Celestron NexStar 6SE

A high-quality telescope for beginners and intermediate astronomers alike, the Celestron NexStar 6SE is an instrument that promises years of usage

Telescope advice

Cost: £1,149.00 / $1,405.00

From: David Hinds Ltd.

Type: Schmidt-Cassegrain

Aperture: 5.91”

Focal length: 59”

Best for…

• Beginners and intermediate
• High budgets£ Planetary viewing
• Lunar viewing
• Deep-sky objects
• Basic astrophotography

It’s not often that we come across a telescope that’s an ‘all-rounder’, but we were quite taken with the Celestron NexStar 6SE, especially since it can be used by both beginners and astronomers who have a good night-sky knowledge. It’s also quite difficult to outgrow this telescope given what it can offer and how easy it is to accessorise with extra eyepieces and other kit. The 25mm Plössl eyepiece supplied gives a magnification of 60x, but we’d advise purchasing a selection of eyepieces and filters – bearing in mind that the highest useful magnification is 354x – to get the very best out of this telescope.

Setting this Schmidt-Cassegrain up took next to no time at all, and we were impressed with the quality of many of its components. The robust build of the NexStar 6SE promises to last years of observing sessions, provided it is treated with care. We would recommend purchasing a dew shield for this telescope though, since catadioptric telescopes can succumb to moisture.