Classic-Older Products - Knowledgebase Articles

I have an old C90 or similar Celestron spotting/astronomical scope. The focus with the big ring is very sticky and stiff. How can I fix this?

Your vintage C90 needs the damping grease replaced.

You can do this yourself. Carefully remove the tripod adapter foot (for spot

I have an old telescope with the Celestron brand on it. How do I know which scope I have?

First, look at our current model line to see if it is actually still a model we sell. Even if it is not a current model, you’ll be able to identify its type: reflector, refractor, Schmidt-Cassegrain

Where do I find manuals for old Celestrons, like the classic Orange Tubes?

Many older telescopes have manuals and information online on the Celestron website. Go to this link for No, we cannot.

Though many of the products we’ve made have serial numbers on th

I have an old fork-mounted Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT). Can I convert this to a GOTO mount?

There is no upgrade available to convert your old Celestron fork-mounted SCT to a GOTO capability.

Instead, you need to convert it to a dovetail mounting. Here is an outline of the steps for this

I have a NexStar 5/8/5i/8i telescope. I want to be able to remove the tube from the mount. How can I do this?

The mounts on these older scopes were designed to be permanently attached to the scope’s optical tube assembly (OTA). They can be modified to allow easy removal and mounting of the OTA and even mountin

My old model Celestron telescope’s corrector plate has spots and the purplish-bluish coating appears to be peeling off. Does it need recoating?

Spots that can’t be cleaned off and peeling are signs of deteriorated optical coatings.

A great number of old and new Celestron single and double arm (fork) mounts, tripods and wedges are attached to one another using just two sizes of bolts.

Most mounts are attached to the trip

Will my old Orange Tube fork mount fit on a modern Celestron tripod and wedge?

A great number of old and new Celestron mounts, tripods and wedges are attached to one another using the same hole spacings and configurations.

The time span of applicable products goes right back

I have an older scope or Celestron item that you no longer have parts for. Where can I find parts for my older product?

In general, we will not have parts for discontinued telescopes and other discontinued products like binoculars, spotting scopes and accessories.

Fortunately, there are several additional option

I’m removing a Classic Celestron tube from its fork. What screw sizes will fill the holes on the tube and what sizes are used to attach accessories to the front and rear cells?

The older “Classic” Schmidt Cassegrain tubes (SCT OTAs) used English threading like 8-32, 10-24 and 10-32. These screws are still used in modern tubes as well. (Recent OTAs have metric collimatio

I want to have my older Celestron optics recoated and I’ve heard you no longer provide that service. Where can I go to have them coated?

Though we no longer do post-manufacture coatings, there are companies in the aftermarket who specialize in astronomical instrument coatings. Please contact th

I have an older Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT) and I want to buy a solar filter for it. Will current solar filters fit?

Older SCTs have lens caps and solar filters that simply slide over the outer diameter of the front cell containing the corrector plate.

N

I have an old C90 Orange Tube with the single-arm fork. Can I take it off the mount?

Yes you can.

First, remove the screw holding the setting circle on the side of the scope’s mount arm. Next, loosen the declination clamp at the top of the fork by loosening the locknut and

How do I remove my Classic Orange Tube C-5 or C-8 from its fork?

These instructions are found here on page 18 of the original Classic Orange Tube manual (page 10 of the PDF scan of the original paper manual):
The dovetail bar (sometimes called a rail) is one of the great ideas in small telescope design. With the clamp on the mount and a bar on the tube, telescopes (OTAs) and mounts ca

Will the 9.25” dovetail bar #94217 fit all C9.25 optical tube assemblies (OTAs)?

No it will not.

It is designed to fit present C9.25 OTAs. In July 2006, the 9.25” OTA length was shortened. So the new bar on old tubes will be too short for the tube. This is

Where would I find power cells to replace those in older Celestron products like the Ultima 8?

Here are possible sources for cells out of older products:

www.hosfelt.com

www.a

Can an old-style Celestron hand control be used to guide with my modern mount?

Any of Celestron’s mounts with an autoguider port can use a push-button (momentary contact) hand control for manual guiding of the scope.

Will the NEX6-F02 motor work with the 8i mount?

No, this motor won’t work in the 8i mount.

Instead, you need model 20100, “Motor w/Encoder (sold complete) for NexStar I-Series Telescopes”. Pl

I have an 11” CGE dovetail bar #94219. Do the long screws attach the bar to the front or back of my optical tube assembly?

The long- Allen-head screws with the finer threads go into the mirror (back) cell, while the shorter screws with coarser threads mount the bar to the corrector (front) cell

What is the original orange color for the classic Celestrons? Can Celestron paint my classic scope?

It is the Pantone 021 orange color. Here are the technical details: