@@edting The fact that you are willing to tell the truth is why we hold you in high regard Ed. Letting us know which products are stinkers keeps the astronomy equipment companies accountable.
Hi Ed, I bought the 10 inch at the beginning of the summer. I bought the 10 inch instead of the 8 inch because of the handle making it easy to move. I am a beginner and I think this is the best scope for beginner because of the ease of use and what I am able to see with it. I had no problem with the app at all. I had an intelliscope from another company. I hated it and sent it back. I live in Riverside California which has about a bortle 9 rating. When I got this I thought yeah right, let's see how this works. I looked for the ring nebula on the app, followed the arrows and there it was in the center of the eyepiece. I could not believe that I was seeing this object in the city. I had never seen this before. It is so easy to go from object to object. I just used the map on the app and go from one object to the other. lots of fun. I took it to Joshua Tree National Park bortle 3 skies. It was amazing what I could see. For me it was easy to transport and set up. Just the optical tube, rocker box, and a couple of eyepieces. I have a Maksutov Cassegrain, and a 5 inch reflector on a goto mount, but the 10 inch dobsonian is the one that I am pulling out all the time. I love this scope!
@@PafMedic those sound like nice scopes. I started this hobby in the spring time by going to a sky Tours event hosted by a very knowledgeable person in Borrego Springs. This is such a wonderful hobby. Ed’s Website has been very helpful. I was just trying to pass on some information about the scope he’s reviewing that I thought would be helpful.
I bought the 8” a while ago and it is amazing. Pro tip, if after aligning your phone and the finder pointer, you found that your phone is little bit off and you are at night, what you can do is point your finder at a bright known object like Jupiter or so and make sure it is in showing in your eye piece, then reset your app and align your phone on that bright object.
I did exactly what you described - bought the 114, unmounted the mirror, gave the scope away for free withouth the mirror and codes. Then I 3D-printed a dovetail adapter, now it sits happily on my 10inch dobsonian, working flawlessly with my Samsung S20. Couldnt' be happier with my purchase! No noise, no fuss.
I saw someone selling only the mirror and I thought about buying it. I didn't know anything about a download code until now. Is the code necessary to download or register the mirror? Would I be able to use it if the previous owner already used the code? Thanks!
Ed. I have watched a lot of you videos. 25 years I had what I thought was a very good scope, I think it was a 4 in. Mead. I let it go when we moved to Florida and I really miss it now. I want to thank you, I pulled the trigger and ordered a XT8. I am getting older now(70) and planning to retire again. I plan to spend a lot of time looking at the stars. Thank you and I can’t wait for my scope to get here.
I picked up this telescope a few weeks ago and found the star sense app worked really well, even in a major city. I could only see about 10-20 stars from my back yard but it knew where I was pointed with great accuracy. Used it with an iPhone 13, I calibrated it at night pointing at Jupiter.
Right on. My son purchased a 130mm Celestron with the StarSense dock and it was incredibly accurate. He was able to push to just about any object visible with that aperture and it was within the fov of his low power Eps. Very handy! He would relay the alt/az to me and I would run my dob to the coordinates on my setting circle and it was very precise. Glad your enjoying your dob. Clear skies Cheers!
Can you see much living in a city. I live where there is some light pollution and dont know if i would be able to see anything. I never used a telescope before
My first telescope was actually the Refractor version of the StarSense Explorer called 102 DX. Same app enabled telescope. "Push to(target)" kinda system. And honestly for beginners its one of the best type of scope you can get. The phone app is easy to use. And it has a lot of targets and gives information as to what is on the sky the moment you are outside. And if you are a complete novice and cannot find targets. You can find multiple targets using the phone as a guide and see them. The phone app also got the information/details/and fun facts about the target you are looking at. I still remember seeing Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn for the first time still gives me the chills and wow factor. Which made me tell friends and folks to try look at it themselves. Really changes people's perspective with life as a whole. (cause we are just tiny and there are other planets out there.) i.e. you look at the sky and find nothing, then use the app to aim at a double star, focus and voila, you see a double star. But now I am also on a 10" GSO telescope advertised as Stella Lyra. Which again also has a capability of a "push to" function using asterion push to kit for 10" dobs. But that is bought separately. Unfortunately the price would go up. The 10" StellaLyra stock for example (GSO brand) is £599 The Asterion Push to kit for the Deluxe GSO scopes is £259 Totalling £858 (973 USD) Needs to be installed but its easy to do. And you can connect it using the free app Skysafari or Skyseek Basically it makes a normal 10"-16" dob and the lower 8" below dob's (different asterion versions for lower size dobs). Turn into a "push to" telescope just like that Celestron one.
I'm currently shopping for my first real adult telescope and am I ever glad that I found this channel. The amount of clear and honest information in your videos is very much appreciated. I feel a lot more comfortable about picking the right optic for me because of it. Thank you for that.
Love your reviews! I just upgraded from an 8" Skyquest Dob to a homemade 10". The tube is 60" in the 10" instead of the factory 48" of a 10" Orion. The way to get around the weight issue is to use "wheelbarrow handles"! I have 12" wheels on the easily detachable handles - an eyebolt in the handle screws/unscrews to/from the base. It only takes a minute to attach the handles. You do have to remove them to turn the tube on the base, but it is really only a minute to attach/detach them. They don't take up much space and make moving the scope super easy. I live in a small city. I took the 8" and the 10" out to compare views and in NGC 663 I can see stars with the 10" that are only small fuzzballs in the 8" with 15mm eyepieces in both scopes.
great review! I recently purchased the 8-inch version of this scope, it does not seem to share the same balance issue. This scope was an upgrade for me coming from a etx 90 all I can say is wow! I must say I was very concerned about not having tracking but what a liberating feeling to just go out there and just start exploring it is kind of hard to explain. My son managed to get a great shot of Jupiter with his Sony crop sensor camera using the a 2-in eyepiece adapter. Keep up the great videos!
I'm one of those people who bought the least expensive version of StarSense Explorer scope to get the app license and the bracket. I adapted it to both my 12.5" truss Dob and also a 5" C5 that I use on an alt-az mount. I found that it generally works well in suburban light pollution in my backyard, but can get confounded when the Moon is too bright. I had bought it earlier when the first revision of the software was out and at that time you had to align the app in the daylight. Subsequent updates gave it a night mode where it gives you a time exposure so you can align the app when its darker, especially using Jupiter as the alignment object which works well. Also, in this later version they increased the object catalog somewhat, so its more useful to intermediate astronomers. Using my C5 at star parties, I've been able to show teenagers how to use the app and the scope, then let them go at it while I used another scope, and noticed they had a great time finding and viewing objects by themselves.
With my aperature crave I had a while ago , this is so true with the sizes and what used the most. I thought I went past my 80mm refractor a long time ago. But when it's clear night, my hand is reaches for 80mm, while the 8" F5 is just sitting in the corner untouched for months. And that's the newer scope! I did not believe this is gonna happen to me and it's maybe just a myth, but it's true!
Heavier always gets used less in astronomy. You wouldn’t expect it, but observing occurs at the end of very long days. After work/school. After getting the kids to bed. Then the sky has to be dark enough and clear enough. If it’s too cold or too hot, that keeps people indoors too. Hence why my largest scope is an 8” Dob and I use my 72mm refractor a lot. A big scope that sits in the garage isn’t showing you anything.
Jumped on Celestron's website recently a few times (late 2022). Pretty much all of the "good" telescopes are out of stock. I've been waiting for a couple things from their Advanced VX line for some time. So in the meantime, Orion's website seems to still have many things in stock. I'm only at a beginner level, so so far I have only had personal experience with two beginner models, Orion's Starblast 4.5 reflector (great starter one) and a Short Tube 80 refractor (I think it edges out the Starblast). I think I'm becoming a refractor guy due to the latter 🔭 Ed, I enjoy all your videos! You got me into this hobby just recently. Thanks for showing Celestron's StarSense feature! 👍 good info
Very nice!! No 3 star alignment is necessary! Plate-solving is becoming main-stream! Now if they put that on a 16 inch truss-rod Dob ----- ooooh some sights we would see!!! Thanks Ed - you are awesome!!
Great video Ed. Even though inch/centimeter size is better, that extra cost and weight are difficult for me at my 75 yrs. Of youth. But it’s an interesting telescope.🎉
My girlfriend bought me the LT 70AZ Starsense Explorer for my 30th birthday this February and I was instantly hooked. I've always been interested in the night sky, but never really dived into astronomy. I think the refractor is the cheapest in the lineup, but man did it get me hooked. I thought the view through the telescope was pretty good (going from eyeballs to a cheap refractor was incredible!), but the mount was just not good, very hard to adjust properly and a lot of wiggle. Anyway, using the app was a really good way of getting introduced to the night sky. I've got a bortle 3 area just 25 minutes from my house so it's definitely overwhelming as a beginner. I experienced just what you said, you end up being very focused on the phone and not so much on "reality". This fall I got an 8" dob and it's been an incredibly rewarding and exciting experience. Just using a star atlas to try and locate things in the sky together with my dob has been fantastic. Don't think I'd want to spend that much money on those dobs, would rather get one cheaper starsense product along with a normal 8 inch dob, haha.
I just got the 8 in the mail today.I’m super excited can’t wait to dive into the night sky.Thank you for the video it’s really the best content on RU-vid.
My 10" arrived yesterday, and I just picked up the tube box and there's no way it's 81 lbs. I'd estimate mid to upper 30's, max. Celestron's specs say tube weight is 29.2 lbs, and as a SCUBA instructor, I'm used to lifting tanks, and this is roughly that of an empty Aluminum 80, which is 35 lbs [41 lbs at 3000 psi].
Two years ago, before this was available on anything over 4" I bought a celestron 80mm refractor with starsense, then moved the mounting onto my 6" Dob. It's been there ever since, and I really like this one.
Your videos are so relaxed and informative! I always enjoy them very much, and I don't even own a telescope (but thinking of getting one more and more often)!
Thanks for the video. I own a StarSense equipped telescope and it has worked flawlessly. No, I am not spending more time looking at my phone, quite the opposite. I find I can locate more objects in a given time frame than any scope I have owned. It is great for star parties, both its ease of use and the information on the objects found in the app.
Could you comment something about battery life using starsense? Percentage of battery per hour... And also, could it work if I am in an area without mobile coberture?
@@pb6130 I have not measured the battery usage, but with a full charge, I was able to view for several hours. I don’t know the meaning of the term “coberture,” but the phone has to be able to acquire GPS coordinates.
Great review Ed! I got the StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ (a refractor) as my first telescope back in 2020. A big plus is the StarSense works 100% from the phone which for me is a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Once the app is installed and updated it does not use cell connection or WiFi to guide you to through heavens!
If your reading this Ed should get a thumbs up for his contribution to the world of armature astronomy is second to none. Plain English no BS and been doing it for years. RESPECT Ed.
Hi Ed, a little off (this) subject. I have used buttery smooth alt az mount I bought roughly 14yrs. ago that is still my go to ( no pun intended) all around small scope monster! It is the AZ4 sold under Orion, Skywatcher and few others. From 70mm, 80mm, 102mm and Celestron 150mm f-5 with no difficulty whatsoever! Take a spin with one of these old gems. Clear skies my friend. JMR
A year behind the curve, but a great review of both the scope and the app. Just picked up a Starsense DX 130AZ on FB marketplace (well below the cost of new) that had never been opened. Even though we've got a few scopes in the house already, we couldn't pass it up for the app alone (and now the kids can have their own to use too!). Should get to try the app tonight as long as the weather holds; can't wait. Thanks!
Ed Thank You. You Present Perfectly. You have been doing this for awhile and the knowledge you have gained is HUGE. That you can and do share your understanding and knowledge with others is a Godsend. Please do NOT stop dispensing your explanations and understandings. Thank YOU Again, G. Rullo / Delaware.
I recently stumbled across this channel, and it has really peaked my interest in telescopes, the night sky, and astronomy. I don’t really have money for nice telescope(too many bills). Maybe saving for a couple of years i could had a nice 8inch dob. For now my prescription eye glasses and a night sky will have to do.
Bought this recently as my first scope and the app works very well on my iPhone 8. I really don't find it hard to realign it at night on the fly if I feel the need and I do spend more time looking through the eyepiece than at the phone! Thanks for the review. Glad to know that someone look agrees that it's a good choice.
Hi Ed, I just get the StarSense DX 6 and I’m pretty happy with my SC. I find myself using the app less and less, but for me it was the perfect introduction to the night sky. Keep up the nice work. You are my astronomy guy! Greetings from Germany
Nice review. That's an interesting use of smart phone apps. Probably not something I would use much, however. I find that the hunt is at least as much fun as the view after I find it.
I had to replace the finder that came with the 10" Starsense to a right angle 9X50 from Celestron. Because I couldn't get my head in the right position plus I had to use my left eye. That solved a big problem as the finder that came with the telescope is junk the way it's designed and installed. New holes have to be drilled to accommodate the right-angle scope to keep it from bumping other things. The scope was a little low for me at 6'2" so I built a 6" elevated platform with wheels. Piece of cake to roll into or out of the garage now. Amazing scope for the money. When lining up the scope to the camera and finder I focused on a TV antenna with a red rotating light about 3 miles away. I could see the wires and screws on the light with the 25mm lens at 2pm on a bright sunny afternoon. I am using a iPhone SE.
Nice review, I have the 8" model and for some reason it is not as back heavy as that 10" seems to be (all being relative) regarding starsense I am so impressed with how flawless it has been over the last few months. If you follow the onscreen prompts and give it a few seconds to plate solve while on route to a target it puts it in the eyepiece every single time night after night. So far, I haven't had to do any realigning of starsense since first time months ago.
I have tried two separate phones, both android, with no success. I even went to a dark site with the same results. CELESTRON puts me on an infinity loop that usually end with them disconnecting. High Point seems to think that it is somehow related to the phones setup but I have tried most everything including wiping the phone and using the third of five codes. So for now I give up and use the scope in its traditional nonaided format. What type of phone are you using,?
@@parks51998 Some android phone's sensor packages are pretty bad. As much as it pains me to say it, try an iPhone. Had a similar problem concerning the audiochips in android phones.
Great review Ed. I have the 102mm DX refractor and love it. Used a Samsung S7 (really old phone) and on a 2021 Motorola Edge and really can't tell the difference in terms of the software performance. It crashes occasionally and you have to re-calibrate about as often. But, I like having the software it helps guide the session. Thank you for all you do for our hobby! Clear Skies!!
Really pretty cool. The "use distant object" advice is clearly very important, because of parallax errors when using something too close. The same thing applies to aligning any finder of course. Thanks for the report, very intriguing! I can see a day when there are add-ons for my old classics to make them into go-to scopes! And I would probably do what I usually do, admire it but not use it :)
I really liked you overview here Ed. Thanks! But I had to chuckle a bit when you said most people spend most of their time looking at the phone instead of through the eyepiece. So true, and, I noticed you spent far more time talking about the phone and its use than the views you got through the eyepiece. That gave me chuckle. Well done.
Great review, I got an 8" Dob as my first scope. It really spoiled me for general viewing in comparison to 4 and 5 inch refractors. But that's a different discussion. Thanks for the great channel and down to earth experience.
@@ronstewtsaw Yeah, I have to say I do find myself being grateful that at 2AM after I am done for the night I don't have to disassemble anything. I can grab the whole thing and move it back to the shed in one go.
@@astralfields1696 I'm actually designing a lean-to shed to hold mine near its usual observing position. Shed will cost more than the scope, given the cost of plywood these days.
This system on a dob with a tracking platform seems perfect. No alignment BS. Simple push to and tracking once you’re on target. As a matter of fact, that may be my next scope!
Hey I'm curious, have you had good luck with those tracking platforms? I haven't. There always seems to be some problem or glitch that keeps those things from working well.
@@edting I have one that was a kit. It’s adjustable speed and it worked pretty well. I didn’t expect a lot, so that helps! I had an 8 inch f/6 Apertura dob on it. I was able to use quite a bit of magnification on planets and still have good tracking. I never got the hang of manual tracking with the dob. Pretty sure it was me, so that’s why I got the platform and gave up on dobs. I still had trouble finding not so faint fuzzies, so I got a Celestron 8SE. I like the goto part a lot, but I don’t like aligning, leveling, and a 2032mm focal length. I did get to see a LOT more with the scope finding it for me. I got a Skywatcher 120mm f/5 refractor as a grab and go since the C8 is NOT that, and on my first look through it saw m81 and m82 just sitting there in the FOV. I love that big, wide field of view. I still have the platform and I’m thinking of a bigger and possibly better dob (maybe build a 10 or 12 inch f/4 or a buy a mirror and a Telekit). I know this is a HUGE response, but I have followed you for over 20 years, so I’m telling you everything! My thinking right now would be to get the 130mm Starsense as a grab and go for now and start compiling pieces and parts for the big scope. Thank you so much for all the reviews and advice over the years! FYI, my first scope was a B&L 4000 4” SCT that cost me an arm and a leg. I REALLY needed Scopereviews in 1987. It’s a miracle I stuck with this!
Ed, I really appreciate your honest and sincere reviews and informational videos. Years ago, I had a small Meade ETX60 and I have ever since aspired to get back into the hobby - this time with something having significantly more capability, while also building out an appropriate setup for Astrophotography. Thanks for all the great information you continue to provide! I'm just about ready to take the leap...
Woke up this morning to a Notification to this review, was waiting for this from you from a long time. Thank you. Praying that it will be available in India soon.
I hope you got the app out and tried it Ed....it is a game changer. You can align on any bright star. Also don't slow down unless you are unsure of your destination on the sky. If you wait till closer to the target the app will catch up...it is Plate Solving and does not need much help from the operator.
One other thing regarding the 10 inch vs the 8 inch in this model is that the primary mirror in the 10 inch has the screws for collimation on the bottom of the scope. When I look at the picture of the 8 inch on Celestrons website, I don't see screws for collimation on the bottom of the scope, so it looks like the primary mirror is fixed. I don't know if that is a big deal for people or not, but I thought that I would mention it.
Nope, it's not fixed. It uses what celestron calls a push pull system so to get accuracy you have to losses then adjust the second screw then tighten the other screw. A real bear to collumate.
Figure 20: For the 8” Dob, there are three sets of push-pull screws in the mirror cell that adjust the tilt of the primary mirror. Loosen one screw in the pair and tighten the other to adjust the tilt. From page 14 of the manual.
Another great review. I appreciate your honest assessments. I have goto rigs for astrophotography but am rediscovering the simple pleasures of my 10” Orion Dob .
Not sure if it got mentioned in the video but the 10 is f/4.7. I thought hard for a week whether to get a 10 or 8.. In the end Ed’s videos were the decider.. went with the 8.. mainly because it is f/6 so I don’t need to spend a fortune on eyepieces and a Coma Corrector
@@marcpopick248 Yeah, it bothers me a bit at f/6 with the low power 40mm 2inch 72 FOV eyepieces.. so I am definitely in that 'some people' group that would be ordering the corrector with the telescope 😅
Got my granddaughter the celestron starsense 130 dx and it works great. We are all having fun with the telescope. I will probably get me one of these, or the 8 inch models.
$2200 here in Australia and I find the apps not real accurate here in the southern hemisphere. ( not that I have the starsense app ). Great vid Ed , alot of the brands you review I dont see here so was finally good to watch something I can get my hands on. Cheers.
Yeah, I’m in Australia too. You pay quite a premium here above the cost of a quality manual dob of the same aperture for the StarSense phone adapter and app.
I acquired the 8in model of this Celestron StarSense Explorer Dobsonian Telescope family, a few weeks ago. Although it comes with a limited set of extras (only a 25mm eyepiece) and is atm around 100 bucks above competition, it sure delivers in observation quality and time-productivity investment. The starSense Explorer App has thus far worked very, very well for me, and has no match in fast-correctly locating objects in the sky, from the classic star-pointer manual approach, particularly if objects are dim to the naked-eye or under non perfect night-light conditions. Remember, collimate first. Its a great DOBs optics built telescope, with a fantastic starsense explorer tool, hands-down.
Thanks for the review Ed, they are always comprehensive and informative. I love your recommending the 8-inch because some of us are not going to listen to you anyway.
The Starsense 80AZ is $229. I can cannlbalize the Starsenze module for my myraid of manual scopes, use the 80mm F/11 scope as a guidescope for my imaging rig, then part out the rest. I can always use a spare RDF and eyepieces for public outreach can't i?
Used my 10" Starsense Dobsonian last night and saw more deep,space objects in one night ever before. As a new astronomy hobbyist (10/22 got my Evolution 8" HD) I may never learn the old school star hopping, but that is the point of technology, to advance our capabilities. I love the ease of use of the iphone with StarSense app helping me find my targets, and I agree, do not like a talking companion while out under the stars, but do like the ability to tap the phone to read more about the object, when discovered, by whom and description.
You know the old fashioned star hopping isn't as hard as it seems if you add one thing to your search arsenal, an angle finder. I put it on my scope at the degree my target is at from 90 degrees North, a simple search tells me my latitude and that angle is where Polaris is. A plan and a calculator and I can find whatever I'm looking for pretty quickly. Or if you have Stellarium you can put it on the Azimuth grid and it tells you the angle of everything from the horizon if you don't want to do math.
I'm using the starsense app on a galaxy s23 (current flagship 2023) and never had a problem with the app. My only complaint is if you swap to another app, lets say to reply to a text, and go back to the starsense app, you then have to either restart tracking, or realign depending on whether or not you took the phone off the dock. Otherwise, no complaints. I bought the 8" version and in my bortle 5 backyard I can see a large variety of things upwards of mag. 8 or 9. In bortle 3 skies an hour away, I can see things up to mag. 12 fairly well. I imagine the 10 would be better in that regard but not enough to warrant the extra bulk. 8" seems to be the best option overall. They now offer a 12" starsense dob btw which I think would be a great backyard scope, but not a great travel scope. The 8" does both of those moderately well.
I watched your review with great interest, having bought one earlier this year after selling my beloved 14" Skywatcher GoTo, a decision I am now beginning to regret, even though it was a bit of a beast. I miss the big mirror, and the tracking. I first tried using the Starsense app on an older Samsung S7 phone, which was on the approved list. No go, even after multiple emails to Celestron support. They eventually suggested that perhaps S7s should be removed from the list...sure. Make sure your phone will work with the Starsense app before pulling the trigger on one of these scopes. I now use it with my Samsung S10, and while it works about 80-90% of the time, the app still has issues. Locating objects near the zenith can be a challenge at times, and it can occasionally take a while to settle down and get you to your object. You need a moonless sky, and little or no ambient light pollution or the telescope will not find its position. I am using it in a rural area, sky is around Bortle 5. While the app's night mode is ok on the main screen, bringing up the search function throws up a white keyboard, blowing out your night vision. Yes, I can get around that by setting the phone screen to red and dimming it, or using red filter glasses. Still annoying though. Also, I have to use my phone without its protector, and this makes accessing the app's bottom screen icons difficult to tap because of the fat lip on the mounting bracket, at least on my phone. Having said all of the above, the technology itself is bound to get better as phones and software improves...just not sure I should have been an early adapter in this case ;)
Android apps are a bag of hurt. Say what you will about iOS, it's much more solid than any Android. We switched 5000 enterprise users to exclusively iOS because of all the Android problems. Our Helpdesk incidents went down 70% year over year.
There’s a free website/app that provides a similar, tho basic functionality called Astrohopper. I’ve just strapped my phone to the OTA with elastic bands, no fancy mount, and point it at a star relatively close to my target. I think it just uses the phones gyroscopes for orientation, relative to your reference star, whereas Starsense I believe also uses plate solving.
Thanks for the great reviews you do Ed. I bought a 130 DX at a really great price just to play around with and really have a great time with it. I took the Newtonian tube off, it is the Synta AZ mount and the Star Sense phone mount is on the side, and replaced it with my Stellarvue 80 achromat. What a great set up to dash out in my light polluted yard and do some quick observing.
Now that’s very interesting Ed. Thanks for the informative review! If you did this with a Newtonian eauitorial mount you could track too! I assume that the Star Sense wouldn’t care what mount that you use. The only problem I see with this is that it won’t track, but when you loose view at least it will tell you how to get quickly back. I have an 8” CPC and so far have had good luck with it. . The go-to is pretty decent as is tracking. If you set up properly. But you are also right, it’s heavy! I am 79 yrs and it gets heavier by the day ha ha. I want to set up back yard observatory so I can leave it ready. Maybe a 12” dob in the future. Nice and dark where we live.
I have an old Celestron Super C8 (1987). I currently have problems with it. However, I don't think the Star Sense would work for me. I would love to see a modern telescope with this app! Great video!
Can't see these being popular in the UK, their Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ with its spherical mirror costs more than the 150P Skywatcher Virtuoso.
@@allnamesaretaken I think the tech is game changer: it's all in the phone. A generic phone holder to mount on most any telescope and the software license, shouldn't cost much. A great upgrade to any "dumb" scope. That Celestron forces you to buy one of their scopes, is definitely hindering adoption. Maybe they want to refine it until it's bulletproof before going mass market. They're still in the Starry Night mindset ($180) vs SkySafari ($5) mindset.
@@JeffMartinPro As i pointed out in other comments, the 10 inch StarSense cost £300+ more than a 10 inch dob without StarSense, much more than that in other parts of Europe, almost double in some countries according to one commenter. A Skywatcher Synscan 10 inch costs £200 to £300 more than the StarSense and can do so much more. Thats a huge price for the StarSense which is nothing more than a manual glorified planisphere. Celestron are unlikely to make that available for other telescopes, at least not when they believe they can sell it with the hardware for almost the same price as a full on GoTo telescope...but who knows, if the price comes right down, would be useful, they would have to take a huge hit in revenue from selling less gear but if not, like the case of my previous comment when the far superior Skywatcher 150p Virtuoso is less than the spherical mirror 130 StarSense, you would have to be crazy to buy the StarSense.
Just made the purchase and, l have a sweet spot to go and observe the night sky. I live in a rural area just 10 miles out and is the dark sky. Hence, the 12" dobsonian was the right choice for me.
Great review as usual Ed! I have the DX 102 Refractor and love being it (I'm still a newbie). Been wondering if I should also get the Dob. or get an Orion 8" Dob since I already have access to the Starsense software. Thank you for all you do!
If you already have the dock and the software, get someone else's Dob. Get a used one if you can. You've already paid for the software, no need to pay for it again.
What I strongly recommend for these reflector telescopes, and even the star sense explorer versions even the tabletop versions but I strongly recommend is a official lens kit which comes with different types of IP pieces as well as different light filtering lenses use for different purposes as well as a 2X Barlow that comes with a kit
That USD 20 red dot finder looks like the one on the Nexstar Evolution scopes. I can only suggest to not even install it. Even at the lowest setting the red dot is so bright that it is a challenge to see the star you are trying to point the telescope at. Thanks to one of Ed Ting’s reviews, I ended up, buying a Rigel Systems Quikfinder. Seeing your target is much easier due to a very effective brightness control. Pointing is much better, because the Quikfinder projects an aiming circle. You just position the target star within the circle. No messing about trying to se a star that is being outshone by a red dot.
I was surprised at this - seems like you could easily modify any existing Dob to use this app. Then I looked at the play store and it looks like the Android version barely works. 50% of reviews are 1 star.
