Celestron 22460 StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope, iPhone/Android Compatible, Grey

As a long time (very) amateur astronomer I had been using a large Dobsonian. As my age and disability got the better of me I decided I needed something easier to handle. This Celestron DX130 AZ is perfect for me. It was easy to set up and get everything aligned. I can easily carry it to my car for some night-time viewing. Unfortunately I have only had a brief period of clear skies to try it out but a saw enough to know that it will be a great acquisition. The Star Sense phone app worked quickly and accurately and I was able to view Mars and a beautiful view of Jupiter and its moons before the cloud cover returned. This may not be the greatest telescope for a seasoned watcher but for a beginner or someone in my position it is an excellent choice. I am looking forward to some clear skies in the weeks to come and I may update this review once I have had a few sessions with it. First impressions though, are great.

Very good for beginner astronomers. I bought it for myself and my kids. I did A LOT of research before i purchased. I was close to buying the Celestron 102az, and I'm sure it would have been fine, but I am so glad i went with the StarSense explorer. I would not have known what I was looking at if I had another Telescope. Its excellent. Easy to use and very informative. Ive had good views of the moon in particular. Can also see Jupiter and its moons pretty clear. It’s easy to set up. Would recommend for beginners. You wont find better for the price. Trust me I did loads of research. Enjoy.

This is my first telescope and it’s really goodIt came nicely packaged and was fairly easy to assemble with the instructions. Finding things is made a lot easier with the viewfinder and calibrating didn’t take to long.So far we have seen the moon, Jupiter, and Saturn which looked really cool and quite clear through the lenses it comes with.We haven't quite got the phone aspect down yet but the app is really nice and easy to use, and guides you through working it.

Looks great but total nightmare to set up and instructions are so unclear unless you have an engineering degree. Still can’t get it working and am not stupid!

This scope is a nice package, not too heavy or cumbersome to move around, fine controls help keep the object in view, and a handy tray to hold your eyepieces. I found it quite stable, still wobbly whilst looking at far objects after adjustment, but easily settling after a few moments.The mount for the phone is easily adjustable, and the app, once setup, is really useful. Pick from the list of objects and tap locate, and the app tells you which way to go. Get close to the object and it scans the sky, further calibrating so that you can be spot on with what you’re looking for.The eyepieces are fine, and offer nice, clear views. But I recommend a nice Plössl or two in different sizes to add to the collection.This scope is brilliant for a beginner, and a great way to learn about the night sky with ease. The app is full of details about the objects you’re looking at.Worth mentioning, the photo attached was taken by holding my phone over the eyepiece so it isn’t great, but the quality whilst looking with your eyes is spectacularly detailed.One final point, have a chair handy. The scope is reasonably long and the mount height means the eyepiece will be quite low. I’m six foot tall, and the eyepiece is around hip level when pointing up.

Really impressed with Celestron's Star Sense object finding software, which uses a mobile phone to detect the orientation and location of the telescope. Using this, I've managed to find objects easily which eluded me when using manual telescopes 25 years ago (e.g. M15 and M27). This kit is simple to use - just what I wanted. The optical quality of the tube seems fine too. The eyepieces are OK but I have upgraded these to some having a wider field of view.

This is a really good scope for beginners, looking at optical and photographic observation. Not really anything to compare for under £300. The inclusion of the mobile phone app is great - means no messing about with polar alignment, or knowing where in the sky everything is.There are a couple of downsides which each drop a star for me though.Firstly, the focuser is very jerky, a turn of the focus wheel makes the end of the tube jump, making it almost impossible to achieve fine focus. This might be a symptom of worm drive focusing, but it is really annoying.Secondly, using the fine adjustment is also very jerky - which appears to be a symptom of the design. The x and y fine movement is achieved by turning knobs on the end of spring loaded connections to the mount. The trouble is, the connections are bent, and the fact they're spring loaded, means tension builds up, then causes the mount to jump. If you could keep the connections totally straight, perhaps it would be reduced, but that's just not possible when you're looking through the telescope in order to adjust. The jumping is usually enough for you to completely lose the target. This happened a number of times trying to observe Jupiter. Again, really annoying, and warrants losing another star.I don't think there's anything actually "wrong" with my 'scope, so I suspect these are issues which will impact everyone - to a greater or lesser extent, depending on what you're trying to see.

Bought for our Daughter as a Birthday present. She absolutely loves it.