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The NexStar Evolution is the first Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with integrated WiFi. Leave your hand control behind and slew to all the best celestial objects with a tap of your smartphone or tablet. Connect your device to NexStar Evolution’s built-in wireless network, and explore the universe with the SkyPortal Powered by SkySafari mobile app for iOS and Android. Use the planetarium interface to view the night sky in real time or display a list of celestial objects currently visible based on your time and location. Our proprietary SkyAlign alignment procedure is built right into the SkyPortal mobile app, so you’re ready to observe within minutes. The most user-friendly telescope ever. Celestron engineers designed NexStar Evolution based on years of customer feedback. It offers many thoughtful design features that combine to provide you the best possible experience out under the stars. Forget about batteries or an external power supply. For the first time ever on a consumer telescope, NexStar Evolution includes its own built-in battery. With this ultra-long life lithium-iron phosphate battery, you’ll be able to enjoy stargazing marathons up to 10 hours on a single charge. You can even use NexStar Evolution’s USB charge port to top off the other devices in your life that need to stay powered on during an observing session. An intelligent power management system senses when battery levels are low and goes into power-saving mode to keep your telescope running for as long as possible. Setting up your NexStar Evolution is quick and painless with large, ergonomic handles. The same heavy-duty stainless steel tripod we use on our CPC series telescopes anchors your 9.25" telescope, providing serious stability. Manual clutches in both altitude and azimuth offer greater flexibility to manually point the telescope when powered off. Store up to 7 eyepieces in 2 accessory trays, one with an adjustable red LED illuminator. Superior tracking fit for astroimaging. If you’re interested in astroimaging, the 9.25-inch NexStar Evolution is an excellent, affordable way to get started. It’s the only fork-mounted telescope in its price range that offers brass worm gears, along with improved motors. NexStar Evolution’s tracking accuracy is so impressive, you can capture images of deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula by simply attaching your DSLR camera. As you progress in the hobby of astroimaging, you can add our Pro HD Wedge to achieve longer exposures for more detailed astrophotos. Of course, the Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system offers bright, sharp views with StarBright XLT optical coatings—a great choice for visual observers and budding astroimagers alike. NexStar Evolution is equipped with 4 auxiliary ports--2 on top of the fork and 2 on the bottom. A classic NexStar+ hand control is included, but is not necessary when using NexStar Evolution with the mobile app. The telescope also includes a StarPointer finderscope, two 1.25” Plossl eyepieces, a 1.25” star diagonal, and an AC adapter.
Q: Does the telescope come with a hand control?
A: The NexStar Evolution telescope does include a classic NexStar+ hand control, but it is not required for use with the mobile app.
Q: Can the telescope be used for astrophotography?
A: The NexStar Evolution 9.25" telescope is an excellent, affordable way to get started with astrophotography because it is the only fork-mounted telescope in its price range that offers brass worm gears and improved motors.
Q: How long does the built-in battery last on a single charge?
A: The NexStar Evolution telescope's built-in lithium-iron phosphate battery allows for up to 10 hours of stargazing on a single charge.
Q: Which mobile app can be used to control the telescope?
A: The mobile app that can be used to control the telescope is SkyPortal Powered by SkySafari, available for iOS and Android.
Q: Is the telescope compatible with DSLR cameras?
A: The NexStar Evolution’s tracking accuracy is so impressive that you can capture images of deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula by simply attaching your DSLR camera.
Q: What is the maximum magnification of the telescope?
A: The maximum magnification of the telescope is 555 times.
Q: Is the lithium battery serviceable if it fails?
A: If properly charged periodically, you can expect years of service from the internal Evolution battery. In the event that it degrades from age after years of use, replacements are readily available from major Celestron dealers such as High point Scientific as seen here: https://www.highpointscientific.com/celestron-battery-pack-for-nexstar-evolution-telescopes-ser-f00-007
Q: Is this telescope easily to move from site to site ? Will it fit in a car?
A: Although the complete telescope weighs 63 pounds, it is transportable. It breaks down into three separate sections, the tripod, the mount, and the optical tube. Celestron offers a padded carrying bag for the optical tube and a 34-inch tripod carrying bag to protect these components during transport.

The NexStar Evolution is the first Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with integrated WiFi. Leave your hand control behind and slew to all the best celestial objects with a tap of your smartphone or tablet. Connect your device to NexStar Evolution’s built-in wireless network, and explore the universe with the SkyPortal Powered by SkySafari mobile app for iOS and Android. Use the planetarium interface to view the night sky in real time or display a list of celestial objects currently visible based on your time and location. Our proprietary SkyAlign alignment procedure is built right into the SkyPortal mobile app, so you’re ready to observe within minutes. The most user-friendly telescope ever. Celestron engineers designed NexStar Evolution based on years of customer feedback. It offers many thoughtful design features that combine to provide you the best possible experience out under the stars. Forget about batteries or an external power supply. For the first time ever on a consumer telescope, NexStar Evolution includes its own built-in battery. With this ultra-long life lithium-iron phosphate battery, you’ll be able to enjoy stargazing marathons up to 10 hours on a single charge. You can even use NexStar Evolution’s USB charge port to top off the other devices in your life that need to stay powered on during an observing session. An intelligent power management system senses when battery levels are low and goes into power-saving mode to keep your telescope running for as long as possible. Setting up your NexStar Evolution is quick and painless with large, ergonomic handles. The same heavy-duty stainless steel tripod we use on our CPC series telescopes anchors your 9.25" telescope, providing serious stability. Manual clutches in both altitude and azimuth offer greater flexibility to manually point the telescope when powered off. Store up to 7 eyepieces in 2 accessory trays, one with an adjustable red LED illuminator. Superior tracking fit for astroimaging. If you’re interested in astroimaging, the 9.25-inch NexStar Evolution is an excellent, affordable way to get started. It’s the only fork-mounted telescope in its price range that offers brass worm gears, along with improved motors. NexStar Evolution’s tracking accuracy is so impressive, you can capture images of deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula by simply attaching your DSLR camera. As you progress in the hobby of astroimaging, you can add our Pro HD Wedge to achieve longer exposures for more detailed astrophotos. Of course, the Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system offers bright, sharp views with StarBright XLT optical coatings—a great choice for visual observers and budding astroimagers alike. NexStar Evolution is equipped with 4 auxiliary ports--2 on top of the fork and 2 on the bottom. A classic NexStar+ hand control is included, but is not necessary when using NexStar Evolution with the mobile app. The telescope also includes a StarPointer finderscope, two 1.25” Plossl eyepieces, a 1.25” star diagonal, and an AC adapter.

Celestron’s signature orange-tube telescope combines advanced features and excellent optics in one easy-to-use system, the NexStar 8SE. It’s the perfect choice for your first serious telescope, offering impressive views at an economical price. Our Founder’s Vision, Reimagined for the 21st Century. In the 1970s, the classic Celestron 8 brought the hobby of astronomy to the masses and established Celestron as the world’s premier telescope maker. Our founder, Tom Johnson, invented Celestron’s proprietary method of producing Schmidt corrector plates for superior views and maximum portability. Johnson believed in creating high-quality optical instruments at an affordable price, and inspired a generation of amateur astronomers. Four decades later, we’ve improved upon this design by adding cutting-edge features, while staying true to our founder’s intent. Big Mirror, Small Price . With a full 8 inches of aperture, the 8SE reveals details in even the faintest celestial objects. With this much light-gathering ability, you’ll clearly observe Cassini’s Division in Saturn’s rings, the cloud bands on Jupiter, and the Great Red Spot. Beyond the solar system, your 8SE will show you hundreds of pinpoint stars in the Hercules Globular Cluster, the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy, and more. And don’t forget the Moon—you’ll see craters and geographic features like never before. Revolutionary Single Fork Arm Mount. We know the best telescope is the one you will use most often. That’s why Celestron’s engineers created NexStar SE’s unique, patented single fork arm mount. It’s perfectly portable and makes setup quick and easy. What’s more, the NexStar SE breaks down into several lightweight and compact pieces, making it easy to transport, even in small vehicles. You’ll have no problem getting the NexStar SE to your favorite observing site, or setting it up quickly in your backyard. Of course, it’s what’s inside the mount that really counts. Sturdy construction from high-quality components give NexStar SE the pointing and tracking accuracy needed to observe and follow your favorite targets with pushbutton ease. Use the included NexStar+ hand control to locate over 40,000 celestial objects, or take a Sky Tour and let your telescope show you the best objects currently visible. Aligning your telescope is simple and painless, too, thanks to SkyAlign. This process makes alignment as easy as 1-2-3: just center three bright objects in your eyepiece and press ALIGN. For even easier alignment, attach our StarSense AutoAlign and your NexStar SE aligns itself! Advanced Features Let the NexStar SE Grow with You. The NexStar SE is compatible with all the high-tech accessories advanced users love. Control your telescope using your iPhone or iPad with our SkyQ Link, or add GPS functionality with SkySync. If you’re interested in astroimaging, the NexStar SE is Fastar-compatible for ultra-fast, wide field imaging. For planetary imaging, there’s no better choice than a NexStar 8SE paired with one of our NexImage cameras. From your first observing session and for years to come, the NexStar SE is your trusted companion.

Celestron’s signature orange-tube telescope combines advanced features and excellent optics in one easy-to-use system, the NexStar 4SE. It’s the perfect choice for your first serious telescope, offering striking views at an economical price. Our Founder’s Vision, Reimagined for the 21st Century. In the 1970s, Celestron’s Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes brought the hobby of astronomy to the masses and established Celestron as the world’s premier telescope maker. Our founder, Tom Johnson, invented Celestron’s proprietary method of producing Schmidt corrector plates for superior views and maximum portability. Johnson believed in creating high-quality optical instruments at an affordable price, and inspired a generation of amateur astronomers. Four decades later, we’ve improved upon this design by adding cutting-edge features, while staying true to our founder’s intent. View the Universe’s Most Impressive Celestial Objects.The 4SE’s four-inch primary mirror packs enough light-gathering ability to observe the best that the solar system has to offer: Saturn’s rings, the cloud bands on Jupiter, and eographic features on the surface of the Moon. When it comes to deep sky objects, take your 4SE to a dark-sky site and you’ll see hundreds of pinpoint stars in the Hercules Globular Cluster, the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy, and more. Revolutionary Single Fork Arm Mount. We know the best telescope is the one you will use most often. That’s why Celestron’s engineers created NexStar SE’s unique, patented single fork arm mount. It’s perfectly portable and makes setup quick and easy. What’s more, the NexStar SE breaks down into several lightweight and compact pieces, making it easy to transport, even in small vehicles. You’ll have no problem getting the NexStar SE to your favorite observing site, or setting it up quickly in your backyard.Of course, it’s what’s inside the mount that really counts. Sturdy construction from high-quality components give NexStar SE the pointing and tracking accuracy needed to observe and follow your favorite targets with push-button ease. Use the included NexStar+ hand control to locate over 40,000 celestial objects, or take a Sky Tour and let your telescope show you the best objects currently visible.Aligning your telescope is simple and painless, too, thanks to SkyAlign. This process makes alignment as easy as 1-2-3: just center three bright objects in your eyepiece and press ALIGN. For even easier alignment, attach our StarSense AutoAlign and your NexStar SE aligns itself! Advanced Features Let the NexStar SE Grow with You. The NexStar SE is compatible with all the high-tech accessories advanced users love. Provide GPS coordinates to your telescope with SkySync, or add automatic alignment functionality with StarSense AutoAlign. Its built-in wedge allows you to track long exposures. if you’re interested in imaging the Moon and planets, pair your NexStar 4SE with one of our NexImage cameras. From your first observing session and for years to come, the NexStar SE is your trusted companion.

9.25-inch Evolution telescope with accessory kit, offering Wi-Fi control, GoTo tracking, and sharp SCT optics
| Pros for Celestron - NexStar Evolution 9.25 Telescope - Gray | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| There were no pros for this product— | There were no pros for this product— | Ease of use, Telescope, Image Quality | There were no pros for this product— |
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This is my first telescope, and I've been very happy with it over the last month. The scope breaks down into 3 parts (tripod, motor mount, and telescope). So while this is a fairly large scope, it's easy to move around once disassembled. I had also looked at getting a dobsonian but ended up choosing the 9.25 Evo instead because it was more modular. The 9.25" Evo also comes with an upgraded tripod compared to the 8" and lower versions. This scope does take some time to setup and get going. First you setup the tripod and make sure it's level (it has a bubble level built into it). Second you attach the motor mount to the tripod. Finally the scope slides into the mount and is tightened. As for views, using the included 40mm eyepiece I was able to clearly see Jupiter and its moons. You could make out different color bands on the planet. Shots of the moon are also stunning and you can make out fine details around craters. I was able to take a photo of the moon with my iPhone through the eyepiece that shows some of the detail, and you are able to see much more in the eyepiece that the photo does not reveal. As for the "smart" functionality, it has built in WiFi and a battery. This allows you to connect the scope to your phone, tablet, or computer where it can be controlled. This is not a connect and go scope out of the box; Once you power it on you have to align it to different points in the sky before it truly becomes "point and click". To do this, you have to manually find different stars in the sky, center them in your viewfinder, and tell the app what it's looking at. Alternatively, Celestron sells devices that can do this for you call Starsense AutoAlign and Starsense AutoGuider. I opted to get the AutoGuider and was happy with the results. The AutoGuider provided a more "point and click" experience out of the box where the scope will align itself and track objects for you without the manual setup. I think the telescope comes with enough accessories out of the box to get you started. It includes a wide and narrow eyepiece, a diagonal for 1.25" eyepieces, a red dot finder, and a visual back. One area I'd suggest looking for upgrades down the line would be with a diagonal that supports both 1.25" and 2" eyepieces. Once you're familiar with the scope and how it works, you can also look into getting different eyepieces to get closer views of distant planets like Jupiter in better detail. One final tip, if you're looking for planets like Jupiter or Saturn and you're only seeing small dots that look like stars, those are indeed stars. You'll definitely know when a planet comes into view.
This review is from Celestron - NexStar Evolution 9.25 Telescope - Gray
Posted by Matthew