Celestron NexStar 6SE Computerized Telescope – 6-Inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical Tube – Fully Automated GoTo Mount with SkyAlign – Ideal for Beginners and Advanced Users – 40,000+ Object Database

The Celestron NexStar 6 SE is an incredible first telescope. I wanted to avoid cheaper scopes and get something that will last a lifetime. This is it. The optics are very good, nice crisp images. The motorized GoTo mount is fantastic for beginners as it makes it very easy for you to find objects quickly and enjoy observing without needing to find them yourself, and it tracks the objects as they move across the sky so you don't need to. It's not difficult to use at all as long as you read the manual and follow the on-screen prompts to align the scope, and once it is aligned, you're off to the races. I've seen absolutely stunning views of the Orion Nebula through this, even in my light polluted city back yard. It can be used anywhere, even in a city - you'll still see a great deal of objects like the planets, moon, star clusters, double stars, and bright nebulae, even a galaxy or two, like Andromeda. Outside of a city, in a real dark site, this scope will reveal so much. I found Neptune, very hard to see, on my second night with the scope. Truly stunning.A few notes: get a power bank to power the telescope. The AA batteries do not last long. I only keep the batteries in to move the scope back into storage position after it has dried out (it will collect dew) and come to room temperature inside. I recommend the Celestron power banks, despite the price, because they are made for this. Get a dew shield (the Celestron portable roll-up shield is just fine) because SCT scopes are dew magnets, you will need it. And get a couple more eyepieces - the 25mm that's included is okay, but if you want to see more, I recommend getting a 32mm plossl and an 8-24mm Celestron zoom lens. Both are reasonably priced and will open up what you can see in this scope. Zoom lenses are especially great for beginners to "dial in" the right magnification and get the best views. The included star finder is alright, a little cheap, but it doesn't matter as long as you align it properly. You only need it for a few minutes to do the initial alignment for GoTo, then you shut it off for the rest of the night, so it's really not worth the cost of replacement. A couple of filters can help too - Orion Ultrablock for looking at nebulae, and some inexpensive color filters may help with bringing out details with the moon and planets.Regarding shipping: I suspect this package was mishandled at some point by Amazon. Not long after receiving it, the altitude motor started making strange sounds, and the focuser knob (not the focuser itself) was slightly bent, so I suspect it was dropped. The box even showed a little damage, the visual back of the scope was likely pushed into the cardboard. But Celestron took care of fixing it quickly, for free under warranty, and now it's perfectly fine.For beginners considering a more "serious" telescope that 1) is easy to use, 2) will last a very long time, and 3) is portable to travel to dark sites or do quick observing sessions in your back yard, this is a great one to start with. It's portable enough (with a carrying case) to take almost anywhere, and not too heavy. It's a quick setup and if you're following the instructions, it aligns quickly. The hand controller is intuitive and very easy to use as it guides you through every step. If you want more feedback on this scope, check out the Cloudy Nights forum where you can read reviews and first-hand experiences of using it, along with common FAQ.Highly recommend this telescope. Inspect it when you get it to make sure there are no problems regarding mishandling during shipping. Otherwise, I love it, it really opened my mind to the wonders of amateur astronomy, got me started with a powerful yet easy-to-use telescope, and gave me a great hobby to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the night sky. Just be sure to use it on good, clear, calm nights for stargazing and you'll get the most out of it.

I have owned several scopes over the years: a Meade ETX-90, an Orion 6" DOB, and a Zhumell 10" DOB (which I returned - read on).When I recently renewed my passion for astronomy earlier this year (2010), I started pulling out my little ETX-90 on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the aperture size and long focal length really limited my viewing to Saturn. I decided it was time to go for something with a bit more power. I bought the 10" DOB I mentioned above. It wasn't passed than the third trip outside, precariously carrying the OTA (Optical Tube Assembly) while "butting" the door open and avoiding hitting my dining room table, that I decided I needed to return that monstrosity for something more portable (by the way, it was a wonderful scope! If you can store it where moving it isn't a problem, it'll do the job!).Enter the Celestron NexStar 6SE.When the scope arrived, I opened the box and pulled out the parts. Having watched the instructional video on how to assemble the item earlier in the day, I didn't even need to look at the directions to get it put together. The tripod was solid and had little play. The OTA was easy to "drop" onto the pins on the tripod, and then I only needed to lock down the three knobbed screws to mount the scope completely. I did need to align the viewfinder, which was easy enough by lining up on Venus.I had forgotten how much I liked the GOTO system (my old ETX-90's mount had long ago stopped functioning). For the 6SE, I used the NexStar alignment method on my first attempt, which simply required 3 bright objects in the sky - I did not need to know what the objects were (you will, however, have to enter some other info like your latitude and longitude, time zone, date and time. Your latitude and longitude is easily found online). It was now time for the first viewing. I selected my old standby, Saturn. The scope slewed very quickly to the object, even going back and forth a bit to account for any play in the gears. When I looked through the low powered eye piece (25mm), Saturn was just left of center (likely my fault on the initial alignment). I then manually centered the planet and replaced my eye piece with a higher powered piece - a 9mm lens. All I can say is wow. I live a few miles from the Pittsburgh International Airport, so light pollution is a real problem for me. But, Saturn came in as crisp as I have ever seen it, and 4 of her moons were very easily discernible.However, planetary viewing isn't so difficult with even the most basic scope. I decided to try a few more difficult targets. I could see that The Big Dipper was out, so I typed in M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy. After a few quick moments of slewing, I took to the eyepiece again (back to the 25mm, btw), and there were two "eyes" looking at me (M51 is actually two galaxies). Of course with bad seeing conditions and a 6" scope, I could not make out any of the "arms" of the galaxy, but I could easily see the telltale fuzzy eyes. I was quite surprised I was able to resolve them that easily with the smaller aperture on this scope! I don't remember my old 6" DOB having that easy of a time, but maybe that was due to the GOTO capability of this item.Next, I turned my attention to M81 and M82, two other galaxies very close to The Dipper. They came in great, with M82 showing off its profile nicely even with my (relatively) bad seeing conditions.Finally, I hit M3, which is a brilliant globular star cluster. The cluster was a wonderful view in this scope. Switching to a higher power eye piece caused many stars to shimmer in and out of view - it was jaw dropping.Anyway, I wanted to point out that, if you need a portable scope that is capable of showing you some wonderful astronomical sights, this scope fits the bill. Although another reviewer is right in that the stock eye pieces aren't incredible (nor are any other stock pieces!), you would certainly be happy with this scope for the occasional "quick" viewing session. Heck, put a few additional dollars (well, a few hundred!) down for some better eye pieces, and you'll be thrilled for years to come!One final note: due to the design of the Schmidt Cassegrain scope, you are almost required to buy a dew shield, unless you live in Phoenix or some other really dry area. Here in the northeast, my scope fogged up very quickly. I was able to build a temporary dew shield with some black construction paper that worked fine, but that's no long term solution. Astronomy is certainly not a cheap hobby!Overall, I am very pleased with this scope. And, unless you are more than casually into this hobby, I think you will be, too.