Best Catadioptric Telescopes
View the Universe’s Most Impressive Celestial Objects The 6SE’s six-inch primary mirror packs enough light-gathering ability to observe the best that the solar system has to offer: Cassini’s Division in Saturn’s rings, the cloud bands on Jupiter, and geographic features on the surface of the Moon. When it comes to deep sky objects, take your 6SE to a dark-sky site and you’ll see hundreds of pinpoint stars in the Hercules Globular Cluster, the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy, and more. Sturdy construction from high-quality components give NexStar SE the pointing and tracking accuracy needed to observe and follow your favorite targets with push-button ease. With a total weight of 30 pounds including the tripod, the ultra portable 6 SE features a precision optical system with 1500mm focal length (f10) and offers 44% more light gathering than a 5-inch telescope. In the tradition of Celestron's famous orange optical tubes, the 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, our 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. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the night sky, you can easily align your telescope on any three bright objects.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I would also suggest getting the Celestron Star Sense Auto Align, it will save time and that means more viewing."
"Optics: 10/10. Goto: 8/10. Tracking: 8:10. Portability: 7/10. Eyepiece: 7/10. Battery Life: 4/10. Strength of tripod: 10/10. Magnification: 10/10. Light Gathering: 9/10. So this telescope is really cool and fun to use and I will buy an AC adapter later. This telescope is the best I have Ever Had and Is worth the $800.00. Update 11/30/13: I live in a very heavy light polluted sky and no deep sky objects are visible to the naked eye."
"The single arm mount seems very solid though the spur gears are not optimal for fine tracking needed for loooong exposure astrophotography. I'm impressed with how well it does track though as I've centered an image and come back 2 hours later to find it still centered exactly as I left it so far as I can tell (visual observation, not using a camera). As far as my original goal of portability goes, I found a cheap hardside suitcase which the packing foam fits in perfectly that makes transportation to observing sights a dream."
"Fantastic telescope, so much so that when I showed my future wife Saturn on our first date she fell in love with me."
View the Universe’s Most Impressive Celestial Objects The 4SE’s four-inch primary mirror packs enough light-gathering ability to observe the best that the solar system has to offer: Saturn’s rings, the cloud bands on Jupiter, and geographic features on the surface of the Moon. When it comes to deep sky objects, take your 4SE to a dark-sky site and you’ll see hundreds of pinpoint stars in the Hercules Globular Cluster, the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy, and more. What’s more, the NexStar SE breaks down into several lightweight and compact pieces, making it easy to transport, even in small vehicles. Sturdy construction from high-quality components give NexStar SE the pointing and tracking accuracy needed to observe and follow your favorite targets with push-button ease. Moon The NexStar 4 SE features computerized finding and tracking of nearly 40,000 celestial objects, no-tool setup is easy, and planetarium software for your PC is included. Jupiter The NexStar 4 SE delivers great views of the Moon, the planets, and bright deep space objects. The standard equipment 25mm E-Lux plossl eyepiece gives a magnification of 53X, enough to see the Lunar disk, Saturn’s rings and the major cloud bands on Jupiter. The NexStar 4 SE is a great portable telescope, just right for visual observing or for taking short exposure pictures of the Moon and planets. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the night sky, you can easily align your telescope on any three bright objects.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I would also suggest getting the Celestron Star Sense Auto Align, it will save time and that means more viewing."
"Optics: 10/10. Goto: 8/10. Tracking: 8:10. Portability: 7/10. Eyepiece: 7/10. Battery Life: 4/10. Strength of tripod: 10/10. Magnification: 10/10. Light Gathering: 9/10. So this telescope is really cool and fun to use and I will buy an AC adapter later. This telescope is the best I have Ever Had and Is worth the $800.00. Update 11/30/13: I live in a very heavy light polluted sky and no deep sky objects are visible to the naked eye."
"The single arm mount seems very solid though the spur gears are not optimal for fine tracking needed for loooong exposure astrophotography. I'm impressed with how well it does track though as I've centered an image and come back 2 hours later to find it still centered exactly as I left it so far as I can tell (visual observation, not using a camera). As far as my original goal of portability goes, I found a cheap hardside suitcase which the packing foam fits in perfectly that makes transportation to observing sights a dream."
"Fantastic telescope, so much so that when I showed my future wife Saturn on our first date she fell in love with me."
View the Universe’s Most Impressive Celestial Objects The 5SE’s five-inch primary mirror packs enough light-gathering ability to observe the best that the solar system has to offer: Saturn’s rings, the cloud bands on Jupiter, and geographic features on the surface of the Moon. When it comes to deep sky objects, take your 5SE to a dark-sky site and you’ll see hundreds of pinpoint stars in the Hercules Globular Cluster, the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy, and more. Sturdy construction from high-quality components give NexStar SE the pointing and tracking accuracy needed to observe and follow your favorite targets with push-button ease. You can even remove the telescope’s secondary mirror and replace it with a DSLR or astronomical CCD camera for wide field images captured at f/2 using a Fastar/HyperStar lens assembly. The standard equipment tripod and mount feature easy no-tool setup, and the package even includes a student version of "The Sky" planetarium software for your computer. This telescope consistently delivers crisp, high contrast views of the moon, the planets, and brighter deep space objects. The standard equipment 25mm plossl eyepiece produces a magnification of 50x, powerful enough to show the rings of Saturn, the cloud bands of Jupiter, and the changing face of the Lunar disk. I like to use a 32mm plossl eyepiece for great low power views of deep space highlights like the Orion Nebula or the Double Cluster in Perseus. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the night sky, you can easily align your telescope on any three bright objects.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I would also suggest getting the Celestron Star Sense Auto Align, it will save time and that means more viewing."
"Optics: 10/10. Goto: 8/10. Tracking: 8:10. Portability: 7/10. Eyepiece: 7/10. Battery Life: 4/10. Strength of tripod: 10/10. Magnification: 10/10. Light Gathering: 9/10. So this telescope is really cool and fun to use and I will buy an AC adapter later. This telescope is the best I have Ever Had and Is worth the $800.00. Update 11/30/13: I live in a very heavy light polluted sky and no deep sky objects are visible to the naked eye."
"The single arm mount seems very solid though the spur gears are not optimal for fine tracking needed for loooong exposure astrophotography. I'm impressed with how well it does track though as I've centered an image and come back 2 hours later to find it still centered exactly as I left it so far as I can tell (visual observation, not using a camera). As far as my original goal of portability goes, I found a cheap hardside suitcase which the packing foam fits in perfectly that makes transportation to observing sights a dream."
"Fantastic telescope, so much so that when I showed my future wife Saturn on our first date she fell in love with me."
Best Catadioptric Telescopes
View the Universe’s Most Impressive Celestial Objects The 6SE’s six-inch primary mirror packs enough light-gathering ability to observe the best that the solar system has to offer: Cassini’s Division in Saturn’s rings, the cloud bands on Jupiter, and geographic features on the surface of the Moon. When it comes to deep sky objects, take your 6SE to a dark-sky site and you’ll see hundreds of pinpoint stars in the Hercules Globular Cluster, the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy, and more. Sturdy construction from high-quality components give NexStar SE the pointing and tracking accuracy needed to observe and follow your favorite targets with push-button ease. With a total weight of 30 pounds including the tripod, the ultra portable 6 SE features a precision optical system with 1500mm focal length (f10) and offers 44% more light gathering than a 5-inch telescope. In the tradition of Celestron's famous orange optical tubes, the 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, our 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. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the night sky, you can easily align your telescope on any three bright objects.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I would also suggest getting the Celestron Star Sense Auto Align, it will save time and that means more viewing."
"Optics: 10/10. Goto: 8/10. Tracking: 8:10. Portability: 7/10. Eyepiece: 7/10. Battery Life: 4/10. Strength of tripod: 10/10. Magnification: 10/10. Light Gathering: 9/10. So this telescope is really cool and fun to use and I will buy an AC adapter later. This telescope is the best I have Ever Had and Is worth the $800.00. Update 11/30/13: I live in a very heavy light polluted sky and no deep sky objects are visible to the naked eye."
"The single arm mount seems very solid though the spur gears are not optimal for fine tracking needed for loooong exposure astrophotography. I'm impressed with how well it does track though as I've centered an image and come back 2 hours later to find it still centered exactly as I left it so far as I can tell (visual observation, not using a camera). As far as my original goal of portability goes, I found a cheap hardside suitcase which the packing foam fits in perfectly that makes transportation to observing sights a dream."
Best Telescope Reflectors
With its pre-assembled, adjustable steel tripod, quick release fork arm mount, and accessory tray, the nexstar 130 slt can be up and ready to use in a matter of minutes with no tools needed. View the details of the lunar surface, the rings of Saturn, the polar ice caps on mars, the cloud belts on Jupiter or a number of the Messier objects using the additional light-gathering capabilities of the 130 slt's 5 inch primary mirror. When I use an optional 32mm Plossl eyepiece, the famous Double Cluster in Perseus looks like a display of celestial fireworks with streamers of stars trailing across the 2 degree field of view. And when I add a 2x Barlow lens to the 9mm eyepiece for a total magnification of 144x, I can easily see cloud bands on the planet Jupiter and pick up detail in Saturn’s rings. Reflector telescopes offer more light gathering power per dollar than any other design, but that value is balanced by the fact that the mirrors may need to be aligned or "collimated" occasionally. An optional PowerTank battery is a handy way to power the NexStar 130 SLT, and I like to keep the tripod legs short and observe while seated because this gives me a solid and comfortable view. Focal ratio: 5; focal length of eyepiece 1/2: 25mm/9mm.Before you can begin observing, you must setup your hand control, align your finderscope and align your telescope. Focal length: 650mm.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"With eyepieces, the lower the number the higher the magnification. Lower magnification eyepiece (>35mm) will result in an exit pupil that is too large (makes it difficult to see without a moving black blob appearing in the eyepiece). If you picked a city instead of entering a latitude longitude, and you don't actually live in the middle of the city (you just picked the closest one), do a factory reset of the computer and choose latitude-longitude instead. You can find the latitude longitude with a smart-phone app (e.g. Compass for Android) or by googling your address. You'll need the lat long in degrees, minutes, seconds (not the digital version like -117.0101). I am about 20-30 miles outside the city I chose and it makes a big difference when the scope is skewing. I use Google Skymap to find one of the stars in the list if I don't know the name or the ones I do know are obscured. If you use the 3-star align, chose bright stars that are on opposite sides of the sky and not in a line (a triangle pattern is preferred). For example, if you just used the stars in Orion, that's probably too small of an area of the sky. Choose one star in Orion (e.g. Betelgeuse), one in Gemini (e.g. Castor) and one in Cassiopeia. I'm getting pretty good images with it doing short exposure (<15seconds) and stacking. I purchased an Orion Accufocus which greatly helps with focusing the image without everything shaking. The deep space objects won't appear that clear when viewing through the eyepiece (cameras pick up more light than our night vision does). It will calculate and give you a list of 5 bright stars with #1 being closest to the object. The scope will slew to the object and there's a good chance it will be centered in your eyepiece. You should easily find the object in the field of view of a 25mm eyepiece (though it may be faint and fuzzy)."
"It was small enough that I could transport it to and from the local astronomy club, which is a big plug for a beginner. An 8" Dob is great if your backyard is dark, not so much if you need to travel for some darker skies.The GoTo functionality is also a plus in my book, as my wife has never used a telescope, and showing her how to check out Jupiter in just a couple minutes was pretty incredible. After tightening the bolts on here, I would say the vibrations are only a slight annoyance, and as long you don't manhandle the focuser or smack the eyepiece when you're viewing, they calm down quickly. Whenever I punch in my GPS coordinates (compass app on iPhone by default) it aligns immediately on SkyAlign. You'll need to add a few things to this telescope to really make it complete, but you aren't hamstrung up front by any means. This thing will eat your 8 AA batteries in no time, buy the AC adapter, or better yet the Power Tank, which is a pretty impressive piece of kit. HomeDepot sells an 18" Husky tool bag with a strap that works PERFECTLY."
Best Telescope Refractors
With its time tested durability and high quality optics at an affordable price, the Celestron Astro Master makes a great first telescope! As a bonus, Celestron has included a nice selection of accessories for your new telescope with this purchase, which means you will be observing the same day you unpack the box. Accessories include two full-sized eyepieces, a Star Pointer finderscope for easy location of objects you wish to observe, and even software for your PC. With it’s fully illustrated quick set up guide, the telescope is easy to assemble, and the package includes an erect image prism, high and low power eyepieces, and astronomy software for your PC. The sharp optics produce a right side up image, the mount is easy to use, and the included planetarium software helps you find planets in the night sky. Crisp clear views both day and night Rugged refractor design Quick and easy no-tool set up Erect image prism and two eyepieces included. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This scope is plenty powerful enough to check out the moon in great detail, Jupiter (you can see the cloud bands) and Saturn (rings are visible). There are threads on the bottom of the scope's dovetail mount that allow you to mount it to a standard tripod and that wins lots of brownie points with me."
"It takes patience, and a little bit of luck in snapping the photo, but I have captured some images that have provided a lot of enjoyment."
"So far, we've only taken it out for one night of stargazing, but so far we love it."
"Bought as a birthday gift and my son-in-law loved it."
"Easy to use but can't see the planets all that well, you can barely make out the rings of Saturn but despite it showing up super tiny it's still really cool to see nonetheless."
"This is a good beginners telescope."
"I easily found Jupiter, sighted it in with the red dot finder (move your head until the two red dots make a single point and put that point on the object you want to look at), and then looked at it with the 20mm, adjusting the focus knob only a little. I switched over to the 9mm and saw to my amazement Jupiter's orangish colored cloud bands as well as all 4 moons quite clearly. I had no issues with the stand (I was actually impressed with how well it was made for a telescope this cheap) but I had it at it's lowest point as I like to sit on the ground on a blanket and spread my stuff around me."
"This is sort of like having a point and shoot camera as opposed to a complicated SLR. The scope was incredibly easy to set up right out of the box. The only complaint I would have is that the accessories tray doesn't fold up with the tripod part, you have to remove it."