I also attempted the opposite-setting up the Explorer right in front of some bright street lights with the sun just barely below the horizon-and it had no trouble locating stars I could not see with my naked eye due to light pollution. This time I was able to mix naked eye observations and telescope observations in a way that seemed to really help my kids connect the thing in the lens with the thing in the sky. A couple of weeks later, we brought the telescope down to Edisto Island, where the skies are significantly darker, and it was even more fun. That first night we managed to see the moon, Venus, Rigel, and Betelgeuse before the clouds took over. Officially, StarSense supports the iPhone 6 and up and "most newer Android phones." I used a Nokia 7.2, which is not officially supported but worked fine. Then you download the app and drop your phone in the holder. You need to calibrate it using a fixed object about a quarter-mile out (I used a stop sign). But fortunately the directions are simple and I had it up and running in just a few minutes. The package arrived in a single large box, and I was a little worried about how hard it would be to set up. All of them utilize this smartphone mechanism. There's also the Explorer DX 130AZ ($400), a 130 mm Newtonian reflector telescope the StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ ($180), a 114 mm Newtonian reflector telescope and the StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ ($180), an 80 mm refractor telescope. The model I tested is the Explorer DX 102AZ refractor telescope ($400). The app uses your phone's camera, pointed down into a mirror, to figure out where your telescope is pointed, and then directs you which way to move it to find whatever you want to look at. Yes, the magic here is a mount that sticks off the side of Celestron's telescope and holds your phone in place. The secret high tech ingredient is, in fact, wonderfully low tech and completely fitting: a mirror. The company took the power of a star map and combined it with an affordable set of telescopes and mounts. Unfortunately, motorized tripods are not cheap, and getting it all set up requires a good bit of effort.Ĭelestron saw an opportunity to simplify things considerably. My personal favorite is Stellarium, which can be used to control a telescope on a motorized mount. Software on our phones and desktops has long simplified the night skies by providing guides and mapping out planets, and even giving precise locations of objects.
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