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Counterweights |
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The weight of a piggyback camera, tele-extender, etc., can affect the balance of your catadioptric telescope. This can lead to blurred astrophotos or possible motor drive or clutch damage not covered by warranty. In addition, an unbalanced telescope can swing abruptly when the right ascension or declination locks are released (accidentally or otherwise), posing a physical danger to the unwary observer and/or to his camera. For these reasons, counterweights are strongly recommended when you use camera equipment with any catadioptric telescope, particularly when using eyepiece projection adapters for close-up lunar and planetary photography.
You can usually compensate for the added weight of a camera with a reflector or refractor without resorting to optional extra counterweights. Adjusting the position of the refractor or reflector optical tube fore and aft in its cradle rings will rebalance it in declination. Relocating the main counterweight further down its shaft will rebalance the scope in right ascension.
Celestron C5 Piggyback
Counterpoise for Celestron C5+ only; 2 lb. weight
attaches to scope’s single fork arm to balance camera during piggyback photography;
includes adapter to attach camera to piggyback built into scope handle. #1705
Celestron Counterweight Bar
Assemblies: for fork mount Celestron 8", 9.25",
and 11" scopes only; not for German equatorial mount scopes; unique high-leverage
design needs only half the weight of ordinary counterweights to properly balance the same
amount of photo equipment; low profile dovetail bar attaches to existing accessory holes
in underside of front and rear cells of scopes and can be left in place permanently;
no-tool quick release bracket attaches threaded counterweight shaft to dovetail bar and
allows rod to be positioned anywhere along optical tube; 2.5 lb. counterweight threads
onto rod and can be positioned up and down on rod to quickly balance any accessory load
(closer to optical tube provides less leverage; further away provides more, allowing
heavier accessory loads to be balanced); extra 2.5 lb. and 5 lb. weights are available to
balance very heavy cameras or accessories; Ultima 11 version #1720 is shown on the left of
the photo, while Ultima 8 version #1715 is shown on the right; extra
2.5 lb. weight #1722 is identical to the weights shown in the photo.
Celestron Ultima
2000 Counterweight Set: for computerized Celestron Ultima 2000 8" scope only;
while the Ultima 2000 comes with suitable counterweights to balance its standard
accessories, these five additional counterweights (one 17.5 oz. and four 2.75 oz.) thread
into each other and into the front cell of the scope to balance the extra weight of photo
accessories and heavy star diagonals #1730
Celestron CI
700/Losmandy G11 Equatorial Mount Counterweight: additional 22 lb. machined weight
for balancing heavy loads mounted on the Celestron CI700 or Losmandy G11 German equatorial
mounts only (mounts come with one 22 lb. weight as standard equipment); hand-tighten
thumbscrew holds counterweight in place on shaft. #G1122
Meade Equatorial Mount
Counterweights: additional weights for balancing heavy loads mounted on the Meade
Starfinder scopes or the Starfinder 6/8/10 and Starfinder 16 German equatorial mounts
(when sold as mounts only, the Starfinder 6/8/10 mount comes with one 10 lb. weight as
standard equipment, while the Starfinder 16" mount comes with one 25 lb. weight); weights
for the Starfinder 6/8/10 mount fit a 1" counterweight shaft; weights for the
Starfinder 16 mount fit a 1.5" shaft; all are held in place by a countersunk bolt
tightened by a hex-head wrench (wrench is supplied with telescope or mount, but not with
counterweight when sold alone); shown on the 8" scope at the left of the photo are 5
lb. weight #ST805 and 10 lb. weight #ST810, while the 10" scope at the right of the
photo has 25 lb. weight #ST825 (not shown are the 25 and 42 lb. weights for the Starfinder
16 mount, which are similar in appearance to #ST825)
Meade Tube Balance Systems:
designed for fork mount Meade 7" Maksutov-Cassegrains and
8" through 16" Schmidt-Cassegrains only; not for Meade German equatorial mount
scopes such as the #203SC/500, which are balanced in declination by sliding their optical
tube fore and aft in their dovetail mount until the correct balance is achieved; #1401
tube balance is for 8" scopes such as the older 2080B, LX5, LX6, etc., and the
current LX10, LX50, and LX200; #1402 is for 10" scopes such as the older 2120B, LX6,
Premier series, etc. and the current 10" LX50, and LX200; #1403 is for the 12"
LX200; #1404 is for the 16" LX200; #1407 is for the 7" LX50 and LX200; a low
profile bar attaches to the underside of front and rear cells of the telescope and can be
left in place permanently; three sliding weights (1, 2, and 3 pounds) slide onto the bar
– singly or in combination – to precisely balance photo accessories or heavy
visual accessories; weights are locked in place on bar with thumbscrews; safety
thumbscrews at ends of bar prevent weights from slipping off, but allow weights to be
easily removed, with no tools required, for storage or travel; extra 2 lb. counterweight
is available for use with very heavy cameras or accessories; the #1401 tube balance is
shown in the photo mounted underneath the optical tube of an 8" Meade
Schmidt-Cassegrain (all 3 weights are shown installed).
Questar Counterweight: for 3.5" Questar astro and Duplex only; one pound lead-filled non-scratching vinyl sleeve wraps around optical tube or dew cap and is held closed by Velcro tabs; separate Velcro-faced bar attaches to eyepiece diopter tube and extends forward along optical tube to anchor weight sleeve in position; sliding sleeve fore and aft on barrel balances different camera weights. #1793
