Celestron Advanced VX 8-Inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope
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Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | Celestron |
Optical Tube Length | 70 Millimeters |
Eye Piece Lens Description | Plossl |
Objective Lens Diameter | 203 Millimeters |
Telescope Mount Description | Equatorial Mount |
Product Dimensions | 26"D x 12"W x 37.3"H |
Focus Type | Manual Focus |
Finderscope | 6x30 |
Item Weight | 82 Pounds |
Lens Coating Description | StarBright XLT |
About this item
- 8 inch (203mm) f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain includes StarBright XLT coatings for better light transmission
- 84% more light gathering than a 6 inch telescope.
- 6x30 optical finderscope for locating alignment stars
- Integer gear ratios and permanently programmable Periodic Error Correction eliminates recurring track errors from the worm gear.
- Autoguider port for long exposure imaging
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This Item Celestron Advanced VX 8-Inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $2,299.00$2,299.00 | $1,749.00$1,749.00 | $2,949.00$2,949.00 | $799.00$799.00 | $2,799.00$2,799.00 | $4,499.00$4,499.00 |
Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, Mar 22 | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Mar 22 | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 25 | Get it as soon as Friday, Mar 22 | — |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Sold By | Adorama | Adorama | Adorama | Adorama | Adorama | Adorama |
focal length | 2032mm (80") | 1500 millimeters | 2350 millimeters | — | — | — |
focus type | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Auto Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus |
eye piece lens | Plossl | Plossl | Plossl | Galilean | Wide Field | Plossl |
objective lens diameter | 203 millimeters | 150 millimeters | 235 months | 8 inches | 203 millimeters | 280 millimeters |
telescope mount | Equatorial Mount | Equatorial Mount | Equatorial Mount | Altazimuth Mount | Equatorial Mount | Equatorial Mount |
lens coating | StarBright XLT | StarBright XLT | StarBright XLT | — | StarBright XLT | StarBright XLT |
weight | 82 pounds | 134.95 pounds | 14 kilograms | 1 pounds | 85.5 pounds | 45 kilograms |
finderscope | 6x30 | Reflex | Reflex | Reflex | Reflex | Reflex |
optical tube length | 70 millimeters | 70 millimeters | — | — | 70 millimeters | — |
Product Description
The iconic 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain has been known for decades as Celestron's most beloved telescope. Now beginner to intermediate astroimagers can have their own C-8 at an extremely affordable price. This classic design has been upgraded with our StarBright XLT coatings for maximum light transmission. Combined with our fully featured Advanced VX mount, you have a setup that is ready for both imaging and visual observing. About the Mount The Advanced VX mount was specifically designed to provide optimum imaging performance for smaller telescopes. Now your smaller telescope can take advantage of All-Star Polar Alignment and autoguider support. You'll be able to track through long exposures using permanently programmable periodic error correction. Image across the meridian without doing a meridian flip, so you can seamlessly image the best part of night sky. Advanced VX features significantly larger base castings than our previous design, improving stability under heavier loads. Improved motors offer more torque and can handle slight load imbalances with ease.
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 37.5 x 26.2 x 20.5 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 82 pounds |
ASIN | B00AZDDATU |
Item model number | 12026 |
Customer Reviews |
4.7 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #3,151 in Camera & Photo Products (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo Products) #35 in Catadioptric Telescopes |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | February 1, 2013 |
Manufacturer | Celestron International |
Warranty & Support
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the sturdiness, optics, quality and portability of the telescope. For example, they mention it's well built, has great optics and functionally works well. Some appreciate the compact size and the SCT tube. That said, opinions are mixed on ease of setup.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers are satisfied with the sturdiness of the telescope. They mention that it is well built, has a sturdy EQ mount, and the tripod and mount are super solid. They also appreciate the great tracking and no wobble.
"...Got it as an upgrade of my Nexstar 4SE. Very well built with a very sturdy EQ mount. Great optics, much more clarity compared to my other scope...." Read more
"...The mount is the real story here. It is very sturdy, and you can hit it with your leg with it barely affecting your view...." Read more
"...my choice of type of scope and mount, and this particular model's build quality and visual performance." Read more
"...The mount and tripod are both very sturdy and I expect will last a long time...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the optics of the telescope. They mention that it has great optics, providing much more clarity compared to their other scope. They are also happy with the images they've gotten of the Great Red Spot using the Neximage, and are happy with its steady views.
"...Great close up views of moons craters. Also pretty satisfied with the images I've gotten of the Great Red Spot using the Neximage camera...." Read more
"...scope and mount, and this particular model's build quality and visual performance." Read more
"This is a really solid piece of equipment. The optics are excellent...." Read more
"What a great telescope! Well made and quality optics that is some of the best. Can see Jupiter and it's moons very easy...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the telescope. They mention that it is excellent, easy to assemble, and functionally works well. Some mention that the tripod is sturdy.
"...Overall, this is a very good scope and I don't think you'll be disappointed with it.Edit 9/1/2016:..." Read more
"Well built telescope, and functionally works well with the exception of the finder scope...." Read more
"Great scope, with a great mount and it came on time...." Read more
"Excellent, easy to assemble sturdy tripod, Great with a 6.3 focal reducer" Read more
Customers like the portability of the telescope. They say it is more compact, and easy to use. They also say the parts fit nicely in the trunk, and is light enough for portability. Customers also say that the optics are excellent, and the SCT tube is a really nice size.
"...I like the CST as it is more compact and it is easier to use the eyepiece, even at more extreme position angles of the scope on the mount...." Read more
"...05 Honda Accord yet but given the size of the parts it will fit nicely in the trunk, even leaving the OTA (optical tube assembly) in the original..." Read more
"...The optics are excellent. The SCT tube is a really nice size and very portable for the amount of aperture you get...." Read more
"...Its large enough for light gathering and light enough for portability. The setup can be done in about 30 minutes. So far, I am very pleased...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of setup of the telescope. Some mention that it's fairly simple and quick once it' s familiar, while others say that it is more advanced to setup and the instructions are inaccurate and sketchy.
"...The computerized alignment setup is intuitive, just make sure you either have a GPS capable gadget with clock handy, or look up your lat/long online..." Read more
"...EQ mount which I needed to begin my venture into DSO imaging, setup takes a lot longer...." Read more
"...The setup can be done in about 30 minutes. So far, I am very pleased. The focal length does require the focal reducer for effective deep sky work." Read more
"...little study, but generally works well other than the instructions being somewhat inaccurate and sketchy...." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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The expected downsides are that this is much heavier- With some struggling I am able to lift and carry the mount and OTA in one trip to move it from basement out to backyard for viewing but certainly much less mobile compared to the Nexstar; also because of the EQ mount which I needed to begin my venture into DSO imaging, setup takes a lot longer. I did get a polar finderscope to help me since polar aligning is still new to me and I've found this to be very helpful. It takes me about 15 mins to set up, from making sure it's pointed north, leveling then ensuring the angle is right for the latitude, and then finding the alignment stars. Compared to the 3-4 minutes with the Nexstar. So, though I originally bought this to replace the smaller setup I've decided to keep it for nights when I'm lazy and wanting to do a quick viewing session, or if mobility was needed.
You will need your own power supply either an AC cord (comes only with the 12V- something I think Celestron should rectify. The adaptor isn't that expensive, and is vital enough I think it should be included) or battery. I did not get the powertank but instead got a small Li-ion battery bank (Talentcell 6000 mAh) which works great with this at a fraction of the size and price of the celestron powertank.
No regrets buying this yet and I look forward to many years of exploring with this.
The expected downsides are that this is much heavier- With some struggling I am able to lift and carry the mount and OTA in one trip to move it from basement out to backyard for viewing but certainly much less mobile compared to the Nexstar; also because of the EQ mount which I needed to begin my venture into DSO imaging, setup takes a lot longer. I did get a polar finderscope to help me since polar aligning is still new to me and I've found this to be very helpful. It takes me about 15 mins to set up, from making sure it's pointed north, leveling then ensuring the angle is right for the latitude, and then finding the alignment stars. Compared to the 3-4 minutes with the Nexstar. So, though I originally bought this to replace the smaller setup I've decided to keep it for nights when I'm lazy and wanting to do a quick viewing session, or if mobility was needed.
You will need your own power supply either an AC cord (comes only with the 12V- something I think Celestron should rectify. The adaptor isn't that expensive, and is vital enough I think it should be included) or battery. I did not get the powertank but instead got a small Li-ion battery bank (Talentcell 6000 mAh) which works great with this at a fraction of the size and price of the celestron powertank.
No regrets buying this yet and I look forward to many years of exploring with this.
The mount is the real story here. It is very sturdy, and you can hit it with your leg with it barely affecting your view. Set up and use takes a bit getting used to, but it is not difficult.
I would buy this scope again in a heartbeat! BTW, I purchased this via Adorama, and they were top notch!
So far portability isn't an issue; I haven't put off using the scope due to any difficulty moving it from the garage to the driveway. I haven't tried packing it into my 05 Honda Accord yet but given the size of the parts it will fit nicely in the trunk, even leaving the OTA (optical tube assembly) in the original shipping box (which I'm using for storage/transport, since it has pre-formed non-fragmenting foam inserts and came sturdily double-boxed).
Setup is fairly simple and quick once it's familiar; place the tripod aimed roughly toward the pole at about the height you're comfortable with (learned from experience), level it (I got a simple $5 hardware store level just for this purpose), attach and secure the mount, then attach the OTA (and counterweight).
The entire assembly can be carried as-is if you're moderately strong and have decent dexterity/spatial awareness; if not, I believe no individual piece of the telescope is over 20 pounds / 9kg, and total weight is in the area of 65 pounds / 30kg, though I haven't actually weighed it yet. Everything seems sturdy and well-built.
I don't have an ideal location for viewing outside my house at the moment, as half the sky (including the important reference point of Polaris) is blocked by trees, but even with my poor approximations of alignment the sky tracking makes keeping objects in view an occasional instead of constant annoyance. The computerized alignment setup is intuitive, just make sure you either have a GPS capable gadget with clock handy, or look up your lat/long online and write it down before going to your viewing site. You can get an add-on Celestron GPS unit to do this automatically for you but it is just a convenience, and a rather expensive one at that; so far I feel no need for it.
As far as alignment, knowing your way around the sky a bit before getting this scope is a BIG plus. Calibration involves centering the telescope on stars, which are referenced by name. Everything I've read in preparation for getting a scope has said to get familiar with the sky and do some naked-eye or binocular stargazing before picking out a telescope, so this shouldn't be an issue if you've managed to pick up the names and relative locations of some of the brighter stars or come prepared with some basic star charts.
The t-adapter and ring I purchased separately for my Canon DSLR work as advertised; I had the camera attached and was taking pictures with no issues due to the scope. (Celestron's T-adapter seems a bit fiddly to thread onto the back of this scope, but that's the t-adapter's fault I think, not the scope.)
Included are some pictures I got with that setup (for reference, camera is a Canon EOS Rebel T3i, attached directly to the scope for "prime focus photography" with the t-adapter and Canon-appropriate t-ring). Given that it's winter the atmospheric conditions aren't ideal here in the northern United States, so I don't think the planetary pictures represent the best this scope is capable of. In particular, Saturn is fairly low in the sky right now (about 20 degrees above the horizon) so I'm getting a lot of atmospheric distortion. The live view (and videos I took) of Jupiter and especially Saturn let you 'see' a lot more detail than a simple still image gives. Still I'm pleased with the results, and looking forward to calmer skies for Saturn's opposition in May.
The picture of the Orion nebula (a 10-second exposure) is adjusted on my computer, with exposure adjusted and "highlights" dimmed a bit so that the bright center isn't washed out when detecting the fainter colors surrounding it. Direct visual observation doesn't pick up the reddish and purple hues in this scope, in my limited observation. Just trying to be transparent. (to be completely fair, pretty much any pictures of nebula you see are tweaked in this way; expecting National Geographic or Sky and Telescope type pictures of nebula directly from a portable, personal-owned scope with zero image adjustment ranges from unfeasible to impossible).
The picture of the first quarter moon represents the full view of my camera (which has Canon's "cropped" sensor, and therefore a narrower field of view) at prime focus. Additionally the aura/haze around the moon in that picture is due to a light sheen of clouds/haze that was in the sky at the time (notably absent in the other moon picture due to clearer skies). The picture of the waxing gibbous is actually five pictures stitched together, but still gives an idea of the telescope's capability as far as resolution. Again, trying not to be misleading.
Biggest complaints:
The handset's readout does not respond quickly at lower temperatures (sub freezing; the only temps available to me so far given that this is winter). I have a tough time reading what it says any time there's text scrolling across the screen. You can adjust the speed it scrolls at but either it's a glacial crawl that is still only marginally readable, or a barely decipherable jumble of letters. I adjusted the contrast and that helped marginally. Fortunately the scrolling text is usually instructions that, once you know what you need to do, you won't need to read every time. When the text is stationary it's very clear.
Also, when moving the scope at the highest speed the motors seem really loud. I don't have any reference of other scopes to compare it to but at the highest setting ("9") it's loud enough that I worry it might be audible by my nearby neighbors in the dead of night (I live in a small town in rural Montana, so it's quite quiet here). The speed setting is quickly accessible though, and "8" is significantly quieter, though inconveniently slower.
And on Celestron's website for this product it says it comes with a 20mm eyepiece; the one I received with the scope is a 25mm. This does not really affect me since I specifically avoided buying other eyepiece sizes before trying out the scope, but could be an issue if you based other eyepiece purchases around already having a 20mm.
Overall I'm very pleased with both my choice of type of scope and mount, and this particular model's build quality and visual performance.
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2015
So far portability isn't an issue; I haven't put off using the scope due to any difficulty moving it from the garage to the driveway. I haven't tried packing it into my 05 Honda Accord yet but given the size of the parts it will fit nicely in the trunk, even leaving the OTA (optical tube assembly) in the original shipping box (which I'm using for storage/transport, since it has pre-formed non-fragmenting foam inserts and came sturdily double-boxed).
Setup is fairly simple and quick once it's familiar; place the tripod aimed roughly toward the pole at about the height you're comfortable with (learned from experience), level it (I got a simple $5 hardware store level just for this purpose), attach and secure the mount, then attach the OTA (and counterweight).
The entire assembly can be carried as-is if you're moderately strong and have decent dexterity/spatial awareness; if not, I believe no individual piece of the telescope is over 20 pounds / 9kg, and total weight is in the area of 65 pounds / 30kg, though I haven't actually weighed it yet. Everything seems sturdy and well-built.
I don't have an ideal location for viewing outside my house at the moment, as half the sky (including the important reference point of Polaris) is blocked by trees, but even with my poor approximations of alignment the sky tracking makes keeping objects in view an occasional instead of constant annoyance. The computerized alignment setup is intuitive, just make sure you either have a GPS capable gadget with clock handy, or look up your lat/long online and write it down before going to your viewing site. You can get an add-on Celestron GPS unit to do this automatically for you but it is just a convenience, and a rather expensive one at that; so far I feel no need for it.
As far as alignment, knowing your way around the sky a bit before getting this scope is a BIG plus. Calibration involves centering the telescope on stars, which are referenced by name. Everything I've read in preparation for getting a scope has said to get familiar with the sky and do some naked-eye or binocular stargazing before picking out a telescope, so this shouldn't be an issue if you've managed to pick up the names and relative locations of some of the brighter stars or come prepared with some basic star charts.
The t-adapter and ring I purchased separately for my Canon DSLR work as advertised; I had the camera attached and was taking pictures with no issues due to the scope. (Celestron's T-adapter seems a bit fiddly to thread onto the back of this scope, but that's the t-adapter's fault I think, not the scope.)
Included are some pictures I got with that setup (for reference, camera is a Canon EOS Rebel T3i, attached directly to the scope for "prime focus photography" with the t-adapter and Canon-appropriate t-ring). Given that it's winter the atmospheric conditions aren't ideal here in the northern United States, so I don't think the planetary pictures represent the best this scope is capable of. In particular, Saturn is fairly low in the sky right now (about 20 degrees above the horizon) so I'm getting a lot of atmospheric distortion. The live view (and videos I took) of Jupiter and especially Saturn let you 'see' a lot more detail than a simple still image gives. Still I'm pleased with the results, and looking forward to calmer skies for Saturn's opposition in May.
The picture of the Orion nebula (a 10-second exposure) is adjusted on my computer, with exposure adjusted and "highlights" dimmed a bit so that the bright center isn't washed out when detecting the fainter colors surrounding it. Direct visual observation doesn't pick up the reddish and purple hues in this scope, in my limited observation. Just trying to be transparent. (to be completely fair, pretty much any pictures of nebula you see are tweaked in this way; expecting National Geographic or Sky and Telescope type pictures of nebula directly from a portable, personal-owned scope with zero image adjustment ranges from unfeasible to impossible).
The picture of the first quarter moon represents the full view of my camera (which has Canon's "cropped" sensor, and therefore a narrower field of view) at prime focus. Additionally the aura/haze around the moon in that picture is due to a light sheen of clouds/haze that was in the sky at the time (notably absent in the other moon picture due to clearer skies). The picture of the waxing gibbous is actually five pictures stitched together, but still gives an idea of the telescope's capability as far as resolution. Again, trying not to be misleading.
Biggest complaints:
The handset's readout does not respond quickly at lower temperatures (sub freezing; the only temps available to me so far given that this is winter). I have a tough time reading what it says any time there's text scrolling across the screen. You can adjust the speed it scrolls at but either it's a glacial crawl that is still only marginally readable, or a barely decipherable jumble of letters. I adjusted the contrast and that helped marginally. Fortunately the scrolling text is usually instructions that, once you know what you need to do, you won't need to read every time. When the text is stationary it's very clear.
Also, when moving the scope at the highest speed the motors seem really loud. I don't have any reference of other scopes to compare it to but at the highest setting ("9") it's loud enough that I worry it might be audible by my nearby neighbors in the dead of night (I live in a small town in rural Montana, so it's quite quiet here). The speed setting is quickly accessible though, and "8" is significantly quieter, though inconveniently slower.
And on Celestron's website for this product it says it comes with a 20mm eyepiece; the one I received with the scope is a 25mm. This does not really affect me since I specifically avoided buying other eyepiece sizes before trying out the scope, but could be an issue if you based other eyepiece purchases around already having a 20mm.
Overall I'm very pleased with both my choice of type of scope and mount, and this particular model's build quality and visual performance.