Vixen Mount Sphinx SX2 Starbook One

The SX2 mount continues the tradition of the legendary Vixen Sphinx range of mounts: it can be combined with various optics, is expandable according to your needs, and has an ergonomic design for easy handling.Additionally the SX2 Sphinx mount can be set up in just a few minutes and can also be easily transported. This makes them interesting for beginners and experienced amateur astronomers alike.

At the heart of the SX2 are the precision stepper motors, ensuring better performance and response than the previous versions. The micro-step motion control system has powerful and yet very quiet drive properties for both tracking and high-speed pans. Smooth running is taken care of by four ball bearings in the worm shafts of the right ascension and declination axes, along with the needle bearing in the the declination clamp unit. While other mounts in this class reminds you of a circular saw, the SX2 purrs like a cat.

The motor units are mounted on the opposite side to the telescope optics and thereby act as counterweights. You will be surprised how little counterweight you have to drag through the countryside in order to to balance the mount. For transportation, you can easily slide the counterweight shaft into the body of the mount.

The mount is supplied with a cigarette lighter connection, so you can drive the mount directly with your car battery, a power tank or a mains adapter with the appropriate plug.

The SX2 is certainly not the cheapest mount in its class, but with the SX2 you get excellent mechanics of very high quality from the Japanese manufacturer Vixen. You will get years of enjoyment from it!

The Star Book One is a versatile yet easy-to-use control, which allows tracking in the R.A. and Dec axes with variable speeds. Among the tracking options available are not only the important sidereal tracking, but also speeds for time-lapse recordings and lunar and solar observations. In addition, the control system offers many useful functions, such as backlash compensation, autoguider port, PEC, and a built-in red LED light.

The Star Book One control is intended for, among others, the Vixen Advanced Polaris and SX2 mounts, and is an integral part of the Advanced Polaris R.A. motor module. Please note: if the Advanced Polaris mount is also to be motorised on the declination axis, then the declination motor module is additionally required. In contrast, all motors are already already installed in the SX2 mount.

The motorisation of the right ascension axis is sufficient for tracking the mount during observations or photography. The tracking of the right ascension axis ensures that the movement of the celestial sphere is compensated for.

• Dimension of the Star Book One: 13.7 x 6.5 x 2.1cm
• Weight: 110g
• CPU: 32-bit CISC Processor.

Most important features at a glance:

• The four arrow buttons on the Star Book One directly control the motors.
• The two-line LCD display has an adjustable red background for night-time observation, so that you will not be dazzled and lose your eyes’ dark adaption.
• The menu language is English.
• A variety of tracking speeds are available, in particular the direction of rotation can be changed depending on the hemisphere.
• In order to home in on celestial objects there are four different speeds for you to choose from.
• The backlash compensation ensures that the control is more responsive if the motion direction is changed. This is very welcome when trying to center a celestial object in the eyepiece at high magnification.
• The Star Book One can be used for autoguiding.
• PEC Control: The tracking compensates for the inevitable errors that inevitably occur in each gear. This periodic error correction is important for images requiring long exposure times.