New telescope question

[Bukaki]

Hello all, I am looking into buying a telescope and I'm being told to spend as much as I can afford.  You get what you pay for essentially.   I was wondering what the real differences are between the celestron nexstar8 and the more expensive models.  I've only really been able to get good views of the moon on my last telescope which was an astromaster70.  I would like to be able to see good images of the planets and also see deep space objects.  I don't take photo or video at the moment, but is the nexstar8 compatible with mounting a camera?  Any help and advice you have I'd appreciate it.  I guess I wouldn't really want to consider anything over 2k USD at this time.  Thanks!

[Peter Drew]

I've had a Celestron 8se for a number of years and mine at least has given me great views of the Moon and planets.  It also gives as good a view of deep space objects that can fit into its field of view as most telescopes of this size.  The higher power potential can be a benefit for small objects of this type.  You could easily take images of the Moon and planets but photographing deep space objects would need a more suitable mount.  Probably the largest all round telescope at your budget.     🙂 

Edited December 9, 2023 by Peter Drew

[GrumpiusMaximus]

For planetary and visual DSO, a C8 is a good choice.  My Dad has a C8 and it's a nice, capable scope and a very good all-rounder.  They do have a long focal length so definitely not a wide field and if you do get into imaging it would be going in on 'hard mode' (and expensive mode).  You'd get more light from an 8" Dobsonian but you wouldn't get go-to (unless you spend a lot) and it would a lot less compact than a C8. A typical 8 inch Dobsonian would have a significantly shorter focal length - which is neither a good nor bad thing but if you're really set on planetary, you'll want the focal length.

C8s are well-regarded scopes.  I have a C5 and it's very easy to live with and my Dad likes his C8.  The only thing I'd warn you on is learning to align it well when you first use it as at 2032mm, it's going to be hard to find things by scanning around.

[Cosmic Geoff]

"Nexstar8" is not a current model designation.  If you mean any Celestron 8" SCT, they have been manufactured and sold for many years and you can't go far wrong if you buy one of these optical-tube-assemblies. 

The mounts are another matter.  The C8 OTA is now offered with various mounts (all GoTo), so you need to pick a mount which is suitable for what you have in mind. Some (like the C8 SE package) are only suitable for visual use, while others are more suitable for imaging.  I have a CPC800 which has a solid (and heavy) fork mount well suited for planetary imaging or imaging small deep sky objects. 

Attaching a camera to any of these is a trivial exercise involving no more than finding the right adaptor (DSLR) or using the adaptors that came with the camera (astro camera).  Getting a good imaging result is not so easy...

[Elp]

For future proofing I'd try and source an OTA only instead (you'll have more luck on the used market), and invest the rest into a good EQ mount (HEQ5 or 6 class are most recommended by people). This is what I did with my C6 and it works well on my hem15 and gem28.

[Bukaki]

Thank you for the advice!  I'm currently weighing the convenience of the goto ease of the c8 package vs a larger dobson with manual observing.  Not sure I have the patience to find everything.  Hmm.  Larger is better but until what point?  An eight inch aperture vs a 10 inch vs say a 12 or 14?  Strictly viewing the stars with maybe cell phone through the eye piece photo and video. 

[Elp]

If you want to do photographic on anything other than solar system objects you really need an EQ mount. Finding everything individually doesn't really take long, the weather usually prevents immediate use of equipment anyway.

[Stu1smartcookie]

Whilst i would say the Nexstar 8SE is a great package , the cost is quite high . The mount , is at best , adequate , bordering on good . But imo the 8" scope when loaded with a weighty EP and possibly a better diagonal and a decent finder rather than the very poor RDF makes the scope quite a heavy beast for the single fork arm . The 6" scope is a much better fit for the mount . 

But , to counter what i wrote you will have some fantastic views of the planets and the moon though that scope . 

An 8" Dob , is a fine starter scope , especially the StellaLyra from FLO as you get a really nice dual speed focuser and a decent EP supplied as standard . And its cheaper than the SCT. 

Yes you have to find things yourself ... so, why not consider the Celestron Starsense Dobsonian ( 8" ) which will allow assistance in finding objects . 

 

[Bukaki]

Thank you all for the info.  It seems that there is much more I need to learn!

[doublevodka]

2k USD is a significant investment so I'd recommend having a serious think about what it is you want from the scope long term if you see astrophotography being in there at all think long and hard about it first as anything other than lunar and planetary will require a significant further investment if you go down the alt-az route to start with.

Going to make a minor assumption here in that you are looking at the used market as you mentioned the Nexstar series a good resource for you is https://www.nexstarsite.com/ I found it very handy when I had my Nexstar 4SE.

If you are happy to avoid the astrophotography rabbit hole for now and look more into dobsonian scopes, I would suggest taking a look at the StarSense Exploere series of dobs, for example https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-series/celestron-starsense-explorer-8-dobsonian.html. The starsense explorer system is well-liked here, it's a lot cheaper and will allow you a lot of breathing room in your budget for accessories such as eyepieces etc (trust me you will want to buy more). 8 inch dobs are also considered to be the best size for most people as they combine a decent size aperture with enough portability that you will use it regularly, when it's cold outside it becomes much harder to persuade yourself to drag a larger instrument outside  

If you really, really want to start dabbling in astrophotography then I would also suggest looking into the ZWO Seestar S50 - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/zwo-seestar-s50-all-in-one-smart-apo-telescope-tripod.html 

Hopefully, this is all useful, good luck with your next purchases 👍