Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114 Reflector Smartphone App-Enabled Newtonian Reflector Telescope

Explore the night sky with greater ease using the Celestron StarSense Explorer, an innovative manual telescope that combines traditional telescope operation with intelligent smartphone-assisted navigation. Celestron has reimagined the manual telescope by allowing your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate the telescope’s position in real time. The StarSense Explorer app makes celestial navigation much easier, especially for beginners. Its user-friendly interface helps you identify and locate interesting objects in the night sky, while detailed tutorials provide guidance on using the telescope and getting started with astronomical observation. Your smartphone effectively becomes a personal tour guide of the night sky, helping you discover celestial targets without requiring extensive knowledge of star charts or complicated navigation techniques. At the same time, the manual telescope design keeps the observing experience simple and hands-on, giving you direct control over where you point the telescope. Whether you're viewing the Moon, exploring planets, or searching for distant celestial objects, the StarSense Explorer provides an engaging and accessible way to begin your journey into astronomy.

Dock, Launch, Explore

Leave complicated star charts, imprecise planetarium apps, and computerized mounts behind. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more accurate. Within minutes of setting up the telescope, you’ll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the unique StarSense dock and launch the StarSense Explorer app. After aligning your phone to the telescope’s optics (a quick, 2-minute procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of celestial objects currently visible. Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding you as you to move the telescope. When the object is ready to view, the bullseye turns green.

Smartphone Compatibility

StarSense Explorer works with most modern smartphones; it is compatible with Android 12 and later, as well as iOS 18 and newer, including iPhone XR and newer models.  Users with older phones can still use this app, but will not be able to reinstall the app if they uninstall it. For a complete compatibility list, click here.

Patented StarSense Sky Recognition Technology

StarSense Explorer uses patented technology and your smartphone to determine exactly where the telescope is pointed in the night sky. A Lost in Space Algorithm (LISA), like the ones satellites use in orbit to correctly orient themselves, helps the app match star patterns it detects overhead to its internal database. While other astronomy apps may claim that they can help you find objects, they rely exclusively on the phone’s gyros and accelerometers, which aren’t as accurate as LISA technology. No other app can accurately tell you when your target is visible in the eyepiece.

Sturdy Altazimuth Mount

StarSense Explorer LT’s simple altazimuth mount makes it easy to move the telescope to find your target. An altitude slow motion adjustment with a sliding rod helps you fine tune the telescope’s pointing position and follow targets as they appear to drift across the night sky. It’s all anchored by an adjustable, full-height tripod.

Dazzling Views with High Quality Optics

With a large 114mm (4.5”) objective lens, this telescope has enough light gathering ability to bring out detail in celestial objects. You can expect sharp, bright views of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, its cloud bands and Great Red Spot, the rings of Saturn, the trapezium in the Orion Nebula, and beautiful Pleiades Open Star Cluster.

Perfect for the City or Dark Sky Sites

Even if you live in a light polluted city location, StarSense Explorer is advanced enough to be able to pick out Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, double stars, and a few more of the most famous celestial objects. But if you can take the telescope to an even slightly darker location, more objects will become visible. With this 4.5” Newtonian and relatively dark skies, the Andromeda Galaxy, Hercules Open Star Cluster, and so many more are easily within your reach. The entire telescope kit weighs just 10.4 pounds, so it’s perfectly portable and easy to bring on your next camping trip or to a remote observing site.

Features

• Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night sky—no telescope experience required.
• Award-winning and patented StarSense sky recognition technology uses your smartphone to analyze star patterns overhead and calculate its position in real time.
• StarSense Explorer Powered by SkySafari™ app automatically generates a list of objects currently visible. View planets, brighter nebulae and galaxies, star clusters, and double stars from the city. Or take your telescope to darker skies to view faint, deep sky objects.
• Manual altazimuth mount with altitude slow motion adjustment with a sliding rod makes it easy to follow the on-screen arrows to your desired target. When the bullseye turns green, it’s ready to view in the telescope’s eyepiece.
• 114mm (4.5”) Newtonian reflector with highly reflective coatings and enough light gathering ability to view all the best celestial objects.
• Includes 25mm and 10mm eyepieces, 2x Barlow Lens, StarSense smartphone dock, a red dot finderscope (in case you want to use the telescope without your phone), and a full-height tripod.