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Outside Magazine, August 2007

Covet
Celestron NexStar 5 SE
A portable telescope

By Will Palmer

NexStar 5 SE
(Michael Heiko)

Headed to dark-sky country? Pack this 18-pound computerized telescope; it takes up less trunk space than a case of beer. Employing Schmidt-Cassegrain optics, the 5 SE is a pro-quality instrument designed for amateur budgets. The scope is preprogrammed with coordinates for nearly 40,000 celestial bodies, and the handheld control displays names and short descriptions of target objects. Simply point the machine at any three bright stars to calibrate it, then punch in, say, "Jupiter." The 5 SE scans the sky and—bang—you've got the Galilean moons in your sights. Shorten setup time with the optional CN-16 GPS accessory ($299), which does the lat/long calculations for you. Either way, it beats sitting in your camp chair pointing at the Big Dipper and... whatever you call that one over there. $799; celestron.com






WILL PALMER is Outside's copy chief.

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