First Light - Celestron Nexstar 8SE...A beginner's view!

[Gadget]

If you are going to get a eyepiece set you would be much better getting the revelation set as the focal lengths will be much better suited to that scope the celestron has 4mm 6mm 9mm 15mm 32mm but due to the long focal length of the 8SE you wont be getting much use from the 4 and 6 mm but the revelation set has 9mm 12mm 15mm 20mm 32mm much better suited all will be usable I had this set for my 8SE it’s a nice set that gave me some great views

Kevin

[jonathan]

Interesting review, particularly as i'm currently pondering a purchase of this scope. It'll similarly be my first forray into astronomy, so reassuring to hear that your expereience was relatively problem-free. Does anyone have any good planetary shots to share with this scope? I'm interested as to what sort of results to expect viewing Jupiter, Saturn etc..

I experienced my first light with the 8SE last night, with the weather we've been having recently I felt very lucky to get a cloud-free and very still night!

Back to the views.. Jupiter was quite bright through the supplied 25mm eyepiece, although it was still quite small, probably the size of a pea, I could clearly make out the cloud bands across it, I could also clearly see two of the moons very close to it as white dots, one on either side. The view would probably be enhanced with the use of an appropriate filter as I couldn't look at it for long (like staring at a yellow LED).

I'm sure with a 10mm eyepiece you should see a lot more of Jupiter and the other planets, though I've read that any more than this (smaller mm) wouldn't necessarily give better results.

[old codger]

Enjoyed your report and found it mirrowed my own experience. Mine is now just over a year old and has been used at Kelling Heath and Hereford star parties. The 'spreader' will fit correctly after the legs have been splayed a few times, and I recomend the use of a 2in diag. and 2in eyepieces, particularly if you want to do imaging. It also works a treat with a Williams Optics Bino Viewer. I'm now a somewhat reluctant (aged) astronomer and find I can handle the Nextstar 8SE with relative ease - its therefore the scope I use the most. Good luck and keep on learning.

Old Codger

[Hallofdreams]

Thanks for this review, I know its dated but still very useful

Steve

[Demonperformer]

Inexplicably though, it would always take the longest route possible i.e. it would slew 270 degrees to an object rather than just 90,

I have your scope's baby brother (6SE) and puzzled for ages over what was going on ... eventually sussed it. The mount will not slew through North, if your scope is pointing 1 degree west of north and you slew to an object 1 degree east of north, it will travel through 358 degrees. Can be a real pain with the cable to the power tank!

[slimfb]

thanks for putting that up, a helpful read

my first scope budget is def out the window now

it's a scope for my son (20) & for me to play with while he's out clubbing on a saturday night

i know we'll do some imaging so 'no wonky pod'

[Spaced Cadet]

I just had my first light with my new 8SE. After doing a three-star alignment (using Spica, Arcturus and Vega), I selected my first object: M13. It was jawdropping to see this globular cluster resolved as a ball of stars rather than the smudge that I had seen in my smaller scopes. I then selected the ring nebula, and could actually make out structure in the ring itself. However, the goto didn't have success in centering the whirlpool galaxy. Finally, had a look at Saturn and could easily see some banding on the planet (and a hint of the Cassini division on either side of the planet-not as obvious as I expected it to be!).

I also noticed my new 8SE is Fastar compatible!