Celestron StarSense Explorer Reviews

I would recommend this product with six stars if CelestronStarSenseExplorer had half the functionality of Celestron’s SkyPortal freeware, and ten stars if it lived up to the SkySafari engine that runs them both.

I manage a large lending library of telescopes for my local club, and own a dozen telescopes ranging from $250 up to $7500, but bought this one for outreach and pure curiosity to try out the mounted app-driven interface. It could be the perfect storm, and to be honest, I’m not sure why Celestron chose to 1) attach it to their lowest line of hobby-killer junk telescopes and 2) dumb down and cripple the utility of CelestronStarSenseExplorer so as to make it only useful in the most basic and prescriptive way. I should be shocked, but guess that I’m not, since the platform represents a potential threat to their own top of the line go-to tech.

As sold, its an enabling tool with *so* much potential, but in practice, the functionality of CelestronStarSenseExplorer and cell phone mount (let’s face it, the only reason to try the thing out) is so dumbed down as to be nearly useless. Two stars because it works, but soooo disappointed. Rookie move, Celestron.

I've been using telescopes for 50 years and set up a DX 102 starsense explorer for a friend who bought this as a beginner scope. Let's start with the good. For a beginning achromat it is solid and very good quality. The red dot finder is great. The alt-az mount is sturdy and mount head movement is smooth and stays where you put it. Also very good assembly instructions. Now CelestronStarSenseExplorer . I think CelestronStarSenseExplorer itself is actually great as a tool for seeing what's out there. It has great graphical interface, a ton of information about the objects you're looking at. Unfortunately the whole smart-phone to telescope alignment and telescope orientation using that patented LISA algorithm or whatever does not seem to work very consistently if at all. I did get the telescope to orient initially and tried moving it to M42 and it was about 1 field width off. Then I tried improving telescope alignment and after that the telescope would not locate at all.
Nice idea but just doesn't work well enough at least so far from what I have seen

CelestronStarSenseExplorer is necessary with the new Celestron StarSense Explorer DX telescopes and you need to have one with their special phone mounts in order to use CelestronStarSenseExplorer to its fullest.
The plate solving features work great!
I really like the nightly challenge objects list. I like that it makes me semi competent at finding objects and seeing awesome things that I would have a really tough time finding otherwise.
I think CelestronStarSenseExplorer does what it aims to do really well. If only I could have more clear nights to make use of it, although this has really come in handy even in less than ideal conditions.
Like all things that are new, it is not without its kinks, but nothing I can’t work around!

The telescope is completely fine but CelestronStarSenseExplorer however is not. I understand that things are opposite when you look in the view finder BUT I was looking for Mars which I could see with my eyes but CelestronStarSenseExplorer was telling me to point the telescope in the opposite direction and down.

What if I really needed help locating an object with CelestronStarSenseExplorer that I couldn’t find on my own? It would be of no help.

I still have things to learn as this is my first telescope but because it is more for beginners and I wish it would have a better app that is actually helpful.

I live in city with light pollution and the first few month using this scope was awesome, also I remember that I wrote celestron and congratulate them for CelestronStarSenseExplorer , don't know what happened the last 2 or 3 time that I went outside even with new moon and when tried to calibrate It was pointing to wrong direction, then CelestronStarSenseExplorer are not able to plate solve the sky position anymore. I would give 5 star if it work as the beginning. CelestronStarSenseExplorer with the telescope would be perfect for fast set up for beginner even advance astronomers. I was in this hobby of astronomy and astrophotography for more that 7 years and more than 10 scopes.

Your guided tour through the sky with pictures, information and an audio tour of each item. I am not sure where others are having trouble but following guides should get you to where you want to be..... Viewing cool stuff in the sky! Of course you need a Celestron Starsense Telescope but it's amazing.

I have a Celestron StarSense explore 114 AZ. I have followed the procedure for proper alignment on CelestronStarSenseExplorer and the telescope. My alignment with the red laser and the eyepiece are aligned properly but when I use CelestronStarSenseExplorer to aline in to the telescope the object is about an inch off on the screen and I’ve tried to align CelestronStarSenseExplorer multiple times. I do like CelestronStarSenseExplorer just wish alignment was a little easier or maybe I’m doing something wrong.

I saw in the reviews a lot of people are saying it’s off but you have to point the telescope at a clear part of the sky and wait until the telescope position is found I had the same problem but I figured it out

CelestronStarSenseExplorer worked awesome when I first got my telescope about a month and a half ago but now I can’t even get it to align. I’m really bummed because it worked so well at first. I like trying to find the challenge objects but it’s useless without the alignment being set. I’ll review again if this problem ever gets fixed because CelestronStarSenseExplorer is certainly really cool....if you can get it aligned :(

I have not gotten the telescope scope yet, but I have to warn all you buyers: don’t buy CelestronStarSenseExplorer without the telescope!
Everything is really confusing unless you have it set up right.
So CelestronStarSenseExplorer alone? 3 stars.
But i’m guessing that the telescope and app combined would be 4 and a half stars.

CelestronStarSenseExplorer has a lot of things that I wished other sky viewing apps, you can use CelestronStarSenseExplorer without a telescope there is a free access.

I bought a 130 mm explorer telescope just to use with CelestronStarSenseExplorer. The telescope and CelestronStarSenseExplorer are both fine but they are not alignment to each other at all. There’s a big off side between telescope and the point that app shows. You can use the red dot pointer for visible objects like moon but for other planets don’t count on CelestronStarSenseExplorer to find it for you.

Purchase the 114 with the starsense explorer app and cannot use CelestronStarSenseExplorer at all. Tried it on different phones and after it being perfectly aligned according to the instructions it cannot locate the telescope. Either CelestronStarSenseExplorer is faulty or the universe is out of focus, it is 2020 after all. Don’t buy because of CelestronStarSenseExplorer , thank goodness for the red light

Not sure why but it worked fine for a while, now it’s showing the moon and other celestial bodies in random directions no where near where they actually are…

Only good thing about CelestronStarSenseExplorer is telling you about the best observation conditions otherwise CelestronStarSenseExplorer is useless. First off the alignment doesn’t even work and that’s the main problem. Which destroys the whole purpose of CelestronStarSenseExplorer. If they fix the alignment problem on CelestronStarSenseExplorer then it gets 5 stars

CelestronStarSenseExplorer is the best astronomy app I’ve ever had.Im going to get the celestron StarSense explorer.The problem I realized was that when it moves your view you don’t move the phone so it won’t move ur telescope.so it does 0 help whatsoever. When u have arrows you move it to where it should go so when u move ur telescope the phone moves with it so when u look through the telescope u see it what u wanted instead of nothing.Also I haven’t had a astronomy app with so many objects. :)

Just got to use the telescope and this was so easy. Got to see Orion Nebula for the first time. Love it.

I’ll be facing north and CelestronStarSenseExplorer says I’m looking south help me.

CelestronStarSenseExplorer is completely useless. I don’t know what sweatshop they used to make it but it’s ducking pathetic

it has issues finding north , south ,east , west
says moon is west when its east does not work