Celestron Nexstar 8 GPS For Sale
8" Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope + Accessories • $1,750.00 plus shipping • Contact
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The Nexstar 8 GPS is an 8" (f/10) Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (200mm diameter primary mirror, 2000mm focal length) with a carbon fiber optical tube on a computerized Go-To Alt/Az fork mount. It has standard Starbright coating (it was purchased before Celestron offered XLT coatings), and includes the following accessories:
- Celestron 1.25" Mirror Diagonal
- Celestron 1.25" Visual Back
- Celestron 9x50 Finder Scope
- Celestron Nexstar 40mm Plossl Eyepiece
- Celestron Heavy-Duty Tripod
- JMI NGF-S 2" Crayford Focuser w/1.25" Adapter (T-Threaded)
- Losmandy SCT Counterweight System w/2.5 lb. Weight
- Thousand Oaks Solar Filter (Glass Type 2)
- AstroZap Metal Dew Shield
- Custom Piggyback Accessory Rail
The Tele Vue TV-85, Telrad and camera shown in the photos are not included; they are shown for illustrative purposes only.
This scope was purchased new from Astronomics in Norman, OK in 2002. It has been used a few dozen times and has always been covered or kept in a case when not in use, and always been stored in the house. It is Fastar-compatible, which means the secondary can be removed and replaced with an optional lens/adapter to transform the scope from it's standard f10 focal ratio into a super fast f1.95 imaging platform. I've never used this feature, and the Fastar adapter is not part of this package, but it is worth mentioning. I have never cleaned the optics with anything other than a bulb-style air blower and fine camel hair brush (I am of the firm belief that dust specks and small spots will never degrade the view, but over-cleaning always risks scratching the optics, so it's best to just leave well enough alone unless the scope is covered in filth). The hand controller has been upgraded to version 1.6 firmware, the motor control to version 40.40; it is the original NexStar "north and level" firmware, not the newer SkyAlign which requires a new hand controller (a $75 upgrade last I checked). The GPS Align mode has always worked well for me, placing objects in the center of the field and and keeping them there for hours, so I decided not to do the SkyAlign HC upgrade.
The JMI NGF-S focuser was added when I was dabbling in astrophotogrphy because it allows more precise fine-focusing than does the standard focuser. I use it for visual observing, too. as it also remedies the image shift that is present in all SCT-type scopes. I added the 1.25" adapter which is T-threaded to allow attaching a camera to directly to the focuser draw tube, although I never did try that (I used a ScopeTronix MaxView DSLR adapter for eyepiece projection photography instead).
The accessory rail was custom built to my specifications by AFA Engineering in Pittsburgh to allow me to piggyback my Tele Vue TV-85 refractor. It is beautifully fabricated from polished 1/2" 6061-T6 aluminum; photos can not do it justice! Seven holes for a standard Tele Vue clamshell mount are spaced along the length of the rail yielding six possible positions for mounting a scope. In addition, four more threaded mounting holes were drilled - two (one each at the front and rear) for mounting a camera with a standard 1/4”-20 thread photo tripod mounting bolt, and another two for mounting a Telrad, when my TV-85 was not in use. The front and rear radius blocks were made tall enough to hold the rail high enough to allow for my hands to get underneath to attach and tighten the TV-85's two mounting nuts easily - approx. 1-3/4" clearance between the Celestron's optical tube and the underside of the rail. Fine adjustment set screws at the front and rear of the rail allow alignment. There is plenty of room on the top rail to drill more holes to use with other accessories like mounting rings, laser pointers, etc.
The Thousand Oaks solar filter passes yellow light and is very good for observing and photographing sunspots (see my solar photos).
The counterweight system was added to help balance the scope with heavy eyepieces, cameras and accessories. It comes with a single 2.5 lb. weight; additional weights can be purchased (2.5 lb and 5.0 lb weights are available from Astronomics).
Everything in this system is clean and well cared for. I have the original cartons for everything except the tripod and the focuser, as well as all documentation and manuals. I well have over $3,100.00 invested in this system; my asking price is $1,750.00. I plan to use the proceeds from the sale of this scope to help finance either another SCT system or a 4"-6" refractor, in case anyone is wondering why I'm selling it. Local pickup in Northern New Jersey preferred, but I can ship by UPS at buyer's expense. I would also consider driving a reasonable distance to meet half-way.
Contact me for more information.
©2006 Paul Lannuier • All Rights Reserved