Celestron 8SE

[deepskyguy]

Hello,

I will be purchasing my first telescope in 4 weeks or so. I have my eyes set on an 8SE. Is this a good beginner telescope or am I getting in over my head? I figured a "goto" telescope would be best to limit frustration; also, if I want to try and find something on my own, I can.

I was looking at the 127SLT since it won best telescope award also the 4se and the 6se. But I want to see the night sky the clearest I can for my budget and that's why I figured on the 8SE.

Please let me know if I am making a bad choice.

Thank you

[fogfire]

The 8SE is a great scope for visual as a starter.. Budget for a few items too.

• 12 Volt Car Jumper Battery pack like they sell at WalMart for $40
• Power cord $9
• Dew Sheild $25
• A good zoom Eyepiece the Meade at around $100 is thought of as the best of the lower cost zooms.

You can have many hours of viewing with that as your starter kit.

[tmohr]

Great info from Ken above. I don't think you'll be sorry going "straight to the 8"!

If I remember correctly it's only 3lbs heavier than the 6SE, total (same tripod/mount). Simple to carry and set up, IMO.
The "SkyAlign" was a great feature for me as it gave me a chance to test my limited sky knowledge. You just center 3 bright objects. At the end of the alignment, the telescope tells you which objects they were, so I got to see if I chose the stars I thought I centered.

Wishing you clear skies,

[deepskyguy]

Great Thank you! This is very exciting indeed!

[MG1962]

Yeah I love my SE8 - It is a great beginner scope and very capable of satisfying as your skill sets and interests develop.

[deepskyguy]

does the included 25mm eye piece limit anything? Will Juipter and Saturn be viewable? Any Galaxies?

[MG1962]

It is all about detail, up to a point some objects can take pumping up the power others not. You can purchase a barlow lens and that will make your 25mm a 12.5. Personally I went with a 13mm (Not a fan of barlows. I am also not a fan of zoom lenses on these scopes because the field of view feels very restrictive for me. In the field I usually only take my 25mm 13mm and 8mm for observing

[ChrisRS]

The 8SE is a great scope for visual observation, and the goto facility makes finding stuff really straightforward. However, don't expect super detailed views of objects like those you see in the astro photos. The DSO's are not called faint fuzzies for nothing.
I use a TV Powermate to up the magnification of my EP's and find it to be excellent.

[Crawdaddyjc]

I have the 8se and absolutely love it! I had the 6se for 2 weeks and sent it back for the 8. It is a great scope for beginners and will satisfy your needs for years! I came into this hobby with zero experience and now after 2 months I use my 8se every chance that I can! I don't think you will have any regrets with your choice! Good luck!

[Bob327]

Gheese...all the comments about the 8se being a beginners scope has me scratching my head...

I purchased my first scope (well with a lot of help from my parents) in 1952 or 53 from Sears & Robucks when i was a cub (not boy) scout...Now a little over 50 years in this hobby my 8i (earlier model of the 8Se) is one of my 4 telescopes that I use on a regular basis..(I own more then 4)..

As far as I am concerned the 8SE is not only meant for beginners.. I use mine for local star parties and on some nice warm summer evenings fro the lawn when I just feel like viewing the old fashioned way with nothing over my head but stars instead of viewing from the inside of my Observatory looking out an open shutter door..

BTW..this scope spent 2 years in the trunk of my car 24/7 (and 100,000 miles) before I retired (I traveled during the workweek) and its still going strong although I did upgrade it to use the latest HC...

I just don't get the term beginners scope ........

Bob G