Celestron C9,25 (235mm f/10) Schmidt Cassegrain (2017-Present)
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Celestron C9,25 SCT
Celestron CGEM ZWO ASI 224 MC Celestron Ultima 2x Barlow Astronomik IR cut filter Baader Red filter (610nm) Moonlite CS focuser Pegasus Astro Focus Cube Pegasus Astro Pocket Power Box ZWO electronic filter wheel ZWO ADC Corrector |
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In late 2016 I had to part with my original C9,25 (pictured below). The thought of upgrading got stuck in my head and I acted on it too quickly without proper consideration. The C9,25 was and always will be the ideal instrument for me, my circumstances and my seeing conditions.
Nearly a year later and thanks to two friends of mine I became the owner of another C9,25! I have only had limited time with this telescope as of writing this but the views are very promising, this telescope produces very sharp, refractor-like views, much more so than the previous one. It's planetary performance remains to be seen, but it has so far produced a very pleasing result in lunar imaging as seen in the included image of Clavius. 
Crater Clavius. C9,25 SCT & ASI224MC
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The new C9,25
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Celestron C9,25 (235mm f/10) Schmidt Cassegrain (2009-Present)
This is my main instrument at the time being and it is used extensively for planetary observing & imaging! It is a fine performer and has offered me superb views of the Planets as well as helped me produce detailed images of them! As a deep sky or visual scope, despite its very high focal length and narrow FOV, it has served up spectacular views! I've upgraded the stock dovetail bar to a wider more solid one from Baader, added a rotatable Dual-Speed Crayford focuser and a Kendrick Dew Heater System, aswell as a Lymax CAT Cooler for temperature control. Coupled with a few essential accessories such as these, an SCT scope is bound to amaze!
Celestron Advanced VX (2017 - present): This mount is the re-incarnation of the older CG5-GT or Advanced GT. It offers a wealth of refinements over it's predeccesor, mainly in ergonomics. It offers very robust and precise polar alignement controls, a front facing - non moving DEC housing (the biggest gripe on the CG5GT was the DEC housing smashing into the RA housing just past the meridian when pointed to the South) and it continues to utilise the very effective A.S.P.A. method for very precise polar alignement even without a clear view of Polaris, without using extra software or add-on hardware, without using a laptop and even under twilight. With this method I am routinely able to acquire well enough polar alignement so that I can image at ~ 5000mm FL without the planets drifting out of view on a 600x400 R.O.I.
Skywatcher NEQ6 (2012-present): Permanently mounted since day 1 this mount is a true workhorse. It handles the 9,25" easily for visual & planetary and with a bit of patience and the right tools can also provide adequate results in deep sky photography. Tracking is excellent and the pointing accuracy is very good.
Celestron's CG5-GT mount (2005-2008, 2009-2012 & 2017):
This is a light-weight, portable computerized or Go-To mount which enables automatic pointing and tracking of celestial objects. This latest iteration of it (v4.16) features a remarkable addition to Celestron's NexStar software: the All Star Polar Alignment method which allows the user to accurately polar align the mount without using Polaris, the North star. Especially useful since my view of Polaris is blocked from my current location!
Celestron Advanced VX (2017 - present): This mount is the re-incarnation of the older CG5-GT or Advanced GT. It offers a wealth of refinements over it's predeccesor, mainly in ergonomics. It offers very robust and precise polar alignement controls, a front facing - non moving DEC housing (the biggest gripe on the CG5GT was the DEC housing smashing into the RA housing just past the meridian when pointed to the South) and it continues to utilise the very effective A.S.P.A. method for very precise polar alignement even without a clear view of Polaris, without using extra software or add-on hardware, without using a laptop and even under twilight. With this method I am routinely able to acquire well enough polar alignement so that I can image at ~ 5000mm FL without the planets drifting out of view on a 600x400 R.O.I.
Skywatcher NEQ6 (2012-present): Permanently mounted since day 1 this mount is a true workhorse. It handles the 9,25" easily for visual & planetary and with a bit of patience and the right tools can also provide adequate results in deep sky photography. Tracking is excellent and the pointing accuracy is very good.
Celestron's CG5-GT mount (2005-2008, 2009-2012 & 2017):
This is a light-weight, portable computerized or Go-To mount which enables automatic pointing and tracking of celestial objects. This latest iteration of it (v4.16) features a remarkable addition to Celestron's NexStar software: the All Star Polar Alignment method which allows the user to accurately polar align the mount without using Polaris, the North star. Especially useful since my view of Polaris is blocked from my current location!
Cameras & Other equipment
Current: ZWO ASI 224 MC Older: ZWO ASI 120 MM (2014-2015) The Imaging Source DBK21AU04.AS (2011-2014) Philips SPC900NC (2009-2011, Astronomik IR) Philips SPC900NC (2006-2008, Baader IR cut, RAW mod) Canon EOS 550D Filters: Astronomik IR block ZWO IR Block ZWO LRGB Astronomik 742nm Astronomik IR block Baader IR-Block Other: ZWO ADC (Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector, since Feb 2016) Celestron Ultima SV series Barlow 2x Baader Q-turret Barlow 2.25x/1.3x Losmandy D-series dovetail Baader V-series dovetail Moonlite Motorised Focuser DIY Motorised Focuser using a GSO Crayford & Synta Motofocus Kendrick Dew heater Controller Astrozap Dew heater band Telrad Older Cameras: Nikon D40 Kodak Z730 Kodak CX7525 
Philips SPC900NC seen here with Baader IR cut filter and 1,25" adapter
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The C9,25 after an early morning session during the Summer of 2010. At the time I was located in a 3rd floor apartment in Nicosia.
The ZWO ASI224MC camera and Moonlite motorised focuser.
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One of my best early attempts at Jupiter. C9,25 & SPC900NC
