Celestron NexStar 5SE Telescope Review

Celestron NexStar 5SE is a beginner level telescope. When you are in a tight budget and just trying to enter into the astronomical world, then this could be an ideal option. This is one of the best and affordable telescopes for newbie and expert as well.

Celestron’s NexStar 5 SE receives the ‘Telescope of the Year’ award in 2013 and still now so popular in this model for telescope users. Because this mighty computerized telescope has all the satisfying features that will draw the attention of the most demanding stargazer.

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Celestron’s NexStar 5SE Telescope: A General Overview

Feature	Celestron NexStar 5SE Telescope
Aperture	5 inches (127mm)
Focal Length	1250mm
Focal Ratio	f/10
Optical Coatings	StarBright XLT
Mount Type	Single Fork Arm Altazimuth
GoTo Technology	Yes
Tracking Modes	Altazimuth
Computerized Hand Control	Yes
Database	40,000+ celestial objects
Eyepiece	1.25-inch
Highest Useful Magnification	295x
Limiting Stellar Magnitude	13.4
Tripod	Stainless steel
Power Requirements	8 AA batteries or external power
Weight	12 lbs (5.4 kg)
GPS	Optional accessory
Star Diagonal	1.25-inch
Optical Tube Length	13.1 inches (332.7 mm)
Optical Tube Weight	8 lbs (3.6 kg)
Warranty	2 years

One of our articles –Celestron CPC 800 XLT Computerized Telescope.

During the 1970s, the Schmidt-Cassegrain Celestron telescopes spread a fascination with stargazing and made Celestron the largest manufacturer of telescopes in the world.

Tom Johnson, the founder of this company, invented the method developed by Celestron for the production of Schmidt adjustment plates to ensure the higher vision and best mobility. After four decades, they refined this design, adding advanced features while retaining the intentions of their founder.

NexStar 5 SE offers automatic alignment with a simple remote control that will save your energy and time. In the 5-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, Celestron set the most advanced features. The new astronomers will get excited and go into a new level of astronomy with this telescope.

This best telescope offers you to experience the charm and wounds of the twilight. The NexStar 5SE computer telescope equips with the legendary Celestron orange tube and the latest technology for a stunning star that will appeal to both novice and experienced observers. The distinctive Celestron telescope combines advanced features with outstanding visual effects in the convenient NexStar 5SE.

A 6-inch aperture with superior light pickup offers breathtaking views of the moon and planets, as well as dark-sky objects such as the Orion Nebula with a compact design. GoTo’s fully automatic setup with a uranium database of over 38,000 detects and tracks objects automatically for you.

SkyAlign technology enables your telescope to work in minutes. If you meet the night sky for the first time, you can adjust your telescope with three illustrious objects.

The novel design of the single fork lever and the stable steel tripod has separate parts. This feature enables a quick adjustment as well as a comfortable transportation facility. So I will say, this is the perfect choice for your first serious telescope and offers terrific photos at an affordable price.

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Features of Celestron’s NexStar 5SE

A Computerized Telescope:

Are you looking for a telescope that you can control? I will recommend the NexStar 5SE computer telescope for you as this telescope carries the legendary Celestron orange tube with modern technology and the latest features for a stunning star that will appeal to amateurs and expert spectators.

Easy To Identify The Objects:

The Celestron Nexstar 5SE has a database of over 40,000 celestial bodies, and GoTo Mount automatically finds objects for you in our entry-level astronomical telescopes. So need not to be panic if you are new in this field.

An Aperture of 5-Inch:

The primary mirror of the 5-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope can absorb enough light to see the best in our solar system by maintaining a compressed form factor. For more aperture, you can buy a Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope that will give you an aperture of 8-Inch.

Starry Night Software as a Gift:

Do you know about Starry Night Software? The all-new Celestron Starry Night is the best astronomical software in this field. This software offers the users more choices and information to observe a large number of celestial bodies on the planet.

Starry night software passes through the past, present, and future of our solar system and can mimic different views of the night sky, exactly how you will look them from your garden, a neighboring city or any other part of the earth. Using the NexStar 5SE telescope, you can download one of the leading astronomical software for interactive modeling of the sky for free.

Unique Specifications

Every single device has some unique feature that makes them different from the others. The following are the unique features or specifications of the Celestron’s NexStar 5SE telescope.

The design of this telescope is Schmidt-Cassegrain with an aperture of 125 mm. 1250 mm focal length with a focal ratio of f/10 lets you enjoy the most realistic and vivid photography with the telescope.

The focal length of Celestron Nexstar 5SE eyepieces is near about 25mm with a magnification of 50X. This feature will reduce the blurring effect of your telescope, and you can have a clear view of an object from far. Also, a StarPointer finderscope will help you to locate a particular purpose. 1.25″ Star Diagonal will help you watching an object high in the sky.

Single Fork Arm mount will reduce the vibration of the camera while capturing a photo so that you can quickly move it. The steel leg feature of the tripod will enhance the durability. 8-AA external batteries will give you a satisfactory backup.

The highest and lowest useful magnification is near about 295x & 18x respectively. The resolution for Rayleigh and Dawes is 1.11 and 0.93 arc seconds. Light gathering power almost the same as the human eye, near about 329X.

The apparent field view of this Celestron Nexstar 5SE telescope is 0.83° with a 44 ft narrow field view. Mirror obstruction for secondary is 51mm with 40% diameter and 16.6% area. This telescope has StarBright XLT optical coatings.

Solar System Align, SkyAlign, 1-Star Align, Auto 2-Star Align, 2-Star Align with RS-232 communication port on the hand control, Aux has made the device easy to use for the amateur astronomer.

The 19 fiber optic LED buttons and 16 characters crystal display have made the device a useful tool for the astronomers. For more special features, the upgraded Celestron 127EQ PowerSeeker could be a wise selection.

Pros

• Easy to use: This Celestron Nexstar 5se is an excellent product, you can use without any hassle. Aligning is simple with Sky Align. Also, you can mount the scope easily.
• Portable: The weight of this telescope is less than 10kg, which means it is easy to carry.
• Correct Aperture: The aperture is 127mm that is capable of collecting the right amount of light.
• Sturdy tripod: This telescope has a steel tripod which makes it more durable.
• Everything works excellent: This scope has come out with unique features that really work well.
• PRECISE GOTO: This feature will help you to find faint objects (like comets and deep-sky objects) in the light-polluted area.
• Excellent Optics: The Celestron NexStar 5 SE telescope has a great eyepiece that has the focal length 25 mm with 50x magnification. Optics are also good.

Cons

• You can’t play the Telescope DVD nor download, and cables don’t fit.
• Battery drains too fast that may frustrate you.
• If we compare this telescope with another of the same aperture, the price will assume more expensive.

How to Setup Celestron Powerseeker Celestron’s Nexstar 5SE?

To set up your Celestron Powerseeker Celestron’s NexStar 5SE, you have to perform the following steps.

1. To start up with you have to remove the battery cover and insert the battery into the battery compartment.
2. Press the “on” button to switch on the telescope.
3. Use the hand control to move the optical tube and attach visual accessories.
4. Rotate the thumbscrew on the optical back until its tip is no longer protruding the inner diameter of the visual end.
5. Slide the chromed part of the star diagonally to the back.
6. Tighten the thumbscrew on the optical rear wall to lock the star diagonally. Loosen the screw cap on the diagonal star.
7. Place the colored part of the eyepiece on the diagonal star. Tighten the screw to secure the eyepiece in its place. Then you have to locate the dovetail mount at the rear of the optical tube.
8. Insert the mounting rail at the bottom of the sprocket into the cable portion of the handle.
9. Then you have to loosen the two screws on the side of the mounting fence before sliding over gravel. Tight the two screws on the side of the mounting rail to place the sprocket on the swivel bracket.
10. Then detach the optical tube and attach it to the tripod. Now your telescope is ready to use. Enjoy!

How to Use Celestron Powerseeker Celestron’s Nexstar 5SE?

Keep calm on using the NexStar 5SE from Celestron, as it is a straightforward tool. You must have the mount, the main tube, and a tripod, a diagonal, and one or more eyepieces. You may also have a Barlow lens. You can connect a small, energy-saving telescope should as a finder scope.

If the telescope is already attached to the mount, then slide the diagonal and add an eyepiece to show what you want to see. During installation, it is likely that the finder scope will not be aligned.

I suggest finding a distant but bright street lamp (something that does not move) or a red light on top of the tower in the central area, and then adjust the finderscope (there are three screws for it, and if you do not use it, you need practice, but you understand it very quickly).

There should be a button on either side of the focus that you can use to press the focus tube to get the right centre. So, what else do you need to know? However, you will have a useful Celestron Nexstar 5SE manual that will help for the rest.

Why Can’t I See Anything with My Celestron Powerseeker Celestron’s Nexstar 5SE?

Sometimes you cannot see with your NexStar 5SE. In that case, don’t worry. You can quickly solve your problem. Here we go.

• You have to ensure the aligning of the finder scope with the telescope. The finder scope attached to the back of the telescope directly above the eyepiece. You can set the finder scope correctly when you set up the telescope.
• You have to take out the telescope during the day and place the viewer outside on a top place. You can look through your lower eyepiece and place it in the centre of the target. Don’t forget to adjust the focus on the eyepieces. Otherwise, you will see a black image.
• For viewing any object, it is necessary to remove the cap from the telescope and attach the eyepiece. Otherwise, your telescope will not lit properly, and everything will be black.
• You have to start up with small magnification for a sharp image. Then you have to increase the magnification step by step. High magnification in starting can produce a black image.
• You have to maintain the ambient temperature for the mirror and tube. If not, your image quality may be black.

Where Can You Buy a Celestron Powerseeker Celestron’s Nexstar 5SE ?

Celestron NexStar 5 SE Telescope is available in almost every country with the help of e-commerce. Amazon, Alibaba and many other online market places are available there that will help to reach the product at your home. Also, you can get it from the astronomical shops near you.

You have another option to buy a used telescope. But I would suggest abstaining from purchasing an old one. A quality instrument like the Celestron’s NexStar 5 SE telescope is no less valuable. I will tell you to buy from a reliable source for avoiding duplicate one and having the product with the best feature. Amazon is best on this occasion because it will offer the best product at a low price along with many alluring offers for the customers.

If you want to check out the latest price at Amazon, click here.

Maintenance Tips For Celestron’s NexStar 5SE

For a long-lasting service and best performance, you have to follow the maintenance tips strictly. Here they are.

For Storing

1. You should keep your telescope in a secure, clean and ample space where you can quickly move the telescope.
2. Keep it in a cold and ambient temperature for standard view. Beside you have to warm your telescope or reduce cooling for viewing at night.
3. Use a cap for covering the optics. Dirty optics can reduce the quality of your view.
4. Keep all the parts of the telescope clean before storing it. Mould and mildew can disseminate quickly in the damp and dusty object.

For Cleaning

1. You can use a cleaning solution (alcohol) to remove dirt and stains.
2. Use compressed air or gas to avoid the formation of dust and large particles.
3. Use a cotton swab and wipe the surface of the eyepiece with direct or low pressure, rotating the swab to remove dust from the lens of eyepieces and filters.
4. Use a damp cotton swab or a wet handkerchief and gently pull it to the surface with direct movements for washing the primary lens.

Final Verdict

Celestron’s NexStar 5SE is compact and good looking telescope. As a newbie, you can definitely choose this to fulfill your astronomical hobby. But if you are mid-level or expert-level astral enthusiast, you shouldn’t consider this buying.