Afterwards utilizing older computerized telescopes, Celestron's new SkyAlign system seems nearly like magic. I don't want to remember obscure star names or use a star chart, I just point the telescope at three bright stars or planets and the CPC 800 tells me the star names! SkyAlign is one of several alignment options, and some options can even be used during daylight.
The drive base and heavy duty CPC tripod are unusually solid, it's the same base and drive system used on the big CPC 1100 telescope. When I rap on the telescope fork the vibration is gone in less than a second. In practice this means easier focusing even at high magnification. The solid base and precise tracking is a real advantage while viewing the planets and while photographing them. I've been effective to picture the planets at focal lengths of f/30 and f/40 which would be quite difficult not including ideal tracking.
The outstanding optics of the CPC 800 XLT telescope show me outstanding views of the planets. When I look at Jupiter together with a 12.5mm plossl eyepiece (concerning 160x magnification) I see multiple cloud bands and I can see the pale color of Jupiter's famous Excellent Red Spot. One night when the air was unusually still and clear I used a 7.5mm Ultrascopic eyepiece together with a 2x Barlow for a magnification of 533X. Jupiter's moons were plainly resolved as tiny disks this night. When I look at Saturn at 200X I can usually see the Cassini division in the rings and do out four or five moons. When Mars comes closest to Earth each two years I've even been effective to spot dust storms blowing across the Martian dessert.
The CPC 800 XLT in addition brings stunning views of deep space objects. The CPC 800 is large enough this galaxies initiate to reveal their structure and globular star clusters are well resolved. At a recent Astronomy viewing night at a local school, some of the students liked globular cluster M13 the excellent. They said it looked like a snowflake made of tiny stars! The well known Orion Nebula is a winter highlight. Much telescopes will show four stars in the Trapezium, the bright multiple star inside the Orion Nebula, but together with the CPC 800 I can often pick out faint stars "E" and "F" as well.
The accessories together with this CPC 800 XLT package contain an 8x50 finder scope, a 40mm plossl eyepiece (50X magnification), the NexStar computer hand control, and a 12 volt car battery adapter. You'll in addition want a 12 volt power source. An AC adapter is available, but I like utilizing a 12 volt battery pack for the reason that I don't want to be near an extension wire to use the telescope.
A few good eyepieces help me get full advantage of the CPC 800's outstanding optics. Plossl eyepieces like the ones in Celestron’s Accessory Kit would be an economical way to get initiated, and of course premium eyepieces like the TeleVue 10mm Radian propose delightful views of the planets. If I were choosing just two eyepieces to add to the CPC 800, I'd pick a 10mm X-Cel eyepiece (200X for planet viewing) and a 21mm X-Cel eyepiece (100X for globular clusters and galaxies) to go together with the standard equipment 40mm (50X) eyepiece.
The CPC 800 XLT is an outstanding all all-around telescope. The C8 optics are large enough to provide me delightful views of deep space objects, and the optics are great enough to show me amazing views of the planets. Even together with all this power the whole system is portable enough this I can effortlessly transfer my telescope to the local high school and share the view on Astronomy night. --Jeff Phillips
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