Celestron 11069 NexStar 8SE Computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with Advanced GPS, Astroimaging and AutoAlign Features, Black/Orange

Product Information

The mount head unit and fork arm have a plastic outer casing, reminding you that this is a budget-friendly GoTo telescope package.

If I were to do a long-exposure of Saturn, the disc of Saturn would stay centered but, like a snow-angel’s wings, Saturn’s rings would fan out into blurry arcs and its moons would trace star trails.

This is still too much magnification to photograph the Andromeda galaxy, however (which is 6 full moons wide). I used an AC adapter to plug the mount into household power in the backyard, but this mount can also be powered via 8 x AA batteries for complete mobility.

First, your eye can’t take 15 second exposures, so even bright objects like the Hercules Cluster look like milky, faint cotton balls and colorful objects like the Orion Nebula look like milky, faint wedges. A second arm attached at the other side would give a more robust mounting and, without it, you do see some minor vibration at the eyepiece when you touch the scope, such as when adjusting focus. I included the Celestron NexStar 8SE on my list of best astrophotography telescopes because it is a great way to get started in moon photography, with an OTA worthy of being re-mounted to an EQ mount in the future.Two things to note versus the previous image: 1) The focal reducer changes the telescope’s f-stop from f/10 to f/6. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. Using the “pro” or “manual” mode of your camera, you can fine-tune the camera settings to take an amazing photo of the Moon’s surface or Saturn’s rings. The big aperture on the NexStar 8Se will show dimmer objects like galaxies and nebulae in detail and, with its ability to deliver high magnification, it’s ideal for seeing the Moon and observing the planets.

This award-winning optical system reduces visual defects like field curvature and coma, creating an ultra-flat field for pinpoint stars all the way to the edge of today’s largest imaging sensors. Just point the telescope at any three bright objects—stars, bright planets, or even the Moon—and your telescope can orient itself with the night sky.From the SkyProdigy, a telescope so smart it can align itself, to our high-performance EdgeHD optical system, we’ve revolutionized the hobby of astronomy for beginners and advanced amateurs alike. The SkyAlign feature is used on several Celestron mounts including the NexStar GT, NexStar SLT, NexStar SE, NexStar Evolution, SkyProdigy, Astro Fi WiFi, and CPC telescopes. Go behind the scenes with Celestron’s product development team and learn more about our award-winning and patented innovations.

They need to be taken at the same ISO and exposure time as the Lights and the camera should be at the same temperature as the Lights.

Backyard EOS (Windows) and AstroDSLR (Mac) each connect to your DLSR via USB, controlling it in much the same way that you’d control a dedicated astronomy camera.