Celestron NexStar Evolution 5 SCT Telescope

"5-star overall rating"
-BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Celestron’s signature telescopes reach a new level with NexStar Evolution 5, the first Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with integrated WiFi. Leave your hand control behind and slew to all the best celestial objects with a tap of your smartphone or tablet. Connect your device to NexStar Evolution’s built-in wireless network, and explore the universe with the Celestron mobile app for iOS and Android.

Use the planetarium interface to view the night sky in real time or display a list of celestial objects currently visible based on your time and location. Our proprietary SkyAlign alignment procedure is built right into the Celestron mobile app, so you’re ready to observe within minutes.

The most user-friendly telescope ever
Celestron engineers designed NexStar Evolution based on years of customer feedback. It offers many thoughtful design features that combine to provide you the best possible experience out under the stars.

Forget about batteries or an external power supply. For the first time ever on a consumer telescope, NexStar Evolution includes its own built-in battery. With this ultra-long life lithium-iron phosphate battery, you’ll be able to enjoy stargazing marathons up to 10 hours on a single charge. You can even use NexStar Evolution’s USB charge port to top off the other devices in your life that need to stay powered on during an observing session. An intelligent power management system senses when battery levels are low and goes into power-saving mode to keep your telescope running for as long as possible.

Setting up your NexStar Evolution is quick and painless with large, ergonomic handles. The all-metal tripod features a metal accessory tray with indentations for storing and carrying the tripod. During setup, leg etchings help you achieve a level, uniform height for your telescope. Manual clutches in both altitude and azimuth offer greater flexibility to manually point the telescope when powered off. Store up to 7 eyepieces in 2 accessory trays, one with an adjustable red LED illuminator.

Superior tracking fit for astroimaging
If you’re interested in astroimaging, the 5-inch NexStar Evolution is an excellent, affordable way to get started. It’s the only fork-mounted telescope in its price range that offers brass worm gears, along with improved motors. NexStar Evolution’s tracking accuracy is so impressive, you can capture images of deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula by simply attaching your DSLR camera. As you progress in the hobby of astroimaging, you can add our HD Pro Wedge to achieve longer exposures for more detailed astrophotos. NexStar Evolution compatible with the wedge when used with the CPC tripod (sold separately).

Of course, the Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system offers bright, sharp views with StarBright XLT optical coatings—a great choice for visual observers and budding astroimagers alike.

NexStar Evolution is equipped with 4 auxiliary ports--2 on top of the fork and 2 on the bottom. A classic NexStar+ hand control is included, but is not necessary when using NexStar Evolution with the mobile app. The telescope also includes a StarPointer finderscope, two 1.25” Plossl eyepieces, a 1.25” star diagonal, and an AC adapter.

GENERAL DETAILS:

Explore the Universe and control your NexStar Evolution telescope with the free Celestron SkyPortal app for iOS and Android!
Compact, portable 5-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube with StarBright XLT optical coatings
Computerized GoTo mount with high-performance worm gears and motors for improved tracking accuracy, along with reduced gear backlash
Rechargeable internal lithium-iron battery with enough power for 10 hours of continuous observing.
Improved industrial design with manual clutches and integrated carry handles, plus the added convenience of two accessory trays and a USB charge port for your smart device
SPECIFICATIONS

Optical Tube Info:
Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
Aperture: 125mm (5")
Focal Length:1250mm (49")
Focal Ratio: f/10
Focal Length of Eyepiece 1: 40mm (1.57")
Magnification of Eyepiece 1: 31x
Focal Length of Eyepiece 2: 13mm (.51")
Magnification of Eyepiece 2: 96x
Finderscope: StarPointer Red Dot Finderscope
Star Diagonal: 90° Prism - 1.25"
Optical Tube: Aluminum
Highest Useful Magnification: 295x
Lowest Useful Magnification: 18x
Limiting Stellar Magnitude: 13
Resolution (Rayleigh): 1.11 arc seconds
Resolution (Dawes): 0.93 arc seconds
Light Gathering Power (Compared to human eye): 329x
Secondary Mirror Obstruction: 51mm (2")
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Diameter: 40%
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area: 17%
Optical Coatings: StarBright XLT
Optical Tube Length: 330mm (13")
Optical Tube Diameter: 152mm (6")
Optical Tube Weight: 10 lbs (4.54 kg)
Dovetail: Vixen/CG-5 Dovetail bar
Mount Info:
Mount Type: Computerized Altitude-Azimuth Single Fork Arm
Instrument load capacity: 25 lbs (11 kg)
Height adjustment range (includes mount and tripod): 1193.8mm - 1752.6mm (47" – 69")
Tripod Leg Diameter: 31.75mm (1.25") Stainless Steel
Mount Head Weight: 16 lbs (7 kg)
Accessory Tray: Yes
Tripod Weight: 22 lbs (10 kg)
Slew Speeds: 9 slew speeds - max speed 4°/second
Tracking Rates: Sidereal, Solar and Lunar
Tracking Modes: Alt-Az, EQ North and EQ South
GPS: N/A
Dovetail Compatibility: Vixen/CG-5 saddle plate
Number of Auxiliary ports: 4 Aux ports (Hand Control can use any of the Aux ports)
Autoguide port: No
USB Port : Yes, Hand Control input and Mount output
Power Requirements: Internal 9 6V, 4 5Ah lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO4)
Motor Drive: DC servo motors
Alignment Procedures: SkyAlign, 1-Star Align, 2-Star Align, Auto 2-Star Align, Solar System Align, Quick-Align, Last Alignment, EQ North / EQ South Alignment (EQ align requires an equatorial wedge)
Periodic Error Correction: No
Computerized Hand Control: 2 line x 18 character backlit Liquid Crystal Display, 19 LED backlit buttons, USB 2.0 port for PC connection
NexStar+ Database: Over 120,000 including 220 of the best deep sky and solar system objects
Software: Celestron's Starry Night Special Edition Software, SkyPortal App
Total Kit Weight: 48 lbs (21.77 kg)
Included Items: NexStar Evolution OTA / Single Fork Arm Mount & Tripod / Accessory Tray / Built-in Wifi / Integrated Lithium-iron battery / NexStar+ Hand Control / 40mm & 13mm eyepiece / Red dot finderscope / Visual Back / Star Diagonal / 4 plug AC adapter

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

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