Enjoy the most dazzling views of nebulae with your Celestron Origin when you add this H-alpha H-beta OIII (Hα-Hβ-OIII) imaging filter. This specialized filter allows high throughput of light wavelengths in emission nebulae while blocking other wavelengths that could diminish image quality and detail. The result is bright, colorful nebulae images that “pop” with detail against the black sky background.

How does the Nebula Filter for Origin work? Emission nebulae primarily emit at discrete wavelengths of light—Hα at 656nm, Hβ at 486nm, and OIII at 496/501nm. By strategically transmitting only these wavelengths of light and blocking the rest of the spectrum, the filter dramatically reduces the effect of light pollution. The “bad” light is blocked while the “good” light associated with emission nebulae passes through to Origin’s sensor.

You’ll immediately notice much higher contrast in your images, especially from your light-polluted backyard! And since the transmission at the critical wavelengths is so high, the nebula will not be dimmed—only the background will be blacker. You’ll also notice some contrast improvement in images of nebulae from darker skies, as the filter serves well in blocking natural skyglow.

Nebula Hunting

The Nebula Filter is perfect for imaging emission nebulae like the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), Lagoon Nebula (M8), Orion Nebula (M42), the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), and dozens more. The imaging filter offers maximum light transmission in the key Hα-Hβ-OIII wavelengths, producing high contrast for emission nebulae like these.

The transmission spectrum for the Nebula Filter is 85% or greater at key wavelengths (486nm, 496nm/501nm, 656nm) and less than 0.5% transmission elsewhere. As a narrowband filter, it blocks much of the visible spectrum and only lets these specific wavelengths through. Because of this, you should not use this filter while observing or imaging broadband emission objects, such as galaxies and star clusters. For those objects, you’ll achieve the best results by removing the nebula filter and reinstalling Origin’s clear optical window.

Other similar imaging filters on the market have much narrower bandpasses at the critical Hα-Hβ-OIII wavelengths. Unfortunately, these filters block much of the incoming Hα-Hβ-OIII light for an f/2.2 optical system like Origin’s 6” RASA. This is because a RASA brings light into the filter at a steeper angle, which causes a spectral shift. If you use filters not explicitly designed for use at f/2.2, some of the light from the nebula will be blocked, resulting in a dimmer image. The Nebula Filter for Origin was custom-engineered to work at f/2.2, so none of the “good” light from the nebula is inadvertently blocked by the filter.

Body and Storage

The filter features a machined aluminum black anodized cell with a knurled rim for easy grip during installation. We’ve added anti-reflection coatings to help suppress reflections on the glass. The filter fits directly into the filter drawer in the Celestron Origin’s front lens cell, where the optical window sits. Simply remove the clear window and replace it with the filter. Origin maintains its optical performance across the entire system with the filter installed. No other adapter is needed.

Each filter comes with a foam-lined plastic storage case to safely store the filter or the optical window glass that came with your Celestron Origin when not in use.

Celestron tests every Nebula Filter for Origin individually to verify its performance. Along with your filter, you will receive a spectral transmission graph (like the one pictured above) showing the results of your filter’s test and verifying it performs as expected throughout the spectrum.

Please note this is for the Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory

Specifications:

Note: special order only

• Next-Generation Imaging Sensor for Celestron Origin: Upgrade your system with Sony’s latest Starvis 2 color CMOS technology, offering improved resolution and enhanced sensitivity.
• Compact Pixels, Brighter Images: Small 2.0 μm2 pixels increase resolution while Starvis 2 technology boosts light conversion efficiency. The result: brighter, sharper images with more faint object detail revealed.
• Modern 16:9 Aspect Ratio: A wide, cinematic field of view perfectly matches smartphone and tablet screens, producing images that fill the entire display for a more pleasing view.
• Easy, Tool-Free Installation: Clear, step-by-step instructions guide you through attaching your new camera using Origin’s existing adapter and retaining ring—no prior experience required.

Reveal stunning detail in your deep-sky astrophotography with the Origin 678C—Celestron’s next-generation camera for the Origin Intelligent Home Observatory. Featuring Sony’s latest Starvis 2 CMOS technology, this high-performance camera delivers increased resolution and finer detail thanks to its smaller pixel size and enhanced sensitivity.

The Origin 678C Camera replaces the original Origin 178C Camera, giving you an upgrade in image quality. Whether you're imaging galaxies, nebulae, or star clusters, you'll capture more object detail in images that better fill your smartphone or tablet’s display screen.

It’s the perfect way to further enhance your Origin experience—and your astroimaging.

What’s New with the Origin 678C Camera

The Origin 678C Camera brings meaningful enhancements to your astrophotography experience. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Increased resolution
   Although both sensors are the same physical size, the IMX678C uses smaller 2.0 μm² pixels than the 2.4 μm² pixels in the IMX178C. This results in a finer resolution of 1.2 arcseconds per pixel (down from 1.5 arcseconds per pixel), allowing you to resolve more detail and “zoom in” slightly more on celestial objects. This is especially beneficial since most night sky targets are relatively small.
2. Larger file sizes
   Because the IMX678C packs more effective pixels (8.4 MP vs. 6.4 MP), image files will be somewhat larger. As a result, you may notice slightly slower automatic image processing in the app, depending on the performance of your smartphone or tablet.
3. Increased sensitivity
   Despite having smaller pixels, the IMX678C is slightly more sensitive overall than the IMX178C. The improvement is subtle; images won’t appear dramatically brighter.
4. Different ISO response
   ISO values are not directly comparable between the two sensors. The IMX678C's default ISO is 1000, while the IMX178C’s is 200.
5. Different aspect ratio
   The IMX678C uses a 16:9 aspect ratio, compared to the 3:2 ratio of the IMX178C. This means your field of view will appear more rectangular, ideal for framing larger regions of the sky and perfectly matched to the landscape orientation of most smartphone and tablet displays—making it easier to compose, view, and share your images.

Quick and Simple Installation

Upgrading to the Origin 678C Camera is fast and hassle-free. Designed to integrate seamlessly with your Origin system, the camera installs without any complicated tools or processes. Simply remove the existing camera, attach the Origin 678C using the included adapter and retaining ring, and plug it in.

After you install the new camera, we’ll walk you through capturing new calibration frames. Dark frames reduce sensor noise, while flat frames correct for illumination variations across the image. The Origin app makes this process simple and intuitive—and you can follow along with our video, too.

For the easiest and most consistent results, we recommend the PrimaLuceLab GIOTTO for Celestron Origin— a flat-field generator custom-designed for Origin that works with the same smartphone you use to control Origin. Whether you use GIOTTO or the evening sky (i.e., “sky flats”), capturing new flat frames ensures your upgraded system is optimized and ready to deliver stunning, high-contrast astrophotography from your very next session.

Second Life for Your Origin-178C Camera

Upgrading to the Origin 678C doesn’t mean your original camera has to sit on the sidelines. The Origin-178C is a powerful tool, and now it’s free to be used with other telescopes you may own. With its standard M42 T-thread connection, it mounts easily to most optical systems and makes a great planetary or lunar imaging camera. In minutes, your 178C will be ready for a whole new role in your astrophotography toolbox.

Camera Specifications

New Version! Now with upgraded Sony STARVIS 2 678C Camera

• Stargazing and Astroimaging Redefined: Celestron Origin is an intelligent, all-in-one home observatory that captures stunning views of faint, deep-sky celestial objects and delivers them to your phone or tablet. The images you capture in seconds look better than what you’d see in the eyepiece of a much larger telescope under much darker skies.
• Revolutionary RASA Optical Technology: Origin’s patented 6” Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) optical design places it in a class by itself. With its large aperture and fast f/2.2 focal ratio, you get unparalleled image brightness and clarity with less exposure time.
• Next-Generation 678C Camera: Sony’s latest Starvis 2 colour CMOS technology—offering improved resolution, enhanced sensitivity, and a serious leap in image quality.
• Automatic, AI-powered Astrophotography:As Origin captures data, built-in AI algorithms autonomously stack and process every frame in real-time. Galaxies and nebulae instantly come to life—sharp, detailed, and in brilliant colour—all with no user intervention.
• Automated Setup with StarSense: To get started, place Origin outside, turn it on, and connect to the app. Using Celestron’s patented StarSense technology, Origin scans the sky and autonomously focuses and aligns itself. You’re ready to select a target and start imaging in less than two minutes.
• Intuitive App Interface: The user-friendly Celestron Origin Powered by SkySafari™ app for iOS and Android, developed in partnership with Simulation Curriculum offers a simple yet powerful planetarium interface, making it easy to navigate the sky and control the system.
• Share the View with Everyone: Multiple users can use the Origin app to view the telescope’s live feed simultaneously. You can also cast the view to your smart TV or save and share it instantly.
• Advanced Features: As you grow in the hobby, download the raw image files you capture for more advanced manual processing. You can also experiment with filters and use Origin for night-vision or land-based observing during the day.

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.

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 colour 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
Google Play Download

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 colour 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 or 5G networks, so you can easily take it to remote dark skies in any car. Perfect for exploring our southern skies from out in the bush!

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
   

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.

Here’s a sneak preview of what we’ll be rolling out in the coming months:

Mosaic Mode:- Capture wider fields of view by stitching multiple images together.

A:
That’s correct. Because the human eye is less efficient than CMOS sensors at low light levels, we are removing it from the equation. Origin’s sensor “sees” more photons in less time than your eye could and then delivers the images it captures to your phone or tablet. The result is “almost real-time” visual observing without an eyepiece. With Origin, you see much more detail in faint, deep-sky objects than you would through the eyepiece of a much larger telescope under dark skies.