There is an issue though in that if you are using your smartphone attached to the telescope to use the StarSense technology then you wont be able to attach it to the eyepiece to take a photo at the same time. The accessory tray that sits in the middle of the tripod legs needs to be attached by fiddly thumb screws that are already in place. Our Verdict: The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102 AZ telescope is a beginner's ultimate telescope. The 114AZ and 130AZ are reflectors (as well as the two dobsonians). So the views become much sharper and clearer. The plate-solving is only done when you first mount your phone or when you move the telescope a significant amount. This helps remove much of the frustration that can occur when starting with astronomy that it is too hard and takes too long to find things to look at. You may even see Marss red spot, Saturns rings, or even Jupiters spiral patterns. For the 102 Ill need to likely buy a star diagonal, while for the 130 Ill need to buy a Cheshire or laser collimator so still a tie. You can take a number of its key characteristics from its name: Not in the name, but worthy of note, is that it is a refractor telescope (as opposed to a reflector). I had what seemed to be a related question, which has come up somewhat in that main thread: whether to purchase the DX . If you prefer a smaller refractor, then the 102AZ below could work but will almost certainly cost more. Thanks so much in advance. Have you tried this model and would you recommend it? Skies & Scopes 2023. Read why we prefer High Point Scientific to Amazon. The method of alignment is to aim the telescope at a chosen object which is where the red-dot finder comes in handy and then move the red crosswires on the app to the same object shown on the phone view. NY 10036. Just follow the arrows to locate stars, planets & more! This is necessary when aligning the telescope, as you need to point it at a recognizable object at the start of observing. These eyepieces have a lot of plastic in their build, but use glass optics and are fairly sharp, with more eye relief than a typical Plossl ocular (particularly beneficial with the 10mm). Now, launch the Starsense app on your phone. Would a barlow lens be a good addition to this setup? But Celestron dx 130az does since they are exposed to dirt. If you compare their size, 130az is quite big and heavy. Required fields are marked *. Celestron StarSense Explorer Guide For Beginners The diagonal provided by Celestron uses a roof prism rather than a simple mirror, giving a non-reversed image so you can use the instrument by day as well as by night. Finally, the Celestron Starsense Explorer DX 130AZ model is bigger in terms of both physical bulk and aperture. a 6" or even 8" dobsonian ( Links on what to expect in different telescope aperture sizes ). Once youre accustomed to the instrument, finding objects is extremely quick and fun. Your email address will not be published. Overall The StarSense Explorer 102AZ is very competent refractor telescope, thats potable, easy to set up, has solid optics and decent enough in box accessories for the price. For further details on these telescopes, you can also check outCelestrons website. I guess at the end of the day, I'm curious if either the refractor or reflector is known to be a lot easier with kids; and whether the refractor tends to be a better fit for beginners. (Image credit: Celestron) The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is a 130-mm (5.1-inch) Newtonian reflector. Looking for something portable at the moment, with plan to add a 10 dob in the future. Thats all from us about Celestron Starsense explorer dx 102az vs 130az. Is it because of the 4 vanes as well? Patented, award-winning StarSense sky recognition technology uses your smartphone to analyze star patterns overhead and calculate the telescope's position in real-time. Overall, while it would not always be our first choice, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102 is definitely one of my favorite beginner scopes in its price range. UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR SMARTPHONE: Let your iPhone or Android phone take you on a guided tour of the night skyno telescope experience required. To connect the Starsense app with your telescope put your smartphone in the Starsense dock. Out of the three types it is identified as having refractor-type optics. So, if you want a telescope that can form clearer images, go for the Celestron Starsense Explorer dx 130az. The bracket fits most phones and will work just fine even if you have a relatively thick case (or even a PopSocket). (14) notify when in stock. I already have eye pieces. You Pay: $559.00. When the bullseye turns green, its ready to view in the telescopes eyepiece. Deep-sky objects are a little less exciting. I consider myself handy and am not too worried about collimating a reflector (but would prefer to not have to do frequently). Can you take pictures with the Celestron StarSense? This telescope is full of design flaws. Its not a bad telescope to have. How would you rate the StarSense DX6 version (6 inch SCT) compared to a Skymax 127 on GTi mount? As a result, it sometimes shows chromatic aberration. Celestron dx 130az has a focal ratio of f/5. But you can certainly have better ones with that budget. Value $12.60. You can even watch faint celestial objects with it. If you disregard factors like size and portability, then the Celestron Starsense Explorer 10 Dobsonian is the best as it has the highest aperture and will provide the best views. There are four instruments in the Celestron StarSense Explorer range: an 80 mm refractor, a 114 mm reflector, the 102 mm refractor under test, and a 130 mm reflector. Bear in mind that not all smartphones will work, so remember to check your model against a list on the Celestron website before taking the plunge. StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope. What Are Users Of The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Saying, Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Telescope Works with StarSense App to Help You Find Stars, Planets & More 102mm Refractor iPhone/Android Compatible, Orion Spaceprobe 130ST Review (A Good Budget Astronomy Setup?! +91-120-406-2000. 4mm Eyepiece vs 20mm Eyepiece! Boasting a whopping 10-inch aperture, the Celestron Starsense Explorer 10 Dobsonian is a beast of a telescope. Mike Swanson SKU: CEL-22461. Winner: The specifications of Celestron dx 130az are more impressive. Celestrons main explanation is that many beginners would buy the bracket and attempt to fit it onto substandard telescopes (or simply do it improperly) and become frustrated. StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ | Celestron There are some other manuals as well as computerized scopes in the DX 102 AZs price range that you might want to take a look at: A new star diagonal is probably the #1 thing you can do to improve the StarSense Explorer DX 102s performance. Is LT127 a better choice? The alt-azimuth mounting means that you can move the instrument around two axes up and down (altitude) and from side to side (azimuth). Welcome to my Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Review! Their Starsense explorer has been quite popular among stargazing beginners. This is the simplest form of mounting and is particularly suitable for a beginners instrument. Uranus and Neptune might barely be viewable at the max magnification that the Infinity 102AZ can handle. These are very average specs and maybe even subpar when you consider reflector telescopes tend to offer a lot more bang for the buck nevertheless, the specs . One major source of problems is the mirror that is crucial to finding objects. will also probably upgrade in 5 years or so. As noted above, the 102 in the name refers to the telescopes aperture of 102mm (4-inch). Just about light enough for car travel and capable of really sharp image quality it's nevertheless a poor choice for astrophotographers. Their knowledge of the subject, combined with features like a price match promise, free lifetime tech support, a 30-day return policy, and financing choices, makes them a great pick. The only major complaint was to do with the inaccuracy of the apps tracking ability, especially when users decided to look further out. Stargazinghelp.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. To completely overcome false color you need a considerably more expensive apochromatic refractor or a reflector. The downside to large dobsonians like this is the size they are heavy and large. ), Neutron Star vs Nova (How Are They Different? Celestron StarSense Explorer DX100AZ vs. DX 102AZ This would be my first telescope and looking for Push To feature to help my 9 year old and me get into exploring the skies. Mars dark spots can be seen, although barely, when the planet is close to Earth, while its polar ice caps are a little more obvious. Winner: Even for this round the clear winner is Celestron Starsense Explorer dx 130az. View Map. The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ is different from the models above in that it is a reflector telescope. The DX 102s optical tube is a 102mm f/6.5 refractor with a focal length of 650mm, the same as used on many other Celestron telescope/mount packages like the Omni 102 AZ and NexStar 102SLT. A simple slot-and-turn system would be much less aggravating for astronomers, unless you intend to use the instrument solely as a piece of furniture permanently set up in the corner of the room or do without the tray altogether. All the telescopes from Celestron Edge HD and Schmidt-Cassegrain are compatible with the Starsense app. Each is different but they all feature the StarSense Explorer technology that provides a great halfway point between computerized (GOTO) telescopes and manual ones (see FAQs below if you want more information on GOTO telescopes). This refers to the telescopes build and shape. Join us in this discussion to learn more. Confusingly, the instructions then refer to the knob at the bottom of the clamp! Thankfully, even with 1.25 eyepieces, you can squeeze out a field of view of about 2.5 degrees with a 32mm Plossl or similar, so this should not be of huge concern to a beginner. They are completely manual though and do not have the StarSense technology and smartphone interactivity (although you may be able to replicate this with other adapters and apps. How does the StarSense Explorer 102 compare with the CELESTRON ASTRO FI 102 MM WI-FI MAKSUTOV CASSEGRAIN? We're pleased to report that loading and using the software on our Moto G8 phone was easy and quite intuitive. The details will be a lot better than dx 102az. For a summary of the entire discussion take a look at this table: Between these two Newtonian and refractor telescopes Celestron dx 130az is a better option. Conclusion: Which Celestron StarSense Explorer is best for you? Just trying to decide between a 102 refractor vs a 130 reflector. The 80mm/3-inch aperture is the smallest of the range and will limit the brightness and clarity with which you can view night sky objects. For purchasing this telescope, we highly recommend HighPointScientific, the largest telescope retailer in the United States. So, the technology in essence uses your phone to take occasional snapshots of the night sky to locate objects however, as phones cant really sustain battery for long periods whilst taking images, the snapshots arent taken all the time. Google Maps Here is a quick video that shows how this works: This is a great, innovative feature that takes advantage of the smartphone that you probably already own, and gives you something simpler and cheaper than a fully computerized telescope. Add to Wish List Item in Wish List . Celestron StarSense Explorer: 8 Models Compared (2023) Review: Celestron StarSense Explorer Telescope The accessories provided are decent with the eyepieces being functional although of lower quality than Plossl eyepieces that a fair few telescopes in this price range tend to offer. Thanks to your phones limited battery life and computing power, the StarSense Explorer technology obviously cant take a new picture of the sky every time you move the telescope. Would one model be a better purchase vs the other? especially in a light polluted city environment, Would still recommend a Dobsonian instead but the GTi is a huge upgrade over the StarSense Explorer. This is the best measurement of a telescopes capacity to provide good views. Which is better than the image youll see from normal reflector optics. What's more, the instrument comes with everything you need for a night under the stars: two eyepieces a 25 mm and 10 mm, which offer magnifications of 26x and 66x a StarPointer red-dot finderscope, star diagonal and tripod. On your phones screen, youll see the current position of your telescope. Even heavier and larger. The length of the tube is around 63.5 cm. I'll be observing from my front/backyard, which is in a location with a Bortle scale of 4 (rural/suburban transition). What this does is take a snapshot of the sky and from the image taken attempts to locate where you are by comparing the shot to star maps using specifically set algorithms. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. ), Why Is Jupiter Denser Than Saturn? There are a few differences between each of the models, so lets look at each of them in turn to help decide whats right for you. In this review Ill cover the pros, cons and the 102AZs features to ultimately help you decide on whether the system is worth investing in or a beginner level device that you should skip out on. ), but techy enough to use either. When you unbox your new StarSense Explorer DX, you'll find: 130mm Newtonian reflector optical tube. The final step is to remove the cap from the mirror on the StarSense dock again, courageously pulling off with some effort and fitting your smartphone into the spring-loaded slider. Celestron StarSense Explorer Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ Review: Don't Fall Into The Trap. There are eight different Celestron StarSense Explorer telescopes which we cover in more detail below. Often this makes for more comfortable viewing with less stooping. With the StarSense Explorer line of instruments, Celestrons magic solution has been to link these to a telescope, getting rid of the need for the costly handset, the user input, and the encoders. Unfortunately, the adjustment range on the device supplied did not allow it to be aligned accurately, and for the test, we used another one that we already had. With Celestron dx 130az you will get about 200x magnification. Celestron dx 130az has a focal ratio of f/5. The DX 102 has a 2 rack-and-pinion focuser, but it cannot actually balance on its mount with a 2 diagonal and eyepiece, so in practice, the scope is limited to 1.25 eyepieces and accessories only. The Celestron NexStar telescope range are all full computerized compound / catadioptric telescopes. This forum and community is a wonderful resource! Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Review (Worth Buying!?) A tabletop telescope is the best choice at this price range. DXC Technology Employee Reviews in Bengaluru, Karnataka - Indeed I recently purchased the 130mm version for a great price. At this aperture and focal ratio, there is a fair amount of chromatic aberration, but sharp views of the Moon and planets are still possible. Once set up, you need to align the red-dot finder with the main instrument by day. The Celestron dx 102 uses about 240x magnification power. They take care of employees and no work pressure and fun at work. Compare Celestron StarSense Explorer vs Celestron NexStar 130 SLT vs The mid level focal ratio is good as itll decrease the amount of chromatic aberration that can be seen, and the aperture means the max theoretical magnification of the device will be around 200x although real world usage will be around 10 20% lower. The 5 reflector seems like a solid scope. Best regards, What can you see with Celestron StarSense Explorer? StarPointer red dot finderscope, perfect for using the telescope during the day or without the StarSense Explorer app. But they take more time to set on the mount than dx 102az usually takes. Celestrons specs say 11% obstruction by area, so the 130 loses 1460 of area = 11813, still bigger than the 102. In order of aperture, the Celestron Starsense Explorer DX 102AZ is the second most powerful in the range. The scope is alsoavailable on Amazon, which is unquestionably the most popular e-retailer in the United States, even when telescopes aloneare taken into account.