Celestron SkyScout Takes Top Honors From Consumer Electronics Association

Portable, Celestial Exploration, Education And Entertainment Device Judged, “Best Of Innovations” In Personal Electronics For Putting The Universe Within Reach Of All

Torrance, CA (November 15, 2005) – SkyScout, made by Celestron, one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes and microscopes, was named the ”Best of Innovations” in the personal electronics category, today, at the annual must-see showcase of new products at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) New York Press Preview.

Set to be introduced at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show, in January, the Celestron SkyScout is a handheld, portable celestial viewing device that can instantly identify and/or locate over 6,000 celestial objects viewable to the naked eye, transforming the night sky into a personal planetarium for stargazers, families, students and astronomers alike.

Celestron will officially introduce its revolutionary SkyScout at “CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of CES” on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM in the Bellini Ballroom at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. Beginning on January 4 th, the Celestron SkyScout will be available to CES attendees in the Celestron booth, #70613, also at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

“We are thankful to the CEA and the innovations judges for honoring our company with this award. We set out to develop a product that would aid consumers in bridging the ‘astronomy-learning gap,’ and this award reaffirms that the timing is right for the SkyScout’s introduction,” said Joseph A. Lupica Jr., president and CEO of Celestron. “Having produced many of the industry’s highest quality optical products for amateur astronomers for more than four decades, we know that there is a whole new generation of budding backyard stargazing enthusiasts that will now have the technology product they need to take their knowledge of the Universe to the next level.”

About the size of a camcorder and weighing less than 16 ounces, the Celestron SkyScout utilizes a consumer-friendly “point and shoot” technology that enables stargazers to point at any visible object in the sky, press a button and listen to commentary on the object and its history. The SkyScout also has a “locate” feature that allows users to select an object they wish to view (i.e. Mars) and the SkyScout, using illuminated arrows in the viewfinder, will actually point the user to the object. A totally unique, one of a kind product, SkyScout utilizes patented technology that combines data from sensors measuring both the magnetic and gravitational fields of the Earth, along with internal GPS and a substantial celestial database to dramatically improve how people learn about astronomy, making it much easier and more entertaining.“The Celestron SkyScout can be used to accompany a telescope, be taken on camping trips to explore the night’s sky and can be used as a learning tool for students of astronomy young and old alike,” said Richard Hedrick, senior vice president and CTO of Celestron. “SkyScout will be a great, easy-to-use educational aid for parents searching to answer their child’s seemingly ‘unanswerable’ questions about the sky.”