Celestron Origin Mark II Intelligent Home Observatory

Celestron Origin Mark II Intelligent Home Observatory Summary

Celestron Origin Mark II stands at the forefront of a new era in amateur astronomy, blending stargazing and astrophotography into a single, user-friendly experience. This intelligent, all-in-one home observatory takes the complexity out of traditional telescopes, transforming your backyard into a gateway to the cosmos. Packed with cutting-edge technology, Celestron Origin Mark II captures the beauty of celestial objects and brings them to life on your phone or tablet.

Celestron engineers drew on their decades of expertise while designing every detail, from Origin’s patented optical technology to its intuitive companion app. The result is a revolutionary new system that builds on Celestron’s legacy and makes astronomy more accessible, exciting, and fun than ever before.

RASA Optical Technology: Unleashing the Power of Light

At the heart of Celestron Origin Mark II lies the patented Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA)—a landmark advancement in optics. In the RASA design, the imaging sensor lies at the front of the telescope tube, not the back, creating an ultra-fast f/2.2 system with an extraordinarily wide field of view while providing sharp images to the edge. Since it launched in 2014, RASA technology has become the go-to choice for space surveillance and satellite tracking. National defense contractors, professional research astronomers, and governments trust RASA to detect tiny pieces of debris and space junk, keeping our vital communications satellites safe in orbit. For Origin, Celestron’s optical engineers developed a brand-new 6” RASA with all the same capabilities of an observatory-grade instrument in a grab-and-go package.

Thanks to RASA, Celestron Origin Mark II is in a class of its own, far outperforming other telescope designs. RASA simply delivers more photons in less time than a smaller and slower Newtonian reflector, refractor, or other entry-level telescope tube. RASA’s unique combination of speed, aperture, and performance ensures unparalleled image detail, even during short exposure times.

Now Equipped with the Celestron Origin 678C Camera

Celestron Origin Mark II now comes equipped with the Origin 678C Camera—a next-generation upgrade featuring Sony’s latest Starvis 2 CMOS technology. With 8.4 megapixels, ultra-fine 2.0 μm² pixels, and a modern 16:9 aspect ratio, this advanced sensor delivers higher resolution and increased sensitivity.

Precision-matched to Origin’s fast f/2.2 RASA optics, the 678C Camera captures fine structure in galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. Whether you're new to astrophotography or an experienced imager, you’ll enjoy clean, crisp results—ready to stack, share, or admire on your device in near-real time.

Note: Owners of the first-generation Celestron Origin (#12099) with the original Sony IMX178 color CMOS sensor can now upgrade to the new Celestron Origin 678C Camera for enhanced imaging performance.
U.S. customers: You may purchase the 678C Camera on this page for self-installation or choose our Premium Installation Service to have Celestron technicians perform the upgrade and recalibration.
Customers in Canada or Mexico:  Please complete the Camera Request form to purchase the camera for self-installation or choose our Premium Installation Service to have Celestron technicians perform the upgrade and recalibration. 

Turning Every Backyard Observer into an Astroimager

Celestron Origin Mark II introduces a paradigm shift in astrophotography with its built-in AI algorithms. As the telescope captures data, these intelligent algorithms automatically process every frame in real time. It’s important to note that the AI imaging processing in the Origin app is not generative AI. It does not colorize or add to your image data in any way. It simply sharpens and enhances your images using the same processing techniques an advanced astroimager would use.

The images you create with Celestron Origin Mark II are 100 percent your own data, optimized to look its best. The technology works in real-time on your live-stacked images and is also applied to the final stacked master. The result is a breathtaking display of celestial objects, rich with color and detail beyond what the human eye could perceive in an eyepiece. And you can always adjust the images yourself using the manual controls. Thanks to the Celestron Origin Mark II, astroimaging is now accessible to enthusiasts of all skill levels, including those who have never used a telescope before.

A Universe at Your Fingertips: StarSense Technology & the Origin App

Setting up Celestron Origin Mark II is a snap, thanks to its automated initialization process powered by StarSense technology. Place Origin outside, turn it on, and connect to the app. Then, you can choose to remain with your telescope or head indoors. In less than two minutes, Origin focuses itself, scans the night sky, autonomously aligns itself by matching star patterns overhead to its internal database, and notifies you that it’s ready to begin your astronomical adventure.

The Celestron Origin Powered by SkySafari™ app, developed in collaboration with Simulation Curriculum offers an intuitive planetarium interface that simplifies navigation through the night sky. Using the planetarium view, hold your device up to the sky to look around using “compass mode”, and tap on any object you want to see (the best ones are highlighted). Or try the Tonight’s Best list, where Origin displays all the most impressive galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and more—based on your precise location and observing time. Forget about consulting a star chart or planning ahead; Origin is ready to show you the universe whenever you are.

Apple iOS Download
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Once you’ve chosen a target, Celestron Origin Mark II centers it precisely in the field of view. Switch to the camera view and press Start Imaging to begin capturing 10-second exposures. It’s that easy! You see the results come through in real-time as the target takes on more and more detail. As the Celestron Origin Mark II works, it continually tracks the sky and adjusts its built-in dew prevention system to keep your images razor-sharp. Using the Celestron Origin app, you can easily adjust image settings — such as brightness, contrast, and color saturation — to bring out different details before saving or sharing with family and friends. As of 2025, the Celestron Origin Mark II can adjust the Stretch Strength in your final stacked master to tease out subtle details in faint nebulae and galaxies.

A Shared Cosmic Experience

Gone are the days of waiting in line to peer into an eyepiece. Celestron Origin Mark II fosters a sense of community as you share the awe-inspiring experience of exploring the night sky together. Whether your friends and family are in the same room or gathered outside, multiple people can connect to Celestron Origin, and stream the view with their own devices. Additionally, Celestron Origin Mark II allows you to cast the live feed to your smart TV or instantly save and share your astroimages, creating memorable moments beyond the confines of your backyard.

Ready for More? Advanced Features

As you grow in the hobby alongside Celestron Origin Mark II, it will continue to support you with more advanced features and functionality. For example, Origin has a built-in filter drawer that accepts standard 1.25” and 2” format filters. This allows you to install optional filters, which can be especially useful in imaging nebulae in light-polluted environments like the typical suburban backyard. For imaging broadband objects like galaxies and star clusters or objects from dark skies, remove the filter for more light-throughput and brighter images. Experiment with removable and interchangeable filters for results you can’t achieve with other systems’ fixed filters.

If you would like to try advanced image processing, Celestron Origin Mark II again has you covered. It can automatically save all your raw images, which you can retrieve by plugging in a USB thumb drive or by connecting to Origin’s built-in WiFi network to download the files to your computer wirelessly. Then, import them into your favorite software for manual editing and stacking.

And how about putting Origin to work for you while you sleep? That’s no problem with the scheduled observations feature. Just tell the app which objects you want to capture. You’ll wake up to an array of spectacular images.

Expand Your Astroimaging Possibilities with Celestron Origin

Celestron Origin Mark II delivers stunning deep-sky images right out of the box. But for experienced astrophotographers interested in experimenting with longer manual exposure times, there’s now an exciting new way to fine-tune performance: equatorial wedge mode, enabled by the Wedge for NexStar Evolution and the optional StarSense Autoguider.

By aligning Celestron Origin Mark II with Earth’s rotational axis, the wedge eliminates field rotation during tracking. This enables longer sub-exposures and allows imaging near or at zenith—ideal for capturing fainter details with greater clarity, since zenith (straight up) is generally the darkest part of the night sky. As with any equatorial setup, polar alignment is required before use, but the app will take you through an automated routine that makes it easy.

For exposure times beyond 30 seconds, we recommend pairing the wedge with the StarSense Autoguider. While Celestron Origin Mark II excels at short exposures (10–15 seconds), automatically rejecting frames with minor tracking errors, the Autoguider boosts tracking precision for longer manual exposures—reducing rejected frames and maximizing image quality. Together, the equatorial wedge and StarSense Autoguider offer a powerful toolkit for advanced users pursuing specialized longer-exposure imaging.

Gain a New Perspective Here on Earth

In addition to revealing distant worlds, Celestron Origin Mark II can also capture incredible views of land-based objects on Earth, day or night. During the day, you can manually slew to capture landscapes and scenery. At night, Origin’s fast optics and sensitive camera allow you to see things in very dim ambient conditions for almost night-vision-like performance. Look around your yard or campsite at night to see what you may be missing!

Take Your Astroimaging Studio Anywhere

Celestron Origin Mark II is a portable system that doesn’t require external WiFi networks, so you can easily take it to remote dark skies in any car. The optical tube, mount, and tripod all easily assemble and disassemble without tools. Each component weighs less than 16 lb. Optional carry cases are also available.

Your Celestron Origin Mark II system comes complete with everything you need to become an instant astronomer:

6" RASA optical tube with integrated camera
Origin single fork-arm mount with internal lithium battery
Built-in computer with cooling fans and WiFi
Autofocuser
Dew prevention system with environmental sensor, dew heater ring, and dew shield
Integrated filter drawer
Full-height tripod
Lens cap
AC charger

Capturing New Flat Frames

Flat frames are essential in astrophotography, helping correct for dust, vignetting, and other optical imperfections—but their accuracy depends entirely on matching your current imaging setup. Any time you rotate the camera or switch to a new sensor (when it becomes available), you need a new flat to maintain calibration precision. That’s where PrimaLuceLab GIOTTO for Celestron Origin comes in. We have partnered with PrimaLuceLab to specifically design an intelligent flat field generator for the Celestron Origin that makes it easy to capture fresh flat frames whenever adjustments are made. Seamlessly replacing the standard cap, GIOTTO for Origin integrates directly with the telescope and works with the Celestron app to update your calibration with every change—ensuring you always get the sharpest, cleanest images possible.

Future Upgrades

When you invest in Origin, you can count on Celestron’s engineers as your long-term partners in astronomy. Our technical teams are hard at work developing even more upgrades and enhancements for your Origin. For example, we provide access to Origin’s camera for potential future upgrades as technology improves. We’re also developing all-new functionality for your Origin and the Origin app.