CelestronNexStar 8SE SCT with Accessory Kit and Smartphone Adaptor

The night sky is more better visible with naked eyes rather than watching through the lens of the telescope that is provided.

For a good reason. Beginners and hobbyists alike as well as advanced astronomers agree. Just get one.

Excellent value for money

My wife has just started her astronomy adventure and we took quite a while choosing which telescope to buy. This one came out very high in many reviews and on many websites, and although I was a little reluctant to start off with a £600+ telescope, I wanted to make sure we could have a good experience so opted for this one.Firstly there's no doubt this is a quality telescope. The tripod itself would set you back a couple of hundred Im sure if you just wanted a good one for professional level photography or a replacement. Perhaps a pro photographer would disagree but without doubt it's a strong and sturdy set up. The tripod also comes with an equatorial alignment wedge. Now at this stage I don't know very much about what that is, but on reading many other reviews related to the other Nexstar SE series telescopes, it's clear that the others don't appear to have that option oddly. (Im sure someone will correct me if Im wrong). But at least it is there as and when you need it.The telescope itself is fairly impressive, particularly if you are not accustomed to telescopes as a rule. It comes with the basics you need to get going (also bought a lens & filter kit to compliment further). There are a number of tutorial videos for this telescope available online to assist you in setting it up and to be honest we found it quite a doddle to get the whole thing erected.Using the GoTo computer attachment for the alignment process was another experience however. I quickly realised that the software needed to be updated as the alignment process did ask me for global co-ordinates. I know these are easily obtained from most smartphones, but I had noticed on a couple of aforementioned tutorial videos that this wasn't requested by the handset, instead simply asking you to select your country and city.So the first issue in updating the software was of course connecting it to your PC. Trouble is it comes with an RS-232 (serial adapter) and not a USB. Who uses those anymore? This prompted me to think: how long as this product been around? I haven't used a serial adapter since I last owned a dial-up modem over 10 years ago. So I purchased a separate adapter and after a bit of fiddling about with serial port issues, finally managed to update the software.It took us a couple of frustrating evenings getting the telescope aligned properly, but this was of course due to our inexperience and the required learning curve, but was eventually rewarded with amazing views of the Moon, Jupiter & Saturn on the same evening. (if you do buy this I advise you to get a 2x Barlow lens as well. It really makes a huge difference when coupled with the 25mm Plossl lens that comes with the telescope as standard. More experienced stargazers will no doubt offer better advice but I at least discovered that was the case very quickly).Once you get the hang of the alignment process you're off. The GoTo computer and auto alignment motor does all the hard work from there.Overall I think this is a great telescope, and especially for beginners. The price might make some people think twice for a first scope, however there are a number of other viable options if you take your time and some advice from experienced stargazers.So far I'm very happy. I would have given this the full five stars had it come with a USB connection option.

The Celestron Nexstar 6SE is my very first telescope and though I enjoy astronomy, I do not know anything about telescopes. Therefore I have had to learn fast which has now enabled me to know the basics about this telescope.Size and weight - it’s pretty big and it’s heavy. With the stainless steel tripod it must be close to 20kg.Scope and eyepiece - the telescope has a maximum magnification of 354x but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to use it at it’s full capability off the bat (as I eventually discovered). The eyepiece it comes with gives you 60x magnification and in order to increase this, you’ll need to invest in other eyepieces. Mars, Saturn and Jupiter are visible with the naked eye where I live but the eyepiece available isn’t powerful enough to make out any of the distinct features on these planets - except you can just about make out Saturn’s rings. The scope also comes with a red dot finder and it is vital that this is aligned perfectly with the scope. I suggest using the moon as a target to help you do this as it worked for me.Handset and power - the handset is a very useful feature of the telescope. After entering basic details like location, time and date the database will present you with celestial sights which are available to see from where you are. The handset also enables you to control the scope, moving it in any direction as needed.To power the telescope you need either 8AA batteries or a power adapter (fortunately I had one lying around at home, which works).Conclusion - overall this is a good telescope which I am still learning about but it has the features and capabilities for some great long term observing.

Ok , so I wanted a fairly portable goto mount .. the nexstar fits the bill . It also has a wedge which can be used to put the mount into equatorial mode ( not tried this yet )All in all iss good , maybe a bit frustrating that you cannot use the mount without powering it up . Skywatcher have two small az mounts that can both be moved without powering up. Celestron take note ! The scope is lovely . What I mean by that is it looks great and works great ( as long as you realise it’s limitations ) it’s great when viewing the moon and the brighter planets ... but for dso’s , well, forget it . That’s why people have more than one scope ... no one scope does everything well !The good thing about the 4”Mak is that due to the long focal length you don’t need to push the magnification.All in all a fine combination of scope and mount , with a few caveats .