Celestron CPC 800 XLT Computerized Telescope w/Tube and Tripod

by Celestron

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 31 x 26 x 21 inches ; 64 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 64 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009XH79U
• Item model number: 11073-XLT
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,245 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #2 in Camera & Photo > Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics > Telescopes > Catadioptric
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Celestron CPC 800 XLT Computerized Telescope with Tube and Tripod Celestron's CPC 800 XLT telescope combines excellent Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with a state of the art computerized mount featuring GPS technology and user friendly design. This telescope is a solid all around performer likely to please both the experienced observer and the new astronomer.

After using older computerized telescopes, Celestron's new SkyAlign system seems almost like magic. I don't need to remember obscure star names or use a star chart, I just point the telescope at three bright stars or planets and the CPC 800 tells me the star names! SkyAlign is one of several alignment options, and some options can even be used during daylight.

The drive base and heavy duty CPC tripod are unusually solid, it's the same base and drive system used on the larger CPC 1100 telescope. When I rap on the telescope fork the vibration is gone in less than a second. In practice this means easier focusing even at high magnification. The solid base and precise tracking is a real advantage while viewing the planets and while photographing them. I've been able to image the planets at focal lengths of f/30 and f/40 which would be quite difficult without perfect tracking.

Mars as seen through the Celestron CPC 800 XLT computerized telescope.

The excellent optics of the CPC 800 XLT telescope show me excellent views of the planets. When I look at Jupiter with a 12.5mm plossl eyepiece (about 160x magnification) I see multiple cloud bands and I can see the pale color of Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot. One night when the air was unusually still and clear I used a 7.5mm Ultrascopic eyepiece with a 2x Barlow for a magnification of 533X. Jupiter's moons were plainly resolved as tiny disks that night. When I look at Saturn at 200X I can usually see the Cassini division in the rings and make out four or five moons. When Mars comes closest to Earth every two years I've even been able to spot dust storms blowing across the Martian dessert.

The CPC 800 XLT also delivers beautiful views of deep space objects. The CPC 800 is large enough that galaxies begin to reveal their structure and globular star clusters are well resolved. At a recent Astronomy viewing night at a local school, some of the students liked globular cluster M13 the best. They said it looked like a snowflake made of tiny stars! The well known Orion Nebula is a winter highlight. Most telescopes will show four stars in the Trapezium, the bright multiple star inside the Orion Nebula, but with the CPC 800 I can often pick out faint stars "E" and "F" as well.

The accessories with this CPC 800 XLT package include an 8x50 finder scope, a 40mm plossl eyepiece (50X magnification), the NexStar computer hand control, and a 12 volt car battery adapter. You'll also need a 12 volt power supply. An AC adapter is available, but I like using a 12 volt battery pack because I don't need to be near an extension cord to use the telescope.

A few good eyepieces help me take full advantage of the CPC 800's excellent optics. Plossl eyepieces like the ones in Celestron’s Accessory Kit would be an economical way to get started, and of course premium eyepieces like the TeleVue 10mm Radian offer delightful views of the planets. If I were choosing just two eyepieces to add to the CPC 800, I'd pick a 10mm X-Cel eyepiece (200X for planet viewing) and a 21mm X-Cel eyepiece (100X for globular clusters and galaxies) to go with the standard equipment 40mm (50X) eyepiece.

The CPC 800 XLT is an excellent all around telescope. The C8 optics are large enough to give me delightful views of deep space objects, and the optics are powerful enough to show me amazing views of the planets. Even with all this power the whole system is portable enough that I can easily transport my telescope to the local high school and share the view on Astronomy night. --Jeff Phillips    

 Pros:

• excellent optics
• solid drive base
• easy computerized finding and tracking

Cons:

• 12 volt power supply not included

Suggested Options: Celestron Accessory Kit Celestron Power Tank battery Celestron NexImage web-cam

Product Description

Celestron CPC-800 (XLT) Telescope - Celestron's Professional Computerized (CPC) telescope features a 16-channel GPS system and SkyAlign Technology: you simply line the telescope up with three different stars and the telescope does the rest. -- The computer system provides access to a database of over 40,000 objects in the sky. -- The Starbright® XLT High Performance Optical System provides bright, clear views. -- The convenient remote hand control holder allows you to view information hands-free while using the scope.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated electronics yet very easy to use!, July 29, 2005

By 

CBSA - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestron CPC 800 XLT Computerized Telescope w/Tube and Tripod (Electronics)

This has got to be the easiest to operate serious astronomical telescope out there. I am very impressed by the design improvements made on this compared to other competitive models. The overall look is sleek and looks very sturdy without having a bulky look. I like the way the hand controller is stored on the fork arm as it faces you so that you can see the red lit hand controller without having to move. Very convenient. Also, the oversized clutch knobs to adjust the telescopes direction manually is a very good feature.

But what is really most impressive is the new SkyAlign technology and the sophisticated easy-to-use electronics. Previous alignment systems require for you to point and align it at a bright star that the telescope chooses randomly. There is a chance that the bright star you decide to align your telescope is the wrong bright object. With the new SkyAlign on this telescope, you choose any 3 bright objects in the sky, Moon and planets included. There will never be a shortage of bright objects at any time in the nightsky. It also guarantees that you are going to have an accurate alignment.

When I first turned on the telescope, the built in GPS unit links up to provide the telescope with the time and location. Next, I pointed it to a bright object. The instructions on the hand control display was very easy to follow. After pointing the telescope to a bright object, I pressed enter then I used the telescope hand control to point the telescope to a secod bright object on the other side of the sky. After pressing enter, I decided to point it at the moon, the most recognizable object in the night sky. After pressing enter, the hand control indicated to me that I pointed it at Vega, Jupiter and the Moon. That was just amazing. I then asked the telescope to go to Saturn. The telescope took off and after a few seconds stopped and placed Saturn right in the middle of the eyepiece view. With over 40,000 objects in its database, I was able to view several galaxies and nebulae that I was never able to locate before, all in one night.

Overall, a very impressive scope with superb optics (high transmission XLT), nice sleek look and sophisticated software.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opening the heavens, November 15, 2010

By 

Lino Ayala (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Celestron CPC 800 XLT Computerized Telescope w/Tube and Tripod (Electronics)

I assembled the telescope it was pretty straight forward, i had to wait for 4 days to tested due to weather conditions, so the night number six i saw Sirius out of my window and I pointed the telescope there and notice that the telescope was OUT OF COLLIMATION. After some minutes I did the collimation of the secondary mirror and then I was ready for the Computer and GPS test.
I chose to align the Telescope using a single star aligment (Sirius) follow the instructions of my nexstar computer and in few seconds it was align .....so the computer said.
Any way to test the alignment I order the computer to go to M42, in just few seconds the telescope moved and the moment of truth was just a blink of an eye in front me.
I just look and focus the scope and it was the M42 right center of the field of view. Let me say that I was so surprise that I could not believed that in the first try the CPC 800 did its works close to perfection.

Still there are many things to test from the OPTICAL point of view but I do not think I will be disappointed.

Any way I recommend this telescope to anyone interested in doing some serious astronomical observations.

I also suggest people to go to YOUTUBE and check all the information in there on how to COLLIMATE the telescope, the instruction manual is not the best for that , rumor has it that one Video is better than a 1000 words.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars CPC 800 disappointment, October 30, 2011

By 

Adelino Regio - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestron CPC 800 XLT Computerized Telescope w/Tube and Tripod (Electronics)

Received mine from local dealer. The corrector plate was full of smudges in the inside. A replacement unit was quickly sent with a Celestron Quality Assurance certificate. This replacement unit has severe tracking problems. The objects are not kept centered in FOV. I'll not request for a third unit because I simply don't know if I can trust Celestron quality policy anymore.

Pros

Outstanding alignment system

Cons

Tracking capabilities.
Lack of quality control.