Celestron 11068 NexStar 6SE Computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with Advanced GPS, Astroimaging and AutoAlign Features, Black/Orange

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The main reason we have mixed feelings about the Evolution 6” is largely due to the fact that, for all its bells and whistles, at the end of the day, you are really just getting an overly-equipped 6” telescope. Other 6” computerized telescopes exist at lower prices. There are better options than a 6” computerized telescope, including larger computerized instruments at this price, and it’s questionable if a 6” telescope is able to really show you enough to benefit from a GoTo mount in the first place. I "think" at this point I understand well what is needed to create the image train when using the f/6.3 focal reducer (getting to the 105mm spacing). Lastly, I was wondering about the ASIAir +. I've read a bit that it may not be the most perfect marraige with the Celestron NexStar mounts. Is it possible to simply use the ASIAir to only connect to the camera (and not connect at all to the mount)? Then just use it to control the camera? Though I'm sure this is an expensive solution for camera control only (especially without auto-guiding) I really would like to control the camera via smartphone app versus the need for a small laptop. Thanks to its small size, the C6 doesn’t really suffer from the mirror flop problems that plague larger Schmidt-Cassegrains nor have a particularly narrow field of view. That being said, despite being physically compatible with a 2” diagonal, the C6 cannot actually illuminate the field of view of a 2” low-power eyepiece and will vignette quite badly with an f/6.3 reducer. Thus, the scope isn’t going to provide a field of view much larger than 1 degree (about 2 full moons)-which means it isn’t ideal for wide-field vistas of star clusters and nebulae, though a 1-degree field is still plenty big to satisfy most users.

This is something to consider based on your preferences – high focal length means a narrower field of view, so better for getting close to objects that are relatively close to us (like the moon and planets), but less good for viewing large and far off deep sky objects like galaxies and nebulae. large exit pupils appear brighter than small exit pupils.exit_pupil = eyepiece_focal_length / telescope_fratio. If you want a larger exit pupil, you user a longer focal length eyepiece. The longest focal length eyepiece in 1.25 inches Aligning your telescope is simple and painless, too, thanks to SkyAlign. This process makes alignment as easy as 1-2-3: just center three bright objects in your eyepiece and press ALIGN. For even easier alignment, attach our StarSense AutoAlign and your NexStar SE aligns itself! Like most GoTo telescopes, the 6SE also comes with a simple red dot sight to complete the initial alignment before it can automatically slew itself around the sky. Nexstar 6SE Mount Capabilities I've spent at least 6 months reading through a ton of incredibly useful information on this forum -- now my first question/post.The Celestron NexStar Evolution range are computerized telescopes with four different models – the Evolution 6, Evolution 8, Evolution 8 EdgeHD, and Evolution 9.25. As we discovered when observing the Orion Nebula, views through the Schmidt-Cassegrain’s optics were impressively clear and bright with no chromatic aberration — or colour fringing — evident. Jupiter will only continue to make an excellent target by increasing the telescope’s magnification, something we highly recommend either by using a Barlow lens as well as additional eyepieces with a 1.25” fitting. A blue filter will provide excellent contrast, playing up the rills and festoons in the gas giant's cloud layers and promote easy viewing of the planetary king's famous storm: the Great Red Spot. Celestron NexStar 6SE: Verdict

Portability and serious performance come together in the NexStar 6 SE. Celestron's first new Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system in over a decade is now available in a high performance altazimuth computerized telescope. With a total weight of 30 lbs including the tripod, the ultra portable 6 SE features a precision optical system with 1500mm focal length (f/10) and offers 44% more light gathering than a 5" telescope. The NexStar 6SE is provided with almost no accessories besides a single low-power eyepiece and all the required basic fittings to use it. As such, it’s vital to acquire a few extra accessories and at least a couple of additional eyepieces to fully utilise this telescope’s capabilities and get the most enjoyable experience possible. A dew shield is a must-have for the 6SE, as it helps to decrease glare from nearby light sources making their way into the telescope, while also delaying frost or dew development on the 6SE’s front corrector plate and preventing pollen, dirt, and dust from accumulating, any of which can damage the fragile corrector and its coatings over time as well as ruining your view.GOTO mount and tripod included can locate 40,000+ objects in space for you to view at the press of a button. In terms of specific models, the best are the NexStar 6SE and 8SE with the wedge added, or any of the Evolution models, but specifically the 8 EdgeHD.

The Celestron NexStar 6SE’s fork mount is a simple altazimuth design – as most motorized GoTo telescopes are – so there’s no need to get involved in complicated polar alignments and balancing using counterweights, as is necessary on equatorial mounts. In the 1970s, Celestron’s Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes brought the hobby of astronomy to the masses and established Celestron as the world’s premier telescope maker. Our founder, Tom Johnson, invented Celestron’s proprietary method of producing Schmidt corrector plates for superior views and maximum portability. Johnson believed in creating high-quality optical instruments at an affordable price, and inspired a generation of amateur astronomers.Despite its smaller aperture and somewhat narrow field of view, many deep sky objects can be seen in detail. Large globular clusters are an exciting view under dark skies, as well as some of the brighter galaxies like M51, M31, or M33. The long focal length of the 6SE also allows for the observation of small planetary nebulae, such as M57, Caldwell 39, or Caldwell 63. It has a 90mm aperture telescope tube, which is the lowest of the range, but plenty large enough for good viewing. Mechanically, the mount is sufficiently robust. Though the fork portion of the mount is only a single arm, this downside is negligible due to the very lightweight optical tube. Its 12 pound weight capacity also allows for a few extra pounds of gear, whether that be a large, high quality eyepiece, a Celestron StarSense module, or other upgrades. The telescope tubes range from 4-inch to 8-inch aperture. The bigger the aperture, the brighter and clearer the astronomy views. Saturn’s rings are easily visible, as is the Cassini Division within them, the latter provided you have good sight. Around half a dozen moons can be spotted, along with faint variations in the tones of Saturn’s cloud bands. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is visibly not a star and appears a slightly gold color.

Therefore, you get a bigger telescope with the best power of the SLT range, but it is substantially larger and heavier. These are versions of compound (or catadioptric) telescopes. These are generally great as they are small, compact, and portable, whilst offering high aperture and good viewing capabilities. The telescope tubes range from 90mm to 130mm aperture. This is the key measurement of a telescope’s viewing capacity – the bigger the aperture, the brighter and clearer what you will see through it. The SLTs will work best using either smartphones (attached with an adapter) or with small, dedicated astronomy cameras. This is because the mounts they come with are limited in the weight they can take, and so attaching a bigger DSLR camera will be difficult. Also, the lower aperture and focal ratios will limit what you could photograph beyond the moon or perhaps some planets.

This Schmidt-Cassegrain with StarBright® XLT coatings is our favourite from the SE family. 

The 6SE comes with a single eyepiece – a 25mm E-Lux Plossl providing 60x. It’s a good starter eyepiece for low magnification, but as with any telescope, you’ll want at least a few extra eyepieces to provide a range of magnification options. Outside the Solar System, the NexStar 6SE is a solid performer, albeit limited somewhat by its aperture and field of view. You can expect to see a lot of open star clusters like M35, M11, and M67. Some large clusters, like the Pleiades (M45) and Beehive (M44), cannot fit into the field of view with the 6SE, though they can still be enjoyed. The bright globular star clusters such as M13, M15, and M22 are kind of resolved with 6 inches of aperture-though barely, and only with fairly decent skies. Smaller globulars will remain fuzzy patches of light. The telescope itself is mounted to a stainless steel tripod, ensuring optimal sturdiness and rigidity, and the single-fork motorized alt-azimuth mount makes it a cinch to control. A 1.25” 32mm Plossl eyepiece for 47x with the NexStar 6SE offers a marginally wider field of view and lower magnification than the provided 25mm Plossl, which is more suitable for viewing deep-sky objects. A 2” star diagonal will vignette with the 6SE, as will an f/6.3 reducer and low-power eyepieces, so there’s little point in obtaining either. For medium-high power, we recommend a 1.25”, 16mm UWA (94x) or 15mm redline/ goldline (100x). For higher magnification, a 10mm UWA (150x) or 9mm redline (167x) eyepiece is ideal, while a 7mm focal length eyepiece such as a UWA or planetary (214x) provides magnification near the limit of what you can expect to typically find useful with the 6SE on the Moon, planets, and double stars.