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Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope
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Availability:
Price:
$1,199.00*
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| Part No: | B000GUFOC8 |
| Manufacturer: | Celestron |
| MFG Part: | 11069 |
| Customer Rating: | 4.0 / 5.0 |
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- 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, StarBright XLT high transmission coatings come standard
- StarPointer finderscope to help with alignment and accurately locating objects
- Quick-release fork arm mount, optical tube and accessory tray for no-tool setup
- SkyAlign allows you to align on any three bright celestial objects, making for a fast and easy alignment process
- Nearly 40,000-object database with 200 user-definable objects and expanded information on over 200 objects
Advanced computerized telescope has a large 8" aperture and sophisticated Schmidt-Cassegrain optics so you can see deep into the universe with incredible brightness and clarity. See 40,000 stars, planets, clusters, galaxies, nebulas and more with the press of a button. Simply use the backlit LCD hand control to select an object from the built-in database and watch the telescope automatically move and point at the object. The database has more than 40,000 of the best deep sky sights, plus you can add 200 user-definable objects of your own. Acclaimed SkyAlign technology and a StarPointer finderscope let you align the scope in minutes. The large 8" aperture combines with Schmidt-Cassegrain optics and StarBright XLT enhanced high-transmission lens coatings for ultra bright, razor sharp, high contrast images. Sturdy altazimuth mount and patented single fork arm ensure smooth, effortless movement. It weighs only 33 lbs., and the pre-assembled tripod, quick-release optical tube and fast no-tools set up make it easy to take it wherever the viewing is best. You can update your telescope's software via the Internet. The NexRemote telescope control software and a RS-232 cable allow you to control the scope via your computer (software and cable included). Also includes a 25mm 1.25" eyepiece, accessory tray and The Sky planetarium software with printable sky maps. Uses 8 AA batteries (not included). 40,000 stars, planets, galaxies and more at the press of a button order your Celestron 8SE telescope today!
Review Celestron's Nexstar 8 SE telescope combines excellent optics and computerized "GoTo" tracking in a package that's light, portable and affordable. The legendary performance of Celestron's orange tube C8 telescope has been updated with high performance Starbright XLT coatings, and the single arm Nexstar mount now includes Celestron's easy to use "SkyAlign" technology.  | | Jupiter as seen through the Celestron NexStar 8SE special-edition computerized telescope. |
The Nexstar 8 SE upholds Celestron's reputation for quality optics. When I use an 11mm Plossl eyepiece (almost 200x magnification) for example, I can easily see the Cassini Division in Saturn's rings. When I look at Jupiter, the pale orange color of Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot is visible, and I've even been able to identify the polar caps and spot dust storms on the planet Mars. A 20mm Plossl eyepiece (about 100x magnification) is a good choice for viewing galaxies and star clusters. When I look at globular cluster M13 in the constellation Hercules the high contrast XLT optics show me a glowing snowflake made of hundreds of tiny pin-point stars! And a low power 32mm Plossl eyepiece is a good choice for views of larger deep space highlights like the Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion Nebula.  | The moon seen through the Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope.
(See larger image.) |
Celestron's patented "SkyAlign" system makes the Nexstar 8 SE very easy to use. I just pick the nearest town from the built-in list, enter the date and time, and point the telescope at three bright stars. I don't need a star chart because "SkyAlign" identifies the stars for me. When I just want a quick look at the moon or a planet, I like to use the "Solar System Align" option. After entering the date and time, I just point the telescope at the moon and press the "Align" key. That's all it takes, the computer takes over and the telescope begins tracking quietly and accurately. At star parties I often have my Nexstar up and running while older computerized telescopes are still waiting for their alignment stars to appear in the twilight. The Nexstar 8 SE comes with a simple red-dot finder scope and a basic 25mm eyepiece. You'll want to add a few good eyepieces to take full advantage of the Nexstar 8 SE's excellent optics. At the very least get Celestron's bargain priced Accessory Kit which includes high and low power plossl eyepieces, or treat yourself to some top rated Tele Vue eyepieces. At twenty-four pounds total weight, the Nexstar 8 SE is unusually light and portable for an eight-inch telescope. The drawback of course is that some people will find it too light. Like other Schmidt Cassegrain (SCT) telescopes there are plenty of optional accessories to upgrade this telescope with, such as heavy duty tripods and an optical finder scope. If you want to try astro-photography, however, check out Celestron's CPC 800 Telescope which features a heavy duty mount and tripod and an 8x50 optical finder scope right out of the box. --Jeff Phillips Pros: - Excellent optics
- Easy computerized GoTo tracking
- Light, portable and affordable
Cons: - Plastic accessories
- Short battery life
- Too light for astro-photography
| Good SCT/GoTo for the Price | 2010-04-19 | 4 / 5 |
| I am a casual backyard observer in an area of heavy light pollution (close in suburb) and I looked at a number of smaller and more primitive Go-To scopes before buying the 8SE. I also have a C-5, but found it is just not up to letting me find fainter objects in our dark gray sky. The manual contains many suggestions for improving Go-To accuracy and I am still working through them. But with the mount level, the location set to a city 10 miles away and the time set to with in a minute, the Sky align method works very well with a 25mm eyepiece. Even one star and two star alignments are close. Precision Go-To works very well. If your observing takes you back and forth across a wide area of sky, you can improve Go-To by replacing one of the alignment stars with whatever star or planet you are viewing now. Having a level scope is critical. The bubble level was lost in the unpacking so I use a 2' level or a line level and rotate the scope more than 180 degrees to check level in all directions.
Once an object is centered, tracking is excellent. Saturn stayed in view with a 10mm eyepiece for about 50 minutes with no adjustments; at that point I changed to a different target.
Optically the 8SE is very good. It easily splits some of the closer double stars. Collimation while not perfect is very good; so good that I continue to postpone adjusting it. At the 8SE's price point there are compromises; there is play in the drive and the tripod could be just a bit better. The focus mechanism is jumpy. The red dot finder is a pain to use with higher targets. I will replace it with a right angle finder or a laser finder.
Imperfect as the Go-To system is in some ways, it does not require a complex setup, and most important, allows me to quickly find objects eluded me using guess and point with my C-5.
I use an AC adapter with a 5.5mm x 2.1 plug rather than batteries. If the power connection is loose, gently spread the center pin in the power jack on the mount. Also check to ensure that you are using a x 2.1mm plug rather than the more common x 2.2mm.
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| GREAT scope for the price | 2010-03-22 | 5 / 5 |
| In short, for the money, this scope is great. You can spend twice the money for the capability this scope offers. This scope is easy to setup (probably 20 min. from pulling it out of the box). The built in alignment program is not perfect, but you can tweak it easily and be viewing in no time. I have not tried using the scope on batteries, just the AC adapter, based on other reviews. The built in computer data base is extensive and can give you hours of enjoyment. The "TOUR" button will keep you busy! I have looked at Mars and Saturn. You can see the polar cap on Mars (barely) and I have seen at least three of Saturn's moons. Views of the moon are spectacular. Viewing deep space objects are not quite as captivating due to my slightly light-polluted sky.
The packaging the scope comes in is excellent! It is nested to allow maximum protection. I have had to e-mail Celestron once for help (AC power supply was loose). They quickly responded, and their fix worked. I highly recommend the AC adapter, anti-vibration pads, and the 1.25" "ZOOM" eyepiece as "needed" accessories. ENJOY and clear skies. |
| Okay Tube, Bad Mount | 2010-02-21 | 2 / 5 |
| I've used this telescope since June 2009. The NexStar 8 SE provides pretty good views, but the computerized mount is literally a piece of junk. I'll tell you why.
Problems with the mount:
1. Battery compartment: Lots of space taken up for batteries, but batteries only work for a few minutes. This thing eats batteries, and doesn't come with a power cord! Further, the battery compartment design is poor, with two battery holders dangling by their wires. The battery holders must be placed a certain way after batteries are installed into them. There's only one way to place the battery holders and still be able to close the compartment cover, but there are a few ways to place the battery holders incorrectly. If you want to be able to close the battery compartment, you'll probably have to look up the instructions on the internet. You'll need to by the optional AC power cord (which is what I did since I'm always observing within an extension cord's length of an electrical outlet), or the 12V cord along with a 12V battery in order to use this scope.
2. Noise: I know everything seems louder at night... in the dark... when you're supposed to be quiet. But slewing at moderate to fast speed with this thing is like a freight train coming down the tracks. It's not a problem if you're not near anyone, but the many times I've been in my backyard or up at the lake with this scope, I've worried about disturbing neighbors.
3. No clutch in azimuth: This means you can't move the mount in a sideways direction without using the power-hungry, fantastically noisy motor. You can move the mount in altitude manually, but not in azimuth. Truly a bummer.
4. Spur gears: There's a lot of slop in the gears, so when you begin to slew the scope it often doesn't actually begin to move for a short period of time. No big deal, but it's annoying.
5. Time isn't saved: As others have mentioned, having to enter the time each time you turn on the mount is just ridiculous.
6. Cheap hand controller: The screen on my hand controller came loose and tilted within a couple of weeks of use. LCD screen doesn't work well in cold weather. I know this is a common problem with these types of controllers, but cold weather is a common condition for astronomical observing. Celestron and all other manufacturers really should take this into account and install a heating element in the controller. (I know all the workarounds - use handwarmers, put the controller in your jacket, attach your own heating element, etc. - but they're just not convenient.) There's obviously no intention of minimizing power consumption with this mount, so adding a heating element wouldn't be a big deal.
7. Built-in bubble level: There isn't one.
8. Defective (at least mine is): I'm in the process of sending my mount to Celestron for warranty repairs because it no longer slews properly at slew speeds slower than 8 or 9 during alignment. So, at a slew speed of 5 which is the default for alignment, the mount doesn't move at all. It's too bad I have to pay for sending it in, when I'd really rather just get a better mount.
Problems with the tube:
1. Focus knob: The focus knob shakes and moves the mirror way too much. If I didn't know better I'd think it was a defect. But I know better. It's not considered a defect. It's just a bad design that amateur astronomers apparently don't mind too much.
2. Accessory mounting holes: Ideally, you'd have a red-dot finder and 9x50 finderscope mounted to the top of the tube. You can't do that with this scope unless you're willing to get out your drill. There are mounting holes at approximately the 2 o'clock position and 4 o'clock position, so most people will probably use those using the topmost holes for the red-dot finder and the lower ones for the magnified finderscope. There should be another set of holes on the top of the tube somewhere between 10 and 2 for the purpose of mounting accessories.
There are a few things I like about the scope:
1. Portable: Compared to my 10" dob, the 8 SE is quite portable, and this is the primary reason I bought it. I've been able to take it to the lake (where the sky is much darker) on many occasions.
2. Tracking: Once aligned the mount tracks pretty well. I've left the scope tracking for over an hour, to find that the object of interest was still in the field of view when I returned.
For me, the bottom line is that the NexStar 8 SE has too many problems, and shouldn't be considered by anyone new to astronomy. Considering the design quality, the 8 SE is overpriced. You can get a bigger and better telescope for less than half the price if you're willing to give up the computerized object locator and the tracking ability that's inherent in such a mount. Trust me. If you're a beginner in reasonably dark skies (meaning you can actually see and locate stars with just your eyes) then a computerized mount like this one will frustrate you far more than it will help you. |
| A bit disappointing. Caveat emptor. | 2010-01-23 | 1 / 5 |
| This whole package is disappointing. I got it for Christmas and while I can get it out and see some stuff the features of the telescope simply don't work. The automated, computerized system gets you pointed in the general direction of what you're looking for but can't actually find it. And, once you've gone through the alignment procedure and tried to find something (which it can't quite do) the keys on the control pad don't work. So, you end up shutting it off and restarting it just so you can move it around and try to see something. The computer doesn't work. Simple as that.
I also called Celestron's Technical Support and was less than impressed. The guy didn't even seem familiar with the operation of the unit and then just told me that "I wasn't using it right". Sorry, dude, but I was.
Lastly, the software bundled with it isn't that hot either. It's a neat idea, but it won't take the time from your computer and seems determined to insert some other time (in my case I live in the US central time zone and the software insists on using Pacific time), even though I check and tweak the computer "Date and Time" settings and hit the |
| Excellent, except... | 2009-09-20 | 5 / 5 |
| | I have a professional degree in astronomy before turning to medicine. I also have over 40 years of observing experience. This is a wonderful off-the-shelf telescope for the amateur observer who is mainly interested in visual observing. Optical and mechanical quality and image stability are excellent. I use a digital camera with it for planetary and lunar work, but I don't do deep-sky photography. This type of alt-azimuth drive/mount is not really designed for serious deep-sky photography, but it is terrific for visual observing. My only complaint is that it does not have an onboard memory clock, so the time, date, and location must be re-entered with each use. That is a crazy software design. The other complaint is that the unit I have does not know about the change in daylight savings time dates that was made last year. It is a small hassle, but a hassle nonetheless. |
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