Q1: Is this a Schmidt or a Maksutov?  What does the 8 SE mean?

A: The Celeston NexStar 8SE telescope is a Schmidt-Cassegrain. SE stands for "Special Edition."

Q2: Can you clearly see galaxies and the planets in them?

A: Yes, you can see galaxies and planets clearly in the Celestron NexStar 8 SE. Your view will not be like the pictures from the Hubble Telescope, however. The Hubble is a much larger telescope and is located in space, where there is no atmosphere to distort or obscure your views.

Q3: Is the Nexstar 8 suitable for astro-imaging?

A: Yes, you can do astrophotography with the Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope.

Q4: What do I need to get to use 2" eyepieces with this scope?

A: You'll need a 2-inch diagonal to use 2-inch eyepieces in the Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope.

Q5: Using this telescope can you easily take clear pictures and upload to a computer for archiving?

A: Yes, the Celestron NexStar 8 SE will work seamlessly with most digital cameras and CCD imagers to capture images of the sky and transmit them to your computer.

Q6: The tripod seems to be much sturdier than the one I currently own. However, I cannot imagine a single arm on the alt/az mount providing stable, shake free images. How does the single arm work to keep the telescope stable?

A: The Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope does surprisingly well with a single fork arm. Images are rock-steady.

Q7: Is this scope for a beginner who is not all that mechanically inclined?

A: Yes, the NexSTar 8 SE will work for a newbie who isn't all that mechanically inclined. Its SkyAlign and GoTo systems make easy work out of setup and object location. The NexStar 8 SE's 8-inch aperture will gather much more light than the 4-inch aperture of the ETX-105, allowing you to see farther and dimmer objects. It also will give you brighter, more detailed views of closer objects. No matter how big a telescope you have, an individual star is going to be a small pinpoint of light. However, Nebulae, Galaxies and the planets, as well as the moon, will show up in some detail. The Ring Nebula will be about dime-size. Saturn will be about the size of a dollar coin. Jupiter will be a little larger, and the Moon will more than fill your eyepiece. All this, of course, depends on how much magnification you're using, which in turn depends on how dark the sky is and how steady the atmosphere is on any given night.

Q8: If I travel, can I use this scope in the Middle East and Southeast Asia?

A: There's no reason we're aware of that you could not use the Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.

Q9: Does the 8 SE weigh 33 lbs including the tripod? Or does the tripod weigh much more?

A: Total weight of the Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope is 33 pounds. That includes the weight of the tripod.

Q10: Could you please tell me the dimensions of the package(s) which contain the Celestron NexStar 8 SE when it is sold.

A: The Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope ships in one box that measures about 42 x 24 x 13 inches.

Q11: I have a Nexstar 130 SLT, but I cannot see much detail on the planets so i planned to upgrade and I was planning on buying Celestron C10-NGT because it seemed really adequate to planetary viewing. Any recommendations?

A: The Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope will do a nice job for you with planetary or deep space viewing. It will not quite give the crystal-clear, crisp views of a refractor when used for viewing the planets, but it does offer MUCH more light-gathering ability than any affordable refractor, allowing you to do a better job of viewing deep space objects.

Q12: What is the range of this Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope? I mean can i see the planets like jupiter, uranus, neptune or pluto from here clearly? can I see its surface from here? Please reply because I am very much interested in astrology.

A: The maximum magnification on this telescope is 480x.  The range of what you can see is based solely upon the eyepiece you have in the telescope when viewing.  The smaller the millimeter of the eyepiece, the more magnification the telescope will have. At its highest magnification, you would be able to locate all of the planets, as well as objects that are further away such as star clouds and clusters.

Q13: Is the software for the 8 SE compatible with the Vista operating system. And does it have a usb connection.

A: Unfortunately this telescope does not work with Vista.  There should be an option on your computer that will allow you to "Run Using XP".  In this mode the software will be able to operate.  As long as you are running XP mode, you can drive the telescope with your computer and utilize all of the software.

Q14: Do the nexstar telescopes (or any of this type) come with diagonals, or are they a separate item? The pictures all show one, but the descriptions don't mention one.

A: The NexStar telescopes come standard with a built on diagonal.

Q15: Can the celestron goto scopes be connected directly to a computer? If so, are they compatible with apple computers?

A: Unfortunately the software that comes with all Celestron GoTo telescopes is not compatible with Apple computers. They require a Windows driven PC for direct connection.