Celestron Nexstar 5 Telescope

The NexStar ushers in a generation of computer automated technology. Simple and friendly to use, the NexStar is up and running after locating just two alignment stars. It's the perfect combination of power and portability. If you are new to astronomy, you may wish to start off by using the NexStar's built-in Sky Tour feature, which commands the NexStar to find the most interesting objects in the sky and automatically slews to each one. Or if you are an experienced amateur, you will appreciate the comprehensive database of over 18,000 objects, including customized lists of all the best deep-sky objects, bright double stars and variable stars. No matter what level you are starting out at, the NexStar will unfold for you and your friends all the wonders of the Universe.

The NexStar has altazimuth operation (no need to polar align). Even if you can't find the location of two bright alignment stars, NexStar will find them for you. Just enter the date, time and your location, and the NexStar will align itself to the necessary stars.

To assist in the star alignment, the NexStar uses a lightweight Star Pointer Finderscope. The Star Pointer is the quickest and easiest way to point your telescope exactly to the desired object in the sky. It's like having a laser pointer that you can shine directly onto the night sky. No need to worry about the inverted images you see through traditional finders. Just align the red dot seen through the Star Pointer with the desired star in the sky. It's that easy.

With the NexStar's ergonomically designed hand control, the user is free to remove the hand control from the fork arm for remote use or leave it mounted for hands-free operation. With a touch of a button you can select the object catalog, change the slew speed, view fascinating information about an object, or simply know if a desired object is visible in the sky.

The hand control includes a built-in RS-232 communication port allowing you to control the NexStar from a computer and use popular astronomy software. Mounted on a sturdy metal base, the NexStar sits securely on any flat surface and has three rubber gripping feet for vibration suppression and traction. The NexStar is extremely portable and can be mounted onto the NexStar Tripod for use in the field.

The NexStar's deluxe features combine with Celestron's legendary Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system to give amateur astronomers one of the most sophisticated and easy to use telescopes available on the market today.