The Celestron Star Sense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian telescope is coming soon. You should always use a Dobsonian if you want the most bang for your buck. Dobsonian telescopes are often ignored by beginners due to the fact that they have to be manually pointed at objects.
The key features of the Star Sense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian are listed.
The optical design uses aNewtonian reflectors.
The frame is 8-inches/ 203mm.
The focal length is 47. 24 inches.
The focal ratio is f/ 5.9.
The eyepiece's focal length is 0.98 inches.
The kit weighed in at 43.4 lbs.
The Dobsonian is a mount type.
They're large and hard to store. When you have a small, portable and computerized 'Go To' reflector telescope, why bother?
The StarSense tech uses a smartphone app to find objects. The telescope still needs to be manually pointed at objects, but Star Sense makes it very easy to guide you to targets in seconds.
Are we seeing the rebirth of the Dobsonian telescope with the new 8-inch and 10-inch versions of the Star Sense Explorer?
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An additional kit is also included.
The eyepieces are 25mm.
A focuser.
The Star Sense dock has a phone on it.
A starPointer red dot finderscope.
There is an eye piece rack.
The carry handles have something attached to them.
There is aimation of a cap.
The software is called Celestron Starry Night basic edition.
There is a big telescope. All Dobsonians are relative to other designs of telescope mounts, but at least its 8-inch aperture limits it to about 10 kilogram each for the base and tube, which is less than other designs of telescope mounts. It's not as easy to store when you're not using it. There's more to this telescope than just that, it's packed with extras. The base and tube have carry handles that make it easier to move. An excellent quality 0.98-inch/25mm (48x) Celestron Omni Plossl eyepiece is included.
The focuser, red dot finder and smartphone mount are located at the top of the Star Sense Explorer. You can use 1.25-inch eyepieces in the box, but the focuser only takes 2 inch eyepieces. A red dot finder is in the box. This is there to help with alignment. If you want to use the telescope during the day, you can point it at the Moon.
The Star Sense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian telescope is not a 'Go To' telescope. It's more of a push to with the Star Sense app acting as a guide. StarSense does a great job. During our test in a light-polluted city, we were able to place the phone in the mount, uncover the small mirror behind it, and align the camera using X-Y adjustment knobs, and then let Star Sense take photos of the night sky. That's how it knows where it is, along with data from your phone's camera and gyro.
The app takes a little getting to know, but once you have the hang of its arrows and the way the app zooms in as you get closer to your target, it's all very easy to use. It's easy to find targets. The Star Sense app has a huge list of objects currently visible from your location. Since the last time we looked at Star Sense, the catalog has grown to include a lot of deep-sky objects that are perfect for Dobsonian training. Since the Star Sense app has an audio description for each major object you point the telescope at, it's worth observing while wearing some wireless headphones.
You're ready to see the views when the bullseye is green. The bright stars have a small four-pronged starburst. In our test, we were able to split double stars and see the red and blue friends in Albireo. There's a double double close to Vega. The ring pattern ofSaturn was clearly visible. The deep sky is where this'scope really shines. The objects look good. The clarity of the great cluster in Hercules was amazing. It's easy to make adjustments to the field of view by moving the tube and the focus wheel works great. Excellent value for money is what this Dobsonian is.
The Star Sense Explorer is easy to use. Thanks to the Star Sense app, it's easy to align it. Even without the app, this is a telescope that has a decent build quality and is easy to use. The metal focus knobs work well. The base has high-quality bearings and is easy to maneuver. If you're spending the evening looking at targets at the zenith, it requires a little tweaking. It's important to remember that the mount is close to the ground, so an open observing location is ideal. The carry handles on the tube and base were useful.
There are three small issues with using a mobile device to align a telescope. The Star Sense method seems to be able to deal with that. The first problem is that the user has to point the telescope at a bright star in order to see the mirror image on the Star Sense app. It's important to have a deep twilight and bright star. It's not hard, but it will trip up some people. The cloud is one of the issues. It requires a clear sky since the software plate-solves the stars it sees in the mirror just before issuing the bullseye. The third issue is that if you leave your phone in the cradle, you don't have access to your usual apps for astronomy or lunar photography. You can use a T-adaptor to attach a DSLR or a camera to the focuser on the Star Sense Explorer.
There is something about Dobsonians that is not very beginner friendly. The components of the telescope need to be aligned to bring light to its best focus. At no point during our review did we need to use an Allen head wrench and aPhillips head screwdriver despite the product being in transit.
The Star Sense Explorer is an impressive telescope. Although we're sure beginners could get used to it, it's mostly for intermediate users after a good quality, good value Dobsonian telescope and who have the confidence to manually aim it. It is a good telescope for learning the night sky. It is not light. There are some excellent handles to carry the tube and the base separately, and it's easy to pivot once in place, but a telescope this size requires some careful consideration. If you have the space, it will give you many years of amazing deep sky views.
If you want a more compact telescope but still like the sound of Star Sense, then the Star Sense Explorer is a must-have for beginners. The mini-Dobsonian is good enough for Moon-viewing, but only for kids.
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