Celestron | StarSense Explorer DX 5" AZ

In brief

• Unleash 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.
• 5" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube with StarBright XLT coating and sufficient light-gathering capability to observe all the best celestial objects.
• The manual altazimuth mount with slow-motion controls on two axes makes it easy to follow the on-screen arrows to the desired target. When the crosshair turns green, it’s ready to be viewed in the telescope’s eyepiece.
• The StarSense Explorer Powered by SkySafari™ app automatically generates a list of currently visible objects. Observe brighter planets, 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 eyepieces, StarSense smartphone dock, StarPointer™ red-dot finder, eyepiece holder, and collimation cap.

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 user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials in the app. It’s like having a personal night sky guide.

Settle in, 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 mount with slow-motion control

An ultra-stable altazimuth mount provides a solid base for the StarSense Explorer DX. The friction clutches and slow-motion controls on both axes help you move the telescope smoothly and center your target. When celestial objects seem to drift in the night sky, you’ll be able to follow them with just a few turns of the knob. All of this is supported by a height-adjustable tripod.

Breathtaking views thanks to excellent optics

With a large 5-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube—the proven optical design from Celestron for over 50 years—this telescope has sufficient light-gathering capability to bring out impressive details of celestial objects while remaining compact and lightweight. 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 in the Orion Nebula, and the stunning Pleiades star cluster.

All air-to-glass surfaces are coated with our StarBright XLT coatings to visibly enhance contrast and light transmission for brighter views of deep space. With StarBright XLT, you’ll be able to discern subtle details when observing the Moon and planets, as well as faint galaxies and nebulae. For more information on our patented StarBright XLT coatings.

Perfect for the city or dark sky sites

Even if you live in a light-polluted city, the StarSense Explorer is advanced enough to spot Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, double stars, and some of the most famous celestial objects.

But if you can take the telescope to a slightly darker location, more objects will become visible. With this 5-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain and a relatively dark sky, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Hercules open star cluster, and many other objects are easily within reach.

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.

Everything you need for immediate observing

When you unpack your new StarSense Explorer DX, you’ll find:

• a 5" (125 mm) Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube
• StarSense dock for your smartphone
• Low power (25 mm) and high power (10 mm) eyepiece
• The StarPointer red-dot finder, perfect for using the telescope during the day or without the StarSense Explorer app.
• Altazimuth mount with slow-motion controls
• Height-adjustable tripod with an accessory tray to help you stay organized