Celestron | StarSense Explorer 130

In brief

• Unlock the power of your smartphone for a guided tour of the night sky—no telescope experience required.
• The patented, award-winning StarSense sky recognition technology uses your smartphone to analyze the star configuration above your head and calculate the telescope's position in real-time.
• A 130 mm parabolic primary mirror allows you to make the most of StarSense technology. Locate faint deep-sky objects in seconds and observe them in more detail than ever before.
• A sturdy Dobsonian-style platform makes it easy to follow the on-screen arrows to the desired target. When the arrows turn green, the target is ready to be observed in the telescope's eyepiece.
• The StarSense Explorer Powered by SkySafari™ app automatically generates a list of currently visible objects. Observe planets, brighter nebulae and galaxies, star clusters, and double stars from the city. Or take your telescope to a darker sky to see even more.
• Includes 25 mm and 10 mm Kellner eyepieces, the StarSense smartphone dock, a StarPointer™ red-dot finder, an eyepiece holder, and a collimation cap.

Celestron has reinvented the tabletop Dobsonian telescope with the StarSense Explorer—the first tabletop Dobsonian that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real-time. This Celestron StarSense Explorer with a 130 mm aperture is ideal for beginners, thanks to the app's user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It’s like having a personal tour guide for the night sky.

Position, move, explore

Leave behind complicated star charts, inaccurate planetarium apps, and computerized mounts. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more precise. Just a few minutes after setting up the telescope, you’ll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the StarSense dock and launch the StarSense Explorer app.

After aligning your phone with the telescope's optics (a simple and quick procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of currently visible celestial objects. Make your selection, and arrows appear on the screen, guiding you as you move the telescope. When the object is ready to be observed in the eyepiece, the bullseye turns green. While you observe, listen to hundreds of audio descriptions and access detailed information on thousands of objects in the app's robust database.

High-quality altazimuth base

The stable base of the tabletop Dobsonian provides a solid foundation for the StarSense Explorer. The tabletop base is compact, lightweight, and easy to transport, making it ideal for travel. The low profile of the base makes it easier for some observers (especially children) to access the eyepiece. You can also place the base on a stable platform, such as a table or the hood of a car, to elevate it to a comfortable viewing height. Consider adding the optional tripod for even more viewing options.

Teflon bearings ensure smooth movement in altitude and azimuth. The integrated altitude “brake” system allows you to adjust the tension along the altitude axis to ensure smooth movement, even with slight imbalance. Celestial objects appear to drift across the night sky, making them easy to follow.

The optical tube attaches to the base via a tube mount. It’s easy to adjust the position of the tube in the tube holder so that the focuser is in the most ergonomic viewing position. The base is equipped with an eyepiece holder that keeps extra eyepieces within reach.

Stunning views through excellent optics

With a 130 mm (5.1") parabolic primary mirror, this telescope has sufficient light-gathering ability to bring out details of celestial objects. You can expect sharp, bright views of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, its cloud bands and the Great Red Spot, Saturn's rings, the trapezium of the Orion Nebula, and the beautiful Pleiades star cluster. You’ll be able to discern subtle details while observing the Moon and planets, as well as galaxies and nebulae.

This telescope features a 31.7 mm (1.25") rack-and-pinion focuser that accepts 31.7 mm (1.25") eyepieces and dust covers for the front of the tube and the focuser.

Perfect for city or dark sky sites

Even if you live in a light-polluted city, the Celestron StarSense Explorer 130 mm Tabletop Dobsonian is advanced enough to easily spot Jupiter, Saturn, open star clusters like the Pleiades, double stars like Albireo, the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, and other beautiful and bright celestial objects.

But if you can take the telescope to an even darker location, more objects will become visible. With this 130 mm Dobson and a relatively dark sky, hundreds of fascinating objects are within your reach.

The StarSense Explorer Tabletop Dobsonian is lightweight and equipped with carry handles, making it easy to transport to your observing site.

Smartphone compatibility

Celestron StarSense Explorer works with most modern smartphones, including iPhone 6 and newer, and most devices running Android 7.1.2 or newer made since 2016.

Patented StarSense sky recognition technology

StarSense Explorer uses patented technology and your smartphone to determine exactly where the telescope is pointed in the night sky. A LISA (Lost in Space Algorithm) algorithm, similar to those used by satellites in orbit to orient themselves correctly, helps the app match the star patterns it detects in the sky to its internal database.

Other astronomy apps claim to help you find objects, but they rely solely on the phone's gyroscopes and accelerometers, which are not as accurate as LISA technology. No other app can accurately tell you when your target is visible in the eyepiece.

Observe longer with the PowerTank Glow 5000

Keep your phone charged all night while you explore with your StarSense Explorer by adding the PowerTank Glow 5000 (sold separately). Our team designed this 2-in-1 accessory with StarSense Explorer Dobson users in mind. It includes a red flashlight PLUS a USB power bank to recharge mobile devices in the field. Two included straps attach the PowerTank Glow 5000 to the handle of the tabletop Dob base, an ideal spot to recharge your smartphone while you observe.