Three points : Your verbal discussion was very clear and totally made sense. Two you also id equipment you would not buy again, very honest and helpful and third, you give a newbie like me a clear understanding of what I might encounter should I want to buy a telescope. VERY WELL done sir.
The first time I saw Saturn I was so astounded I cried. I'm not particularly religious or prone to sudden outbursts of emotion, it was just so profound. Thank you for such a great review.
100% get it. I thought I would cry too when I first saw Jupiter and Saturn last night. It's very moving. So moving that I realized I needed a tracking telescope, which is why I'm sending back the starter scope and upgrading to the 8SE. Thanks for your candor, Mark. It really is touching to see the planets and other sky objects with your own eyes. Those dots....they are WORLDS and suns and galaxies and nebulae. Pale Blue Dot moment.
This is seriously one of the best reviews of anything I've ever seen on RU-vid: well-organized, succinct, and full of useful information. The very few things I was left unsure of (e.g., the weight of the assembled telescope) I easily found elsewhere.Thank you!
What an enormously precious clip you posted here. Thank you for your awesome review. This is the kind of presentation that i hoped to find to determine the pros and cons of the 8SE. Excellent job! Thank you sooo much for that!
Thank you! Very informative and detailed review. This is the first video I have come across where someone has taken the time to give a clear & concise review, and also included insightful information for someone new to astronomy.
Not only was your video informative and insiteful, but very well presented! The use of the handheld mike and speaking in a clear, articulate voice, really made a very, very nice video! Thanks for sharing!
This was such a great, informative, simplified video! Excellent descriptions, suggestions, recommendations. So clear to see and understand. Huge thank you for your time and thoughts.
outstanding and super helpful in making upcoming decisions from the scope to accessories to a plan. thank you! i'm buying this telescope once it's off back order in March and looking forward to enjoying as much as you do.
As much review of astronomy as of the 8SE and a rare, refreshing review it is. Thank you for your honesty, humour and advice. Very much appreciated. Greetings from England!
Thanks Rob for making this introduction video. Your clear advice and observations are very practical and helpful for me as I am considering buying one. At the very least it shows me exactly the size of the thing compared to a Celestron Omni XLT 120, which unfortunately has proved too big for me to carry around over here in the UK's North Somerset. Right now Mars is looking rather good even with 10 x 50 binoculars, but seeing it through a proper device such as this would once again "open up my eyes" to the world of astronomy. Thanks again, Nick
Amongst so many other videos on the subject I found this to be very good and answered many questions that I - having not yet bought my first telescope - found very useful. Thanks!
Thank you for your frank and honest review. You've really helped me establish which accessories I will or won't buy with the Celestron NexStar 8SE. Thanks for not having competing background music, and your audio sounds great!
Very good review! Probably one of the best out there for this scope and mount. I also now use the Telrad for this scope! I the GPS that I also use with this mount and the EVO-8. Love it. You really touched on all the significant points and features/accessories in your review. Spot on. Thank you for putting this together!
Great review! Very clear spoken, the camera is standing still and no annoying music. I want to by the Nexstar 6SE (because of my tighter budget) but I still had great joy listening to your review of the 8SE. Also thanks for the tips!
Amazing review Rob! Very informative and entertaining! Why are there not even 700 views by now? What's going on here? Thank you for your effort, enjoyed it!
I love looking through the telescope because I know I am actually seeing the object for myself. Back in middle school when we learning about space I used my telescope ALL the time for my assignments and it just felt so authentic and more enriching than just looking at pictures on the internet. Like seeing the Orion Nebula with your own eyes?? How cool is that!!!
Good advice. It does take alot of time to get setup when you get a good night. For a quick setup and do 1-2 hours of observing every other night a pair of 15x70 or 20x80 binos on a parallelogram mount and a reclining chair makes things simpler. Big telescopes need a planned ahead for an all night/early morning observing.
Dude. Awesome review. I just got this as a joint Christmas present for my husband and I. We live in the country in the mountains in WA state with no light pollution!! We are both into the universe etc. I have been like you have watched Carl Sagan with my dad when I was 10 in the early 1980. Keep star gazing.. Catherine Ford.. :-)
Great review Rob! I am going back to my roots and eying (pun intended) this and the 6SE, and now the evolution 8! Thanks again for this great review and hope you are still enjoying the stars! :)
My wife pointed me to your video. She said "It's really scary how two people sharing the same interest but living on different continents look like identical twins! Now buy this same telescope and I'll start believing in goblins!" So, we really do look like identical twins (that's weird even in the 100-billion+-galaxies universe we live in) but your video simplified the things for me (and my wife). I'm buying Nexstar Evolution 8" EHD. A bit more money, a bit more punch, and a Baader zoom EP to get me jumpstarted again after watching Carl Sagan's legendary series. As we do look like two identical amateur astronomers, just don't say you are 46 and born on may 4th? That would be one to a cca 7.000.000.000... Spooky. Your nice and no bs video sparked me up again. Thumb up.
Very nice intro for me the day after I brought home a Celestron NexStar 6s. So far so good. Thanks for the clearness of your explanations. Even a very new Sky watcher could understand exactly what you were saying.
Holy moly. It was weird watching the start of your video. I'm looking at buying a Nexstar so I happened upon your video but just last night I took my camera with a 105mm lens out just trying to capture Bode's M81 and M82. I knew it would be small and fuzzy but we were out at a fire and i was trying to show other people. Most people just couldn't appreciate what those two smudges represented. Anyways, I said to my brother-in-law, pretty much verbatim what you said about Andromeda. I said that the one galaxy, M81, is about 12 million light years away. In other words it took 12 million light years for the light from that galaxy to reach my camera and for the photons to be captured. Just uncanny that one day later you practically, not only captured the essence of what I said, but said it just about in the exact same way. It's always nice to hear that others can appreciate just how amazing our universe is and it makes ya feel like you're not the only one who sees it!
i love this telescope, the orange tube is just wonderful. 8se is an astronomical moultimachine, it is the perfect combination of portability and deep sky gate opening. i think that best extras are 2 diagonial and the new lipofe battery which offers plenty of operetional time and also increase portability.great review
I remember Carl Sagan's Cosmos around 1980 in the UK with the amazing Vangelis music and his virtual reality of the Library at Alexandria. What a production from the late 70s! Also Patrick Moore's The Skt at Night monthly in the UK that I used to watch at age 8-9 at first. I always wanted a Celestron 5 or 8 from the Sky & Telescope magazine back page adverts that I first saw aged around 10. Thinking of getting a 6" or 8" Celestron. I always wanted the orange tube! The 6SEs and 8SEs seem to be reduced in price a bit now the Evolution is out.
Great review, I had my SE8 for a year now, really like it, I have an equatorial wedge , it never worked well I think the motors are too weak for the weight of the scope on a wedge. I own the accessory kit I think the eyepieces under 13mm are too blurry the rest of the kit is useful. A Binocular viewer, filter wheel and a focal reducer are a great addition to my setup. Controlling the scope with Stellarium was the best step I took.
Thank you I am about to buy a celestron 8se and think you have saved me a few quid as I was going to buy all sortsof bits and bobs for the 8se, so glad I watched your video.
This video was super helpful. Just received a 6SE from someone and knowing the right accessories to buy gives me a lot more peace of mind. I was about to buy that lens kit!
You do deserve a thums up. Great video. I'm researching options for a telescope to present to my granddaughter who is a sixth grader. Lucky I found you in time as you too started sky watching when you were in seventh grade. You were very clear and forthright. The scope will remain in storage 99% of the time. That did drive some sense into me.
Hello from the UK. I popped in Celestron Nexstar 8 into the RU-vid search and I was eventually recommended this channel. A great find! What an informative video. I was blown away by the amount of information and found it incredibly helpful. I’ve been interested in one of these scopes (or even the Evolution model) for a while now and this video was a great help. I would have liked a little more information regarding problems you’ve experienced, but if you’ve had a very negative experience, I’m sure you would have said. Anyway, great video, have a like (if you’re still making videos that is).
wow. i am 14 years old, just got my first real (beginner-ish) telescope and your childhood story is almost exactly like mine. Joined astronomy club in middle school, viewing saturn for the first time was unforgettable. my teacher has this telescope and it's fantastic.
Your video was great. I just bought the 6se for my son with the r2 imager. So far not much luck. we can see stars but we just found out today that we are not really looking at them in focus. we see rings around a black ball in the middle. lol
Gotta be to 3 Video of all time.. I am a noob at this hobby and can appreciate the clear points made.. What a blessing to get game for free. Salute from Germany
Very informative. I'm embarrased to say I've had my 8SE for over a year, used it only one time after I got frustrated with it with a humid bad viewing night trying to look at a super moon. I realized I have a lot to learn to be proficient. Having clear skies in the San Antonio area is a real challenge as well. I'm determined to learn my scope. Thanks, you were a first good step.
Hope you're still observing. If you haven't already, join a local astro club. They'll get you out and viewing and learning much faster than if you try alone!
Thanks again.Ok I am 70, I have two titanium hips, a fused neck and 5 lumbar surgeries… the last one being a 3 disc fusion (all the hardware has just been removed, it became fuck%ng loose). So what, you say. I have just bought a used 8se for $700 (had to drive 1000 miles round trip to get). It came with a bunch of stuff including a Meade wedge which I modified to work with the 8se. The first time was a disaster, I couldn’t even get the lens cap off… only kidding but just only. I have also just bought 14’ canoe and trolling motor. There are two reasons I mention this: First… weight. Everything these day is so darn heavy (remember my first sentence). So I am going to make a cart for hauling my canoe and my telescope, not necessarily at the same time though. A simple two wheel affair with some old big wheel mower wheels and some 1” pvc. Second… power. The “Celestron Power Tank” really sucks. My trolling motor and my 8se both need 12v so I am going to buy a really good deep cycle marine batter and make my own portable power supply. I will use an old (expensive) heavy duty plastic tool box. Top tray will be used for either fish tackle or telescope accessories. I will include a couple of cigarette lighter sockets and a voltage meter. Just some musings from an old man who is trying to… I don’t know, whatever?My regular close is "have a good life man"
Hey you're proving you're not dead yet! I'm not far behind you at nearly 67. I've been a lifelong enthusiast of Science in general an Astronomy in particular, yet I have not yet owned a scope of my own. I'm considering it. I just borrowed a Dobsonian from a local Astronomical Society to view and image the conjunction. It was the first time I had ever tried to photograph anything through a scope! I had to order a laser collimator and attachments for my DSLR which arrived in the afternoon of December 21. I had only a few hours to figure it all out but I did learn something and I got some decent images. My point is of course that learning is still fun and can be very rewarding! Enjoy your life as long as you can and may we both have many more days to enjoy! Sounds like you are doing spectacularly well with yours!
Thank you so much for using a microphone, I wish more people would do that it really helps since I have hearing issues. And thanks for the great review.
Thank you for that great video! I was on the go to buy a telescope...but I have had some headaches. Then I found your video and I was grounded as it should be. Now I see clear. I saved money and much time. Thank you very much 🤗
Yes you can do daytime astronomy...I'll never forget observing the surface of the sun via a solar filter attached to a "Celestron 8" back in the summer of 1978! BTW, good job with this video.
Many thanks for this helpful tutorial. I am now also proud owner of the Celestron 8SE. ...Beside all the informstion provided I have also enjoyed that I was able to understand you very well, as I am trying to improve my English skills (I am german). Thx again :-)
Good job. I totally get the thing about it being your eye and or your camera that makes it special. I have had a 5se for a month and so far have just done images of the Moon and Jupiter which came out great both with a gx80 camera and a zwo camera. The tracking seems good to me and I was able to keep Jupiter in 600x600 pixel area with a 2x Barlow.
From Brisbane Australia (Lat S27 Deg ) . Well done for an unbiased and intelligent review. I recently purchased an 8 "Meade LX200. My local astronomical supplier is a Meade outlet so I went down that track. The Nexstar 8SE looks very similar in all aspects to the 8" LX200 . I am also very happy with the Meades' performance. I also use the BAADER 8 mm to 24 mm Zoom with satisfaction. It is a must have for its versatility and quality optics. I also use this great EP on my ED 120 refractor. An 8" SCT is just the right size and weight to handle without the need for heavy lifting equipment but still capable of great visuals. The Southern Hemisphere offers many interesting sights however we don't have a visible south celestial star to assist with alignment. Happy viewing with you handsome Nexstar 8SE.
Ya know, I've almost given up on RU-vid's videos. You, however, did a fantastic job. Clear, honest, and to the point. I tried several other videos on this subject. You made the only one worth watching. Thank you, "I think I see a smug " priceless....
I hope you enjoy your new telescope. Have patience with the learning curve and know that the more you learn about astronomy, the more you will enjoy your scope.
Thanks Rob for posting. It's just what I needed! I have been looking at the 9.25 but it's sooo expensive. Maybe some day. Along with that observatory kit in the back yard! :)
Rob, your's is the first review I saw before I bought my telescope. Honest review. There are several things I learned over the course of time. But I really appreciate your review.
Very nice review! Your video makes me feel that you are a RU-vidr and I am promptly looking for more of your videos. Unfortunately, I only found this one 😂
You can put a solar filter on it and view the sun. But your point of not being able to use it at any old time you got the urge is spot on. One thing that peeps should know is that having a local dealer is very handy. You can order the Celestron Nexstar scopes at Best Buy's website and pick them up at your local Best Buy. They also sell the double forked scopes for those that got the desire and the money. If you do have a local retailer then buy from them; if not then consider Best Buy. Some camera stores do carry telescopes and binoculars too. I bought a mount from a store on the west coast and it was dead on arrival. So, I got to wait two months for a replacement. If the store was local and not 2500 miles away, I could simply do a swap or get a refund.