Mounting Celestar 8 on a GEM

[sharptrack2]

Hi again,

Following on from another thread, what would I need to do to swap this telescope to my GEM. I have a Celetron Astromaster GEM that came with the 5" Newtonian, and I am reasonably sure it can handle the weight. Might not do so well if I want to add a motor drive but that's not an issue right now. The current mounting hardware is for a set of forks. I do see a set of screws located in what seem like the right positions for a dovetail bar. 2 in the front, and 1 in the rear.

Is this a case of needing a set of rings, to which the dovetail bar would attach to instead of the telescope body itself? :shrug:

:thanx: in advance!

[Merlin66]

Kevin,
You don't need rings....just a good dovetail to fit the SCT.

[sharptrack2]

:thanx: Ken,

I assume I should probably stick with Celestron or will any of the usual manufacturers work... assuming I get the right size of course. ;)

[Merlin66]

The Vixen or Losmandy type dovetails should be readily available for the C8.
Check with your local astro shop.

[sharptrack2]

Thanks Ken,

I've been wanting to visit the Sydney Bintel store for awhile now. It's a bit of drive but the reasons to go keep piling up. :P :D