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B&H put together the NexStar 4SE 102mm f/13 Maksutov-Cassegrain GoTo Telescope WiFi Kit to allow you to directly control the mount via your smartphone or tablet running a free app for Android and iOS.
Celestron's NexStar 4SE 125mm f/13 Maksutov-Cassegrain GoTo Telescope is a powerful, versatile, and user-friendly catadioptric-style scope that can be used for observing everything from the moon and planets to bright deep-sky objects like stars, galaxies, and nebulae. Using Celestron's proprietary StarBright XLT multicoating system, light transmission is increased throughout the entire optical path with anti-reflection multicoated lenses, highly reflective multicoated mirrors, and crown optical glass elements. Similar to their Schmidt cousins, the Maksutov design exchanges the conventional front corrector plate with a convex meniscus lens, which results in a smaller secondary mirror—limiting obstruction and increasing contrast, while eliminating the need for periodic collimation. While the focal ratio is a relatively slow f/13, the scope's optical performance, added to the mount's precision tracking system and integrated equatorial wedge, allows it to be a competent astrophotography/imaging platform for the moon and planets.
Driving the dual servo motors on the mount is the brain of the NexStar 4SE: the iconic NexStar+ computer hand controller. Packed with 40,000+ celestial objects, it can hold up to 100 additional user-defined destinations and is updatable via the Celestron website. It has multiple alignment procedures to get you observing fast—including the super-easy SkyAlign system. Capable of being used in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres, the NexStar has sidereal, lunar, and solar tracking speeds to accurately follow near- and deep-sky objects, plus nine slew speeds and the ability to automatically trigger a camera's shutter release for Fastar or piggyback wide-field photography or conventional prime-focus astrophotography.
- 4" (102mm) aperture
- f/13 focal ratio
- 1325mm focal length
- Maksutov-Cassegrain optical system
- Front convex meniscus lens corrects spherical and chromatic aberrations and comas (off-axis aberration) across the entire field of view
- Smaller secondary mirror versus Schmidt-Cassegrain reduces obstructions and increases contrast
- BK7 optical glass primary mirror
- StarBright XLT optical coatings: Multilayer aluminum/SiO2 (quartz)/TiO2 (titanium dioxide) mirror coatings with flat reflectivity across the light spectrum for both astrophotography/astroimaging and visual observation
- Multilayer MgF2 (magnesium fluoride) and HfO2 (hafnium dioxide) anti-reflective lens coatings
- High-transmission water white glass corrector lens with 97.4% light transmission
- Resolution: Rayleigh: 1.36 arcsec / Dawes: 1.14 arcsec
- Secondary mirror obstruction: 1.25", 34.4% by diameter, 11% by area
- Internal 90° flip mirror: With the mirror flipped up, the 90° angle puts head in a comfortable viewing position when scope is pointed at or near the zenith; lay the mirror down to direct light to the visual back for astrophotography/imaging
- 2-line, 16-character LCD display
- 19 fiber optic backlit red LED buttons
- Database of over 40,000 celestial objects plus 100 user defined
- Automatically slew to planets, stars, constellations, and a variety of catalogs
- Camera control: For piggyback wide-field or conventional astrophotography through the optical tube assembly, the controller can automatically trigger the shutter release to capture the image
- Anti-backlash compensation programs out play between gears for more precise tracking
- Tour Mode: Shows a selection of the most popular objects for the time and date you are observing
- Constellation Tour: Allows you to take a tour of all the best objects within a particular constellation
- Alignment procedures: SkyAlign, Auto 2-Star, 1-Star, 2-Star, and Solar System
- SkyAlign alignment: Takes minutes, with minimal effort or experience—point the telescope at three bright objects in the sky, and the telescope does the rest
- Nine slew speeds: 4°/sec, 2°/sec, 1°/sec, 0.5°/sec, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x
- Sidereal, Solar, and Lunar tracking rates for observing the fast-moving moon, to slower-moving deep-space subjects
- Tracking modes: Alt-Az (default, for general GoTo use), EQ North (use for long-exposure astrophotography in Northern Hemisphere with EQ wedge engaged), EQ South (use for long-exposure astrophotography in Southern Hemisphere with EQ wedge engaged), Off (no tracking when using as a terrestrial spotting scope)
- RS-232 communication port allows for computer control
- Flash updatable via the Celestron website
Database Details:
- Solar system objects including the sun, moon, and planets
- Named objects
- Stars: Asterims, variable stars, double stars, named stars
- Caldwell catalog
- Messier catalog
- NGC catalog
- SAO catalog
- Constellations
- Single-fork alt-az
- Dual-axis servo motors allow for precise tracking with virtually no vibration
- Motor resolution: 0.26 arcsec
- Optical encoders track mount movement to improve tracking and GoTo accuracy while allowing the mount to maintain alignment when moved manually
- Communication ports: Autoguider port, Aux port, hand controller
- Runs on eight user-supplied AA batteries or optional 12 VDC power supply
- Stainless steel legs
- Adjustable height accommodates a variety of observation positions or users
- Built-in equatorial wedge enables more precise tracking accuracy during long-exposure astrophotography
- Tray holds accessories such as eyepieces and filters and adds stability and vibration reduction
- Weight: 10 pounds
- 1.25" diameter barrel
- 25mm focal length produces 53x magnification
- Anti-reflection multicoated glass improves color rendition and contrast
- Threaded barrel accepts most 1.25" astronomical filters
- Fold-down rubber eyecup for use with or without eyeglasses
- Projects a single red dot in line of sight
- Unmagnified to make finding objects faster and easier
- Used primarily for alignment process
Transform your smartphone or tablet into a wireless controller for your computerized telescope with Celestron's SkyPortal WiFi Module. It plugs into the Hand Control or AUX port and begins to generate it's own WiFi signal to directly connect to your mobile device without the need for a router. Since it uses the telescope's power there are no batteries, plugs, or cables required.
The SkyPortal module works in conjunction with the free SkyPortal mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The app features a database of over 100,000 objects with astroimages and audio descriptions of hundreds of them including the history, mythology, and key features of them. It can assist with the telescope alignment and if you hold the screen up to sky, it will identify the objects based on your location, date, and time. If you don't know what you want to look at, the SkyPortal app will take you on a guided tour.
- Plugs into the telescope's Hand Control or AUX port
- Emits its own WiFi signal to directly connect to smartphones and tablets
- Lets you use your device as a wireless hand controller
- Powered by telescope: no batteries, cables, or plugs required
- Free mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets
- Tap any celestial object you see in the sky to identify it, tap again to slews to that object
- Directly interfaces with SkyQ Link II WiFi module
- Assists in alignment procedures, except with SkyProdigy models
- Over 100,000 celestial objects from the Moon and planets to galaxies and nebulae
- Provides guided tours of available objects based on location, date, and time
- Works as a stand-alone planetarium app
- Astroimages and audio descriptions for the most popular objects
- Explains the history, mythology, and key features of the most popular celestial objects
- Hold your screen up to the sky to identify objects in Compass Mode
- Astro Fi
- NexStar SE Series
- NexStar SLT
- NexStar Evolution
- CPC, CPC DX
- NexStar GT, with required #93919 splitter - sold separately
- CGE, CGE Pro
- Advanced VX
- CG-5, with required #93923 splitter - sold separately
- CGEM, CGEM DX
- LCM, with required #93919 splitter - sold separately
- CGX
- CGX-L
- CGEM II
Celestron's Moon Filters are economical eyepiece filters for reducing the brightness of the moon and improving contrast, so greater detail can be observed on the lunar surface.
The clear aperture is 21mm for the 1.25" filter. Transmission is about 18%.