Celestron
Encyclopedia
Celestron is a company that manufactures and imports telescope
s, binoculars
, spotting scope
s, microscope
s, and accessories for their products.
for his two sons. By 1964 he had founded "Celestron Pacific" as a division of Valor Electronics offering Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
s from 4" to 22". In 1970 Celestron introduced its "C8" 8" diameter 2032 mm focal length, ƒ10 telescope, the first of a new line of telescopes built using methods developed by Celestron to produce Schmidt-Cassegrains at a high volume and low cost. These models made significant inroads into the amateur astronomical
and educational communities. Celestron was acquired by Tasco
in 1997 and almost went out of business when Tasco folded in 2001.
In early 2003 Celestron's rival, Meade Instruments, attempted a takeover but a bankruptcy court allowed the sale of the company back to its original owners. The company had been U.S.
owned until April 2005 when it was acquired by SW Technology Corporation, a Delaware
company and affiliate of Synta Technology Corporation in Taiwan
. Synta is a manufacturer of astronomy equipment and related components.
, has been a popular large aperture, compact design.
Telescopes include the CGE, CGEM, CPC, NexStar, Omni, Onyx, AstroMaster, Ambassador, TravelScope, and PowerSeeker product lines. These range from large computerized reflectors with GPS to decorative/casual viewing telescopes with brass tube refractors on wood mounts.
Celestron products (as of 2010) include:
Celestron telescopes offer the option to use computerized location of astronomical objects as well as mounts that will aim themselves at any given object, a technology known as GoTo. Most of the computerized models can be connected to an external computer via an RS-232
cable, allowing them to be controlled by a third-party astronomy program or connected to a GPS receiver. GPS receivers are useful for programming the telescope with its precise location and time, which allows the telescope to point more accurately.
Some motorized telescopes sold during the mid 80s to early 90s, including the Celestron Compustar(r) which used a form of GoTo technology, were not programmed to allow for dates after 2000; making some Celestron products susceptible to the Y2K bug. However, a third party chip to update the computer is available for some products.
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s, binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
, spotting scope
Spotting scope
A spotting scope is a small portable telescope with added optics to present an erect image, optimized for the observation of terrestrial objects...
s, microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
s, and accessories for their products.
Origins and History
Celestron started out in the 1950s as Valor Electronics, an electronics firm founded by Tom Johnson. Johnson became involved with telescopes when he built a 6" reflecting telescopeReflecting telescope
A reflecting telescope is an optical telescope which uses a single or combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century as an alternative to the refracting telescope which, at that time, was a design that suffered from...
for his two sons. By 1964 he had founded "Celestron Pacific" as a division of Valor Electronics offering Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
The Schmidt–Cassegrain is a catadioptric telescope that combines a cassegrain reflector's optical path with a Schmidt corrector plate to make a compact astronomical instrument that uses simple spherical surfaces.-Invention and design:...
s from 4" to 22". In 1970 Celestron introduced its "C8" 8" diameter 2032 mm focal length, ƒ10 telescope, the first of a new line of telescopes built using methods developed by Celestron to produce Schmidt-Cassegrains at a high volume and low cost. These models made significant inroads into the amateur astronomical
Amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
and educational communities. Celestron was acquired by Tasco
Tasco
Tasco is one of the major international distributors of telescopes. The company's products mainly target telescope buyers that are amateur astronomers, but has grown to manufacture a large assortment of optical equipment, including terrestrial spotting scopes, microscopes, binoculars, telescopic...
in 1997 and almost went out of business when Tasco folded in 2001.
In early 2003 Celestron's rival, Meade Instruments, attempted a takeover but a bankruptcy court allowed the sale of the company back to its original owners. The company had been U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
owned until April 2005 when it was acquired by SW Technology Corporation, a Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
company and affiliate of Synta Technology Corporation in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Synta is a manufacturer of astronomy equipment and related components.
Products
Celestron was the first large scale commercial manufacturer of the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, introducing its "C8" 8" diameter 2032 mm focal length, ƒ10 telescope in the mid-1960s. The telescope, with its trademark matte orange tube (changed to glossy black in 1980, and back to semi-gloss orange in 2006), and double-fork equatorial mountEquatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that follows the rotation of the sky by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras...
, has been a popular large aperture, compact design.
Telescopes include the CGE, CGEM, CPC, NexStar, Omni, Onyx, AstroMaster, Ambassador, TravelScope, and PowerSeeker product lines. These range from large computerized reflectors with GPS to decorative/casual viewing telescopes with brass tube refractors on wood mounts.
Celestron products (as of 2010) include:
- 5", 6", 8", 9.25", 11", and 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes (the number denoting the apertureApertureIn optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...
) on German equatorial mounts (all) or fork mounts (C8, C9.25, C11), with most benefiting from GoToGoTo (telescopes)In amateur astronomy, "GoTo" refers to a type of telescope mount and related software which can automatically point a telescope to astronomical objects that the user selects...
control. - A range of 8", 9.25", 11", and 14" modified Schmidt-Cassegrains with a more advanced optical design
- A range of 2.4 to 6 inches (152.4 mm) refractor telescopes.
- 6 to 10 inches (254 mm) traditional reflector telescopes on German equatorial mounts.
- SkyScoutSkyScoutThe SkyScout is an electronic astronomical instrument made by Celestron. It is intended primarily as an educational device to help users locate and identify celestial objects.-Device Description:...
, similar to the Meade mySky product - an astronomical sky finder. - Digital, Biological, and Stereo viewing microscopes
- Binoculars and Spotting scopes
- Various mounts
- Numerous eyepieceEyepieceAn eyepiece, or ocular lens, is a type of lens that is attached to a variety of optical devices such as telescopes and microscopes. It is so named because it is usually the lens that is closest to the eye when someone looks through the device. The objective lens or mirror collects light and brings...
lines, including both simple Plossl and complex wide-field designs, as well as barlows.
Celestron telescopes offer the option to use computerized location of astronomical objects as well as mounts that will aim themselves at any given object, a technology known as GoTo. Most of the computerized models can be connected to an external computer via an RS-232
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
cable, allowing them to be controlled by a third-party astronomy program or connected to a GPS receiver. GPS receivers are useful for programming the telescope with its precise location and time, which allows the telescope to point more accurately.
Some motorized telescopes sold during the mid 80s to early 90s, including the Celestron Compustar(r) which used a form of GoTo technology, were not programmed to allow for dates after 2000; making some Celestron products susceptible to the Y2K bug. However, a third party chip to update the computer is available for some products.