Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense Explorer—the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real-time. StarSense Explorer is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It’s like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky.
Dock, Launch, Explore
Leave complicated star charts, imprecise planetarium apps, and computerized mounts behind. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more accurate. Within minutes of setting up the telescope, you’ll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the unique StarSense andock d launch the StarSense Explorer app. After aligning your phone to the telescope’s optics (a quick, 2-minute procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of celestial objects currently visible. Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding you as you to move the telescope. When the object is ready to view, the bullseye turns green.
Smartphone Compatibility
StarSense Explorer works with most modern smartphones, including iPhone 6 and up and most devices running Android 7.1.2 or later manufactured since 2016. For a complete compatibility list, .
Patent-Pending StarSense Sky Recognition Technology
StarSense Explorer uses patent-pending technology and your smartphone to determine exactly where the telescope is pointed in the night sky. A Lost in Space Algorithm (LISA), like the ones satellites use in orbit to correctly reorient themselves, helps the app match star patterns it detects overhead to its internal database.
While other astronomy apps may claim that they can help you find objects, they rely exclusively on the phone’s gyros and accelerometers, which aren’t as accurate as LISA technology. No other app can accurately tell you when your target is visible in the eyepiece.
High Quality Altazimuth Mount with Slow Motion Control
An ultra-stable altazimuth mount provides a sturdy foundation for StarSense Explorer DX. Slip clutches and geared slow motion controls in both axes help you move the telescope smoothly and zero in your target. As celestial objects appear to drift across the night sky, you’ll be able to follow them with just a turn of the knobs. It’s all anchored by an adjustable, full-height tripod.
Dazzling Views with High Quality Optics
With a large 130mm (5”) objective lens, this telescope has enough light gathering ability to bring out impressive detail in celestial objects. You can expect sharp, bright views of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, its cloud bands and Great Red Spot, the rings of Saturn, the trapezium in the Orion Nebula, and beautiful Pleaides Open Star Cluster. Highly reflective coatings on both the primary and secondary mirror enhance the views even more.
Perfect for the City or Dark Sky Sites
Even if you live in a light polluted city location, StarSense Explorer is advanced enough to be able to pick out Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, double stars, and a few more of the most famous celestial objects.
But if you can take the telescope to an even slightly darker location, more objects will become visible. With this 5” Newtonian and relatively dark skies, the Andromeda Galaxy, Hercules Open Star Cluster, and so many more are easily within your reach.
The entire telescope kit weighs just 18 pounds, so it’s perfectly portable and easy to bring on your next camping trip or to a remote observing site.
Everything You Need to Observe Immediately
When you unbox your new StarSense Explorer DX, you’ll find:
- 130mm Newtonian reflector optical tube
- StarSense dock for your smartphone
- Low powered (25mm) and high powered (10mm) eyepiece
- StarPointer red dot finderscope, perfect for using the telescope during the day or without the StarSense Explorer app
- Altazimuth mount with slow-motion controls
- Full-height tripod with an accessory tray to keep you organized
| Optical Design: | Newtonian Reflector |
| Aperture: | 130mm (5.11") |
| Focal Length: | 650mm (25.59") |
| Focal Ratio: | f/5 |
| Focal Length of Eyepiece 1: | 25mm (0.98") |
| Magnification of Eyepiece 1: | 26x |
| Focal Length of Eyepiece 2: | 10mm (0.39") |
| Magnification of Eyepiece 2: | 65x |
| Barlow Lens: | None |
| Finderscope: | StarPointer™ red dot finderscope |
| Optical Tube: | Steel |
| Highest Useful Magnification: | 307x |
| Lowest Useful Magnification: | 19x |
| Limiting Stellar Magnitude: | 13.1 |
| Resolution (Rayleigh): | 1.07 arc seconds |
| Resolution (Dawes): | .89 arc seconds |
| Light Gathering Power (Compared to human eye): | 345x |
| Secondary Mirror Obstruction: | 45mm (1.73") |
| Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Diameter: | 34% |
| Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area: | 11% |
| Optical Coatings: | Glass mirrors coated with aluminum and SiO₂ |
| Optical Tube Length: | 635mm (25") |
| Optical Tube Diameter: | 165mm (6.49") |
| Optical Tube Weight: | 8.8 lbs (3.99 kg) |
| Dovetail: | CG-5 Dovetail Bar |
| Mount Info: | |
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| Mount Type: | Manual Alt-Azimuth |
| Height adjustment range (includes mount and tripod): | Aluminum, 1244.6mm (49") max height |
| Tripod Leg Diameter: | N/A |
| Accessory Tray: | Yes |
| Tripod Weight: | 9.2 lbs (4.17 kg) |
| Slew Speeds: | Manual |
| GPS: | Uses phone's GPS |
| Dovetail Compatibility: | CG-5 Dovetail bar |
| Power Requirements: | None (Recommend PowerTank Glow to keep phone charged while using app) |
| Alignment Procedures: | Use StarSense Explorer app |
| Software: | StarSense Explorer app | SkyPortal app | Celestron Starry Night Basic Edition Software |
| Total Kit Weight: | 18 lbs (8.16 kg) |
| Included Items: | Telescope tube | Mount/tripod (preassembled) | 25mm & 10mm eyepieces | StarPointer finderscope | Accessory tray | StarSense Explorer phone dock |
