No matter whether you are a beginner astronomer or an experienced user, if you are interested in exploring the world of astronomy, the Celestron NexStar 5SE has a great appeal for you. You know why? Because it has recently been updated with all the advanced features and technologies. The “organic tube” design will give you the advantage of stargazing the best view. Curious to know how? Stay with us and we will get you covered. Here is our review of Celestron NexStar 5SE Computerized Telescope in detail that will reveal every piece of information including the features, benefits, pros, and cons.
For Whom is Celestron NexStar 5SE Telescope?
Celestron NexStar 5SE Telescope is for observers of all levels. Amateur astronomers as well as intermediate stargazers or experienced observers can use this scope because it fulfills the needs of all. As a beginner, you can have a very good start to your celestial journey if you try this and as an experienced user, you can use it to increase your experience in astronomy as well.
What Can You See With a Celestron NexStar 5SE?

Through the Celestron NexStar 5SE, you can see any bright objects of the deep sky such as the stars, Neptune, Mars, galaxies, Moon, nebulae, planets, etc. Besides, you can easily observe the belts of Jupiter, Saturn’s rings, and the surface of the Moon as well.
It doesn't matter whether you are familiar with the night sky or not, this telescope will allow you to align perfectly with any object. Thus you will be able to observe the combination of three objects in the deep sky. In a word, using Celestron NexStar 5SE, you can enjoy the brighter objects that are identifiable.
Features & Benefits of Celestron NexStar 5SE
Build quality
Celestron's NexStar 5SE is a 5 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that blends Celestron's technology and this design makes it a great computerized scope. As it's a Catadioptric telescope, it also uses lenses and mirrors together. As a result, both reflection and refraction happen here.
Celestron has already added a database of almost 40,000 objects that is also applicable for Celestron NexStar 5SE too. That's why this scope is motorized with a ‘Go to' mount to show you the object you want to see among those 40,000 objects. It uses a spherical mirror as its primary mirror that passes light to another mirror named the secondary mirror. There is also an eyepiece behind the primary mirror in which you will keep your eye to observe. You can also attach a camera there for photographic purposes.
This scope is designed in such a way that you can use this if you don't make your decision of where to start. This is because it is made of Celestron’s proprietary SkyAlign technology. The purpose of this technology is to align the telescope properly so that you can move the tube to focus on any three bright objects.
Optic
Basically, Celestron NexStar 5SE Computerized telescope is a combination of reflective and refractive qualities and provides high-quality Schmidt-Cassegrain optics. The spherical mirror located at the front gathers light and passes it to the secondary mirror. This parallel mirror causes chromatic aberration for which there is also a curved lens to protect the telescope from this type of aberration.
The orange tube of Celestron NexStar 5SE brought an operating system that offers the advantage of a computerized telescope. It also offers you flash upgradeable hand control along with the superior StarBright XLT coatings.
Mount performance

You will get a single fork arm mount with Celestron NexStar 5SE. This mount is very lightweight and the compact pieces will allow you to carry it wherever you want, even you can easily transport it in small vehicles.
Don't worry about the performance of the mount. It's constructed in such a way that it will give you the required accuracy of your tracking activities. You can comfortably move it on the object you are interested to observe and focus on your target with the push-button.
Setting up process
As Celestron NexStar 5SE is constructed with compact pieces, the setting up process won't be complicated for you. You can easily set it up within minutes by assembling the pieces and use it without any complications while turning on and keeping an eye after the setup process. The lightweight feature and portability of this scope make it easier to use.
What Celestron NexStar 5SE includes
- NexStar Alt-Az Computerized GoTo Mount
- 2″ Steel Tripod with Accessory Tray
- 25 mm 1.25″ Eyepiece
- 1.25″ Prism Star Diagonal
- StarPointer Red Dot Finder
- NexStar+ Hand Controller
- Starry Night Special Edition Software
Performance in Astrophotography

Celestron NexStar 5SE Telescope comes with a tripod feature that offers a built-in wedge to help in the field of Astrophotography. Basically as an astronomer, you might prefer an equatorial mount for astrophotography. Though you won't have this EQ mount in 5SE, the built-in wedge will fulfill this gap. It will act like an equatorial mount and thus you can use this scope in astrophotography for short exposures times. So don't make a delay. Start photographing the wonders of the deep sky.
Things we liked
- No complications of collimation
- Very impressive optical performance
- Easy to align
- Great focal length at a compact size
- Very lightweight
Things that can be improved
- Short battery life
- Too light for deep space photography
Final Verdict
As an excellent quality telescope providing great optical performance, we would like to recommend The Celestron NexStar 5SE telescope for you. The features, benefits, accurate tracking system, and sharper images of this computerized scope won't disappoint you in your celestial observation. If you have any queries regarding this review, ask us. We would like to answer you.
Recent Comments