Another day, another telescope deal. As the Black Friday weekend rolls through into Cyber Monday, those big discounts aren’t showing any signs of letting up, and there are still plenty of excellent telescope bargains to be found.
One of the best is this Celestron NexStar 6SE 100mm f/10 GoTo telescope, reduced by an eye-watering $1,100 this Black Friday weekend thanks to B&H Photo Video. Originally $1,998, it can currently be yours for $899.
That’s an incredible saving of just over 55%, making this amongst the best telescope deals we’ve seen during the Black Friday sales.
In our review of the Celestron NexStar 6SE, we had a lot of positive things to say about it, summarizing it as “a great representation of Celestron’s iconic telescope range”. We praised its optical coatings, describing them to be “flawless” and providing beautiful, crystal clear views. We also love its tracking system, and its build quality is unrivalled.
It’s worth noting this isn’t the most portable GoTo telescope on the market, but if you’re fine with being more static, this is an incredible deal not to be missed.
The Celestron NexStar 6SE telescope features a Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system, which has a 1500mm focal length coupled with a f/10 focal ratio. Boasting Celestron’s StarBright XLT optical coating, you’re guaranteed to get beautifully clear visuals, making observing celestial objects an absolute joy.
The telescope itself is mounted to a stainless steel tripod, ensuring optimal sturdiness and rigidity, and the single-fork motorized alt-azimuth mount makes it a cinch to control.
One of our favorite things about the Celestron NexStar 6SE is the SkyAlign technology it uses to locate and align targets. Navigating the night sky has never been easier, especially since the software makes use of a database featuring more than 40,000 different targets.
Buy the Celestron NexStar 6SE and you’ll get a 25mm eyepiece that works with the optical system for 60x magnification, although extra eyepieces are available to buy separately for even better views of the universe.
Key Specs: Schmidt-Cassegrain optical design, 150mm/5.91″ aperture, focal length of 1499mm/59″, focal ratio of f/10, included eyepiece has a focal length of 25mm/60x, single-arm fork, alt-azimuth mount type, total kit weight of 21lbs/9.53kg.
Consensus: This is a seriously powerful telescope, great for beginners and experts alike, although its typically high price point makes it a little out of reach for newcomers. At this price, though, it’s worth considering for everyone: you won’t be disappointed with its quality, and its alignment technology is absolutely unrivalled.
Buy if: You’re looking for a seriously good GoTo scope and appreciate beautifully clear optics.
Don’t buy if: You’re an absolute beginner looking for a cheap first telescope, or are a purist not wanting a GoTo scope.
Alternative models: The Unistellar eQuinox 2 is up there amongst the best GoTo telescopes and is well worth your consideration. If you’ve got a tighter budget, give the Celestron NexStar 4SE a look: it uses the same SkyAlign software as the 6SE but comes in at a much lower price.
Check out our Black Friday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.