Why I Chose the Celestron Evolution 8” EdgeHD Telescope

After many hours of deliberation, reviewing different brands and setups of telescopes I made the decision and went for the Celestron Evolution 8” Edge with StarSense. I haven’t looked back!

Over the next set of articles, I will share my thoughts on this telescope, what extra kit is required, and how I set the scope up to capture images in the various different setup formats.

So Why the Celestron Evolution 8” Edge HD?

I wanted a telescope which was extremely versatile, portable, and easy to set up! So here is a list of my favourite features: –

1. An excellent portable scope, 8” in diameter – a big light bucket! Schmidt-Cassegrain in design allowing imaging at standard f/10, plus f/2 (by removing the secondary mirror and adding a Hyperstar lens).

2. 8” EdgeHD Optics providing excellent visual and Astro- imaging capabilities.

3. A single fork mounted telescope able to provide excellent tracking- which is paramount for astrophotography.

4. A built- in rechargeable lithium-ion battery allowing up to 10 hours of imaging – I wanted to get away from mains supply to power the scope.

5. Built in WiFi – allowing you to connect to your mobile phone or tablet to control the scope.

6. StarSense Auto align: Automatically aligns the telescope, works with the SkyPortal app for complete wireless control – so no need to accurately Polar align – again making the process easier.

7. Hyperstar compatible allowing deep sky images to be captured at f/2-eliminating the need to guide on long exposures (utilising a Hyperstar set up and wedge)

So there it is my first blog! I have now been imaging with this telescope since August 2021, 3 images published in Astronomy magazines, 2 in the BBC Sky at night and 1 in Astronomy Now.

The next articles will detail the overall kit I have to make the process work including additions to the telescope setup including astronomy dedicated cameras. Then I’ll explain how I image at f/10 for Planetary imaging , F2 for Wide Field deep Sky imaging, how I captured the International space Station. I’ll detail what obstacles I have found on my journey I’m up against when I try and image the night sky!