The Origin captures multiple hues of the hydrogen gas and dust within the emission nebula M8, also known as the Lagoon Nebula. Credit: All images by Phil Harrington unless otherwise noted
I’m in love.
I don’t often begin a review by saying that a product has wooed me, but the Celestron Origin Home Observatory has done just that.
Not that I’m surprised. Since it first introduced the venerable C8 Schmidt-Cassegrain in 1970, Celestron has established itself as a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge telescopes and accessories for amateur astronomers. That tradition continues with the new state-of-the-art Celestron Origin Home Observatory. It comes complete with everything you’ll need to begin viewing and imaging the universe on the first clear night.
Anatomy
The Origin’s heart is a 6-inch Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) optical system optimized for wide-field astrophotography. It combines a Schmidt corrector plate with a Rowe-Ackermann lens group to create a fast f/2.2 system that produces sharp, clear images across the field. An integrated digital imager in front of the corrector records the light gathered by the RASA’s optics and connects it to smartphones, tablets, and other compatible devices, so that users can see and photograph celestial objects on a screen. Like other smart telescopes, there is no eyepiece to look through.
The telescope’s optics feature Celestron’s StarBright XLT coatings, which enhance the light transmission and contrast. Additionally, the Origin includes a removable dew shield and an integrated heating ring that turns on automatically when needed to prevent moisture from lowering image quality, a common issue in humid or cold conditions. The shield also helps to minimize local light pollution infiltrating into the optical path.
The Origin incorporates Sony’s STARVIS IMX178 color CMOS sensor. This back-illuminated sensor is well-known for its high sensitivity, low noise, and fast readout speeds — ideal for astrophotography. The 2.4-micrometer pixels produce detailed, high-resolution images, capturing more light in shorter exposure times than many other sensors.
A built-in 97.9-watt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) rechargeable battery provides the Origin with power. The battery’s charge provides more than six hours of operation on a single charge. The Origin can also be plugged into an external power source for extended observing sessions.
Star clusters and galaxies don’t require filters to be recorded successfully, but narrowband emission objects, like emission and planetary nebulae, benefit greatly, especially in light-polluted areas. To switch targets without losing quality, Celestron incorporated a filter drawer cleverly built into the support holding the imager in place. It accepts all standard 1¼” and 2″ astronomical filters, which lets users experiment with any they may already own. Additionally, Celestron offers a specialized nebula filter for the Origin (sold separately).
Celestron works hard, you play harder
To prove that the Origin lives up to its promises, I put one through its paces this past summer.
Everything arrived triple-boxed directly from Celestron’s headquarters in Torrance, California. The printed, well-illustrated instructions made assembling the scope, mount, and tripod a snap. I was finished in about 20 minutes even without tools.
I greatly appreciated the tool-free design each time I brought the Origin outside. Fully assembled, the Origin weighs 41.6 pounds (18.6 kilograms), so most users will find it best to take it apart in two or three pieces to move around and set up. The optical tube assembly weighs 10.6 pounds (4.8 kg) and the one-armed mount weighs 17 pounds (7.7 kg), while the tripod weighs 14 pounds (6.4 kg). I found it easiest to set up the tripod and then bring out the telescope and mount combination together. Built-in handles on the mount made it trouble-free to carry both. Understanding the challenge of setting up a telescope in the dark, Celestron added a centering pin and cast-in indentations on the top of the tripod to mate them together effortlessly by feel.
The telescope is controlled via the Celestron Origin app, available for both iOS (16 and higher) and Android (12 and higher) devices. The app was codeveloped by Simulation Curriculum and designed to allow users to select celestial objects for viewing or imaging by simply tapping on the screen. It also supports live-casting of images to a smartphone, tablet, or a smart TV or projector, allowing you to share the observing experience with others in real time.
Piloting the Origin is a fully computerized go-to alt-azimuth mount that autonomously aligns, focuses, and tracks targets. After setting up the telescope and flipping the switch, the user needs only to click “Initialize” on the Origin’s app to activate Celestron’s StarSense sky-recognition technology. Using Origin’s CMOS sensor, StarSense plate-solves the scope’s aim by comparing the images with an internal star database to identify the exact R.A. and Dec. needed for that perfect final image.
I found the Origin app to be comprehensive and user-friendly. It features a celestial database with more than 120,000 objects, including stars, planets, and deep-sky objects. It shows a real-time star atlas of the visible sky, detailed object information, and stargazing tips. Objects can also be selected either by using the “Tonight” feature (showing a selection of objects currently visible), browsing categories, searching by name or catalog number, or using the virtual, interactive sky chart in the app’s Planetarium View. Once an object is chosen, the app automatically aims the telescope toward the quarry. StarSense’s auto-alignment worked perfectly for each observing session, and the drive’s brass gearing delivered smooth tracking.
When the power switch is flipped on, a red circular light on the back of the telescope will gradually glow brighter; it should turn off after no more than 30 seconds. However, this is more than just a decorative feature; it is designed to inform you of the status of the instrument. For instance, a solid ring means that Origin has established a connection with the mobile app and is awaiting your next command. If it fills in a clockwise direction, that means an exposure is occurring, and so on.
The initiation process also autofocuses images, although I found that I had to tweak the focus on a few occasions. But once it was set, the focus stayed sharp throughout each session.
Another feature I really came to appreciate was the ability to schedule observations. The Origin can be set to capture images of selected celestial objects at predetermined times over the course of a night. This let me formulate an entire observing session the afternoon before, allowing the most efficient use of the telescope’s time that night. By dawn the next morning, the Origin had produced an impressive set of images that were waiting to be viewed.
Target acquired
After I finished setting the Origin up, I chose my first target: M13, the Hercules Cluster. Within seconds, the telescope slewed to M13, centered it perfectly, and began to accumulate its photons. As it did, the globular’s image, with its myriad pinpoint stars, blossomed on my tablet’s screen. The end result was striking and required no processing!
That same evening, I programmed the Origin to image six more Messier globulars. Each cluster was resolved into countless points of light, some with prominent colors. The image of M4 was especially striking. The Origin managed to reveal the cluster’s signature central “star bar” cutting across the core; this unusual feature often goes unseen in photos due to overexposure.
The next clear night, I popped in Celestron’s Nebula Filter — specifically for the Origin — and set out in search of planetary nebulae. The resulting shots of the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) and the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), were especially breathtaking. In both cases, the central stars were easily visible, wrapped in swirling, vibrantly colorful clouds.
I was amazed by the Origin’s real-time image-processing capability regardless of the type of object viewed. Using AI-powered algorithms, the telescope can shoot, stack, and display images in real time, allowing users to view and share celestial observations almost instantly. This feature is especially valuable for those new to astrophotography, as it flattens the steep learning curve of manual image-stacking and processing. Images can be saved wirelessly to your device or downloaded to your computer using the telescope’s USB port. They can also be further processed using third-party programs, if desired.
The Celestron Origin is a revolutionary product that brings the wonders of the universe closer to home, making stargazing and imaging more accessible and enjoyable than ever before. Whether you’re looking to capture stunning images of deep-sky objects or simply share the experience of stargazing with friends and family, the Celestron Origin delivers on its promise of a high-tech, intelligent home observatory. Make no mistake, it’s not cheap. But then again, it’s not just another smart telescope. The Celestron Origin Home Observatory is a genius.
