If you want the number one bestselling telescope, look no further — we present to you: The Celestron NexStar 8SE, now $310 off for Black Friday on Walmart.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are well and truly over but amazingly this fantastic deal on what we think is the best telescope you can buy is still almost 20% discounted.
Celestron claims it's the 'world's most beloved telescope' and we have to agree — we ranked it best overall in our best telescopes for seeing planets and best telescopes for deep space buying guides, and we also named it the best motorized scope in our best telescopes guide. It's a seriously impressive bit of kit, and now you can save $300 on it for Black Friday and seemingly beyond.
Prices of telescopes shot up in 2020 when people were stuck indoors and started taking up astronomy, so it's not the lowest price we've ever seen, but this deal is certainly cheaper than the price it has been over the past few years.
With a $300 saving, this Celestron NexStar 8SE Black Friday Walmart deal can be yours for $1299 (was $1599). It's universally loved by astronomers thanks to its legendary catadioptric performance and bright, sharp views across the entire frame, and we gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars in our full Celestron NexStar 8SE review. We've also found it for the same price on Adorama.
- Read our Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024 deals page for big discounts on space gifts
When we reviewed the Celestron NexStar 8SE, there wasn't anything we didn't like. It's suitable for users of all skill and experience levels, and we found it easy to set up and align (although alignment could be daunting for beginners), it was lightweight and compact enough to transport to dark sky sites to see deep-space objects, and it's not a chore to take it down and pack it away every time you aren't using it.
We think the GoTo would be great for beginners who don't have much knowledge of the night sky, as you can choose from the database of over 40,000 objects, such as stars, galaxies, nebulas and more. It would also suit astrophotographers who want to take long-exposure images to stack together to create mindblowing night sky images. The only slightly annoying thing is that it runs on 8 x AA batteries, so it might be wise to invest in some rechargeables.
This Celestron NexStar 8SE Black Friday deal at Walmart will give you everything you need to get started with astronomy, and it comes with a red dot finderscope and a 25mm eyepiece. If you're looking to further upgrade your telescope experience, you might want to invest in some of the best telescope eyepieces.
We also have guides for the best beginner telescopes, best telescopes for kids and best budget telescopes under $500 if the Celestron NexStar 8SE isn't quite right for you.
Key Specs: Schmidt-Cassegrain optical design, 8-inch (203.2mm) aperture, 80-inch (2032mm) focal length, f/10 focal ratio, 81x magnification, highest useful magnification of 180x, assembled weight 33 lbs, Computerized Altitude-Azimuth Single Fork Arm mount.
Consensus: This telescope will last for decades. Intermediate and advanced astronomers will enjoy the motorized functionality and beginners will love its easy setup. Astrophotographers will love it for deep sky astro, too.
Buy if: You can afford to — the price is the only thing that will price many users out.
Don't buy if: You're on a budget or you're buying for a child who isn't serious about astronomy.
Alternative models: There aren't many we can recommend as being 'better', but if you want more tech and have the budget, we love the Unistellar Equinox 2 smart telescope. If you're on a budget, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is a fantastic scope for anyone without much experience and we rated it the best overall budget scope under $500.
Check out our Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
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