This is a great video. Straight to the point, matter of fact and no annoying music. Thanks.

Great review, I always appreciate your videos - no flash, just substance. Cheers!

This is, in part, what I needed to hear! Thank you for this!

Very nice telescope. I have one of the first Nexstars made in the year 2000. It is the same color as that one. I got over 20 years of use from it until I left it in a cold storage building to long and it quit working. The Evolution mount is nice. Thanks for the video. I would like to have a mount like that for my Nexstar 5.

Nice review. I picked up the 9.25" model last year and initially had alignment issues until I checked out a post on Cloudy Nights which said to keep the SkyAlign triangle much tighter than the instructions say. Since then it's aligned on the first try ever since. The optics really are fantastic and having it all self contained and obeying my phone makes observing extremely enjoyable.

Excellent review, really thorough and informative. I have a 6SE currently and am hoping to upgrade to an Evo 8 in a few years. Looks superb.

Thank you for the review! Thanks in particular for the section on portability. I've had this scope for years, and I never realized those were actually handles, and so I've been taking it apart and re-assembling in the backyard each observing session. Doh! The way you carry it, with the OTA pointing at Zenith, makes it so much more manageable to carry. Much appreciated video, friend! I have really been impressed at this scopes ability to locate items with accuracy once aligned- even placing objects in or near the center of high-powered eyepieces. My previous scope was a wonderful old Newtonian GEM with manual setting circles. It required a lot of eye-balling and good star charts to be able to find anything with that scope. I would be fortunate to hunt down even a single Messier object on any given night of observing. With this Celestron NexStar, I could easily locate and observe any Messier object that was visible in the sky at the time. Now I have to be careful to make sure I'm actually spending some time observing instead of slewing in rapid succession from one object to the next, only briefly glancing at each. It was a total game changer for me.

Many thanks for your review. Very professional and extremely useful for me to make my decision.

Perfectly well made video. To the point. No rubbish.

Hope you are planning next videos about this scope (comparisons to yours previous scopes, some pictures etc.) Good work, THX.

Really nice review Graham. Straight to the point.

I ordered mine yesterday and awaiting delivery. This video was very reassuring, the unboxing one not so much. Though they did make things right for you. I will carefully inspect mine. Thank You.

Nice video 🔭 i have the Celestron Nexstar Evolution 9.25" since 2014 and had no issues at all 👍

I’d put a Baader click lock on it. Eagerly awaited your review. I think this setup is really good for outreach. Very little to carry places. Enough aperture to get the “wow” effect. It’s really a no-nonsense, streamline, machine.

Great review,

Great review and nice scope. Clear sky's.

Good review. Thanks

Great video, thank you! Subscribed

Great review you’ve made up my mind 👍🏻 going for the 9.25 version 🔭👏👏

Good review

great scope got the baader hyperion zoom 2inch diagonal back celestron and reducer is a great addition nice review 👍subbed looking forward to upcoming videos as just got the scope so will be interesting to see thoughts and any tips

The best telescope is the one you use the most and the one you use the most is the one that's the easiest to use that does everything you want, not necessarily the best telescope you own

Great video and cat

Great review Graham! I just upgraded my Evolution 6 with an 8 SE OTA, Baader Click-Lock visual back, and Starsense Autoalign. This seems like a perfect outreach scope that's easy to transport and set up - the Starsense does all the hard work and has no problem aligning at light-polluted locations. I've owned an orange-tube C8 from the 1990's and a black-tube C8 from the 2000's but this 8 SE has better optics/coatings and features compared to those older scopes. I noticed you didn't extend the tripod legs which degrade the mount stability somewhat. I'm looking for better tripod options to improve stability without resorting to the much heavier CPC tripod.

Hello! Thanks for a great informative review of this telescope. I was thinking of buying a telescope for the fall or now in the spring of 2024 and it's between evolution and edge 8 HD?? I did a lot of astronomy when I was a little boy and want to take up this hobby again. Best regards, Karl-David Sweden

Well done

Thank you for the review, this is only my second telescope and I'm having some alignment issues to with my android phone but not with my android tablet. Since this is new to me could you do a video explaining setting up the culmination, everything I've seen about it is like speaking greek.

Nice review. I agree with many of your points, although I do not find the Evo very noisy, even at max slew speed. I am just curious as to why you have the telescope inverted for the entire video. The telescope should have the printing right side up on the dovetail bar when the telescope tube is level. The focuser should be under the visual back, and the Aux ports on the upright arm should be facing the rear of the optical tube. The tightening knob on the saddle should be below the optical tube, not above it. I bring this up because I am concerned that other Evo users will set their telescopes up as you have set up your telescope in this video, which is quite incorrect.

As always, a great video. How does it compare to your 150mm Mak for planets? Have you tried the Mak on the Evolution mount?

Hi! thanks for making videos like this. What kind of telescope would you recommend to a beginner that wants to capture saturn rings?

Fine Review Graham, Looks Like a Pretty great Scope. On my List, So Do you have any Problems pointing the scope when Looking at Objects in the Zenith, I thought there is Very Little room to Put a Barlow Lens and Look at A Planet or moon When at Zenith! Whats your solution to that?! Thanks!

I've just bought an evo 8 after watching your review. Thanks to the wonderful N. Ireland weather I haven't had a chance to give it a full test of what it can do. But initally I'm very happy with it. Does anyone that has an evo have a link or point me in the direction of a good storage box for the mount? Ideally I want to put the bottom piece of cut out foam from the original packaging, at the bottom of the box. I have a bag for the scope but I'll probably go for the proper celestron one. But it's the mount I'm more concerned about.

Hey Graham nice review! I was advised for use of the skyalign to try with the mount directly on the power even though the battery is fully charged. I am also very satisfied with my evo 8 the only thing I do regret is that there is no power supply for a dewheater directly on the mount. Kind regards Dietger

I've got myself the Evolution 6 , and I use the Baader Hyperion eyepieces (10, 17, 24) and I love it. Soon I will order the 5 mm. It is a pity that there is no bracket to place your hand controller in, you can order it separately. Clear skies :)

Your neighbors would have to have paper thin walls to hear that

Interesting.

Do a video about dew problems messing up your evening ☺️

i just want to see mars and saturn and venus the rest are kind of i dont think too interesting but I think i will buy this one thank you. its way bigger than i thought tho from the images of it i saw before this

Do you recommend the Celestron nexstar Evolution 8 or Celestron cpc 800 xlt

Red dot finders work ok for me in dark skies, but there aren’t enough stars in light-polluted skies. In those, I prefer a decent magnifying optical finder.

Got this scope recently for lunar. Swapped out that visual back as soon as I could for 2". Love the scope overall, but have had nothing but trouble with the wifi connectivity. I'm using an Android 11 Pixel 4a, I can connect to the wifi ok (usually) and provided I use an older version of SkyPortal can connect to the app (usually). I've never gotten as far as a successful alignment though as the stability is just so bad. I don't have any issues (asside from it feeling clunky) using the hand controller or even computer control via CPWI. Guy I bought it off was an apple user and said he had no issues like yourself. Wondering if this is some sort of apple vs android issue?

I was thinking about purchasing the Celestron - NexStar Evolution 8 soon. What eyepiece and other accessories should I get first for this scope.

Hello Graham. Have you used this scope for lunar and/or planetary imaging? I would like to know your thoughts on this scope/mount vs using an equatorial mount. Thanks.

Can you get it to the Zenith position with a 2" diagonal or would I be stuck with the 1.25 diagonal and eyepieces? With an 8" F-10 telescope I'd like to have the option of 40mm and larger eyepieces with a 62 degree fov. With 1.25 barrels 40mm is 40° to 44° at best. I know there is a maximum on field of view with any SCT or MCT especially.

I currently have a 10" dobsonian and are considering going to this telescope for the tracking. How does the view compare going from a 10 to an 8?

👍👍👍👍

What would I need to record video and pictures? Does the app allow you to do that? Or will I need a specific camera and mount ?

The first time I used the SkyAlign I was foiled. Then I discovered that the location defaulted to Los Angeles! I wish the assumed location were displayed as a reality check. Also, when I entered the named location from the supplied list, the assumed time zone was wrong! I think these details need to be correct before SkyAlign will work. Yes?

is it just a goto mount or does it track as well? is it good for photography?

Hi Graham. I have an opportunity to buy a C8 on a fork mount with drive (not computerised). I see everywhere, C8's being used with GEMs of various types but, 'in my day', the LX200 Meade and C8's were all fork mounted and I wonder why they have gone out of fashion? Are they no good for imaging? If not, then I don't understand why they were marketed by Meade and Celestron with such mounts in the first place? I would not want to spend the asking price for the total assembly if I can't use for imaging as well as viewing.

The 1.25" visual back, can it easily be replaced with a 2"?

Is it possible to view horizon to zenith while sitting down comfortably in a regular sized chair ?

Nice review buddy. I have the 9.25 and I am having few issues. I am at a point of returning it. Its not tracking and the skyportal app is always showing bullseye posting below the horizon. It's doing my heading. I tend to use it without any alignment ans normally it tracks planets brilliantly however, as of last night it doesn't work. I even removed the removed so not to confuse the app still not working. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers

Also enjoying my Evo 8”. Did you end up keeping your 10” Dob? They’re monsters but ideologically distinct from the all-automated Nexstars.

Is there a forum where you can find a used model like this at a discount? Thanks

Hi guys! I want to buy this telescope in the future. I need to know what are the dimensions of the box. Not the big box, the small box inside where there sits just the scope in styrofoam. Thanks in advance.

So I'm not the only one with issues aligning Celestron Align.

Hi Graham, which one better, Celestron c90 or MC 102 Starquest EQ?

Gostaria de saber por quanto compro um equipamento desse, e se é fácil sua montagem

I'm thinking of getting this,but is it over priced for what it is,2k or 8se 500 cheaper, is it worth it I your opinion

Sneaky cat at 3:28

Nice telescope, Did you consider buy the 9,25?

I wonder how it is for imaging.

Can you share a few images that you could take?

Nice telescope Graham. How long does it take to cool down to reach equilibrium temperature? I found that this is vitally important to unlock the scopes potential.

Cat at 3:27

Celestron or Mead?

Some years ago this would have been a ' research grade ' scope at a University....100 years ago maybe. Now it's a consumer item.

Why don't you show the people the stars ? Show the sheeple they are pulsating in many varying colors and patterns, many are not round, they are see through and they are close, in the waters of the firmament above. Or does your thing there have some auto CGI adjusting happening ? Look at that thing, just get a 3k$ nikon. You can zoom in on islands 100 + miles away too. (8 inches of curve per mile squared on a 24k mile sphere) That's already 6 feet of curve at 3 miles, now apply

I got started in Astronomy way back in the 1960's. Back then, of course, none of today's "Advanced Digital Technology" existed. So we learned to find objects in the Sky on our own. And, for most of us over a certain age, that's still the way we do things! Today's "Kids" actually NEVER LEARN what real Astronomy is all about! Their wedded to computers, Digital Imagers and the ubiquitous "Go To" electronic mounts. Kind of sad, Really. Just watching how fast they get bored 😴 and give up on THE SKY, only to go back to their mind numbing computer Games! There is this endless panorama of THE UNIVERSE just out the door, overhead. And their back in Mom's basement, playing games 🎮😳🤣!

3grand wasted!!!! Never charges properly

I like those cheap red dots. They are very light, and I even use them on non goto scopes, and with 2" low power eyepieces, I have no problems finding objects