Celestron NexStar Se 8

[A Hendrie]

Hi a newbie to Astronomy with a question/dilemma. About to purchase Celestron NexStar SE 8 for my night sky viewing ,but was wondering once powered on and aligned will I be able to use the scope manually for night viewing sometimes instead of the handset or will this damage the gear mechanism.I know the Evolution 8 you can use without power but don’t want to pay that much.Thanks for any help

[Peter Drew]

I've been using a 8se for a few years now. You can move the telescope manually only in declination (up and down). The other axis can be moved only by a power sourse, either battery or transformed mains. The telescope gives an excellent all round performance and I have been very happy with mine.

Welcome to this forum.  ?

[A Hendrie]

Thanks Peter that is of great help

[Knighty2112]

This GoTo mount in the link would allow you to do what you want, and it allows you to do it even after the goto alignment has been set. Freedom find I think it is called. Had one a while back and worked well, although I find the Celestron 8 SE mount slightly more accurate.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/sky-watcher-star-discovery-wifi-az-goto-mount-tripod.html

[Lance Bridwell]

I have an 8 SE and I'm thinking about purchasing an A  VX equatorial mount! I'm thinking it would eliminate most of the wobble I get when focusing. Any feedback would be appreciated

[Alan64]

A 200mm Schmidt on the SE mount is doable, however in the end it is under-mounted; less cost, less performance.  

[Cosmic Geoff]

The C8 SE is meant to be used as a GoTo. It is not intended to be used manually (you can not push it horizontally and the ability to push it in azimuth is of no practical use.). 

If you want a manual option you should buy something else.  Personally I have never seen the point of moving the scope manually if GoTo is available. It's much less bother to press 'Saturn' or 'M031' if it's aimed at Jupiter and you want to move it than to reposition the scope manually.  Why fiddle with the finder etc when you can just press a couple of buttons?

The C8 SE is an excellent scope for visual use and you can use it for planetary astrophotography.  The mount is not the most rigid around - on the other hand the whole outfit is relatively portable - I can carry the complete assembly through a doorway and out of doors, and it breaks down into a couple of packing boxes for taking it on holiday.

[A Hendrie]

Hi everyone thanks for all the input and very informative info, going to sit down and take stock , a lot to take in didn’t realise so much involved I think that’s down to my vague lack of understanding. Hopefully up and running soon.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'd run it of the mains. If you use disposable or recharge batteries, they wont last long (particularly in winter).