Celestron StarSense Explorer 10" Dobsonian Smartphone App-Enabled Telescope

Experience a smarter and more intuitive way to explore the night sky with the Celestron StarSense Explorer Dobsonian. Celestron has reimagined the traditional Dobsonian telescope by combining its large-aperture design with StarSense Explorer smartphone technology, allowing your phone to analyze the night sky and help determine the telescope’s position in real time. Designed with serious beginners in mind, this telescope provides the light-gathering capability needed to explore a wide range of celestial targets while keeping the observing experience approachable and enjoyable. The large aperture provides plenty of optical performance for discovering the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects. The StarSense Explorer app features an intuitive interface and detailed tutorials that help guide you through the process of locating celestial objects. Instead of relying solely on traditional star charts or complicated navigation techniques, your smartphone becomes a convenient guide to the night sky—almost like having a personal astronomy tour guide at your fingertips. Its large aperture also gives the telescope room to grow with your experience. As you become more familiar with astronomy and begin seeking more challenging targets, the telescope's substantial optical capability can continue to support your exploration. Whether you're just beginning your astronomy journey or looking for a capable Dobsonian that can accompany you for years of observing, the StarSense Explorer Dobsonian combines traditional simplicity with modern smartphone-assisted navigation.

Dazzling Views with High-Quality Optics

With a large 10" Newtonian reflector optical tube, this telescope has enough light-gathering ability to bring out impressive detail in celestial objects while remaining remarkably portable. You can expect sharp, bright views of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, its cloud bands and Great Red Spot, the rings of Saturn, the gaseous glow of the Orion Nebula, dust lanes in the Lagoon Nebula, and our neighbor galaxy, Andromeda. Compared to the StarSense Explorer DX 130 AZ, the 10" Dobsonian has 380+% more light gathering area, providing better views of faint objects. All mirror surfaces are coated with our XLT optical coatings to visibly increase contrast and light throughput for brighter views. With XLT, you'll be able to discern subtle details while viewing the Moon and planets, as well as faint galaxies and nebulae. The mirrors are made of low-expansion optical glass, which helps ensure the best images under changing environmental conditions. This telescope also comes with a high-quality 2” Crayford focuser. The Crayford design provides precise and smooth movements without focus shifting. It also includes a 2” to 1.25” adapter and a 2” extension tube, so you can use virtually any 1.25” or 2” telescope eyepiece with your StarSense Explorer Dobsonian. The focuser also features a thumbscrew so you can lock in the sharpest focus.

Perfect for the City or Dark Sky Sites

Even if you live in a light-polluted city location, the Celestron StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian is advanced enough to easily pick out Jupiter, Saturn, open star clusters like the Pleiades, double stars like Alberio, the Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, and more of the best and brightest celestial objects. But if you can take the telescope to an even slightly darker location, more objects will become visible. With this 10" Dobsonian and relatively dark skies, hundreds of fascinating objects are well within your reach. Transporting your StarSense Explorer Dobsonian is easy thanks to the ergonomic carry handles located at the balance point of the tube and base. Dust covers are also included for the front of the tube and the focuser.

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.

Enhance Your Setup

Keep your phone charged all night while exploring with your StarSense Explorer by adding the PowerTank Glow 5000 to your must-have accessories (sold separately). This 2-in-1 accessory was made with the StarSense Explorer Dobs in mind, it has a red flashlight PLUS a USB power bank for charging mobile devices in the field. Connect the PowerTank Glow 5000 to the two posts at the front of the StarSense Explorer dock with the included bands so it is held in a convenient location for charging your smartphone while in use. To achieve the sharpest views faster, we recommend pairing the StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian with the USB Cooling Fan for Dobsonian Telescopes (sold separately). The fan cools the primary mirror to the ambient outdoor temperature faster, leaving you more time to observe.  It mounts directly onto the rear cell of the Dobsonian and works with any USB power source.

Features

• Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night sky—no telescope experience required.
• Patented, award-winning StarSense sky recognition technology uses your smartphone to analyze star patterns overhead and calculate the telescope’s position in real-time.
• A large 10” parabolic primary mirror with XLT coatings helps you make the most of StarSense technology. Locate faint, deep-sky objects in seconds and see them in more detail than ever before.
• A sturdy, Dobsonian-style base with large diameter bearings and variable altitude tensioning 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.
• 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 see even more.
• Includes a 25mm Plössl eyepiece, a 2” Crayford focuser, the StarSense smartphone dock, a StarPointer™ red dot finderscope, an eyepiece rack, and a collimation tool.