Celestron celebrates their history with their Limited 60th Anniversary Edition NexStar Evolution 8 203mm f/10 EdgeHD GoTo Catadioptric Telescope—providing you with the power and performance that is the hallmark of the EdgeHD system while adding a slew of performance, accessory, and cosmetic upgrades that will make this iteration of the EVO 8 stand above the crowd. Unique to this anniversary edition are special interchangeable magnetic emblems, retro branding, a new carbon fiber optical tube, and a larger 2" diagonal 32mm eyepiece.
At its core, though, it remains a powerful, versatile, and user-friendly compact catadioptric-style scope that can be used for observing everything from the Mmoon and planets to deep-sky objects like galaxies and nebulae. The EdgeHD optical system is designed to virtually eliminate spherical and chromatic aberrations so views through it are flat and distortion-free across the entire field of view, with accurate color rendition. 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 four-element rare-earth glass. While the focal ratio is a slow f/10, the scope's precision tracking system, complemented by the StarSense AutoAlign system and distortion-free optical qualities, allow it to be a competent astrophotography/astroimaging platform for the moon, planets, prominent deep-sky objects, and wide-field photos. For advanced astroimagers, the OTA is Fastar-compatible.
The Evolution comes with Celestron's StarSense AutoAlign system. Using a digital camera, it takes photos of the star field where the scope is pointed, then interfaces with an internal database to align itself. It requires virtually no input from the user except to turn it on and confirm its position when it is finished. The scope connects to Celestron's free SkyPortal app for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets via an internal Wi-Fi module. Once aligned, the app opens up the scope's true capabilities. It has a database of over 120,000 objects and offers guided tours, automatic tracking rates for near- and deep-sky objects, and multiple slew speeds. A secondary way to control the mount is using the wired NexStar hand controller. Equipped with a smaller database, but with similar functionality, using the controller makes the entire system completely self-contained.
Designed for portability, the Evolution features a long-life rechargeable battery providing hours of continual use on a single charge. The scope comes with an AC power supply with plugs for the US, EU, UK, and AU outlets, so it can go with you when you chase eclipses or other celestial events across the world. The battery powers the servo motors, auxiliary accessory ports, a USB charging port, and the built-in Wi-Fi. Manual clutches in both altitude and azimuth enable you to manually move and point the telescope when it's powered off.
- Only 600 units produced
- Individually numbered certificate of authenticity signed by CEO Corey Lee and Celestron pioneer Alan Hale
- OTA produced with carbon fiber
- StarSense AutoAlign included
- Upgrade to three eyepieces, including a large 2" 32mm
- Vintage nameplate on the mount base with the individual serial number
- Retro style labeling and nameplates on the optical tube
- Slot on fork arm accommodates interchangeable magnetic 'spinner' emblems
- Three included emblems that you can swap out: Celestron's current logo, the 60th anniversary logo, and the vintage 'hamburger' logo
- Carbon fiber optical tube reduces weight for easier handling while being resistant to expansion and contraction when it heats up, unlike conventional aluminum tubes
- Large 203.2mm (8") aperture gathers the light required to resolve dim deep-sky objects like wispy nebula or subordinate binary stars
- Moderate f/10 focal ratio allows for shorter exposure times during astrophotography without dimming of the image
- Long 2032mm focal length produces a high magnification potential
- Aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain catadioptric optical design
- Crown optical glass primary mirror
- Proprietary EdgeHD optics correct spherical and chromatic aberrations to produce distortion-free images across the entire field of view with true color representation
- StarBright XLT optical coating system (see details below)
- Internal focusing mechanism with 2" threads for larger visual backs and astrophotography gear
- Resolution: 0.69 arcsec (Rayleigh); 0.57 arcsec (Dawes)
- Secondary mirror obstruction: 2.5" (64mm); 31% by diameter; 9.77% by area
- Fastar capability: Secondary mirror can be removed and a DSLR or imaging rig mounted in its place to drastically reduce the focal ratio and focal length for wide-field astrophotography with extremely short exposures required
- OTA diameter: 9.37" (238mm); Length: 17" (432mm)
- OTA weight: 14 pounds
- Vixen-style CG-5 dovetail bar
StarBright XLT System
- Maximizes light transmission through optical path
- Improves color rendition, contrast, sharpness, resolution, and brightness
- Broadband system provides flat wavelength transmission across the entire visual spectrum
- Multilayer mirror coatings with layers of aluminum, SiO2 (quartz), and TiO2 (titanium dioxide)
- Multilayer anti-reflective corrector plate coatings with layers of MgF2 (magnesium fluoride) and HfO2 (hafnium dioxide); hafnium has a wider band-pass than the commonly used titanium
- High-transmission water white glass corrector plate limits light loss due to internal absorption
- Integrated digital camera takes photos of night sky and cross-references an internal database to determine location
- Alignment takes minutes, with minimal effort or experience
- No need to point it north or to perfectly level the scope
- StarSense hand controller included for those who prefer not to interface with smartphone or tablet
- Connect your smart device to the telescope via direct Wi-Fi connection, no router required
- Align and control the telescope from your device
- App uses the device's camera and compass to determine location and what is available to see
- Enjoy the same features as NexStar controller, but without wires
- Expanded database to over 120,000 objects
- Detailed information on over 200 popular objects including audio commentary, statistics, history, mythology, video, and pictures
- Simulate the night sky up to 100 years in the past or future to plan an upcoming observing session
- Compass Mode: Hold device up to the night sky and identify objects such as stars, planets, and galaxies; zoom in to view fainter objects not visible to the naked eye
- Night Vision Mode: Preserves night-adjusted vision
- Listen to more than four hours of audio narration to learn the history, mythology, and science of astronomy and the night sky
- Works as a stand-alone planetarium app
- Free for Android 4.0 and later or iOS 7.0 and later mobile devices
- Solar system: Sun, moon, planets
- Star clusters
- Nebulae
- Galaxies
- Asteroids and comets
- Satellites and the International Space Station
- Motorized single-arm alt-azimuth fork mount
- Altitude and azimuth clutches to manually point the telescope when it is powered off
- Integrated Wi-Fi module to enable interface with, and control by, the Sky Portal smartphone app
- Brass worm gears with steel ball bearings provide smooth movement with reduced vibration
- 146mm diameter/180-tooth stainless steel worm wheels
- Ports: One port for NexStar+ controller; one 5 VDC USB charging port for smartphones and small electronics; three auxiliary ports for optional accessories such as StarSense AutoAlign system
- Runs on one internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Includes AC power supply with USA, EU, UK, and AU plugs
- Stainless steel two-section legs
- Adjustable height from 47" to 69" accommodates a variety of users and viewing positions
- Spikes at the end of the legs provide a sure footing on soft or uneven ground
- Tray keeps accessories and equipment safe and organized
- Leg height index marks enable precise repeatability every time the tripod is set up
- No tools required to set up mount and tripod
- 2-line, 18-character LCD display
- 19 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 OTA, 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 the user 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
- RS-232 communication port allows for computer control
- Flash updateable via the Celestron website
- Solar system objects including the sun, moon, and planets
- Named objects
- Stars: Asterisms, variable stars, double stars, named stars
- Caldwell catalog
- Messier catalog
- NGC catalog
- SAO catalog
- Constellations
- Anti-reflection multicoated glass
- Fold-down rubber eyecups for use with or without eyeglasses
- 2" 32mm eyepiece produces low 64x magnification with a long eye relief, making it ideal for wide-view observation of clusters, nebulae, galaxies; accepts most 2" filters
- 1.25" 15mm eyepiece produces a moderate 135x magnification for planetary and lunar viewing and for wide views of constellations; accepts most 1.25" filters
- High-power 9mm eyepiece yields 226x power to make detailed observations of the moon and planets; accepts most 1.25" filters
- Large 2" nosepiece and eyepiece holder maximizes light throughput to keep views bright and to cover most astrophotography imaging sensors without vignetting
- 90° angle places head in comfortable position when optical tube assembly is pointed high overhead
- Star mirror diagonal corrects view horizontally, but not vertically
- 2-to-1.25" reducer adapter included to allow the use of smaller eyepieces and accessories
- Projects a single red dot in line of sight
- Unmagnified view ensures a wide field of view to make finding objects faster and star-hopping navigation easier
- Mounting bracket included