Celestron Nexstar 5i Computerized Go-To Telescope Kit w/ Hand Control & Tripod

by Celestron

Product Details

Product Manual [6.82mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 32 x 29 x 17 inches
• Shipping Weight: 43 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00007AP9Q
• Item model number: 11034
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,079 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 24, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The Nexstar 5i is the computerized version of Celestron's legendary five inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Although I own larger telescopes, I find myself getting out the five inch SCT more than the others because it combines good optics with excellent portability and easy operation. The Nexstar 5i's optics are sharp enough to bring out pleasing detail on the Moon, on the planets, and on star clusters and galaxies, yet the optical tube is less than twelve inches long. It's small enough to carry outside (even when it's already set up ready to go), small enough to take on high desert camping trips, and easy to transport to public star parties.

The NextStar handset is your user-friendly guide to more than 40,000 celestial objects.

What can I see with the Nexstar 5i? On a good night I like to use an optional Ultima 7.5mm eyepiece for a magnification of 166x. With the Ultima 7.5mm, I can see the Cassini division extending all the way around Saturn's rings. I've been able to watch the shadow of Jupiter's moons glide across the face of the planet, and sometimes the moons themselves. I can see the famous Great Red Spot on Jupiter (it's actually tan this year), and when Mars is favorably placed, I can see the polar cap and dark surface markings on Mars. From a dark viewing site in the country, I've been able to find all the Messier galaxies. When I look at M86 in the Virgo galaxy cluster with the standard equipment 25mm plossl eyepiece (about 50x), for example, I can see five galaxies at once, including M84 and three fainter NGC galaxies. When I look at brighter globular clusters like M13 and M22 with a 12.5mm plossl (100X) I can resolve many individual stars.

The included Nexstar computer is much easier to use than earlier generations of computerized telescopes. You can choose from four different alignment modes, from the traditional two star alignment to the latest GPS-aided automatic setup using the optional CN-16 GPS module. I especially like the flexibility of the new "quick align" feature. I took two computerized telescopes to a recent public viewing session. Using the "quick align" mode I was able to set up the Nexstar 5i and start letting folks look at Venus a full half-hour before sunset! Meanwhile the older computerized telescopes, including my own, were waiting more than an hour before the first alignment stars appeared in the twilight.

The biggest drawback to the Nexstar 5i is the short life of its AA batteries. Low batteries can cause the Nexstar computer to crash and lose its alignment. I've been able to avoid these computer crashes by using Celestron's car battery adapter with a rechargeable jump-start power pack. Like all Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, dew forms easily on the front corrector lens, but Orion's #4209 Flexishield dew cap works well to prevent problems with fog on the lens. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Proven optical performance of Celestron's five inch SCT
• Small enough to keep set up ready to go
• Nexstar computer is easy to use

Cons:

• Short battery life

Product Description

Item number 2054-45, Grading is cover/record: M- using Goldmine standards. Please see seller profile for abbreviation descriptions.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go one better than a starter scope and you won't regret it, September 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Celestron Nexstar 5i Computerized Go-To Telescope Kit w/ Hand Control & Tripod (Electronics)

If you're thinking of an entry-level scope but can go a few dollars more, the "kit" form of the NexStar 5i that includes the computerised hand control and the tilt-plate wedge tripod is a great place to start. You won't have the mediocre tracking issues you find in the under $500 scopes, and you have classic, well regarded optics in the Celestron "C5" 5" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly (OTA).

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this scope. It tracks extremely well for a non-worm driven telescope and it is good enough that even in alt-az (non-equatorial mode) you can do short exposure astrophotography. If you utilize its tilt-plate wedge and use the built-in polar alignment routine (on the hand control -- it talks you through polar alignment) you can do even better, taking many good 90 second to 2 minute images. You will have to toss some of them because tracking isn't wholly consistent, but still, we're talking about an under $1000 kit so this is good stuff!

The whole unit can stay put together if you've got the room, which means that a smallish person can carry the whole thing in one hand and be set up in minutes (assuming you've given the scope enough time to reach the outside temperature of course). If you add an external power source -- rechargable 12V DC of at least 7 amp-hours like a "jump start" type battery) and a dew shield straight away, you'll have everything you need for some incredible viewing for a long time. You'll want to add eyepieces so look at the Celestron eyepiece kit as a good starter package.

All you need to do after ordering or before if you're smart, is check out the Yahoo NexStar group to ask for help in learning your new cool toy. And check out the NexStarSite dot com for an "i" series specific alignment guide. You'll need to follow it to get the best GOTOs and tracking.

After that, if you kick yourself because you didn't buy an 8" OTA, don't worry. You can add it later. Ask how on the group and they'll direct you to the hardware you'll need. I regularly swap OTAs on my NexStar 5i.

This isn't a long exposure astrophotography platform (for CCD imaging) but if you are interested in starting somewhere, it isn't half bad. And even if you upgrade later to a more appropriate platform for imaging later, I bet you'll keep this little guy.