Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope
from: Celestron
Price: $1,199.00
Prices subject to change.Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Description:
The largest of the NexStar SE family with 78% more light gathering, the NexStar 8 SE will enable you to see deep into the Universe. The distinctive patented fork arm with ergonomically designed integrated hand control cradle gives solid support to Celestron's classic 8-inch optics. The NexStar 8 SE features Schmidt-Cassegrain 8-inch aperture optics with our premium StarBright XLT coatings and a powerful 2032mm focal length and f/10 focal ratio. The NexStar 8 SE has all the same features as Celestron's most advanced computerized GoTo telescopes, including our revolutionary SkyAlign alignment technology, a sky tour feature, a database of over 40000 celestial objects and easy to use hand control.Sturdy computerized altazimuth mount Ultra sturdy steel tripod with accessory tray Star diagonal provides more comfortable viewing position when observing objects that are high in the sky 40,000 object database with 200 user-definable objects and expanded information on over 200 objects SkyAlign allows you to align on any three bright celestial objects, making for a fast and easy alignment process Flash upgradeable hand control software and motor control units for downloading product updates over the Internet Custom database lists of all the most famous deep-sky objects by name and catalog number, the most beautiful double, triple and quadruple stars, variable star, solar systems, objects and asterisms DC Servo motors with encoders on both axes Autoguider port for long exposure astrophotography Double line, 16-character Liquid Crystal Display Hand Control with backlit LED buttons for easy operation of go to features
Amazon.com 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.
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.
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:
The largest of the NexStar SE family with 78% more light gathering, the NexStar 8 SE will enable you to see deep into the Universe. The distinctive patented fork arm with ergonomically designed integrated hand control cradle gives solid support to Celestron's classic 8-inch optics. The NexStar 8 SE features Schmidt-Cassegrain 8-inch aperture optics with our premium StarBright XLT coatings and a powerful 2032mm focal length and f/10 focal ratio. The NexStar 8 SE has all the same features as Celestron's most advanced computerized GoTo telescopes, including our revolutionary SkyAlign alignment technology, a sky tour feature, a database of over 40000 celestial objects and easy to use hand control.Sturdy computerized altazimuth mount Ultra sturdy steel tripod with accessory tray Star diagonal provides more comfortable viewing position when observing objects that are high in the sky 40,000 object database with 200 user-definable objects and expanded information on over 200 objects SkyAlign allows you to align on any three bright celestial objects, making for a fast and easy alignment process Flash upgradeable hand control software and motor control units for downloading product updates over the Internet Custom database lists of all the most famous deep-sky objects by name and catalog number, the most beautiful double, triple and quadruple stars, variable star, solar systems, objects and asterisms DC Servo motors with encoders on both axes Autoguider port for long exposure astrophotography Double line, 16-character Liquid Crystal Display Hand Control with backlit LED buttons for easy operation of go to features
Amazon.com 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.
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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.
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(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
- Plastic accessories
- Short battery life
- Too light for astro-photography
Features:
- 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
Accessories:
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Not nearly as nice as you'd think
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 ... Read More
Rating: 
- wonderful scope
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.
Rating: 
- Power Supply problem --a bit disappointing for such an expensive scope
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 themand reinserted the batteries. Still nothing. Tried another set of brand new batteries. Still NOTHING. ... Read More
Rating: - Excellent Telescope !
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 ... Read More
Rating: - Awesome telescope
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 ... Read More
- Not nearly as nice as you'd thinkFor 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 ... Read More
- wonderful scopeI 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.
- Power Supply problem --a bit disappointing for such an expensive scopeI 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 themand reinserted the batteries. Still nothing. Tried another set of brand new batteries. Still NOTHING. ... Read More
- Excellent Telescope !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 ... Read More
- Awesome telescopeI 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 ... Read More
