After 3 months use here's my review of the Celestron Origin Smart Telescope

12 February 2025Following on from my earlier reviews, after 3 months using the Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory Telescope here are my thoughts, detailed findings and perhaps some additional useful information for other users or those considering purchasing the Origin. Reviewer:  Owner of an Origin since November 2024. Very much an amateur astronomer with a desire to combine my interest in the universe with my interest in photography and computers.Why the Origin: Wished to extend my exploration of the universe to deeper space and at the same time overcome my physical limitations of age, limited ability to stand in one place for a time and focussing via a conventional eyepiece.  A move to a smart telescope seemed to be the ideal solution with the Origin ticking all my needs.Overall Rating: Excellent and for me most definitely the right decision. See below for the evidence but do remember that all I have written is about what I need and what I have experienced with my Origin and others may have different experiences although I would be surprised if they were not mainly positive. Yes, it is very expensive at just on £4000 but if you consider what it has as standard and what it achieves then one can see how it gets towards that price.  Just cost out the accessories you may have to add to a normal telescope e.g. Wi-Fi, dew heater, auto align, solar camera etc.  Perhaps an offer of 0% monthly payments may be helpful to overcome the need to find such a large sum.Packaging: Delivery was met with excitement especially having waited just on 12 months from time of interest to receipt. It was a big box or rather a big box with many other boxes therein.  (one box was a dummy so don’t think you have lost something). It was very well packed and indeed I reckon it took longer to open everything than getting it set up and working.Set up: This was very straightforward andsimple. (do read the instructions first or watch one of the many very good you tubes dealing with unpackaging and set up). Just remember that the scope tube contains all the important bits so be careful when securing to the origin mount.  Quality of build:  Overall very good build. I have always believed that products with a bit of weight in them are normally good quality. The Scope tube and origin mount have weight but not to the point that they are difficult to transport.   The beauty of them is that they have built in handles which mean even at my age I can lift them together with the mini…