Details
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 TheSkyX® 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 (Compared to human eye) | 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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News
Instructional Videos
Knowledge Base
- What size of scope is best for different kinds of objects?
- Aperture
- Focal length
- Contrast
- Light gathering power and magnitude limit
- Telescope-Astronomy Resources on the Web
- What does magnitude mean?
- Exit pupil
- What are diffraction-limited optics?
- What is the focal ratio? How is it related to the f-stop?
- Near focus
- Field of view
- Magnification or power
- Resolution - resolving power
- Optical design aberrations
- How do I align the SCT's corrector plate and secondary?
- Why don't the images I see through my telescope look the same as photos I see taken with the same type of telescope?
- How far can I see with a telescope?
- How do you determine a telescope's magnification?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- What is vignetting?
- 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?
- Which screws are safe to remove for mounting an accessory finderscope on my Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
- What are the pros and cons of adding aftermarket collimating screws to my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
- Can my NexStar hand control be repaired instead of replaced?
- What is back focus? What problems does it cause for visual and photographic use of my scope? What are related focus issues?
- I need to box up my scope and ship it. What's the best way to pack it?
- Why won't my image erecting eyepiece or image erecting diagonal always give right side up images with my scope?
- 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?
- My StarPointer red-dot finderscope battery is dead. How do I replace it?
- What is field rotation? How does it affect my scope's viewing and imaging?
- 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?
- My GPS-equipped scope is showing the wrong time information. How do I correct this?
- What is a star party? Where do I find information on star parties in and around my area?
- I "accidentally" took apart my eyepiece, removing the lens that goes closest to my eye. Help! How do I put it back together?
- 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?
- I am using a SkyScout Connect with my Celestron GOTO telescope. Do I still need to align my scope?
- I am using a GPS with my Celestron GOTO telescope. Do I still need to bother with SkyAlign?
- 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?
- I want to use the focal reducer/corrector with an aftermarket eyepiece holder. What is the best spacing, focal length, etc?
- What are the specifications for an AC adapter that will work with Celestron's
- What is LST? Where do I find it in my GOTO scope's menu?
- When I use IDENTIFY with my GOTO scope, what is it showing me?
- 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?
- Is there any way to run Celestron's window-based drivers and software on Macs?
- My cordwrap was turned on before I updated my alt-azimuth GOTO scope's hand control. Now it's off - what happened?
- 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?
- Where can I download the unified ASCOM drivers for Celestron?
- What is the operating temperature range for Celestron's telescopes?
- 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?
- 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?
- How much will the addition of a focal reducer increase my scope's field of view?
- My Celestron software won't run on my Windows 7 computer. Help!
- I need information on the RS-232 (serial) commands for NexStar controlled telescopes.
- How do I find out about my 2010 rebate for the NexStar SE telescope?
- I want to autoguide with my Alt-Azimuth mount for long-exposure astrophotography. Will this work?
- What are the instructions for getting my CN-16 or SkySync GPS working with my Celestron GOTO mount?
- I have my Celestron GOTO Alt-Az scope on a wedge and the hand display shows a slew limit warning. What's wrong?
- I have a Celestron GOTO scope, a Mac and an autoguider. I want to autoguide with the scope. Is your autoguider port Mac-compatible?
- How do you stop a GOTO slew in progress? Is there a better way than turning off power or pulling the power plug?
- The autoguiding port diagram in my manual is different than the diagram for the NexGuide connection. Are these differences important?
- How do I collimate my NexStar SE Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
- How do I properly store my NexStar SE Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
- What is the size of the threading holding the visual back to my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope? Is it the same for all Celestron SCTs?
- How do I wedge align my scope using All-star polar alignment?
- How do I remove the optics from the optical tube assembly (OTA) of my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
- How do I remove the optics from the optical tube assembly (OTA) of my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT)?
- The standard visual back on my Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT) has threads on the outside of the barrel. What are these threads for?
- How do I program my flash upgradeable hand control? What about motor control upgrades?
- How do I program my Nexstar+ hand control?
- The hand control of my new scope shows the message “Bootloader invalid package 0080†or “Bootloader invalid package 0002â€. How can I fix this and make the mount work?
- My StarPointer is not working. How can I fix this?
- I’m experiencing motion to the east after slews with my Celestron Alt-Az GOTO mount. Is this backlash and how do I correct it?
- What are the approximate weights of the tripods, mount arms and optical tube assemblies (OTAs) for the SE series?
Downloads
International Manuals
NexStar 6 SE and 8 SE Manual (French) (3.4 MB | PDF)- NexStar 6 SE and 8 SE Manual (Italian) (3.91 MB | PDF)
- NexStar 6 SE and 8 SE Manual (Spanish) (1.02 MB | PDF)
Manuals
- NexStar Communication Protocol v 1.2 (80.23 KB | PDF)
- Quick Setup Guide for NexStar 6 SE and 8 SE (1.59 MB | PDF)
- NexStar 6 SE and 8 SE Manual (3.56 MB | PDF)
Product Info Sheets
Reference Materials
- Telescope Basics (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) (481.61 KB | PDF)
- Telescope Maintenance (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) (640.68 KB | PDF)
- Celestial Observing (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) (381.85 KB | PDF)
- Astronomy Basics (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) (2.26 MB | PDF)
Software
Motor Control Firmware Updates v.2.2.5 (3.57 MB | ZIP)- NexRemote v. 1.7.22 (ZIP)
- Hand Control Firmware Updates v.1.1.14 (3.75 MB | ZIP)
- Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM) v.1.0.2100 (ZIP)
CELESTRON TWO YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
A. Celestron warrants your telescope to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for two years. Celestron will repair or replace such product or part thereof which, upon inspection by Celestron, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship. As a condition to the obligation of Celestron to repair or replace such product, the product must be returned to Celestron together with proof-of-purchase satisfactory to Celestron.
B. The Proper Return Authorization Number must be obtained from Celestron in advance of return. Call Celestron at (310) 328-9560 to receive the number to be displayed on the outside of your shipping container.
All returns must be accompanied by a written statement setting forth the name, address, and daytime telephone number of the owner, together with a brief description of any claimed defects. Parts or product for which replacement is made shall become the property of Celestron.
The customer shall be responsible for all costs of transportation and insurance, both to and from the factory of Celestron, and shall be required to prepay such costs.
Celestron shall use reasonable efforts to repair or replace any telescope covered by this warranty within thirty days of receipt. In the event repair or replacement shall require more than thirty days, Celestron shall notify the customer accordingly. Celestron reserves the right to replace any product which has been discontinued from its product line with a new product of comparable value and function.
This warranty shall be void and of no force of effect in the event a covered product has been modified in design or function, or subjected to abuse, misuse, mishandling or unauthorized repair. Further, product malfunction or deterioration due to normal wear is not covered by this warranty.
CELESTRON DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WHETHER OF MERCHANTABILITY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN. THE SOLE OBLIGATION OF CELESTRON UNDER THIS LIMITED WARRANTY SHALL BE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE COVERED PRODUCT, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS SET FORTH HEREIN. CELESTRON EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY LOST PROFITS, GENERAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHICH MAY RESULT FROM BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY, OR ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE ANY CELESTRON PRODUCT. ANY WARRANTIES WHICH ARE IMPLIED AND WHICH CANNOT BE DISCLAIMED SHALL BE LIMITED IN DURATION TO A TERM OF TWO YEARS FROM THE DATE OF ORIGINAL RETAIL PURCHASE.
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages or limitation on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitations and exclusions may not apply to you.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
Celestron reserves the right to modify or discontinue, without prior notice to you, any model or style telescope.
If warranty problems arise, or if you need assistance in using your telescope contact:
Celestron
Customer Service Department
2835 Columbia Street
Torrance, CA 90503
Tel. (310) 328-9560
Fax. (310) 212-5835
Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM PST
NOTE: This warranty is valid to U.S.A. and Canadian customers who have purchased this product from an authorized Celestron dealer in the U.S.A. or Canada. Warranty outside the U.S.A. and Canada is valid only to customers who purchased from a Celestron's International Distributor or Authorized Celestron Dealer in the specific country. Please contact them for any warranty service.
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