ -axis guider. The auto-

guider camera is not part of the reviewed Celestron package.

EDGE FOCAL REDUCER U.S. price: .

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Celestron Advanced VX 22020 Manuel d'utilisateur Page 2

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