Celestron 8 Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope

The CPC 800 GPS XLT is the most portable of Celestron's top-of-the-line fork-mounted astronomical telescopes and includes Celestron's premium StarBright XLT coatings. This telescope is at home as a superb visual instrument or, with optional wedge and CCD cameras, as a serious astrophotographer's tool.

Turn this scope to planets and see amazing detail on the surface of Jupiter; see Cassini's Division in the rings of Saturn, and resolve details on the surface of Mars. Even the distant Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are within your reach.

Although large in aperture, with its conveniently located carrying handles and an instrument weight of only 42 lb., this telescope is portable enough to setup in your backyard or take with you to your favorite dark sky location.

Celestron CPC Telescopes are available in three aperture size choices:

• 8 Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope
• 9.25 Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope
• 11 Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope

Celestron's new CPC Series with revolutionary SkyAlign Alignment

Technology re-defines everything that amateur astronomers are looking for — quick and simple alignment, GPS, unsurpassed optical quality, ease of set-up and use, ergonomics, enhanced computerization and, most important, affordability.

Internal GPS

The CPC Series' internal GPS receiver automatically downloads the date and time from orbiting satellites and pinpoints its exact location on Earth. This eliminates the need for you to manually enter the date, time, longitude and latitude.

Celestron's Revolutionary SkyAlign

Once the CPC's internal GPS has established the telescope's position, aligning the telescope is as easy as 1-2-3! Simply locate and use hand control to manually point (slew) the telescope to three bright celestial objects. You do not need to know the names of the stars — you may even pick the moon or bright planets! Celestron's NexStar® software technology will model the night sky to determine the position of every star, planet and celestial object above the horizon. Once aligned, the remote hand control allows direct access to each of the celestial catalogs in its user-friendly database.

Celestial Object Database

The CPC database contains over 40,000 celestial objects including Messier objects, the Caldwell Catalog, as well as NGC Galaxies, nebulae and planets. User-definable filter limits make navigating through this expansive database quicker and easier. Filter Limits let you filter out objects that are outside of your local horizon (ie, if trees or mountains were in the way).

Identify feature tells you what you're looking at, but it can also be a very fun way to tour around the sky. Just point the telescope up somewhere and ask it to identify Messier objects (for instance) and it will show you the 5 nearest Messier objects to your position and let you GOTO them. You can keep doing this for different parts of the sky or for different object types -- it is a lot of fun.

There's also "Solar Sys Align" that lets you align on the sun or moon for daytime observing -- it is easy to use this to see planets or bright stars in the day.

Innovative Features

The new CPC Series telescopes, like our acclaimed Advanced Series and premium CGE Series telescopes feature meticulously matched and hand-figured optical systems that are manufactured in our facilities in Torrance, California. In addition, all CPC models are available with StarBright and StarBright XLT High Performance Optical Coatings.

With the introduction of the CPC Series, Celestron has “gone back to the drawing board” and re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented a telescope family that provides superior quality, unsurpassed ease of use, and incomparable value. All CPC models ship standard with our NexRemote telescope control software.

• 8" diffraction limited Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
• Celestron's premium StarBright XLT coatings
• Fully computerized dual fork arm altazimuth mount
• 8x50 finderscope to help accurately find objects
• Newly designed heavy-duty tripod makes attaching the telescope so easy you can do it in the dark; also features sturdy 2" steel legs and accessory tray
• Ergonomic design - Comfortably lift and move the telescope from location to location
• Star diagonal provides more comfortable viewing position when observing objects that are high in the sky
• Convenient remote hand control holder - Allows you to view information hands-free while using the scope
• Proven NexStar computer control technology
• 40,000 object database with 400 user-definable objects and expanded information on over 200 objects
• Custom database lists of all the most famous deep-sky objects by name and catalog number; the most beautiful double, triple and quadruple stars; variable star; solar systems; objects and asterisms
• Re-designed drive base and drive mechanics - Quiet operation; large drive gears, quick release clutch
• SkyAlign allows you to align on any three bright celestial objects, making for a fast and easy alignment process
• Flash upgradeable hand control software and motor control units for downloading product updates over the Internet
• Permanent PEC
• Auxiliary port for additional accessories such as an Autoguider
• NexRemote telescope control software and rs-232 cable included for advanced control of your telescope via computer

Powering your Celestron CPC Telescope

The Celestron CPC Series Telescopes include a DC power cable, the kind you can plug into a automobile cigarette lighter.  The CPC series telescopes do not take batteries.  Won't take batteries!  What!  Actually this is a good thing.  These larger telescopes eat through batteries pretty quickly.  Its best to have a more reliable power source.  You can also purchase an AC adapter Accessory if you will be using the telescope within reach of an AC power outlet.  We highly recommend the use of the Celestron PowerTank accessory.  This is a great accessory for powering your CPC telescope with the included DC adapter.  A Celestron PowerTank is great for traveling to darker sky locations. 

Astrophotography with the Celestron CPC Telescopes

While astrophotography could not be summed up here in one paragraph, a very common question for the CPC telescopes is how to connect a camera to it.  Astrophotography is a hobby of patience and lots of trial and error, and plenty of errors will be had once you get started.  But the rewards of good images is well worth it.  Let's start first with connecting a DSLR camera - as these have become so popular over the last few years.  I will use the example of connecting a Canon EOS Digital SLR Camera.  First you will need a T-Adapter for a Schmidt Cassegrain telescope.  This will thread onto the back of your Celestron CPC telescope.  Next, you will need an appropriate T-Ring for your camera.  For a Canon EOS, you would use the T-Ring for Canon EOS Cameras.  You will remove the lens from your camera, and replace it with this T-Ring.  Now you will be able to thread the camera to the back of the telescope.  This is an easy way to begin astrophotography with your CPC telescope.  We would however, highly recommend also getting the Celestron Focal Reducer as this will dramatically help with shortening exposure times and help you get better results faster.

Available Recommended Accessories

The Celestron CPC Telescopes have many enhancement accessories available. A few of our staff user favorites include:

Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit - 1.25 Inch Format

The 8 Inch CPC Telescope includes a 40mm Plossl Eyepiece. The 8 Inch CPC focal length is 2032mm so this included eyepiece will yield you 51x magnification. To get the most from your new CPC Telescope, we recommend you have a wide selection of eyepieces for high power viewing as well as wide-field viewing. The Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit - 1.25 Inch Format will give you that wide selection of eyepieces. This kit includes five 1.25 inch format eyepieces to give you the following magnification ranges in the 2032mm focal length 8 inch CPC Telescope:

• 4mm (508x Magnification)
• 6mm (339x Magnification)
• 9mm (226x Magnification)
• 15mm (135x Magnification)
• 32mm (64x Magnification)

This wider array of eyepieces will enhance your viewing of lunar and planetary surfaces. Select the Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit - 1.25 Inch Format as a great starter accessory for getting the most of your new Celestron 8 Inch CPC Telescope.

Upgrade to a 2 Inch Diagonal and 2 Inch format Eyepieces

2 Inch Format Eyepieces will deliver a wider field of view. Instead of only having the Andromeda Galaxy in your field of view, now you can also have the same view but with its surroundings. A 2-Inch format eyepiece also gives the feeling of "spacewalking" into the view. Your eyes see substantially more field of view and many find that the 2 inch format eyepieces are more comfortable to view into.

Before you can use a 2 inch format eyepiece on the 8 inch CPC telescope, you must upgrade the 1.25 inch format diagonal that is included with the telescope. By changing to a larger 2 inch format diagonal you are now able to use 2 inch format eyepieces. Most 2 inch format diagonals also include a "reducer" adapter that will continue to allow you to use your 1.25 inch format eyepieces

Here are some choices of upgrades to change your 8 Inch CPC Telescope to use 2 Inch Format Eyepieces:

• Good - Celestron 2 Inch Diagonal Mirror
• Better - Celestron 2 Inch Diagonal Mirror with StarBright XLT Coatings
• Best - William Optics 2 Inch Carbon Fiber Dielectric Diagonal

One of our favorite options for upgrading the Celestron 8 inch CPC Telescope to use 2 Inch format eyepieces is the Celestron 2 Inch Eyepiece and Filter Kit This Kit comes complete with a 2 Inch Diagonal, 2X Barlow Lens, Three 2 Inch Format Eyepieces, 2x Barlow Lens, and five 2 Inch Format filters. This is a great kit for upgrading your CPC telescope.

Upgraded Diagonal, now select some premium 2 inch format eyepieces

Its common to hear that your telescope is only as good as your eyepiece. The eyepiece is how you deliver the image your telescope has gathered to your eye. A quality eyepiece can mean the difference of seeing major amounts of detail. Here are some favorite choices for 2 Inch format eyepieces:

• Good - Meade Series 4000 Super Wide QX Eyepieces
• Better - Celestron Ultima LX Eyepieces
• Best - TeleVue Nagler Eyepieces
• Our full assortment of eyepieces

Power Adapters and Power Sources

The Celestron CPC telescopes include a car battery adapter power cord for powering your telescope through your vehicle. Celestron also offers a AC wall adapter for transforming standard, 110 volt AC house current to 12 volt DC current. But for the ultimate in power accessories, we recommend the Celestron PowerTank.

The Celestron PowerTank will give you many nights of viewing with your CPC telescope on one single charge. This rechargeable battery can be used over and over and even includes a powerful spotlight for cleanup and tear-down of your equipment. No more lost accessories left out overnight! The PowerTank is the best choice for powering your CPC telescope and is very convenient.

Protect your Celestron CPC Telescope with a Hard Case from JMI Jims Mobile

Jims Mobile (JMI Inc.) has been in the Telescope Accessory business for decades. We have selected JMI to provide our customers hard cases for the many popular telescopes available today. The JMI Celestron CPC Hard Case is the very best. If your moving your telescope to dark sky locations, there is no better way to transport your CPC than in a custom fit JMI Hard Case.

Ready For Astrophotography?

The rewards of capturing images from space are endless - so are the accessories and techniques for doing it! The Celestron CPC telescopes are an amazing tool for astrophotography. While we are not going into long detail of astrophotography technique, we will cover here what accessories are used for astrophotography with the CPC series telescopes. There are different methods of mating your particular camera to the CPC, or other choices of astrophotography tools you should know about:

DSLR Imaging - One of the fastest growing and most popular methods of astrophotography is using DSLR Cameras. The most popular digital SLR cameras are from Nikon and Canon. To connect a DSLR camera to your CPC telescope, you will need 2 pieces - A T-Adapter and a T-Ring.

The Celestron T-Adapter for Schmidt Cassegrains simply thread connects to the rear-cell of the CPC telescope. To connect your DSLR camera you will need to remove the lens from the camera, and replace it with a T-Ring. With the appropriate T-Ring attached to your DSLR camera you will then be able to connect your camera body directly to the T-Adapter connected to your CPC telescope.

We also recommend that you use a Celestron Reducer/Corrector. This Focal Reducer accessory will reduce your telescopes focal ratio. This focal reducer attaches first to the rear-cell of the CPC telescope, followed by the T-Adapter, then followed by your camera body with T-Ring attached.

CCD Imaging

Instead of using a CCD chip from a DSLR camera, there are also many CCD Cameras dedicated to astronomy.

Preventing Dew with the 8 Inch CPC Telescope

Dew forming on the lens of your telescope can quickly end an evening of observing. Once dew has formed, its very difficult to get rid of it. The answer is to prevent it from happening at all. Dew prevention can mean taking full advantage of those rare clear sky evenings or packing it in early.

There are two methods of preventing dew from forming. Dew Shields and Dew Heaters.

• Celestron Dew Shield - Simply wraps around the end of the telescopes optical tube, extending the tube out past the lens surface. This extra tube extension slows down the forming of dew substantially. It also blocks stray light from entering your telescope. In our opinion, a must have accessory.
• Dew Heater - A dew heater wraps around the aperture of the telescope near the optical surface, a small amount of heat is sent through this accessory making dew impossible to form. A dew heater must be powered by a dew controller to provide power. For more information, read our article on Dew Prevention here.