Celestron Superior VX 8 Edge HD telescope: Full evaluation

Celestron Advanced VX 8 Edge HD telescope: Full review - Space.com

That is an optically wonderful telescope with a rugged, light-weight computerized mount. Meant for severe amateurs, it’s appropriate for all sorts of visible astronomy and a few astrophotography. If you realize the sky and plan to be doing astronomy for a very long time, that is the telescope to get.

For

    EdgeHD has the most effective optics obtainable in a telescope of this dimension Computerized mount finds and tracks objects reliably Dovetail mount system Confirmed design available on the market for years, incrementally refined

In opposition to

    Establishing requires some data of the sky Just one eyepiece is provided Wants a sturdier mount for severe long-exposure images

 The Celestron Superior VX 8-inch EdgeHD is a flexible telescope system for intermediate to superior newbie astronomers, however nonetheless small and light-weight sufficient to move simply for observing out within the nation. The 8-inch aperture is sufficient to view and {photograph} all sorts of celestial objects, and the computerized equatorial mount makes it straightforward to seek out and monitor them.

CELESTRON ADVANCED VX 8 EDGE HD KEY SPECS

Optical design: EdgeHD (improved Schmidt-Cassegrain with further lens components)

Aperture: 203.2 mm (8-in)

Focal size: 2032 mm (80-in)

Focal ratio: f/10

Eyepiece focal size: 40 mm (50&instances;)

Whole package weight: 61 lbs. (27.67 kg) (breaks into 3 main parts for transport)

Mount sort: German equatorial, computerized, with servo motors

Optically, the EdgeHD system is great, and, with acceptable equipment, it {couples} to all sorts of cameras. Views of Saturn and Jupiter are dramatic; globular clusters are resolved into stars; all of the Messier Objects are plainly seen; and with a skilled eye and a darkish nation sky, galaxies are seen right down to twelfth magnitude. It is a telescope you will not outgrow.

Since this telescope is pitched to comparatively superior customers, we’re reviewing it from that perspective. The writer has been utilizing a Celestron Superior VX 8 Edge HD as their important tools since 2014 and is aware of them properly. As a long-time member of the consumer group, the writer additionally is aware of that they’re dependable. 

Celestron Superior VX 8 Edge HD: Design

Stock image of the Celestron advanced telescope

A view of the Celestron Superior VX 8-inch Edge HD telescope on mount and tripod (Picture credit score: Michael Covington)
    EdgeHD optical design outperforms Schmidt-CassegrainLight-weight, rugged computerized mountInteroperability — different telescopes, different mounts, commonplace equipment

The EdgeHD optical system is the jewel in Celestron’s crown, an improved Schmidt-Cassegrain with further lens components, and though the advance is meant primarily for images, we will see it visually with an eyepiece.

The computerized mount combines Celestron’s NexStar firmware with a German-style equatorial mount whose important axis factors on the celestial pole. This provides correctly-oriented monitoring for images and the power to make use of totally different telescopes on the identical mount. For instance, our Superior VX mount simply carries a digital camera with a telephoto lens instead of the EdgeHD. The present model accepts each Vixen (slender) and Losmandy (broad) dovetails.

The hand controls for the Celestron advanced telescope

 Computerized mount finds celestial objects, taking instructions from hand field or through USB out of your PC (Picture credit score: Michael Covington)

In comparison with rivals, the Superior VX mount head is each light-weight and comparatively rugged, not simply broken or thrown out of adjustment. The telescope, mount head and tripod separate simply for transport.

The mount requires 12-14V DC energy, about 0.5 amp more often than not, as much as 3 or 4 amps momentarily when shifting the telescope quickly. We use a conveyable battery pack.

Celestron Superior VX 8 Edge HD: Efficiency

Author looking through eyepiece on the Celestron advanced telescoped

The perfect view is often with an eyepiece round 20mm, not the provided 40mm (Picture credit score: Michael Covington)
    Glorious opticsFinds and tracks celestial objects reliablySevere deep-sky images requires a greater mount

All good telescopes in the identical dimension class give comparable views, so this one is just not a lot totally different from different well-made 6 to10-inch telescopes. In comparison with typical Schmidt-Cassegrains, although, we do assume the EdgeHD is sharper, particularly away from the middle of the sphere. 

The provided 40mm eyepiece offers 50 energy, which appears low however is good for star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. Celestron assumes you may purchase extra eyepieces and as such, we might suggest two extra, round 20mm (100x normal function) and 10mm (200x for the moon and planets). In exceptionally regular air we have been ready to make use of a 5mm eyepiece (400x) on shut double stars. Excessive-quality eyepieces carry out the most effective on this nice telescope, so do not skimp.

Nebula image composited next to the telescope setup

Superior VX mount (older model proven, with aftermarket saddle) can carry digital camera and telephoto lens for dramatic deep-sky photographs (Picture credit score: Michael Covington)

After correct setup, the mount finds celestial objects acceptably (properly sufficient to get the article inside the subject of a 20-mm eyepiece) and tracks them very properly. You’ll be able to choose objects on the hand controller, a PC operating Celestron’s PWI software program, or quite a few different sky map packages akin to Stellarium. Astrophotographers will wish to carry out PEC coaching, as described within the guide, for even smoother monitoring.

Nonetheless, for lengthy exposures of nebulae and galaxies, with an autoguider and guidescope sending fixed corrections to the mount, the Superior VX left me wanting (and finally shifting to) a heftier mount with extra exact gears and fewer backlash. That’s solely an issue when the Superior VX is carrying a telescope this huge. It performs very properly carrying a smaller telescope.

Celestron Superior VX 8 Edge HD: Performance

An astrocamera attached to the Celestron advanced telescope

An astrocamera (not included) or DSLR attaches instead of the eyepiece for images by way of the telescope (Picture credit score: Michael Covington)
    Laptop-aided setup course ofNice views of all sorts of celestial objectsWants extra eyepieces (approx 20mm and 10mm)

As a result of the Superior VX is an equatorial mount, the setup is extra than simply the standard strategy of centering a few stars that the telescope robotically factors to. You additionally must goal its polar axis at Polaris, then refine the alignment by sighting stars and letting the mount’s pc let you know the errors. This course of, which Celestron calls ‘All-Star Polar Alignment’, is useful and impressively correct, however you do must establish vibrant stars. If the pc says to middle Enif and also you middle Alpheratz, you may get incorrect outcomes. That’s the important distinction between equatorial mounts and people which can be extra beginner-friendly.

An image of Jupiter taken with the Celestron advanced telescope

A digitally processed picture of Jupiter with 8-inch EdgeHD and astrocamera (earlier determine). Picture processing brings out far more than the attention can see (Picture credit score: Michael Covington)

This can be a nice telescope for viewing all sorts of celestial objects. You too can connect a digital camera (smartphone, DSLR, mirrorless, or astrocamera) for photographs of the moon and, with care and talent, planets and deep-sky objects. One of the crucial satisfying issues we have finished is to take hundreds of video frames of Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars with an astronomical video digital camera, then stack and sharpen them for a view much better than the human eye might get with the identical telescope.

That is an expandable system, taking many commonplace equipment, and you will need one or two higher-power (shorter-focal-length) eyepieces instantly.

A deep sky object taken with the Celestron advanced telescope

Add a guidescope, autoguider and an appropriate digital camera and you may take deep-sky photographs like this by way of the telescope, however a greater mount than the Superior VX makes them a lot simpler (Picture credit score: Michael Covington)

Ought to I purchase the Celestron Superior VX 8 Edge HD telescope?

If you happen to’re a severe newbie astronomer creating a deep understanding of each the sky and the telescope, then that is an interesting product. The telescope is nearly as good as you may want for in its dimension vary. The mount works properly for all the pieces besides long-exposure deep-sky images and there may be loads of room for development with commonplace equipment and even, if want warrants, a heftier mount.

If this product isn’t for you

In case your important curiosity is long-exposure astrophotography, skip the Superior VX and get the identical telescope on a Celestron CGX or Losmandy GM8 mount (at an appreciably larger price).

If you happen to’re new to astronomy and never but good at recognizing stars, this can be a bit a lot; you will get very comparable views with a Celestron 6 or 8-inch NexStar telescope on a fork-arm mount which is far simpler to hold round and arrange.

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Michael Covington

Michael A. Covington began , and photographing, the night time sky over half a century in the past and has by no means stopped. By day, after an extended educational profession on the College of Georgia’s Institute for Synthetic Intelligence, he’s now doing AI analysis and growth within the monetary business. He’s the writer of Digital SLR Astrophotography, How one can Use a Computerized Telescope, Astrophotography for the Newbie, and different books and articles. He lives close to Atlanta together with his spouse, his daughter, and a various variety of cameras and telescopes.


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