celestron starsense explorer dx 102az vs 130az

The optics are fitted into a closed tube. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Since both are beginner-level telescopes, comparison comes to mind. The pricing of this instrument is not significantly less than that of the Celestron NexStar 102 SLT the same instrument on a fully motorized mount, which has the great advantage of tracking objects for you. Its focal length is about 650 mm. Robin Scagell is a lifelong astronomer. For example, if Saturn or the Andromeda galaxy are above you that night, you can select them on the app and then follow the arrows on the app to point the telescope at them. So the views become much sharper and clearer. Rather, the mount uses an adapter and the computing power of your smartphone to help you find your way around the sky, which well get to after covering the basics of the telescope(s) itself. Celestron is one of the most reliable telescope manufacturers in the world. The accessory tray that sits in the middle of the tripod legs needs to be attached by fiddly thumb screws that are already in place. COAST HX4 Dual-Color Utility Beam LED Clip Light. This means we may make a commission if you purchase an item using one of our links*. Celestrons main explanation is that many beginners would buy the bracket and attempt to fit it onto substandard telescopes (or simply do it improperly) and become frustrated. Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102. Today's best Celestron StarSense DX 102AZ deals, We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices, Today's best Celestron 31145 NexStar 130 SLT Series Newtonian Reflector Telescope deals, Today's best Celestron NexStar 102SLT Computerized Telescope deals. I recently purchased the 130mm version for a great price. Find out more about how we test and review products. Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. At this aperture and focal ratio, there is a fair amount of chromatic aberration, but sharp views of the Moon and planets are still possible. So all that is left is light gathering. The alternative equatorial mounting, which has one of its axes tilted at the same angle as your latitude, not only confuses the wits out of many beginners but has a drawback in that it involves an overhanging load usually balanced with a counterweight, reducing the portability. A used StarSense Explorer scope will likely be missing the code for the app and many of the scopes floating around have had their phone brackets yanked off as well for use on other instruments. Add to Wish List Item in Wish List . Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ 130mm f/5 AZ Reflector Telescope (24) Price View Cart. All of this requires some user input namely the date and time, the location, and choosing the stars. Refractor devices can also double as a spotting scope of sort and the 102AZ is no exception. It is the most portable (being the lightest) and is generally the cheapest. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. View Map. ), Celestron Omni XLT 102 Review (Worth It Or Overpriced!? Overall, this is a great option if you want high power in a compact package and have the budget to pay a little more for this. Pentax K-70 Astrophotography: The Ultimate Camera on a Budget! Any tips would be greatly appreciated, otherwise, I may have to send my scope back. Are Celestron StarSense Explorer telescopes computerized / GOTO? On your phones screen, youll see the current position of your telescope. Thanks so much in advance. The Celestron StarSense Explorer comes in six different models. With the StarSense Explorer line of instruments, Celestrons magic solution has been to link these to a telescope, getting rid of the need for the costly handset, the user input, and the encoders. Its also portable and has a better optical design. The StarSense has an Aperture of 102mm, a focal length of 650mm resulting in a focal ratio of just under f/6.5. Celestron dx 130az has a focal ratio of f/5. In terms of which one is right for you, there are two key things to look at it price and size: The fact that the price difference is fairly large actually helps narrow it down as, if you know your budget, you just need to pick what matters to you most: Please let us know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below. Often this makes for more comfortable viewing with less stooping. The instrument is computerized, making use of the observer's smartphone and free-to-download StarSense Explorer app to make navigating the night sky and exploring solar system (opens in new tab) and bright deep-sky objects such as nebulas, star clusters and galaxies (opens in new tab) fun and, above all, a breeze to find. One major source of problems is the mirror that is crucial to finding objects. There are a few differences between each of the models, so lets look at each of them in turn to help decide whats right for you. The StarSense Explorer DX 102 includes two 1.25" eyepieces: a 25mm "Super" Konig providing 26x and a 10mm Konig providing 65x. Celestrons StarSense Explorer line of telescopes are some of the newest, and arguably most innovative telescopes on the market, and the newest effort of Celestron to make using a telescope as easy as possible. Improved focal ratio for better photography, Less cumbersome than the larger models below, Less power (aperture) than the two reflector options below, More aperture and better views with 4.5 inch aperture, One of the cheaper options alongside the 80AZ model, Larger, heavier, more cumbersome, and less portable than the refractors above, Large aperture for the best views of objects in the night sky, Larger, heavier, more cumbersome, and less portable than the other models. The Starsense app will work with most of the telescopes that have computerised mounts. The finding system is not always spot-on, so you need to be prepared to search for objects around the edge of the field of view. The altitude slow motion is equally stiff to turn, while the azimuth control had an annoying backlash. Looking for something portable at the moment, with plan to add a 10 dob in the future. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! New tabletop game 'Death in Space' lets you mine for precious gems in the ravaged Tenebris system. The details will be a lot better than dx 102az. Celestron dx 102az comes with two 1.25 eyepieces. I understand because they have the same focal length they give the same views in any given eyepiece, but using the area of a circle (pi x radius squared) 102 = 8171, and 130 = 13273. It has one 25mm Kellner eyepiece with 26x magnification power. The Moon looks pretty good, while Mercury and Venus show nothing besides their phases. Its a good magnification for viewing the Moon, planets, smaller deep-sky objects like globular clusters, and splitting double stars. The 130 mm (5-inch) aperture is fairly large and will enable great views of planets and deep-sky objects when the night sky conditions are right. Celestron dx 102az weighs around 6.4 kg. Youll need more expensive telescopes from Celestron to take pictures. Once set up, you need to align the red-dot finder with the main instrument by day. I would recommend it though. Unlike other reflectors, it uses a parabolic-style mirror inside. But youll find the images quite sharp. Overall, this is a great option if you prefer a smaller and less cumbersome refractor telescope, but want something more powerful than the 80mm option above. This helps remove much of the frustration that can occur when starting with astronomy that it is too hard and takes too long to find things to look at. Learn how your comment data is processed. The device comes with 2 1.25 kellner eyepieces at 25mm and 10mm, a StarPointe red dot finderscope, a 90 degree erect image starpointer, a Manual Alt-Azimuth mount, a StarSense Explorer phone dock, a tripod and a bunch of other miscellaneous documents. The reflector has coatings that only reflect 90% of the light hitting them. Users of the Explorer have found it to be a very capable device and quite easy to set up. So, that really shortens out your options. The other 2 are known as reflector optics (it utilises mirrors as opposed to the glass lens used in refractor telescopes) and compound optics (they utilise a combination of the other 2 optics). Though most other popular telescopes are on months-long backorders, the DX 102 and its cousin, the DX 130AZ, appear to be in stock most of the time, and even when they areon backorder, there have been reports that deliveries are quicker than usual. ), Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Review (A Good Beginner Device!? Anthony Robinson is the owner of Skies & Scopes and has been practicing and writing obsessively about astrophotography and astronomy since 2017. You cant also take pictures of the sky with the help of the telescope. My alt adjust is pretty over tight as well. It's siblings, though, 80AZ , 102AZ, and 130AZ, are much . HIGH-QUALITY 102MM REFRACTOR: Fully coated glass optics provide bright, sharp, clear views of craters on the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and deep sky objects like the Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, and Pleiades Open Star Cluster. Neptune and Uranus will be barely visible. Smartphones can be fitted into a spring-loaded slider on the StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ, allowing for basic astrophotography. So, what is so special about the Celestron dx eyepieces? Celestron Astro Fi 130mm f/5 Reflector Telescope. The extra aperture is the main draw of the 130mm. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Are the Celestron StarSense Explorer good telescopes? However, the mount does have a couple minor issues. Read why we prefer High Point Scientific to Amazon. Welcome to my Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Review! Uranus and Neptune might barely be viewable at the max magnification that the Infinity 102AZ can handle. Reading through the specs, I cant see the difference. Confusingly, the instructions then refer to the knob at the bottom of the clamp! The only major complaint was to do with the inaccuracy of the apps tracking ability, especially when users decided to look further out. This forum and community is a wonderful resource! Bear in mind that not all smartphones will work, so remember to check your model against a list on the Celestron website before taking the plunge. The Celestron Starsense DX 6 is exactly the same as the DX5 above but has a larger 6-inch aperture instead. Now that we know a little bit about the two telescopes lets take a look at this graph for a more comprehensive view: Both the Celestron telescopes are good choices in their respective categories. I love the starsense suggestions and how many things you can see in a short session. Celestrons 1.25 prism is pretty good; a dielectric unit like Aperturas improves performance and wont scratch your eyepieces thanks to the equipped compression ring adapter. Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Newtonian Reflector Telescope. I had what seemed to be a related question, which has come up somewhat in that main thread: whether to purchase the DX 130AZ vs 102AZ? STARSENSE EXPLORER APP: The app generates a list of the best objects to view based on your exact time & location. We may earn commissions by recommending products on this website. I'm aware the reflector has a larger aperture (though the secondary mirror erodes this advantage a little?) There is a great deal on a Celestron 102 DX at Amazon for $359, only 50 dollars more than the Popular . Have you tried this model and would you recommend it? Is it because of the 4 vanes as well? After a career that included making telescopes and editing a photography magazine, he became an author of popular astronomy books including Complete Guide to Stargazing, 101 Things to Spot in the Night Sky and Night Sky Atlas. The eyepiece for the 102mm will be better positioned for the little one. Why you can trust Space.com Even heavier and larger. (Image credit: Celestron) The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is a 130-mm (5.1-inch) Newtonian reflector. A 32mm Plossl will provide 20x, with a slightly wider true field than the included 25mm ocular, but is of debatable usefulness. Stargazing Help is a participant in Amazon Associates program. The aperture is almost the same, but the eyepiece magnification that comes with LT127 are better (50x, 100x and 2x barlow lense), Ps: I dont have much choice except celestron, since only this brand is available in my country, The 127 is junk and magnification is not what matters most. The camera views the sky through a mirror, enabling you to view the phones screen at a convenient angle. StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ ; Optical Design : Newtonian Reflector : Refractor : Aperture : 130mm (5.12") 102mm (4") Focal Length : 650mm (25.6") The Celestron dx 102 uses about 240x magnification power. Can you describe how you were able to loosen? The telescope attaches to the mount using a standard dovetail, but as it came out of the box the clamp assembly was twisted through 180 degrees, with the locking screw at the bottom. Thats all from us about Celestron Starsense explorer dx 102az vs 130az. Whereas Celestron dx 130az has an aperture of a whopping 130 mm. Faint objects like planetary nebulae or galaxies are off-limit. The 114AZ and 130AZ are reflectors (as well as the two dobsonians). StarSense dock for your smartphone. It shares many of the characteristics of the other refractor in the range above in that it is smaller, lighter, and less cumbersome to operate, but it is more powerful with the larger aperture and you will be able to see more through it. Saturns ring or Jupiters clouds can be seen clearly with more colours. In practice, this system is limited to an accuracy of a bit better 0.25 degrees, or half the width of a full moon. If you compare their size, 130az is quite big and heavy. $599.95. Read our full affiliate disclosure here. Any advice would help. I'd ideally want it to not be too hard for them to reach the eyepiece. Therefore this makes for a real (relative) bargain and a great option. It has more magnification power than dx 102az. I have two young kids (between 5-10 years old) and would like to try and get them interested. Your smartphone's camera must be sensitive enough to image the brighter stars on a night setting. Get the StarSense Explorer; it has better accessories and is easier to use, Ive had my 130 for so long. Would a barlow lens be a good addition to this setup? But it can suffer from spherical aberration. if youre not butchering it for the StarSense hardware, thats what Id buy. The advantage with these models is that the Schmidt-Cassegrain design allows high aperture in a much more compact body. Here's the full lineup of StarSense Explorer telescopes in order of price (low to high): StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Refractor. Need more information regarding both telescopes? Just recently purchased DX130. Therefore these models will suit those where space is at a premium at home and would prefer something smaller, easier to store, and more portable. So, lets get down to the details, shall we? The series also includes an 80mm f/11 refractor and a 114mm f/9 reflector, both for $180 on the lighter LT mount. Apparently, they both go with dx 102az and 130 az. Now, launch the Starsense app on your phone. Free shipping. The StarSense Explorer DX mount is nothing more than a repainted Omni XLT AZ or AZ3 mount with a bracket for the StarSense Explorer device. Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ review: First light and functionality. The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ telescope is all about the smartphone app used to align it, though it's a more manual affair than you might expect. Also, you look into an eyepiece on the side, rather than at the bottom. Way better scope but not comparable mount wise. The eyepieces provided with the 102az arent so good. Can you explain how they are still about equal in light gathering? Dx 130 on the other hand weighs about 8.16 kg. As noted above, the 102 in the name refers to the telescope's aperture of 102mm (4-inch). Stargazinghelp.com is a knowledge hub for professional and amateur astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. The clunky movement and delicate optics could limit the usefulness of the instrument for more detailed observations, but the system certainly does get you observing within just a few minutes, unlike more advanced telescopes, thus overcoming one of the greatest hurdles that beginners face. Optical Design: Newtonian Reflector. A simple slot-and-turn system would be much less aggravating for astronomers, unless you intend to use the instrument solely as a piece of furniture permanently set up in the corner of the room or do without the tray altogether. The alt-azimuth mounting means that you can move the instrument around two axes up and down (altitude) and from side to side (azimuth). It has a larger aperture than dx 102az. The Celestron dx 102az telescope is not good for viewing faint objects. How this StarSense technology works is actually very similar to what can be referred to as plate-solving. After much debate, we finally know everything that there is to know regarding the two telescopes. The DX 102 has a 2 rack-and-pinion focuser, but it cannot actually balance on its mount with a 2 diagonal and eyepiece, so in practice, the scope is limited to 1.25 eyepieces and accessories only. This is necessary when aligning the telescope, as you need to point it at a recognizable object at the start of observing. ), Deimos vs Titan (How Are They Different? Buy Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ 102mm f/6.5 AZ Refractor Telescope featuring Use Smartphone App for Star Navigation, Follow Directions to Find Great Objects, Advanced Precise Alignment Algorithm, 102mm f/6.5 Refractor Optical Tube, Single Fork-Arm Manual Alt-Azimuth Mount, Dual Axis Slow-Motion Control Arms, Includes 26x & 66x 1.25" Eyepieces, 90 Erect-Image Diagonal, Adjustable . In that regard you cant completely be reliant on the app, which may or may not be reasonably accurate considering the quality of your phones camera nevertheless, this shouldnt be a deal breaker if you were to decide on this telescope. Senior Software Developer (Former Employee) - Bangalore, Karnataka - April 23, 2023. This is probably one of the main reasons why youd consider getting the StarSense Explorer especially considering there are other similarly priced systems that offer a lot more bang for the buck (Ill list a few alternatives later). The StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ and 130AZ telescopes have slow motion controls for moving the telescope left and right as well as up and down. $449.95. The amount of celestial objects StarSense Explorer picked up under these conditions was truly amazing.Image by @wellreadnaturalist pic.twitter.com/QaPUPss0qM. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stargazing Help came into existence when some young minds got mesmerized by outer space while camping. Mars dark spots can be seen, although barely, when the planet is close to Earth, while its polar ice caps are a little more obvious. The DX 102s optical tube is a 102mm f/6.5 refractor with a focal length of 650mm, the same as used on many other Celestron telescope/mount packages like the Omni 102 AZ and NexStar 102SLT. For use as a grab and go/ compliment for my 8in dob. Now you are in business and you can choose from a list of objects observable with this instrument at the time, graded according to whether they can be seen from the city or from a dark sky. The 102 refractor will have CA on bright objects, while the 130 reflector will need (regular?) 6mm goldline and/or a 2x Barlow would be my first picks. The instrument comes in just two main parts the tripod and the tube assembly so it seems straightforward to assemble. There is no reason at all to get the StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ. Particularly under dark skies, bright nebulae like Orion and the Lagoon look great, but planetary nebulae such as the Cats Eye are really too small and dim to be interesting in the 102. Testing out the StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ at our HQ in a brightly lit industrial section of light-polluted Torrance, CA. The scope is alsoavailable on Amazon, which is unquestionably the most popular e-retailer in the United States, even when telescopes aloneare taken into account. Many people have asked on astronomy forums and contacted Celestron themselves, asking why the bracket and code cannot be sold as a stand-alone item. You can zoom in for better precision. Its a great budget option, but if you have the space and intend to use it mostly at home then the 114AZ will give you more power for a similar price. All Rights Reserved. How would you rate the StarSense DX6 version (6 inch SCT) compared to a Skymax 127 on GTi mount? I went ahead and ordered the 102mm. You therefore get all the same advantages of a great compact Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope tube but with even higher power. In fact, they are as big as a fairly small person, so this isnt an option if you have limited space or want something portable. Type of Electronics: Manual - Smartphone with StarSense Explorer App Assisted. Some drawbacks do become evident. Im very interested in the cosmos but being a chemistry student, I dont have much time to learn the precise location of Messier objects, how to find planets, and looking at the moon over and over gets boring (when you dont know what youre doing) comparing this to a Dob 8 in my opinion is like comparing a truck to sports car. It focuses the image on a single point. Thanks. It has an aperture of 114 mm (4.5 inches). The mid level focal ratio is good as itll decrease the amount of chromatic aberration that can be seen, and the aperture means the max theoretical magnification of the device will be around 200x although real world usage will be around 10 20% lower. Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Mars should look pretty great through the scope and fairly easy to locate. Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Review (Is The, Orion EON 115ED Triplet Review (Photography Device Worth, Celestron Omni XLT 120 Review (Is It Worth The Price?! If youre interested in other refractor systems, maybe due to the slightly inferior light gathering abilities of the 102AZ, this list may be helpful. The extra ingredient over a standard manual mounting is the attachment for a smartphone, directly fixed to the central assembly. I find it exciting to hear that the StarSense explorer seems to make it quite easy and fast to explore the sky. Overall The StarSense Explorer 102AZ is very competent refractor telescope, thats potable, easy to set up, has solid optics and decent enough in box accessories for the price. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Jupiters cloud belts and the Great Red Spot are relatively easy to see, and you can just make out the disks of its four moons when they transit the planet. Unlike Celestrons other computer-assisted offerings, the StarSense Explorer telescopes have no motors. Find out more about how we test and review products. Overall, this is the most entry-level of the four telescopes in this range. All the telescopes from Celestron Edge HD and Schmidt-Cassegrain are compatible with the Starsense app. Instead, it occasionally uses plate-solving technology when you first set up the telescope or move it across a significant portion of the sky, then tries its best to extrapolate finer movements using your phones relatively inaccurate gyroscope and accelerometer. Thanks to your phones limited battery life and computing power, the StarSense Explorer technology obviously cant take a new picture of the sky every time you move the telescope. Here is a quick video that shows how this works: This is a great, innovative feature that takes advantage of the smartphone that you probably already own, and gives you something simpler and cheaper than a fully computerized telescope. In this review Ill cover the pros, cons and the 102AZs features to ultimately help you decide on whether the system is worth investing in or a beginner level device that you should skip out on. You can unsubscribe at any time. The coating inside is of low quality. But with dx 130az you can. As noted above, the 102 in the name refers to the telescopes aperture of 102mm (4-inch). Locate faint, deep-sky objects in seconds and see them in more detail . Quantitative measurements of how the telescope performs in various performance categories: An amateur astronomer and telescope maker from Connecticut who has been featured on TIME Magazine, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, La Vanguardia, and The Guardian. Buy from scopes' recommended retailer, HighPoint, StarSense Explorer technology helpful in locating targets. Trusted Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain design, Small and compact for the power it provides, More expensive than other models like the Dobsonians that provide a better price-to-aperture ratio, but are also significantly larger, Smaller size and greater portability for the, If you have the space and plan to mostly use at home then the, If you have the budget but value something lighter and more portable, then the, If you want the cheaper option and have the space then the, If you want the cheaper option but prefer something lighter and more portable, then the, If you have the budget and space (and dont care about portability) then the. In terms of magnification that's a significant step-up from the 'toy' telescopes that dominate . Deep-sky objects are a little less exciting. I am sorry but I have zero knowledge on this so please excuse my raw language ! StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Newtonian Reflector Telescope. For Celestron dx 102az the former type is used and also they are low in quality. Firstly its height might be a bit of a problem and secondly, the adjustment of the mount being quite stiff will make it a bit of pain to smoothly turn the Explorer. Patented, award-winning StarSense sky recognition technology uses your smartphone to analyze star patterns overhead and calculate the telescope's position in real-time. I realized that it was very important for me that it the telescope be kid friendly. The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ offers access to the myriad targets that grace our night sky, but can be tricky to locate if the astronomer is just starting out in skywatching. Once done, the handset was able to direct the telescope to any other object in its database, but it needed position encoders on its axes. Now since the Dobsonian does not have an app how difficult does it become to locate objects ? Can you take pictures with the Celestron StarSense? The StarSense app also lists 5-inch and 6-inch Schmidt-Cassegrains . These are very average specs and maybe even subpar when you consider reflector telescopes tend to offer a lot more bang for the buck nevertheless, the specs should be competent for beginners.

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