Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 Telescope

• 8-inch (203.2mm) Schmidt-Cassegrain OTA

• f/10 Focal Ratio with StarBright XLT Coatings

• Integrated WiFi for Full Smartphone or Tablet Control

• Internal Rechargeable 4.5Ah LiFePO4 Battery

• GoTo Mount with 40,000+ Object Database

• Includes 51x and 156x Magnification Eyepieces

• Description

• FAQ

• Specifications

• In the Box

• Downloads

• Warranty

Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 Telescope

The Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 puts an 8" (203.2mm) f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain on a computerized single fork arm mount that carries 25 lbs, with a built-in 9.6V, 4.5Ah LiFePO4 battery and integrated WiFi for GoTo control of 40,000+ objects from a smartphone or tablet. The tube gathers 843x more light than the human eye and resolves 0.57 arc seconds (Dawes); the included 40mm and 13mm Plössl eyepieces give 51x and 156x.

8" Schmidt-Cassegrain Optics: 0.57 Arc Second Resolution with StarBright XLT

The 2032mm focal length gives f/10, with a limiting stellar magnitude of 14, a Rayleigh resolution of 0.69 arc seconds and a highest useful magnification of 480x. The 432mm (17") aluminum tube is 238mm (9.37") in diameter, weighs 12.5 lbs and attaches by a CG-5 dovetail bar .

Focusing moves the primary mirror, which slides on the primary baffle tube; the focus knob sits on the rear cell just below the star diagonal, and it takes about 30 turns to go from close focus to infinity. Make the final focus turn counterclockwise so the mirror moves against gravity, which minimizes any mirror shift, and start on a bright object such as the Moon or a planet, since out-of-focus stars are very diffuse.

StarBright XLT is Celestron's coating system, built from three parts: enhanced multi-layer mirror coatings of aluminum, SiO2 and TiO2, with reflectivity fairly flat across the spectrum for both imaging and visual use; multi-layer anti-reflective coatings of magnesium fluoride and hafnium dioxide; and water white glass instead of soda lime glass for the corrector. Water white glass transmits about 90.5% of light uncoated, 3.5% more than soda lime glass, and reaches an average transmission of 97.4% with the StarBright XLT anti-reflective coatings.

The secondary obstruction is 64mm (2.5"), 31% by diameter and 9.77% by area.

Integrated WiFi: Wireless GoTo Control with the SkyPortal App

The NexStar Evolution is the first Schmidt-Cassegrain with integrated WiFi. The telescope broadcasts its own "SkyQLink" network: connect your iOS or Android device to it, open the SkyPortal app and slew with a tap, using the planetarium view or a list of objects currently visible. SkyAlign is built into the app: you center and align any three bright stars, with no GPS or site information needed, and SkyPortal's mount modeling accepts up to 10 additional alignment stars for better GoTo accuracy. A WiFi switch selects Direct Connect, to your device, or Access Point mode, through your home router.