Celestron Takes The Mystery Out Of Exploring Deep Space With New NexStar SE Series

INNOVATIVE LINE OF TELESCOPES TRANSFORMS ANY BACKYARD INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD OBSERVATORY AS SKYALIGN™ TECHNOLOGY, AUTOMATED SKY TOURS, AND A 40,000 CELESTIAL OBJECT DATABASE MAKE ASTRONOMY SIMPLE FOR ALL.

Torrance, CA (March 1, 2007)– Celestron, one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes and related accessories, is turning suburban backyards into outdoor observatories with the official release of its NexStar SE family of high-performance telescopes at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in January. On the heels of the 2006 release of the revolutionary SkyScout personal planetarium, Celestron’s NexStar SE telescopes give users the ability to identify, locate, engage, learn and explore thousands of stars, planets and galaxies at the touch of a button. Loaded with an array of user-friendly features, many of which are found on Celestron’s most advanced computerized telescopes, the NexStar SE family of telescopes (4 SE, 5 SE, 6 SE and 8 SE) combine state-of-the-art features with an easy-to-use interface to give stargazers complete control of the celestial viewing experience, making the innovative telescopes ideal for all amateur astronomers, from seasoned enthusiasts to those just beginning their outer space adventure.

Designed to make astronomy fun, exciting and most importantly, simple for star watchers of all experience levels, each of the NexStar SE telescopes uses Celestron’s innovative NexStar® technology to automatically align the telescope for optimum viewing of any star, planet or galaxy that is selected by the user from a computer database menu of over 40,000 celestial objects. Upon locating each celestial object, the NexStar SE telescopes display interesting historical and scientific facts about the star, planet or galaxy being viewed via the LCD screen located on the telescope’s backlit handheld control unit.

And for those evenings filled with user-indecision, the NexStar SE telescopes come equipped with computerized Sky Tours, that provide a hands-off tour of the night sky using a customized list of the “best objects” available for viewing according to time and location, making Celestron’s NexStar SE telescopes ideal for astronomy enthusiasts committed to spending less time searching for celestial objects and more time viewing them.

“As telescopes have become more advanced over the years, they have also become more complicated to use. The NexStar SE family of telescopes puts the focus back on the fun of astronomy by offering many of the advanced viewing features commonly found on more expensive telescopes in an easy to use interface,” said Joseph A. Lupica Jr., president and CEO of Celestron. “After nearly 5 decades of producing the industry’s highest quality optical products for amateur astronomers, the technology features in the NexStar SE telescopes enable backyard stargazers to take their knowledge of the universe to the next level, and still have fun doing so.”

Combining the classic look of the original orange tube telescopes with state-of-the-art features, including a fully computerized operating system, flash upgradeable hand control and superior StarBright XLT coatings, the NexStar SE Telescopes give users a high-performance telescope that turns the backyard into a deep space knowledge center for the whole family.

Additionally, every NexStar SE telescope comes with Celestron’s award-winning SkyAlign™ technology, meaning the telescope accurately aligns itself for optimum viewing in a few simple steps. Users simply input the date, time and location into the hand control and then point the telescope at any three bright celestial objects, and the NexStar SE telescope is ready to explore the night sky. Unlike most computerized telescopes that require a complicated calibration process before initial use, Celestron’s patented SkyAlign delivers simple, fast and accurate calibration in a matter of minutes, ensuring that the telescope is optimized for the viewing environment.

Every NexStar SE telescope includes a version of The Sky® Level 1 Planetarium software for exploring the Universe on any PC and printing out custom star charts of the sky, in addition, NexRemote software allows users to operate the telescope from their PC.

The NexStar SE family of telescopes includes the 4 SE (240x magnification), 5 SE (300x magnification), 6 SE (354x magnification) and 8 SE (480x magnification) models, and has a suggested manufacturers retail prices of $599, $799, $999, and $1399 respectively. The NexStar SE telescopes will be widely available both online and at retail in 2007. Visit, www.celestron.com for more detailed information on product features and availability.

Celestron’s NexStar SE telescopes will be on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show at booth #70422, in the Sands Expo from January 8 – 11, 2007.