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Celestron C8 Telescope Specs

Celestron's C8 series is a long-standing telescope model that dates back to its introduction in 1970. Adaptable to a variety of mounts, it has become standard equipment for amateur astronomers who have restricted space and viewing conditions, but still want the power of a larger light-gathering aperture. The C8 is a Schmidt-Cassegrain design which uses both mirrors and a lens corrector plate to combine a large, 8-inch aperture into a compact, portable unit. These are high-end, all-purpose telescopes suitable for lunar, planetary, deep space and terrestrial use.

Optics And Resolution
- The C8's aperture dimension is 230 mm and the focal length is 2032 mm. The focal ratio is f/10. A 25 mm eyepiece is standard, providing an 80 x magnification power. Highest useful magnification of the C8 is 480 x; the lowest useful magnification is 28 x. A 6 x 30 mm finder scope is mounted on the tube.
Resolution and Field of View
- The minimum resolvable detail of the C8 is 0.69 arcsec by Rayleigh criteria. Its light gathering power is rated at 843 x. The angular field of view is 0.64 degrees and linear field of view is 34 feet at 1000 yards.
Mount
- The C8-SGT includes a computerized equatorial mount with a single 11-pound counterweight and a motor drive with twin DC servo motors. A hand unit with LCD screen operates the controller. Available tracking rates are sidereal, solar and lunar. The operating software includes a location database of over 40,000 astronomical objects.The tripod has 2-inch thick stainless steel legs.
Dimensions
- The optical tube length of the C8 is 17 inches. The entire unit, including mount and tripod, weighs 54.5 pounds.

Astronomy