Photograph stars and galaxies from your backyard in minutes, and save $200 simultaneously
Not so long ago, the idea of having a successful home observatory in your own backyard seemed impossible, but now it is. You can see the depths of the cosmos from the comfort of your home. And you don’t need any special knowledge of sky observation to do it. The Celestron Origin Home Observatory makes it easy to capture stunning images of deep space that you can quickly share with friends and family. We guarantee they will be impressed. We have no doubt that $3,799 is still a lot of money to spend. But if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford one, $200 off is $200 off.
The Celestron Origin Home Observatory is on sale for Cyber Monday at B&H Photo for $3,799.
Brett Tingley
Editor-in-chief of Space, who also covers news, reviews and more for the site. His work has been published on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, History Channel, Science Discovery and he is also an avid sky observer.
Picture 1 of 4
The Celestron Origin Home Observatory isn’t just a telescope, it’s a shortcut to deep space. Yes, it’s a big investment, but for nebula hunters and astronomy enthusiasts who aren’t yet very familiar with the night sky or astrophotography (and those who are), this smart telescope will provide entertainment for years.
In the box you get the telescope tube, tripod, accessory tray, and a built-in bubble level. There is no carrying bag, but the stand has handles, making it quite easy to transport.
And the performances? In our hands-on review, Brett Tingley praised the accuracy of the tracking, ensuring stars appear razor-sharp, and pointed out that deep space objects appear colorful even without a filter. Ease of use was a consistent theme throughout Bret’s review, saying “The Origin makes it almost impossibly easy to take photos of the night sky.”
This is truly a smart telescope for deep sky imaging; it doesn’t handle our neighboring planets or objects in our own solar system as well.
Main features: 152mm mirror diameter, 335mm focal length, 6.4 MP image resolution, 1.27 × 0.85 degree field of view, motorized alt-azimuth mount, 6 hour battery, and 41.6 lb (18.6 kg) weight.
Product launched: 2024
Price history: $3,799 is the cheapest price we’ve seen for the Celestron Origin to date. It launched at $3,999, but Celestron appears to have increased the normal MSRP to $4,299.
Price comparison: Photo BH: $3,799 | Walmart: $3999 | Celestron: 4299$
Consensus of opinions: In our Celestron Origin review, we gave this smart telescope four and a half stars. It is more suited to deep space photography and will not appeal to purists. But for capturing deep space photos, it will give you amazing results.
Science Live: ★★★★½ | Space: ★★★★½
Featured in the guides: Best smart telescopes
✅ Buy it if: You can afford it and want to take high-quality photos of nebulae, galaxies, and other objects in deep space without having to do all the work and research up front.
❌ Do not buy it if: Do you prefer a traditional approach to sky observing or want to take photos of our own solar system? To do this, take a look at the other telescopes in our guide to the best telescopes.
Check out our other guides on best fitness trackers, budget fitness trackers, smart rings, sleep trackers and much more.
