Reviews & Ratings for Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope — 22 reviews — Page 1

So I recently received a NexStar 8SE and believe it or not I dropped the tube on the ground 3rd or 4th night out. Amazingly the collimation seems to be OK. I was wondering though if the primary mirror may need adjustment. How can I tell? This telescope seems more rugged than I thought regardless.

Bob

Being this is my first telescope I have nothing to really compare it to. I find it easy to align & it offers stunning views. Definitely purchase a reliable power source; I'd recommend Celestrons lithium battery. I didn't right away, but did add on & upgrade the eyepieces. Love the wide angle Explore Scientific 82° series. Perhaps a Televue if you have deep pockets. Great scope!

This thing is amazing.I was blown away by the clarity of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. I set it up last night on the moon and was amazed by the detail of the surface. I definitely recommend it for amateurs and professionals alike.

Have never used a telescope before and this one is very simple. On my first attempt I was able to locate Jupiter which came in so clear and you could also see three of its moons. Looking f
forward to my next experience. Would purchase the power adapter to save on your batteries.

Its compact focal length at 2032mm and easy go setup make this one arm Alt-Az mount a great gift for beginners to Intermediate. The 8SE computerized mount can slew, goto, track, [I have tracked the moon without adjustment] to objects in the sky with its easy two star alignment, its mount has remote guide and aux port for wifi and HC direct RS232C control using Skyportal or Stellerium. Another great feature I like, this model has many features from Celestron to build on; one I can make this Alt-Ax mount function as a german equatorial with celestron 8se wedge where I get the best of both worlds; Alt-Az and GEMs for astrophotography. Second, I can mount a guidescope using celestron piggy back mount, mount DSLRs with T Ring adapters increasing camera focal length, the list goes on. Great buy!

great scope for the price. well built. good intermediate scope for users that want a little more than a introductory scope. planets and galaxies look amazing. i bought this scope for my daughter and i and she now loves to stargaze

After doing lot of research and deliberation finally settled on the Celestron 8SE, and I think I made correct choice. I found the best price at Opticsplanet with their discount coupon. It arrived well packed and double boxed from Opticsplanet, and so far I am very happy with their service. Setup is easy, just be careful when mounting the Opitcal tube to the tripod mount since there is no handle as such to hold it securely while mounting on the dovetail type rail. Once mounted it holds securely and can be moved easily with the hand control. Aligning with the finder scope is not difficult.

It is bigger than I thought so it is not easy to move around long distances. You will need a sturdy case with wheels to move it around beyond short distances. Also another fact to remember is that this is not design for terrestrial viewing since the image will be inverted.

As for the performance of the scope, so far I have used it to watch Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the moon using the 25mm eyepiece. I live close to Washington DC so light pollution is a big problem, but I could see clearly the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter. Looking at the moon was awesome, was able to see the craters very well. I also bought the accessory kit 94303 and the filters really helps when looking at the bright moon. Using higher magnification Eyepieces drastically reduced the image quality due to air and light pollution in my area. The eyepieces seem to be decent quality with multi-coatings. I wonder whe...
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As advertised, hopefully there will be a clear night soon. easily assembled and ready to use in less than an hour,looking forward to use outside.Have used the go to indoors and it appears to work flawlessly so that ai will be familiar with the operation when in the dark.

This is just a fantastic, sturdy telescope. As a prior KC-135 Navigator who used to use celestial navigaton, I am impressed with how easy this is to use. My opinion, additional accessories are a must (alternate power supply, extra lenses). I did buy a better red dot sight for initial alignment help that has a 90 degree angle on it which saves me squatting down during initial alignment. I also would recommend using a phone app (google sky map) to aid with alignment and in learning the celestial bodies in the sky. I couldn't be happier with the telescope.

The best telescope for the money on the market today! I have owned larger and smaller scopes, both Meade and Celestron to name a few. This scope is the perfect balance of value and size. Not to mention that Celestron's perfect customer service. The C8 was amazing when I owned it in the 70's. It is now a even better scope at a better value.