Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope
Celestron
- 11069
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Reviews
(11)
+ 1 likes
The five stars represent my opinion about the scope. I'm a novice at astronomy, so I can't really make any comparisons. I can tell you, however, that this scope does everything I've ever read about it. I pulled it out of the box and put it together and it went to work just the way the book said. I've done some solar viewing and a little digital astrophotography. My major purpose for this scope is in the area of deep-sky astrophotography without spending multiple thousands of bucks. It may be a little overkill for a novice like myself, but I wanted a scope that I wouldn't outgrow, and one that is easy to accessorize. The only thing I can nit-pick on this scope is the motor drives on the mount. They work fine, but they make a little too much noise, and the sound indicates to me that the gear train is not high quality components. It does seem to run very smooth, though! And accurate, every time! If YOU take the time to accurately set it up and aim it, then IT will put what ever you ask for
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+ 0 likes
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.
+ 0 likes
For the price and all the listed features, this telescope is a severe disappointment.
Out of the box, I noticed pieces missing. Celestron customer service (likely in India, China or Jamaica) doesn't provide humans to speak with. Only terse online text responses. No luck getting the piece I needed.
A buddy and I set up the scope and the first thing that happened was that the batteries shorted out and literally spilled acid inside the battery tray. I cleaned the tray and put in freshly-charged rechargables. They ran out of power extremely fast. So, I put in brand-new disposable batteries. Three out of four alignment attempts didn't work. Finally got it aligned. Motors seems to be really sloppy and very imprecise. Stars and planets weren't where they were supposed to be. Scope does not track so, by the time you see something cool and tell your friend to look, it's totally out of sight.
Objects viewed didn't look anything like the pictures on the web / marketing materials. I
Out of the box, I noticed pieces missing. Celestron customer service (likely in India, China or Jamaica) doesn't provide humans to speak with. Only terse online text responses. No luck getting the piece I needed.
A buddy and I set up the scope and the first thing that happened was that the batteries shorted out and literally spilled acid inside the battery tray. I cleaned the tray and put in freshly-charged rechargables. They ran out of power extremely fast. So, I put in brand-new disposable batteries. Three out of four alignment attempts didn't work. Finally got it aligned. Motors seems to be really sloppy and very imprecise. Stars and planets weren't where they were supposed to be. Scope does not track so, by the time you see something cool and tell your friend to look, it's totally out of sight.
Objects viewed didn't look anything like the pictures on the web / marketing materials. I
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+ 0 likes
I am a beginner to astronomy and I find this is the perfect scope to begin and continue my adventure with. Its about as much telescope as you can have that is still be portable. It is solid and I can carry it out in one piece. Every time I take it out I learn more about astronomy. It is also an excellent platform to grow in the future with accessories, such as anti-vibration pads, upgraded finderscope, and a focal reducer. I am very pleased and would recommend it to anyone.
+ 0 likes
I received this telescope as a gift for Christmas. My husband did much research and purchased the telescope as well as ac/dc and portable power supply.
I was very fortunate that he purchased those external sources of power as the power source using the batteries is faulty. Loaded up 8 brand new batteries and turned on the scope: NOTHING. Thought perhaps they were loaded wrong, removed them and reinserted the batteries. Still nothing. Tried another set of brand new batteries. Still NOTHING.
I have been able to use the scope, it works well on external power, however if the power supply comes loose for even a second, I have to re-align the scope because the battery power supply seem disconnected from the scope. I have tried to call Celestron however, they are on vacation until 1/4/2009. Wonderful. I really don't want to send the scope back for this (which they would cover under warranty I am sure--except they won't pay for shipping).
Very disappointed with this as the scope was pricy.
E-mailed
I was very fortunate that he purchased those external sources of power as the power source using the batteries is faulty. Loaded up 8 brand new batteries and turned on the scope: NOTHING. Thought perhaps they were loaded wrong, removed them and reinserted the batteries. Still nothing. Tried another set of brand new batteries. Still NOTHING.
I have been able to use the scope, it works well on external power, however if the power supply comes loose for even a second, I have to re-align the scope because the battery power supply seem disconnected from the scope. I have tried to call Celestron however, they are on vacation until 1/4/2009. Wonderful. I really don't want to send the scope back for this (which they would cover under warranty I am sure--except they won't pay for shipping).
Very disappointed with this as the scope was pricy.
E-mailed
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+ 0 likes
When I opened the package I was surprised the quality of the product. I went right away to test it in my first night. Due to Florida's terrible rainy days lately it was mostly cloudy yet I was able to see Mars, Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moon and clouds, even behind a tinted glass! That's how high quality these optics are. Able to gather celestial light even with such terrible viewing conditions.
The eyepiece that came with it(25mm)is of very good quality itself, I bought a an eyepiece set but I still find myself using it a lot. The tracking does drain batteries fast so I had no choice than to upgrade to an AC power supply. Due to high humidity, dew was a problem on the optics, had to buy a dew shield.
To summarize, every penny spent on it was well worth it. This really isn't an entry level telescope so it does cost a lot but it also shows on the quality and what you can see through it.
I definitely recomend buying this telescope if you are serius about astronomy or want a real good
The eyepiece that came with it(25mm)is of very good quality itself, I bought a an eyepiece set but I still find myself using it a lot. The tracking does drain batteries fast so I had no choice than to upgrade to an AC power supply. Due to high humidity, dew was a problem on the optics, had to buy a dew shield.
To summarize, every penny spent on it was well worth it. This really isn't an entry level telescope so it does cost a lot but it also shows on the quality and what you can see through it.
I definitely recomend buying this telescope if you are serius about astronomy or want a real good
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+ 0 likes
I got this telescope last year because Celestron was having a huge rebate. They tend to give a 200 dollars off rebate every 1/2 year. Since then, I've added a light pollution filter and a heater to it, along with a Denkmeier Power Switch. The quality of this telescope is top notch, and I've been able to hook up my laptop to it for control. I use a 12 volt, 2 amp power adapter when I'm outside in the garden. So far, from my suburban light polluted environment, I've seen over 60 Messier objects. The telescope is perfectly collimated. I highly recommend anyone looking for a computerized telescope to select this one.
+ 0 likes
I recently upgraded to the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE. I had the Nexstar 4 GT before it. I have to say that the Nexstar line has come a long way in 4 years. The hand controller now has a larger database of objects that the scope will go to, and more alignment methods have been added. With SkyAlign, you can have the scope aligned in no time. I also like the fact that the hand controller and motor controllers are firmware upgradable now. This scope's go-to capabilities are fantastic. Once I used SkyAlign to set it up, I was finding nebulas and galaxies that I had never seen before. 8 "AA" batteries do not last long in this scope, so if you plan to use it for hours at a time, I would suggest that you purchase the AC Adapter, Car Adapter, or Power Tank to go with it. Anyway, the Nexstar 8 SE is a super scope. I love it!
+ 0 likes
I love astronomy and have to say this was my first real purchase of a telescope. I placed my order and in 2 days my product was at the door. I was shocked how fast it came. I was very excited about viewing the planets and hopefully some deep sky objects. Novice would be the best way to describe my viewing experience. However, I was able to get the scope setup and struggled with the star alignment. Then I used the CD that came with the product and got to know the night sky. Yes I know, read the material first then play but I was like a kid in a candy store and just couldn't wait to start viewing.
I did get the sky align to work and then tested the alignment by having it go to the easiest target in the sky. (The moon). Boom it was center view. In a full moon phase right now so the obvious light polution is tremendous but I was able to view Jupiter and see 3 moons (due to the light conditions it wasn't to detailed). Everything else was bleed out by the moon.
I read the reviews
I did get the sky align to work and then tested the alignment by having it go to the easiest target in the sky. (The moon). Boom it was center view. In a full moon phase right now so the obvious light polution is tremendous but I was able to view Jupiter and see 3 moons (due to the light conditions it wasn't to detailed). Everything else was bleed out by the moon.
I read the reviews
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+ 0 likes
I love astronomy and have to say this was my first real purchase of a telescope. I placed my order and in 2 days my product was at the door. I was shocked how fast it came. I was very excited about viewing the planets and hopefully some deep sky objects. Novice would be the best way to describe my viewing experience. However, I was able to get the scope setup and struggled with the star alignment. Then I used the CD that came with the product and got to know the night sky. Yes I know, read the material first then play but I was like a kid in a candy store and just couldn't wait to start viewing.
I did get the sky align to work and then tested the alignment by having it go to the easiest target in the sky. (The moon). Boom it was center view. In a full moon phase right now so the obvious light polution is tremendous but I was able to view Jupiter and see 3 moons (due to the light conditions it wasn't to detailed). Everything else was bleed out by the moon.
I read the reviews
I did get the sky align to work and then tested the alignment by having it go to the easiest target in the sky. (The moon). Boom it was center view. In a full moon phase right now so the obvious light polution is tremendous but I was able to view Jupiter and see 3 moons (due to the light conditions it wasn't to detailed). Everything else was bleed out by the moon.
I read the reviews
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+ 0 likes
In brief I was thoroughly satisfied with the quality of the telescope. I havent yet used it much, but in about 2 weeks or so that I have owned the telescope, I have used it each night irrespective of the seeing conditions.
I will divide the entire review into two parts, likes and dislike/want.
Things that I dislike or would want.
Power consumption is really high... I learnt that the very first night. I had to terminate my viewing session in about two hours. I was using brand new Duracell AA battries with a lot of moving. I would have really like if Celestron was a little more direct about the fact that power comsumption is really high, but then again I could have missed it! I would really recommend buying the power tank.
Levelling the telescope is really important and Celestron has even provided with a bubble level. I would have really liked if the bubble was built into the mount.
Things that I like...
In one word... everything else. The optics are really good and I get clear crisp
I will divide the entire review into two parts, likes and dislike/want.
Things that I dislike or would want.
Power consumption is really high... I learnt that the very first night. I had to terminate my viewing session in about two hours. I was using brand new Duracell AA battries with a lot of moving. I would have really like if Celestron was a little more direct about the fact that power comsumption is really high, but then again I could have missed it! I would really recommend buying the power tank.
Levelling the telescope is really important and Celestron has even provided with a bubble level. I would have really liked if the bubble was built into the mount.
Things that I like...
In one word... everything else. The optics are really good and I get clear crisp
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