CN FORUMS ARCHIVE Telescope Reviews: Nexstar 4 SE - Your Opinions, Suggestion, Alts.

First Impressions - Brief Report:

The NexStar 4 SE is very quick and simple to assemble, I can't see anyone having trouble putting it together. The retro tube colouring is not the bright orange that it appears to be in pictures. In fact it's a kind of dark metallic burnt copper type colour. Nice. It looks even cooler than the pics.

I'm very impressed with the build quality of the whole rig. But obviously I can't assess how the motors and electronics will stand up to the test of time yet. Everything seems to have been manufactured to a very high standard. I get a feeling of quality from all of it. I imagine the only problems I may have will be due to user error!

Since I got the 4SE the sky has been solid cloud... The last time this happened was ages ago... So, I have not been able to align the mount. I have familiarised myself with different alignment methods the telescope offers and I'm confident I won't have any problem setting it up both as an alt-azimuth and an equatorial when the skies clear.

During brief breaks in the cloud I have been able to observe the moon through the 4SE. With the stock 4SE 25mm eyepiece you can see the whole moon with a small border of sky all around it.

The moon looks stunning! My polarising filter hasn't turned up yet so I had to use sunglasses! The view through the 4SE is amazingly good. Razor sharp definition and contrast. No visible colour aberrations or distortions at all. I'm really liking this Maksutov-Cassegrain design, I can't wait to check out the other objects it excels at optically.

This Mak design also means the only maintenance required is cleaning. No collimation has got to be a very nice feature for a hassle free scope. And I can rest happy that my optics are always in "perfect" alignment.

Bearing in mind that I'm still on the honeymoon period and have not tested the 4SE to anywhere near its max capability, I kinda feel that calling this scope a "beginners scope" seems to do it an injustice. -- I'm sure many experienced astronomers would find this scope very worthwhile and a pleasure to use. -- However, saying that, I think you'd be very hard pushed to find a "beginners scope" that beats the 4SE. It's the kind of scope that would really intensify a novices interest in astronomy, not kill it.

I also can't wait to start doing some astrophotography. I've got my remote control setup sorted out and I'm just waiting for the cam adapter to arrive. Hopefully it will be today.

Late last night the sky turned very clear. It was too late to setup but with the naked eye Mars was very bright. I was gagging to use the scope. Checking the satellite weather data today this weekend is potentially looking good for observing. I will report back fully when I have got in some decent observing sessions and can make a proper assessment. Here's hoping for clear skies...