Celestron Edge HD 800 XLT Optical Tube 203 mm Ø 91030-XLT

The Edge HD 800 XLT Optical Tube Assembly is a fantastic instrument. I am currently using it for visual observations and have it mounted on the CG-4 mount which works fine for visual observations, the RA and Declination movements are smooth. At some point when I decide to start using the Fastar feature for astro photography I will definitely move up to a go to/tracking mount that is capable of handling the 14 pound load and is capable of the required tracking accuracy. The scope comes with a 9x50 finder scope and I added a red dot tracker to quickly move to naked eye visible objects, then use the finder scope for the harder objects to see. Since the celestron dual motor drive is on back order I have been using the Celestron single motor unit to drive the RA, and quite honestly as long as you do a decent polar alignment with the CG-4, it is really the only motor you need for good ole fashioned viewing. The only issue I have with Celestron is that for the 8 inch scope, the visual attachment comes already attached to the scope; therefore, they do not provide a dust cap to use in the case where you need to remove the visual attachment, like if you want to purchase their storage bag for the optical tube, you need to remove the visual attachment for it to fit in the bag. So I bought one that fits the threads from Agena Astro.

Obviously it's an amazing scope, which it should be at this price point. Celestron is still the one to beat in the cassegrain segment, so this is the one to have (if you don't want the bigger 925 or 11) the only downside is that upgrades are quite expensive too. Reducers, OAG, special mounting solutions for electronic focusers, etc. - And, I wish it came with a "normal" universal mounting solution for the guidescope or accessories. Instead it has a Celestron specific mounting thing, which works fine I'm sure, but it's not what most in the astrophotography world uses, and it's again another little bit you have to purchase.

Extremely satisfied with this scope

Although the telescope works fine and there are no complaints about the general quality. I found to my surprise that the finderscope bracket is broken.

I have an older 8" Celestron SCT and two 11" SCTs both previous models...one is a GPS 11" and the other a 11" tube that goes on my Astro Physics 900 GTO mount. I also 7obtained a 14" EdgeHD scope for use in an observatory I manage for Scouts in a scout camp in Michigan and have been impressed with the improvements of it compared to the older SCTs. I needed another 8" SCT for a lighter grab and go system (with an Ioptron MINI Tower Pro) to be used for my outreach programs in schools and for scouts and general public. I decided to get the 8" HD version. While the older ones were very good there have been a few areas of upgrades the HD model addresses. First is flatness of field. The corrector optic in the focuser tube does an amazing job of creating a very flat field that surpasses the performance of that other brands "Coma Free" design. While I was able to get my focusers on the older scopes tweaked to minimize image shift when focusing, the 14" was greatly improved and the new 8" has NO image shift. The cooling vents do make a bit of a difference but wish someone would come out with a powered fan to help in this area. I am happy that Celestron still has the Fastar/Hyperstar capability...I am a big fan of that feature. If you are an imager this is an excellent way to get images with short exposure times. It is also fantastic with a cooled astronomy specific video camera like my Stellacam III cooled or Malincam. I really like Celestrons new finder scope mount which is quick release so doesn't have to be left on the scope for traveling. I was pleased that it came with near perfect colimation out of the box...indicative of a solid secondary mounting system. Optical performance in my example is very good with identical inside/outside of focus images, good lens test results. I did some upgrades to the scope: I replaced the straight through finder scope with a 90 degree prism version I used my Astro PHysics 2" focuser adaptor on the scope instead of the normal visual back so I could use my 2" Astro Physics diagonal....this is always the one area that should be upgraded on most scopes out of the box. Get a good mirror diagonal and dump the cheap prism diagonal. Do this before you invest in any eyepieces beyond the stock one. Otherwise you are never going to see the quality the scope is capable of. One area you need to be aware of is the advertised list of equipment that comes with the scope...this version comes with the wider Losmandy dovetail which is what I use...but you can also get the scope with a vixen dovetail. The eyepiece mentioned in some of the ads is a 23mm 2" eyepiece...that is the one that comes on the 9 1/4", 11" and 14" scope but the 8" normally uses a 1 1/4" diagonal and eyepiece so is shipped with a 40mm Plossel. I knew this up front but some of the ads show and list the equpment included in the larger scopes. Besides the better diagonal, another mandatory addition is some sort of a dew shield. Without a dew shield your observing nights will be cut short once the corrector plate dews up.