Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope w/WiFi,Black 12090

2 reviews for Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope w/WiFi,Black 12090

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   – March 1, 2024 Theodore Pollich

   I have owned about 20 to 30 telescopes over the past 40 years, including 4 previous Celestron 8 scopes. I’ve owned large Dobs (Teleports and Starmasters), Refractors (Tele Vue and Stellarvue) and even a Meade or two. I was intrigued by the Celestron Evolution EdgeHD with Star Sense. I was not disappointed. The GoTo feature is fantastic.The Star Sense really works. It hunts around the sky, takes pictures, recognizes star patters and then tells you it is aligned. The first time you use it, you need to use manual align so that the Star Sense camera aligns itself to the telescope. This is a one time thing and sounds more complicated than it is. The alignment worked well.Once aligned with star sense (using Auto Align), I selected M57 the Ring nebula and the Evolution scope put it right in the center of the eyepiece…amazing. I picked one celestial object after another (Saturn, Andromeda Galaxy, Dumbbell Nebula, Double Double cluster, Epsilon Lyra, etc.) and each time the Evolution scope landed the item in the center of the eyepiece. It never missed. This happened on repeated nights. When you auto align it asks you to first put the optical tube in the horizontal position. You don’t have to be exact in this. A close approximation seems to be all that is required. Nice!I’m so satisfied with the Evolution HD scope that I will likely sell my 102mm Stellarvue. The 8 inch diameter definitely gives you a more satisfying view of deep sky objects than the 4 inch diameter of the refactor (at least for me).I updated the firmware in the telescope…be mindful that it updates the motor software, the Star sense and the hand controller firmware. The documents that come with the scope make you think you need a serial cable with a serial to USB converter cable. You don’t. The engineers updated the cable ports so what you need is a USB to mini USB cable. What I couldn’t figure out is whether you need one cable or two cables to accomplish all the firmware updates. I’ve read mixed messages on the Internet. I used only the one cable.Lots of things have been well thought out in the Evolution HD…like captive screws in the tripod, centering help to place the telescope in the mount, the built in lithium battery (no more batteries to trip over in the dark), handles on the base and next to the battery to help carry the telescope, a leveling bubble on the base. To properly balance the optical tube note from the picture that most of it sits forward so you can read the entire Evolution logo.The HD optical tube seems to be of very high quality. The optics are great. Even though my scope was shipped from NY to Hawaii, the scope arrived in perfect collimation.Note that if you decide to attach a reducer to the EvolutionHD in order to get a wider field you can’t use the old Celestron reducer. You’ll need to get the newer .7 celestron reducer which is more expensive. It is also difficult for dealers to get. Not sure why Celestron is not delivering more to the dealers.All in all this scope is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   – August 5, 2024 Rae Steuber

   Okay. I’ts been about three months now and I am comfortable enough to write a fair review. First, the design is gorgeous and very portable. I purchased a very large Pelican case to transport it in and I take it around often to different sites. Dis-assembly and reassembly are a breeze and I am never afraid that I’m going to snap a bolt or break a leg. You can by vibration suppression pads but I so far haven’t had the reason to do so. I can observe planets and nebula without deviation, the image is not shaky. I also take images with this scope and I so far have not had any blurry images. The alignment software worked the first time and every time. I did what Celestron instructed, pick three bright objects near three different cardinal directions and that was it. The manual control from the App works great too, I can use them without looking at my tablet and get exactly where I need to go. The App is wonderful by the way, but I’ll review that on another day. My telescope arrived in perfect condition, no smudges, no compromise of the seal, no scratches no missing parts. No complaints. The finderscope isn’t the best but it works every time for me, just line it up right. I can place it on a star perfectly and there it is, centered in the eyepiece.The images are beautiful. Not much else to say. I’ve seen nebula and planets and stars in my other telescopes but this scope is something else.I haven’t dealt with Celestron customer service, can’t attest to that. So far no problems, so I can’t talk about the warranty. Will update if anything changes.UPDATE 6 years later!Boy, this telescope has been through the wringer. I’ve been caught in the rain, had fierce winds, had it jumble around in the back of a jeep and truck, had it out in crazy humidity and heat as well as bitter cold. The tripod has taken a beating after being assembled and disassembled so many times.At one point, the charging port of the motor caved in on itself and disappeared somewhere into the telescope. I was able to gently take it apart, find the female end, and continue charging/using the telescope without a hitch!It still has clear, crisp, incredible images. I have never had the suspicion of a breach; there has never been any moisture inside the aperture or any other reason to believe that the vacuum seal has failed. The mirror is still in great shape and I am thrilled with this investment. It impresses night after night.Highly recommend.