Popular Mechanics Recognizes Celestron SkyProdigy With A Coveted 2011 Breakthrough Product Award

CELESTRON'S FIRST AUTOMATICALLY ALIGNING SCOPE HONORED IN NEW YORK CITY

TORRANCE, CA – October 17, 2011 – Celestron, the world's leading designer and manufacturer of telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, weather stations, GPS devices, microscopes and related accessories, today announced SkyProdigy was awarded the Popular Mechanics 2011 Product Breakthrough Award.

SkyProdigy was one of ten products to receive a Breakthrough Product Award.  Winners were honored at a ceremony hosted by Popular Mechanics on Monday, October 10, 2011 at Hearst Tower in New York City.

“From off the shelf blood vessels to a cell phone tower the size of a Rubik's Cube, our Breakthrough Award winners not only capture the imagination, but hold the potential to improve and save lives,” saysPopular Mechanics Editor-in-Chief James Meigs.  “We are pleased to honor this year's diverse list of visionaries, James Cameron among them, as they are shaping the future of innovation.”

Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards are given in two categories: innovators, whose inventions will make the world smarter, safer and more efficient in the years to come, and products, which are setting benchmarks in design and engineering today.

“Celestron is honored to be recognized among so many passionate innovators and we thank Popular Mechanics for their support of SkyProdigy,” said Joseph A. Lupica Jr, president and CEO of Celestron. “SkyProdigy makes exploring our amazing Universe easier and faster than ever before, turning anyone into an instant astronomer.”

SkyProdigy features Celestron's patent pending StarSense™ Technology;  equipped with a built-in tracking camera and a database of over 4,000 objects, enabling the alignment process to be complete in less than three minutes and making SkyProdigy the fastest automatically aligning telescope available on the market today. 

SkyProdigy was also the winner of the 2011 CES Innovations Award for Design and Engineering Excellence and a Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice Award winner at CES 2011.

SkyProdigy is available in three models:

• Refracting telescope -- SkyProdigy 70 (Suggested Retail: $699)
• Maksutov-Cassegrain design -- SkyProdigy 90 (Suggested Retail:  $749)
• Reflecting telescope -- SkyProdigy 130 (Suggested Retail: $799)

For more information on Celestron SkyProdigy and a list of dealer locations and updates, please visit www.celestron.com.

For more information on this year's Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award honorees please visitwww.popularmechanics.com/breakthroughproducts2011 for a list of award-winning products andwww.popularmechanics.com/breakthroughinnovators2011 for a list of award-winning innovators.

About Celestron

Celestron is a leading designer, manufacturer and importer of high-quality optical products including computerized and non-computerized telescopes and related accessories, weather stations, GPS devices, binoculars, spotting scopes and microscopes.  Since manufacturing its first telescope in 1960, 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's innovative products continue to receive numerous industry and consumer media accolades, adding to an already impressive list that includes awards for product innovation from Reader's Digest, Popular Science, PC Magazine, Popular Mechanics, the Consumer Electronics Association and more.  Celestron is a privately held company with corporate offices and manufacturing facilities, in Torrance, CA.

About Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics empowers readers to navigate the increasingly complex, technological world around us.  The magazine, published monthly by Hearst Magazines, inspires, instructs and influences 9 million curious readers. Their mindset - the hunger to know, the desire to investigate and learn - drives them to explore, experiment and experience a wide range of interests. Issues engage readers with breakthroughs in the latest innovations in science and technology; educates with informative “how-to” stories on automotive, the home and digital technology; and motivates action with product reviews and comparison tests of the newest equipment and products. Popular Mechanics is also the #1 ranked men's monthly magazine when it comes to reaching an environmentally conscious audience.   The brand is a 21st century must-read, with a robust website (popularmechanics.com) and an award-winning tablet edition.

Contact:

Michelle Meskill
Celestron Marketing Manager
310-328-9560 ext. 205