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NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Item # 11069

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Planetary and Lunar Imaging Long Exposure Astrophotography Terrestrial Observing Planetary and Lunar Observation Deep Sky Observation
 NexStar SE Computerized Telescopes

Availability: In stock

$1,199.00
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Schmidt-CassegrainComputerized Alt-AzimuthAperture
203.2
mm
Focal Length
2032
mm
Highest Useful Magnification
480
x
All-Star Polar Alignment Flash Upgradeable NexRemote SkyAlign Technology StarBright XLT

Quick Overview

Features

General Features

  • 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
  • SE combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with the latest state-of-the-art features
  • StarBright XLT high transmission coatings come standard
  • Quick release fork arm mount, optical tube and accessory tray for no-tool setup
  • Celestron's unique patented single fork arm with integral hand control design provides a rigid and smooth operating structure for the optical tube
  • StarPointer finderscope to help with alignment and accurately locating objects
  • 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
  • “The SkyX – First Light Edition” astronomy software with a 10,000 object database, printable sky maps and 75 enhanced images

Computerized Mount Features

  • Proven NexStar computer control technology
  • 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 stars; solar system 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 goto features
  • NexRemote telescope control software and RS-232 cable included for advanced control of your telescope via computer
  • GPS-compatible with optional SkySync GPS Accessory (93969)

Press

NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Multimedia Gallery

  • NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope - Product Tour
  • NexStar SE Telescope Overview
  • HDTV Reviews NexStar SE Series at 2007 CES

Details

The largest of the NexStar SE family with 78% more light gathering than a 6" model, 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" optics.  The NexStar 8 SE features Schmidt-Cassegrain 8" aperture optics with our premium StarBright XLT coatings, powerful 2,032mm focal length and an 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 40,000 celestial objects and easy to use hand control.

Plug the optional SkySync GPS Accessory into NexStar’s Auxiliary port and download data from orbiting GPS satellites for truly quick and easy alignments.  The universe may be full of mysteries, but using the NexStar 8 SE isn’t one of them.

In the tradition of Celestron's famous orange optical tubes, the new NexStar SE Family combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with state-of-the-art features including a fully computerized operating system, flash upgradeable hand control, superior StarBright XLT coatings, our revolutionary SkyAlign™ telescope alignment software and much more.

Whether you are a seasoned astronomer looking for a portable scope with advanced features, or just starting your astronomy adventure and looking for an easy way to enjoy the night sky, a NexStar SE will help you take a closer look.

Every NexStar SE includes a version of The Sky® software Level 1 Planetarium software for exploring the Universe on your PC and printing out custom star charts of the sky.  In addition, you receive our NexRemote software that allows you to operate your telescope via your PC.  Software package valued at over $100 included free with your NexStar SE!

Additional Information

Optical Design Schmidt-Cassegrain
Aperture (mm) 203.2 mm (8 in)
Focal Length (mm) 2032 mm (80 in)
Focal Ratio 10
Eyepiece 1 (mm) 25 mm (0.98 in)
Magnification 1 81 x
Finderscope StarPointer
Star Diagonal 1.25"
Mount Single Fork Arm Altazimuth
Optical Tube Aluminum
Tripod Steel (sku 93593)
Power Supply 8-AA batteries (not included)
Highest Useful Magnification 480 x
Lowest Useful Magnification 29 x
Limiting Stellar Magnitude 14
Resolution (Rayleigh) 0.69 arc seconds
Resolution (Dawes) 0.57 arc seconds
Light Gathering Power 843 x
Angular Field of View (deg) 0.63 °
Linear Field of View (@1000 yds) 33 ft (10 m)
Secondary Mirror Obstruction 2.5 in (64 mm)
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Diameter 31 %
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area 9.77 %
Optical Coatings Starbright XLT
Optical Tube Length 17 in (432 mm)
Telescope Weight 24 lbs (11 kg)
Tripod Weight 9 lbs (4.08 kg)
Payload Capacity 12 lbs (5.44 kg)
Motor Drive Integrated D.C. Electronics
Slew Speeds Nine slew speeds: 5°/sec, 3°/sec, 1°/sec, 64x, 16x, 8x, 4x, 1x, .5x
Tracking Rates Sidereal, Solar and Lunar
Tracking Modes Alt-Az, EQ North & EQ South
Alignment Procedures SkyAlign, Auto 2-Star Align, 1-Star Align, 2-Star Align, Solar System Align
Software Precision 24 bit, 0.08 arcsec calculations
Communication Ports RS-232 communication port on hand control, Autoguider port, Aux port
Computer Hand Control Double line, 16 character Liquid Crystal Display with 19 fiber optic backlit LED buttons
Database 40,000 objects, 200 user defined programmable objects. Enhanced information on over 200 objects
Dovetail Compatibility Quick Release Tube Clamp

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Instructional Videos

  • NexStar SE Computerized Telescopes Setup Video

Knowledge Base

  1. What size of scope is best for different kinds of objects?
  2. Aperture
  3. Focal length
  4. Contrast
  5. Light gathering power and magnitude limit
  6. Telescope-Astronomy Resources on the Web
  7. What does magnitude mean?
  8. Exit pupil
  9. What are diffraction-limited optics?
  10. What is the focal ratio? How is it related to the f-stop?
  11. Near focus
  12. Field of view
  13. Magnification or power
  14. Resolution - resolving power
  15. Optical design aberrations
  16. How do I align the SCT's corrector plate and secondary?
  17. Why don't the images I see through my telescope look the same as photos I see taken with the same type of telescope?
  18. How far can I see with a telescope?
  19. How do you determine a telescope's magnification?
  20. I upgraded-reflashed my hand control and now I'm not getting the control functions for my mount, but for another mount. What happened? How can this be fixed?
  21. I hibernated my GOTO mount. When I powered back up and woke up the scope, it did not point as accurately as before. What gives?
  22. I'm using a focal reducer and can't seem to focus my SLR camera on my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT). What am I doing wrong?
  23. What is vignetting?
  24. I'm doing photography with an eyepiece, using my camera with and without a lens. What are the f-numbers of my setup for the afocal and eyepiece projection methods?
  25. Which screws are safe to remove for mounting an accessory finderscope on my Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
  26. What are the pros and cons of adding aftermarket collimating screws to my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
  27. Can my NexStar hand control be repaired instead of replaced?
  28. What is back focus? What problems does it cause for visual and photographic use of my scope? What are related focus issues?
  29. I need to box up my scope and ship it. What's the best way to pack it?
  30. Why won't my image erecting eyepiece or image erecting diagonal always give right side up images with my scope?
  31. My image shifts when I'm focusing my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT) and after I get a great focus, the focus will change. What is happening?
  32. My StarPointer red-dot finderscope battery is dead. How do I replace it?
  33. What is field rotation? How does it affect my scope's viewing and imaging?
  34. Why do I need to guide my telescope for photography? Don't accurate alignment and firmware functions like periodic error correction (PEC) take care of it all?
  35. My GPS-equipped scope is showing the wrong time information. How do I correct this?
  36. What is a star party? Where do I find information on star parties in and around my area?
  37. I "accidentally" took apart my eyepiece, removing the lens that goes closest to my eye. Help! How do I put it back together?
  38. My NexStar SLT or SE hand control has firmware version 4.13. Yet when I use the latest NexRemote with my scope, I can only get version 4.12. What gives?
  39. I am using a SkyScout Connect with my Celestron GOTO telescope. Do I still need to align my scope?
  40. I am using a GPS with my Celestron GOTO telescope. Do I still need to bother with SkyAlign?
  41. I'm looking at my Celestron scope and it has a serial number on it. Can you tell me the model, type and year it was made?
  42. I want to use the focal reducer/corrector with an aftermarket eyepiece holder. What is the best spacing, focal length, etc?
  43. What are the specifications for an AC adapter that will work with Celestron's
  44. What is LST? Where do I find it in my GOTO scope's menu?
  45. When I use IDENTIFY with my GOTO scope, what is it showing me?
  46. MY SE mount is moving in the wrong direction when I use the direction arrows at slower slew rates. What is wrong? How can I change the direction of the direction buttons?
  47. Is there any way to run Celestron's window-based drivers and software on Macs?
  48. My cordwrap was turned on before I updated my alt-azimuth GOTO scope's hand control. Now it's off - what happened?
  49. My images with a CCD camera are showing black or white streaks on the brighter stars. They are all bloomed out. What's wrong with my scope?
  50. Where can I download the unified ASCOM drivers for Celestron?
  51. What is the operating temperature range for Celestron's telescopes?
  52. I'm using rechargeable batteries with my Celestron GOTO mount and the mount won't power up even though the batteries are new and fully charged. What's the problem?
  53. My NexStar hand control displays "Offset Too Large" when I'm trying to change my scope's alignment. What does this mean? How to I fix the issue?
  54. How much will the addition of a focal reducer increase my scope's field of view?
  55. My Celestron software won't run on my Windows 7 computer. Help!
  56. I need information on the RS-232 (serial) commands for NexStar controlled telescopes.
  57. How do I find out about my 2010 rebate for the NexStar SE telescope?
  58. I want to autoguide with my Alt-Azimuth mount for long-exposure astrophotography. Will this work?
  59. What are the instructions for getting my CN-16 or SkySync GPS working with my Celestron GOTO mount?
  60. I have my Celestron GOTO Alt-Az scope on a wedge and the hand display shows a slew limit warning. What's wrong?
  61. I have a Celestron GOTO scope, a Mac and an autoguider. I want to autoguide with the scope. Is your autoguider port Mac-compatible?
  62. How do you stop a GOTO slew in progress? Is there a better way than turning off power or pulling the power plug?
  63. The autoguiding port diagram in my manual is different than the diagram for the NexGuide connection. Are these differences important?
  64. How do I collimate my NexStar SE Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
  65. How do I properly store my NexStar SE Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
  66. What is the size of the threading holding the visual back to my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope? Is it the same for all Celestron SCTs?
  67. How do I wedge align my scope using All-star polar alignment?
  68. How do I remove the optics from the optical tube assembly (OTA) of my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
  69. How do I remove the optics from the optical tube assembly (OTA) of my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
  70. The standard visual back on my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT) has threads on the outside of the barrel. What are these threads for?
  71. How do I program my flash upgradeable hand control? What about motor control upgrades?

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An award-winning legacy brand for over 50 years, Celestron has grown to become the world’s leading telescope maker, and enjoys brand-name recognition among serious amateur astronomers for superior optics, outstanding design, and innovative technology. Celestron also develops a wide range of exciting products and technologies that enhance the science, outdoor and educational markets. At Celestron, we strive to inspire a sense of wonder, knowledge and fun in our customers and throughout our company.

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