Celestron Starsense Explorer 10" Smartphone App Enabled Dobsonian Telescope (22471)

The Telescope I Use The Most

I wanted to do visual astronomy since I want to live in the moment and discovered that I enjoy the tactile and visual experience of a Dobson telescope . My first experience with this scope was from my deck in the city, looking at the moon which was amazing . However , I quickly learned that simply driving 3 km away from the city lights presented a far better night sky . Portability : Celestron has simply put a handle mid optical tube and a small steering handle at the opening : this makes it simple to carry for transport. I went one step further by adding 2 Farpoint Z10 lifting straps : loading it into a vehicle is a breeze . I kept 2 pieces of packing foam that the scope shipped in which makes a great transport cradle. The base has a handle and the cutouts in its design that also make it easy to move. The StarSense App is simple to use with my iPhone . Once aligned , star hopping is easy and enjoyable. I tend to go out as the sun is setting, point my red dot finder at the top of a tower and use an illuminated crosshair eyepiece. I center the crosshair on the top of the tower then align the StarSense crosshair. I then point the telescope at the area with the best targets and let it map the location. When it has completed its alignment I use a 24 mm eyepiece , select Tonight’s Best and start star hopping. My target has been in the eyepiece every time ! It’s a great piece of technology that is easy to use. With a 10 inch aperture deep sky objects show up nicely and with the use of nebula filters (UHC, O-lll), targets such as Orions Nebula looked even better. The upgrade to Baader Hyperion (68 degree) eyepieces , offer nice resolution and comfortable eye relief ( using 10 and 24 mm most commonly) and also enjoying Explore Scientific 85 degree eyepieces ( 8.5, 14 , 24 mm). The ability to use 1.25 and 2 inch eyepieces in the Crayford focuser gives you a wide range of eyepiece options. I added a Skywatcher USB cooling fan powered through an Orion USB 2.0 extension cable to a Celestron PowerTank to cool the primary mirror faster. A good quality astronomy chair will keep you comfortable, looking through the eyepiece longer which allows you to pick up more detail : that’s the goal of visual astronomy. I’m looking forward to taking this telescope to a true dark sky area. Nicholas and staff are very helpful and can guide you to the best telescope and accessories to meet your goals.

Haven't had a chance to try it yet. As usual, cloudy skies in Vancouver

Starsense App

The Starsense app is fun to use but needs brief calibration each time you attach your phone. Being dark, it's tough to find something to align to and your experience with the app is only as good as the alignment. The telescope itself is great. Easy to permanently align the laser finder, smooth operation of the focuser. As with any dob, it takes a bit of trial and error to get the tension on the base just right so it's smooth to turn.