Celestron StarSense Explorer

Celestron Starsense Explorer Telescopes have solved two issues all new astronomers have - What can I view tonight in the night sky? How do I locate an object to observe it? The Celestron Starsense Explorer Telescopes solves these issues in just a few simple steps, using smartphone technology, no need to read complicated star maps.

Celestron Starsense Explorer Telescopes provide astronomers with a simple to use, yet powerful telescope that can be used by all ages and abilities, all you need is a smartphone. Starsense Explorer Telescopes use the free Celestron Starsense Explorer App on your mobile phone (available on Apple from the App Store or on Android via Google Play Store), to guide you through the night sky to view thousands of different night sky objects - it is like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky. Simply place your smartphone in the supplied smartphone dock on your Starsense Telescope and follow the user-friendly set-up process on screen. Your Smartphone sits in a cradle on/next to the telescope, with the camera phone lens facing into a small mirror that is directed towards the night sky. The Starsense App uses the Smartphone’s camera to take photos of the night sky to analyse star patterns overhead and determine your specific direction of view.  It also uses the smartphone’s location services as well to ensure it logs your position in real time, so it can then assist you in locating the many thousands of objects in the night sky.

The StarSense Explorer App in your smartphone uses image data it captures by the smartphone’s camera to calculate its pointing position. Upon capturing an image of the night sky via your smartphone, the App then matches the star patterns in the image to the App’s database in a process similar to facial recognition or fingerprint matching. Effectively, the StarSense Explorer App uses your smartphone’s camera as its eye and the smartphone’s processing capabilities as its brain. The camera views the night sky, and then the processor calculates where the telescope is pointing based upon the calculated centre coordinates of the captured image. This process of extracting star pattern data in images to determine a telescope’s current pointing position is called plate solving. This is the same method used by observatories and even orbiting satellites.

The app's user-friendly interface means anyone will find it easy to use. Although Celestron Starsense Explorer Telescopes are classed as a manual telescope, because you physically move it yourself, it is known as a guided telescope as it uses technology to locate objects to observe, and you then move the telescope yourself under its guidance, allowing you to locate and view many thousands of celestial objects in the night sky. You can search the app for objects to view through your telescope, or select a night sky tour, where it will list a selection of objects to view, and you can choose and go from there. Each item is listed with a photo, so you can see what you will be viewing and some key facts about the object.

Once selected, simply follow the on-screen arrows, moving your scope in the direction of the arrows towards the desired target, then when close to locating the object a cross-hair will appear (a bit like a gun sight / bullseye), allowing you to finely adjust and centre the image. Once the bullseye turns green, you have located the object. Then use the included Red Dot finder scope to accurately centre the object, ready to be observed through the telescope’s eyepiece. Have a look at the Celestron videos that show how easy it is to set up and use the Starsense Explorer Telescope and find out why it is one of the most popular ranges of astronomy telescope available.

All Starsense Explorer Telescopes include an Optical Tube, also known as the OTA (Optical Telescope Assembly), Eyepieces, Red Dot Finderscope, Mount and tripod /  Dobsonian telescope base. You can download the free Starsense Explorer app. You’re then ready to set up your Starsense telescope ready to view the night sky.

Celestron Starsense Explorer Telescopes are easy to set up, there are detailed tutorials online, both video tutorials of the Starsense explorer set up and also manuals too. 

The Celestron Starsense Explorer LT models all use an altitude-azimuth mount (AZ Mount), with the mobile phone cradle attached to the telescope tube. Each Celestron Starsense Explorer DX scope rides on its mount sidesaddle, with your mobile phone sitting directly across the altitude axis from the telescope.

Available in a range of designs, the Celestron Starsense Explorer Telescopes include a tripod and two eyepieces, plus all the parts to set up the scope to get you observing the wonders of the night sky. You'll be amazed with how simple to use the Celestron Starsense Explorer Telescope is and what you can see with the Starsense Explorer Telescope with little or no astronomy experience. The entry level telescope in the Celestron Starsense range is the easy to use Celestron Starsense Explorer LT 70AZ Refractor Telescope, It uses an Alt-Azimuth mount, making it easy to use for beginners. This, coupled with the 70mm aperture and fully coated glass high quality optics, provide crisp, clear images, ideal for observing the moon and to view planets.

Perhaps the most popular Starsense Telescope is the Celestron Starsense Explorer LT 114AZ Smartphone App Enabled Newtonian Reflector Telescope. The wider aperture of 114mm provides improved light gathering capabilities, coupled with a longer focal length, meaning you can view deep space objects with your Starsense Explorer LT 114AZ that you perhaps wouldn’t see as easily with a smaller scope. The Starsense Explorer LT 114AZ has great light gathering ability thanks to the 114mm aperture.

The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Newtonian Reflector Telescope is one of the largest telescopes in the Celestron Starsense range, it has excellent light gathering ability thanks to the 130mm aperture. This, coupled with the 650mm focal length, provide a good focal ratio of f5, creating luminous images. The long focal length of 650mm, helps to create high magnifications and bright, detailed images, making it an ideal telescope to view nebulae, galaxies and star clusters as well as many other night sky objects. The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ uses axis slow motion control rods to make fine adjustments and accurately locate objects in the night sky.

If you require greater magnifications from your Starsense Explorer Telescope, why not purchase a Barlow Lens, to double or triple the magnifying power of your scope. As well as being able to observe brighter nebulae such as the Orion nebula, you will also be able to view faint objects too thanks to the increased magnification. With increased magnifications from the use of Barlow lenses or high power eyepieces, you can view spiral galaxies such as Bode’s galaxy or even the aptly names cigar galaxy, of course to view objects like these it helps to view from dark sky areas. Areas with dark skies are generally out of towns and cities, away from light pollution.
 
Darker skies tend to be found in the countryside and less populated areas. Dark sky areas are ideal to use your Starsense Explorer Telescope - why not purchase a Telescope bag and take your Starsense telescope to a dark sky site for some first class observing.

Would you like an easy way to take photos with your Starsense astronomy telescope? Take a look at the Celestron NexYZ Smartphone Camera Adapter, this great little gadget is a cradle that sits over the eyepiece on your telescope, a clamp holds it in place and some clever engineering allows you to move your phone in the cradle and line it up, so you can see on your mobile phone screen what the telescope is seeing. This enables you to take photos with your Celestron Starsense Telescope, a great way to start astrophotography. So whether you want to photograph the Andromeda Galaxy, Jupiter’s great red spot or the Orion Nebula, use the Celestron NexYZ Smartphone Camera Adapter to take great photos with your Starsense Telescope. 

If you’re a beginner to astronomy and are looking for a simple-to-use telescope or would like an upgrade to your first telescope, the Celestron Starsense range of telescopes have something for all novice astronomers and are good value for money.

Compare our models in the Celestron Starsense Explorer range and see which Starsense Telescope is suitable for you. Select from a range of Starsense Telescopes and find the best Starsense Telescope for you at a great price.