Everything About Celestron NexStar 8SE, Evolution 8 & Evolution 8 Edge HD Telescopes

The Celestron NexStar and NexStar Evolution both these series have an 8-inch telescopes. In fact, the evolution series has two 8-inch telescopes. So in this article, we will compare these three telescopes and see how they are different from each other.

The NexStar 8 SE is the top model from the SE series. The evolution series has two 8-inch models. One is Evolution 8 & the other is evolution 8 HD. They are just below the top model in the evolution series.

Details of the NexStar 8SE

The orange color tube is the signature of the SE series. NexStar 8SE is the most popular orange tube telescope from the Celestron NexStar SE series.

It has an aperture of 8-inches around 203mm. Its focal length is 2032mm & focal ratio is 10. The telescope comes with one 25mm eyepiece. You can get 81X magnification with this eyepiece. The highest useful magnification you get with this telescope is 480X & the lowest useful magnification you get is 29X. The weight of the optical tube assembly is 12lbs around 5.5kg.

NexStar 8SE mount

The telescope has a computerized alt-azimuth single fork mount. The weight of the mount is 11lbs around 5kg. The total weight carrying capacity of this mount is 12lbs around 5.5kg. The tripod on which the mount sits has a weight of 9lbs around 4kg. The mount has a database of 40,000 celestial objects. You can type in any object you want, the computerized mount will guide you to that object.

The mount runs on 8 AA batteries but these batteries can get drained easily. So it is always recommended to buy an external battery power supply with this telescope. The total weight of the NexStar 8SE telescope kit is 24lbs around 11kg.

Details of NexStar Evolution 8

The optical tube assembly of the NexStar 8SE and the evolution 8 is exactly the same. The only difference is the color of the evolution 8 telescopes. Evolution 8 also has an 8-inch aperture with a focal length of 2032mm and a focal ratio of 10. Its highest and lowest useful magnification is also the same as NexStar 8SE, which is 480X & 29X.

The evolution 8 comes with two eyepieces one is 40mm & the other is 13mm. The highest magnification you get with a 40mm eyepiece with this telescope is 51X. With a 13mm eyepiece, the highest magnification you get with evolution 8 is 156X.

NexStar Evolution 8 mount

The most significant difference between Evolution 8 from the 8SE is the mount. Evolution 8 has a heavier mount which has more load-carrying capacity and some extra features which will make your stargazing experience very enjoyable.

The weight of the evolution 8 mount is 16lbs around 7kg. Its load-carrying capacity is 25lbs around 11kg. The tripod on which the mount sits is also different from 8SE. The evolution 8 tripod weighs 12lbs around 5.5kg. Because the evolution has a heavier mount it offers more stability while tracking any celestial object. The total weight of the Evolution 8 kit is 40lbs around 18kg.

Apart from the weight, the evolution 8 mount has a built-in battery. The battery will last for about 10 hours during your stargazing night. This battery has a power management system, which detects low levels of the battery and automatically goes into the power-saving mode for maximum use possible. The mount also has USB ports which can be used for charging any other device you need for your stargazing night.

This telescope also has built-in wi-fi. With the help of wifi, you can control your telescope from your phone, tablet, or iPad. You can use the telescope with the help of Celestron's mobile app. With the help of wifi, setting up & navigating gets much easier. The sky align procedure is built into the app so setting up the telescope just takes a few minutes.

Unlike the SE series, the evolution series mount has brass worm gears. You can not underestimate the power of the worm gears. The worm gear will give you very smooth and accurate tracking of the object you are looking for. If you want to do astrophotography then this will be super helpful.

Details of the Evolution 8 Edge HD

When it comes to optical tube assembly, dimensions, and mount, the Evolution 8 & Evolution 8HD are exactly the same telescopes. The only difference between these two telescopes is the Optics of the 8HD are superior. The Edge HD also comes with Celestron’s StarSense Auto-align. With StarSense Auto-align all you have to do is to press align button. Then StarSense will scan the sky and figure out the exact location where your telescope is. This takes away all the hassle of setting up a telescope.

The 8HD has Edge HD optics. When you observe through a normal telescope, in the field of view, you go away from the focus of your target toward the edge. The objects look blurred and ring-shaped. But with Edge HD this is not the case. With Edge HD, in the field of view, as you go away from the focused target the other objects will still look sharp, till the edge of the field of view.

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