Celestron’s premium smart telescope system, the Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory, has had a makeover, with a Mark II version that upgrades its original components.
The Mark I was unique in the world of smart telescopes thanks to its relatively large size and 6-inch optics, so we were curious to give the new version a try.
The Mark II still features a 6-inch Celestron Rowe–Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) optical tube – a long-time favourite with astrophotographers due to its ultra-fast f/2.2 optics and wide, flat field of view – along with an integrated camera, filter slot, dew heating and Go-To altazimuth mount.
What’s new is the Mark II’s camera, now upgraded from Sony’s IMX178 sensor to the IMX678 with Starvis 2 technology, a step up that suggested we could expect better sampling, sensitivity and resolution.
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Unboxing and setting up
The Origin certainly isn’t as compact as other smart scopes on the market, but the tube, mount and tripod can be easily disassembled without tools for simple transportation.
The instructions provided were clear and assembly was remarkably simple and quick.
Thanks to its fully automated setup, we were able to test the Origin Mark II as soon as the clouds parted.
In fact, from box to imaging took less than five minutes.
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The Origin app connected with the telescope seamlessly and operated every aspect of setting up and alignment.
The Origin Mark II also focuses autonomously and while we were a little surprised by the noise of the automatic focuser, this took very little time and the whole assembly worked quietly for the rest of the evening.
Using the Celestron Origin Mark II's Origin app
The Origin app is integrated with SkySafari and offers lots of information about objects and the best targets to image, as well as sky tours.
We quickly concluded that the Origin Mark II would make an ideal smart telescope for outreach, education and star parties, or just for those who wish to explore the night sky easily and with instant results.
This is made even better by the fast optics of the RASA, a light bucket that hoovers up photons, allowing faint targets to come alive on screen in record time.
We chose a few popular targets and the Origin Mark II slewed and framed them within a minute, then notified us it was ready for imaging.
We opted for recommended settings (10-second exposures) and the Mark II started stacking in real time.
With only a few frames captured and stacked, targets such as the Fireworks Galaxy and Dumbbell Nebula became perfectly recognisable on our phone screen.
Within an hour, we had images filled with detail.
Once we finished imaging our targets, the Origin app handled all the processing through its AI algorithms, including gradient removal and stretching, and produced aesthetically pleasing images.
We noted that the camera, although a step up from its predecessor, still underutilised the wide, flat-field RASA optics, especially given the very small sensor and the lack of a ‘mosaic mode’ to capture larger, popular targets such as the Pleiades or the Andromeda Galaxy.
While the app generally performed extremely well, it lacked other features that rival smart telescopes have started offering in recent years.
For instance, it’s not possible to pause imaging or to save and continue a project, which means that if the imaging is interrupted, it automatically ends the session.
Another drawback is the need to purchase a separate wedge for the altaz mount in order to get equatorial tracking and long exposures free from field rotation.
Over the following nights, we continued testing the Origin Mark II both under dark skies and from a bright city centre.
The in-built processing algorithms coped well with light pollution and gradients.
There’s a steep price tag for the Celestron Origin Mark II Intelligent Home Observatory, which means it could perhaps include more features rather than requiring expensive accessories.
However, the fantastic Origin platform, combined with the light-gathering ability of the RASA, is truly impressive, producing fantastic images that are hard to beat in the smart telescope market.
Optics, build and design
The exceptionally fast 6-inch RASA astrograph is the powerhouse of the Origin Mark II, with its f/2.2 focal ratio and 152mm of aperture.
A fantastic choice for a smart system, its fast optics almost instantaneously reward users with punchy images even through the default short 10-second exposures.
The in-built, automatically adjusted dew heating system worked very well on humid late autumn evenings and we had no issues with dew creeping in.
The optical tube doesn’t feature any handles apart from the dovetail bar; setting the tube onto the mount would be much easier with something to grab on to.
This is a trade-off for portability, though, and despite the size, the optical tube doesn’t feel too heavy.
The 6-inch RASA offers a flat field and illumination for sensors up to 22mm, so the small 8.86mm sensor of the in-built camera means this excellent optical design is not being used to its full potential.
Celestron Origin Mark II Intelligent Home Observatory best features
Altaz mount
The single-fork mount has an in-built lithium battery, sturdy metal tripod and slim metal spreader.
The mount has more plastic than we’re used to from larger Celestron setups, although we were happy to see lovely design details such as a handy carry handle on the side, a rubberised tray and a switch guard
to use during transportation.
Sony IMX678 colour camera
One major upgrade is that the Mark II Origin now uses Sony’s IMX678 colour sensor.
While the smaller pixels are a lovely match with the RASA optics, and the camera is a significant step up in sensitivity, it’s still essentially a capable planetary camera. We’d love to see a larger sensor with cooling in future iterations.
Integrated battery
Similar to Celestron’s Evolution models, Origin’s altazimuth mount comes with an integrated lithium battery, the status of which can be viewed in the Origin app.
Testing the setup several times over freezing winter nights, we tended to see about three hours of charge in near-zero temperatures.
Image processing
For those looking to collect deep-sky images without fuss, Origin offers automatic processing of final stacks using AI algorithms (which you can configure or opt out of).
It works quite well to even out background gradients in light pollution, tighten stars and bring out detail without over-stretching the image.
Origin app
The Origin is a fully app-driven system that we found easy and reliable.
Setting up is very quick and fully automated, and there were no dropped frames or tracking issues.
It’s incredibly intuitive to use, with an easy-to-navigate sky atlas and a list showing targets visible from your location.
Key specs
- Price: £3,999
- Optics: 6-inch Rowe–Ackermann Schmidt astrograph
- Aperture: 152mm, f/2.2
- Focal length: 335mm
- Sensor: Sony IMX678
- Mount: Single-fork altaz with tripod
- Power: Integrated lithium battery, mains
- Ports: USB, ethernet
- App control: Celestron Origin
- Extras: Lens cap, AC charger
- Weight: 18.8kg
- Supplier: Celestron
This review appeared in the March 2026 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine
