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I was just about to ask about the confusing StarSense Autoalign instructions. The omission you suggest makes more sense. Many thanks. It seems odd to ship a product in 2022 which comes with a 2016 instruction guide and no updates to the guide on Celestron's support page.

I have a Celestron NexStar 8SE and have found that using the supplied 25mm eyepiece gives substantially better quality than Celestron X-Cel LX 5mm and 9mm eyepieces. I appreciate that lower magnification is likely to give a clearer view but the X-Cel give very unclear views. Is this to be expected?

I'd like to try some basic astrophotography, just the moon and Jupiter. I have a Nikon DSLR which isn't compatible with Backyard Nikon. I'm looking to get a 2nd hand EOS body to try Backyard EOS. Does anyone have a recommendation for a basic EOS model that would suitable. I appreciate that the software supports lots of models , so any help appreciated.

Just wondered why the tech specs in the 6SE/8SE manual gave incorrect OTA weights.

Does anyone know the weight of the Celestron 8SE OTA? It shows as 24lbs (approx 11Kg) in the manual but I understand it is 5.4Kg. I'd like to be sure as I'd struggle lifting 12kg.

I have a SkyWatcher 150 Newtonian (from a Dobsonian mount) and want to move to as simple a system as possible for GoTo operation. The Celestron StarSense looks good and I see it is available for SkyWatcher mounts. I'm thinking of using an HEQ5 Pro mount but wondered if the StarSense will properly integrate with this as compared to how it will definitely work with the Advanced AVX mount. The HEQ5 looks a better, quieter mount and has a similar payload capacity to the AVX so my preference is to the HEQ5 and using Celestron GoTo control. Just wondering if this mix of provider tech has any issues.

Update - I'm now considering a SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro with the the 6" Newtonian I already have. I appreciate the viewing position will shift but it will give me some experience of using a Goto and astrophotography is something I want to try. I take the point raised about the lower payload of this mount but I'm not comfortable handling the HEQ6 due to its 17Kg weight. I haven't decided whether leaving the mount in position outside is a good plan as I don't have a flat surface in the right position, just grass. Presumably it can be protected against the weather so a heavier mount could be an option. The comment about the potential difficulties with SynScan is also noted. So more research needed. Thanks again for all the comments.

Thanks for all the comments, it's very helpful to get the views of people of who been through the challenges of understanding this subject and implementing it. I prefer to have a system that can be used without a substantial setup/alignment process. This would initially be for observation but later for photography. If this is a contradiction then maybe I'll need to get 2 systems each for a specific purpose, although that may be cost prohibitive. I have a few more 'beginner' questions: Do Goto systems also track? What are the benefits or problems using Goto with Eq or Az mounts? Are the setup processes substantially longer/more difficult with Goto on Eq or Az mounts?

Ease of setup is the most important to me, so tracking an object once found with Goto would be the goal for observation. Is there a recommendation for the mount type to enable this? Astro photography is not the goal at this point, and would be a phase 2 project as this seems to be an art in itself.

I've used a 150mm Dobsonian reflector for a few years and have decided to move to a Goto system. I'd like to try a different type of scope as an alternative to the Dobsonian. Looking at the Celestron website I see a classic case of confusion marketing, where there are so many options and variants that selecting a good telescope package is quite challenging. I'd appreciate any advice from those that have successfully navigated product specs to get a good telescope. My reason for interest in Goto technology is just to make the most of observation time, track planetary motion and explore new parts of the sky. I'm interested in using a DSLR but that is secondary to enjoying the view. I've looked at the Celestron Advanced VX 9.25" Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope which looks good, although potentially heavy. I've seen posts here that say a more solid mount/tripod may be required. Also this is a step up in terms of magnification from the Dobsonian, so want to be sure it is easy to use, which is where Goto performance is relevant. So potentially an 8" is a contender. Any help appreciated.