Celestron 11049 NexStar 4SE Computerised Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope with Advanced GPS, Astroimaging and AutoAlign Features, Black/Orange

Product Information

The 4SE is a Maksutov-Cassegrain design, whereas all the other members of the range are Schmidt-Cassegrain. This is a cheaper design that is generally used in smaller compound scopes.

The focusing mechanism is also different from basic reflecting and refracting telescopes. Instead of moving the eyepiece with the focuser, the focuser moves the primary mirror to achieve precise focus alignment. The telescope is powered by 8 AA batteries you must place in a nice hidden battery compartment on the mount.SkyAlign, 1-Star Align, 2-Star Align, Auto 2-Star Align, Solar System Align, EQ North / EQ South Alignment (EQ align requires an equatorial wedge) I should also tell you that out of all its siblings, only the 4SE is a Maksutov-Cassegrain design, whereas all the other telescopes in the SE series are Schmidt-Cassegrains. Alignment: OK, let`s get a couple of things straight I have not the time or the energy to level the scope or go through a 3 star pointless align. I know the area I observe from is roughly level and a one star or solar system align is good enough to get going. Don`t get me wrong I have gone through the levelling and two star alignment process but what`s the fun in that? So, choose a star near where you are observing and align. Sooner, rather than later choose another object to complete the alignment. Just use the Sync and Precise Goto functions to move further around the sky. There is no shame in replacing your first alignment stars with new ones as you traverse the sky! This is a grab and goto scope! Any help would be appreciated since honesty Celstron really didn’t answer why everything was white.

In summary, this scope is for you if your interest is seeing details of the moon and planets and even double stars, which it splits well. Just don’t be misled by the huge database, this telescope is not great if your passion is hunting galaxies and nebulae. Alignment Procedures SkyAlign, 1-Star Align, 2-Star Align, Auto 2-Star Align, Solar System Align, EQ North / EQ South Alignment (EQ align requires an equatorial wedge) The Celestron Nexstar 4SE mount is unique because it has a built-in equatorial wedge to transform the alt-azimuth mount into the equatorial mount. It sounds cool, but you may never use it. Since it can only take 1.25” eyepieces, with its long focal length of 1325mm, the 4SE is limited to a maximum field of view of around 1.2 degrees, or about 2.5 full moons across – a rather small figure for a 4” telescope. A shorter and even slightly larger instrument such as the Orion StarBlast or Zhumell Z114 can get 3.6 degrees, while the very-slightly-smaller Zhumell Z100 or Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P can achieve a field of view of about 4 degrees across—triple and nearly quadruple that of the Celestron NexStar 4SE, respectively (and they cost a fraction as much, to boot). As well as the OTA, motor drive and mount, Celestron include a red dot finderscope and 25mm ExCel Plössl eyepiece in the box, as well as software and connector lead that enables a PC to control the telescope’s GoTo motor.Of course, most of the advantages of that extra field of view are simply in finding objects manually, which the Nexstar 4SE does not need to worry about due to its fully computerised mount. In terms of deep space objects, you can certainly see the brighter members. Andromeda Galaxy appears as the faint fuzzy you’d expect. It is nothing dramatic in this 4” scope but is pleasing nonetheless, as is the Orion nebula. The 4SE doesn’t require almost any maintenance. There is no need to do the collimation like with the reflecting telescopes, even when it uses mirrors. There are collimation screws, but don’t do it unless you are an experienced user. You don’t need it at all.

Grab a 9mm or 6mm Goldline eyepiece to get higher magnification. Also, having a good Barlow lens will double your eyepiece collection and will provide more magnification options with one eyepiece. A few optional accessories for this telescope, like the Goldline eyepieces or Barlow lens, are necessary, not optional, to get the most out of the 4SE telescope. The NexStar 4SE is highly portable. Its weight is only around 3kg or 6 lbs. And the weight of the mount is around 7 kg or 17 lbs in total. This makes it very easy to carry.The Celestron NexStar 4SE is capable of astrophotography, but it has some limitations. The built-in equatorial wedge will not make this telescope capable of long-exposure astrophotography. Small enough to take adventuring with you – It’s relatively small stature makes this scope the ideal travelling companion. The NexStar SE comes with high-tech features. You can provide GPS coordinates to your telescope, and it will use the SkySync to locate the objects automatically. Because of the Maksutov Cassegrain design, the 4SE can provide high magnifications. Magnification is calculated by dividing the telescope’s focal length by the eyepiece’s focal length. Therefore the long focal length of the 4SE is a significant advantage if you are looking for a high-magnification telescope to observe planets.

Here are two examples of magnification and field of view you can expect from different eyepieces with the Celestron Nexstar 4SE looking Saturn: Jupiter 6mm eyepiece Jupiter 9mm eyepiece What’s the setup process like for the Celestron NexStar 4SE Telescope, and is it user-friendly? Custom database lists of all the most famous deep-sky objects by name and catalog number; the most beautiful double, triple and quadruple stars; variable stars; solar system objects and asterisms Centering the object: With a lower-power eyepiece, use the telescope’s knobs to center the chosen object in your view.SkyAlign is the process of telling the telescope’s SkyScan controller where in the world you are and which way it is facing, this is essential for the goto functionality to work. It’s worth it if you are looking for a cheap telescope with great features. It’s great for beginner astronomers, and it’s very portable. Once you’ve chosen a sky object, the telescope will automatically slew itself, find the object, focus on it, and give you the best view possible. Before StarSense, using a computerized telescope required a lengthy alignment process of finding and centering at least two bright stars in the telescope’s eyepiece. But StarSense automatically aligns itself with minimal user input. Just enter your time, date, and location and let StarSense do the rest!