Jump to content

Narrowband

Celestron Nexstart 4se Computerized Telescope


Recommended Posts

I am considering purchasing this telescope because the current telescope I own is not suiting my needs. This is a GOTO scope and I am wondering if anyone here has owned one or used one. Please comment down below your experiences with the scope and any pictures if you have some :).

PS

I have a $500 USD budget so if there is any scopes you can list that are substantially better please do!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First thing to settle is that they are not automatic and they do not do everything for you.

The reality is they do some (actually not a lot) of the work for you and they are very dependant on you setting them up and performing the alignment. You will get it wrong and you will wonder why you bothered.

You have to enter the data and that has to be reasonably correct, use a custom location not one from the selection list.

Not sure what the Celestron start position is, but in general level everything you can - the mount base and the OTA both.

Read the manual, then read the manual again for Set Up, Initialisation and Alignment.

Get a 32mm plossl or a 40mm plossl - you will want the widest possible field of view you can get.

A 32mm will give about 1.2 degree view.

Using the Meade start position of Level and North if the scope starts out 2 degrees off from level and North then the first alignment star is 2 degrees off of centre and the field of view is in effect +/- 0.6 degree so nothing in view to do the alignment on. I know this from direct experience.

Align the finder accurately to the main scope.

Power may be a problem, the idea of a set of batteries does not work overly well. You might get up to an hours use from a good new set, after that throw them as they will not really work in the scope any longer. Rechargeables are useless. I use one of the small Tracer Li-Po batteries on mine, it sits on the base plate of the scope quite happily and powers the scope for 3, 4, 5 hours.

Expect to buy at least 3 eyepieces for yourself, I suspect the supplied ones are MA's and plossl's are a lot better. You will need a 32mm for alignment. I would say after that something like a 15mm and a 18 (20mm) as well. Then get used to the scope. Do not bother with less then 10mm at first, and I would say never less then an 8mm. I think the 4SE is a Mak not an SCT, so will be f/13.5 and about 1350mm focal length.

Altering focus can be a pain, usually you have to turn the adjuster several times, so eyepieces that are parfocal help, not sure if plossls are but the Paradigms are.

What is your present equipment that you do not get on with?

Maybe someone can give information on improving it.

Main thing is as said at the start:: They do not do everything, they are not automatic, you have to do something, you have to know what you are doing.

One aspect is that once you are used to the scope you can drop a webcam in and go planetary imaging, may want/need a 2x barlow to increase the image size.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently purchased a 4SE as my first scope. I wanted one that was small enough to take on hols in my campervan. I spent a long time thinking about it, but only decided after visiting a shop to look (and feel) one and compare it to the Celestron SLT and Skywatcher Skymax AZ goto scopes.  The later were cheaper and had a larger aperture, which I would have preferred, but I found the 4SE mount to be better engineered, stiffer and less susceptible to vibration. I could have got the 5SE , and with the benefit of hindsight probably should have, but it was significantly more expensive. I since wonder if the 4SE mount with a skymax 127 OTA might be the ideal combination?

I have found there is a steep learning curve to climb, even with a goto. I do not find using the hand set very intuitive and there is a lot of functionality in there. Acquiring the knack of accurate star alignment, longitude, latitude, and time setting takes practice and discipline (so much so that I have just bought a skysync). I only expect to find an object within the FOV of the 25mm eyepiece, at higher magnifications I usually miss. Ironically, I often use Stellarium to double check that I am really looking at what the handset says I am - one tiny speck of light does tend to look rather like another!

I have found the tracking very useful, and uniquely, the 4SE has an inbuilt wedge should I feel tempted to try a bit of solar astrophotography, which I have not so far.

I am not convinced it is absolutely necessary, but I did buy a power station and it is very convenient, apart from the cable which gets in the way. I only intended to get a power lead for the cigar lighter in case I found the AA batteries insufficient, however, the price of the lead alone was almost half the cost of a power station, which comes with one, so I bought it instead.

In the future, I can see myself moving away from goto once I learn to navigate the night sky better, but it has definitely helped to get me started.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forgot to say that I do find focussing tricky at high magnifications, though I gather this is a trait of cassegrains and not just the 4SE. I thought I could improve this by using one range of (celestron omni) eyepieces, believing them to be parafocal, and focussing at a lower power before switching to a higher power, but in practice I have not found it so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"I think the 4SE is a Mak not an SCT, so will be f/13.5 and about 1350mm focal length."

I was wondering in what universe the 4SE was a Mak and not an SCT, but further reading actually backs this up. It is indeed a Mak. I have an 8SE and its an SCT. I'm guessing its all about aperture size and how the optics are squeezed into the smaller OTA. 

A budget of $500 is pretty nice but i feel you can get more value for money apart from the 4SE. 

4" aperture is ok but limiting. Have you considered a Dob?. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the standard eyepieces provided with the scope upon order does the scope have nice views of the planets etc.?

With the 4SE scope you get a 25mm Plossl eyepiece. Ive never had a problem with any Celestron branded Plossl's. They do a fine job but as you grow in astronomy you will learn that there are better eyepieces to be bought. As for observing planets with a 25mm eyepiece....it will give you pretty small image and detail may be hard to see. For observing planets, i can only say that the general feeling is that you should use an eyepiece which is between 7-12mm (depending on the scope you use etc). 

If you want a couple of better ones for observing planets,Moon,nebs,galaxies etc............the Vixen NPL range is great and should work well with the 4SE. Another popular brand is BST's.

They are great for the price........30-40 quid each.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK thanks! I have also heard the Orion SkyQuest may be a good starter scope can anyone verify? I am just making sure I spend my money where it could be best suited. I don't want to buy a telescope I will hate. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK thanks! I have also heard the Orion SkyQuest may be a good starter scope can anyone verify? I am just making sure I spend my money where it could be best suited. I don't want to buy a telescope I will hate. :D

No one does, but i bet we all have a scope we bought and now regret. It takes time to find the right scope for you. It may sound flippant but i'd say to you to save a bit more cash and go for the 6SE..........or even the 8SE, if you are sure this range of scope is for you. Explore all avenues. 

You will arrive on the right one for you thanks to the great people here on SGL. They will never see you wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the standard eyepieces provided with the scope upon order does the scope have nice views of the planets etc.?

The only eyepiece which came with mine (bought new) was a 25mm plossl. So far the planets I have seen with it are Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. I cannot recall exactly which eyepieces I used (I also have 12.5mm/9mm/6mm omni eyepieces) but I have been able to see two bands on Jupiter and four of its moons. I have seen Saturn's "ring" (but not the Cassini division) and Titan. I have also seen phases of Venus. No colour, only monochrome, with enough detail to clearly identify which planet it was, little more. The moons were only pin pricks of faint light. I have seen some of the easier Messiers, but they were just faint fuzzes of light, the best I can recall is just making out the "shadow" of the sombrero galaxy, unless I was deluding myself!...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems nice to begin in astronomy. As you guys can clearly most likely tell I am very new into astronomy. Would you say the 4se is a good introductory to astronomy and will help me become familiar with the sky etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just remember that whatever 'cat' (ie Maksutov or SCT) you purchase, if that is what you are after, just don't forget to add a dew shield...

...they are notorious dew magnets!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems nice to begin in astronomy. As you guys can clearly most likely tell I am very new into astronomy. Would you say the 4se is a good introductory to astronomy and will help me become familiar with the sky etc.

Honestly...........probably not. To learn your way around the night sky i would say a a pair of 10x50 binoculars and a planisphere or night sky chart/book would be best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Jacob, when I was looking for goto scopes I wanted an SE, i ended up getting the newer model in the end. But the build quality and optics are fantastic (in my opinion). The SE range is very similar to the Evolution range.

I'd have to agree with Luke Skywatcher (fantastic name) - you're already going to be shelling out $400 for a 4SE (if you chose that model) it would be more beneficial to save a little extra and get a 6SE. In terms of what you can see in a 6SE compared to a 4SE is quite a sizable difference. If you had the option of an 8SE even better. 

Have you thought about having a look for a second-hand 6 or 8SE which might work out the same price as a brand new 4SE? You wouldn't regret treating yourself to a little more aperture where as you'll kick yourself if you end up thinking ''i wish it was slightly larger'' when you've already put $400 towards your scope.

Good luck in what ever you chose, I'm sure you'll enjoy your scope regardless!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Jacob, I agree with what has already been said, i started just 5 months ago with the 5SE (a gift) and i reckon it is a good first scope, bit fiddly to get the hang of it, and definitely need a power source, but i really enjoyed what i was able to see and find. I shelled out for some quality TV EP's which helped, seen many clusters and nebs which looked great, and being down south and being able to find and view the taratula nebula was wow stuff. But, even though i am relatively new to this caper i was quickly hooked and have obtained a second and much larger scope in recent weeks and the difference is amazing.

So, like others have said, it will be a good scope that will give you a lot of enjoyment but if you get hooked like most of us do you will want bigger, so consider saving for a bit bigger one or look for second hand options.

I haven't used bins but most on this forum say they are a great starting point.

Good luck with choosing.

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

putting a cloths peg on the focuser knob (if it will fit) and using it as a lever giving finer control might be worth a try.

That's a fine trick for superior focussing on the nexstar range right there, I use a small plastic ring spanner that came with my washing machine, light enough to not turn the focus knob unintentionally.  Also minimises vibration when focussing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.