CELESTRON STARSENSE EXPLORER DX 130mm AZ TELESCOPE

[@texicon]

Tsula is the Bob Ross of astronomy. And that’s a huge compliment.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you! That is a big compliment.

[@703dooku]

thank you! looking for 1st telescope and this was a very helpful video

[@tsulasbigadventures]

You're welcome.

[@waltergold3457]

Thanks! This intriguing unboxing was a bright spot during a low-grade but persistent struggle with flu and, I think, RSV contracted during a Christmas visit to Maryland.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks, Walter. I actually was thinking about you today and wondering if maybe you were sick. Get well.

[@waltergold3457]

@@tsulasbigadventures Thanks! I'm pretty much back to normal. But it wasn't fun - hardly worse than a common cold, but lasting much longer. It was as if the RSV, if that's what it was, waited on the bench until my body put the flu out of action. I felt better for a day or two, only to suffer with renewed chills and a stuffy nose for the next two weeks.

[@internalmegat]

Wow, a review of my actual telescope that I've been using for over a year now. Not only that, it's a review from one of my favorite KZbinrs.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks!

[@lindafinch8983]

Hi Tsula, WOW! I wish I could assemble a telescope at your speed!!! Really sound information for any would be amateur astronomer. This looks like a good start up telescope, but the no zenith problem would be frustrating indeed. I totally agree with you regarding the lack of collimation information. This is essential to good viewing and especially if you pack and transport the telescope. It is this lack of information that make people reluctant to "have a go" plus the fear of breaking or damaging their new and prized telescope! The fact is, correctly set up they will enjoy it even more! It's a shame Celestron won't sell the starsense as a seperate accessory, there would be a lot of people who wohld buy this. With a few refinements this would be a very good starter scope. So glad you finally got a clear sky, still surrounded by clioud and fog here so giving my telescopes a spring clean and check up so I'll be ready to get out there as soon as it clears! Happy stargazing and clear skies to you, Lynn 🤗✨🌙✨

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Hi Lynn: Ha ha. It actually took me a while to put that together it just looks fast due to videography magic. Regarding the weather the next day the clouds swooped back in and it snowed for days and then finally yesterday it cleared up after the snow storm passed and guess what. It was -10F (-23.3C). I wanted to go out to badly but it was just too cold. Happy star gazing to you and clear skies.

[@christopherthomas3403]

​@@tsulasbigadventures -23.3°C! 🥶🥶 The UK might have crap weather, but fortunately temperatures like that are few and far between, apart from maybe in the Scottish Highlands. -15°C is the coldest I've experienced where I've lived over my 60 years in the UK.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@christopherthomas3403 You have to be tough to star gaze here.

[@lindafinch8983]

@@tsulasbigadventures Hi Tsula, I've just found a Meade LX90 12" for sale through Astroshop france. It's shown as being currently available so it might be of interest to you, if are still hoping to source a replacement for Artemis. Hope this is helpful, Best wishes Lynn 🤗✨🌙✨

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@lindafinch8983 Hi Lynn: Thank you for watching out for me. That's very kind of you. I actually found a used Meade 12" at a reasonable price. It's no Artemis but the optics seem to be in good shape. It just has terrible pointing accuracy. So, I have to find everything on my own. Thank you again. Take care.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks for the review Tsula.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks, Ron.

[@jimwaller5465]

COOOOLLLLLLLDDD!!! Nice review and stay warm!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. It just keeps on coming. Today it warmed up to 24 degrees but now there are 41 MPH winds. I don't think I'll be going out tonight. I went into the observatory to get something and I thought the roof was going to fly away.

[@jimwaller5465]

@@tsulasbigadventures Wow!! Stay out of that and stay warm!

[@BurningFlame1999]

Like! Just a suggestion - please talk more about the magnifications the telescopes you review are capable of and which magnification you like to use with them on different sky objects. Thank you!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks. OK. On the next one I will.

[@OlliesSpace]

Lots of good points Tsula, the Starsense looks to work well. 6 inch dob is tempting though !

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks. In that case you could get the cheapest Celestron Starsense telescope they make and cannibalize it for the Starsense and then get a nice 6" Dob and put the Star sense on it!

[@robertsonsid]

There is a table-top 114mm Starsense Dobsonian telescope that has a parabolic mirror. Essentially an Orion Starblast with Starsense. Thanks for reviewing the scope and showing the mount won't goto vertical with that OTA. I wonder if the mount can be adjusted by moving the arm horizontal to achieve vertical viewing? I find Polaris can be split better with refractor than a reflector.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

That table top 114mm sounds like a nice choice. I tried various things to get the telescope to the zenith but wasn't able to.

[@brenthann2623]

great review Tsula, i noticed the mount issue when you assembled the scope. if you could swap the sides (dove tail to starsense) you might could hit the zenith.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. Good to know.

[@lindafinch8983]

@@brenthann2623 Be careful if you try this, as it might cause the telescope to overbalance and fall as the centre of it's weight would no longer de over the centre of the tripod and not evenly supported

[@brenthann2623]

@@lindafinch8983 yup, that is a very good point i didnt think of.

[@DMGinc77]

I have the Starsense DX5. Perfect travel buddy. I love it. My main telescope is TS Optics ED102, on a Skytee 2 mount. I use the second telescope position for my starsense. I have 3d printed finder base for it, so i can attach it straight to vixen dovetail, works really good.

[@MatthieusStuff]

Am I right to assume that the DX5 can point to the zenith and that the motion controls feel better located? Based on the review, I’m wondering if the mount was designed for SCTs and refractors rather than newtonians

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@ Well, a refractor would definitely hit the mount or legs but a SCT might not since they are so short.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

That Skytee 2 Mount looks like a great mount.

[@MatthieusStuff]

@@tsulasbigadventures I was thinking it might be perfect for an sct and not too bad for a refractor as at least the motion controls will make sense. But the zenith issue is still a biggie

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@MatthieusStuff Yes, I agree.

[@woody5109]

Great review, nice spear 👍

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks! I got that spear from a Navajo Indian.

[@radioparisment628]

If I was a beginner, a sturdy tripod like this one, a Synscan mount and StarSense AutoAlign, but the telescope would be a 120/600 Skywatcher achromatic refractor. I tested mine visually with excellent results. Yes, it's a very good scope ! A minus violet type filter, why not, but not absolutely necessary... Thank you Tsula for the video.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you! I just personally cannot toleratethe false colors you get on an achromat. I'm not familiar with the minus violet type filter. Is that supposed to help with the false colors?

[@themordeneiser2222]

Thanks for the review ☺️ By the way im considering buying this scope with a 2x Barlow in the summer so how does it go for the planets and is it really worth the money

[@tsulasbigadventures]

It's great on the planets and the Barlow will help a lot on nights of good seeing.

[@peter7624]

This beginner scope comes off better than the EQ version because of its reasonably sturdy alt-az mount and the Starsense. Personally though, I think I'd forego the Starsense for a better basic used scope and buy myself a star atlas. That way I'd have the fun of learning the night sky for myself. Great video Tsula, thanks.

[@JB-bv6jl]

I thought the same, but then was thinking for nights that aren’t perfect where star hopping might be tough (partial cloud, light, maybe tree branch blocking an area of the sky) the Star sense could help you out especially if you are new. I plan to buy the 10 inch and Star hop, using StarSense as a last resort backup option.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. I agree with that but sometimes it can be tough when you are first starting out to locate objects. I know I had a hard time with my first telescope, an Orion 4" Newtonian on an EQ mount.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@ That's a good idea!

[@curronhill2744]

Was the telescope collimated ok out of he box? Thanks!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

It was collimated adequately. It just needed slight adjustment.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

Excellent review. I wonder if the 80/900 mm F11 achromat would have a better image quality on the Moon and planets than this 130 mm newtonian…

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. It's possible but I don't own any achromats to find out.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

@@tsulasbigadventures a month ago you reviewed the Celestron 80/900 mm starsense achromat, I thought you still have it :)

[@RefractorGuy]

I have a 90/900 f10 celestron achromat which does wonderfully on the moon and planets with no chromatic aberration at all...I will never sell this scope.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

@@RefractorGuy what magnification do you like to use with it on the Moon and planets ?

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@RefractorGuy Sounds like a winner!

[@TheStarHound]

It looks like the mount was modeled on the old Vixen Porta series of Alt Az mounts, but not as beefy. The Porta mount I own is a great Alt Az mount, but it too doesn't allow observing at the zenith. But this mount still looks like is an improvement over the horrible mounts I see on most budget friendly scopes. The optical tube looks decent for the price point, but I agree with you that beginners would be better off getting a Dobsonian mounted reflector like the one you showed. I always recommended the Orion XT line. Now that Orion is no longer with us, I need to learn about the Apertura line. Are they the same scopes as the old Orion XTs? Clear skies, Tsula. I enjoy your shows.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. I never owned a Porta and I wasn't aware that it and many of the other alt az mounts won't go to the zenith. That is unacceptable to me. There are enough barriers to seeing the sky without adding additional ones. I think the Apertura Dobs are identical to the GSO and some others. They are all made at the same factory and just have different labels slapped on them. I have never tried one but I've read some glowing reviews of the Apertura Dobsonian.

[@clydedonaldson7369]

Anyone who wants or knows telescopes knows that there's 2 basic rules for purchasing a scope of this price range. 1) buy either a Celestron or Meade and 2) buy a scope with an EQ Equatorial mount rather than an AltAzimuth AZ mount. The reasons? If you truly want to enjoy a telescope that enables you to view the planets, galaxies and star clusters etc., you need a quality instrument that is capable of tracking the space objects as the Earth rotates on it's axis. Only an EQ mount is capable of performing this function. Anything else with an AZ mount is really only designed for terrestrial and occasionally astronomy amateur viewing that is also feasible with a good pair of binoculars while sitting in a lawn chair.

[@marcmears3398]

I would personally recommend a 6 inch Dobsonian for a first telescope. For about the same price you get more light gathering power and sharper images. You don't get the star finding ability but for a little extra money you can get a telrad and a book that will show you where to find over 100 deep space objects! If you can afford it an 8 inch dobsonian is even better!!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Yes, my thoughts exactly. Or if you are having a hard time you can always download the Astrohopper to help locate.

[@marcmears3398]

@@tsulasbigadventures A large planisphere a good book on where to find deep space objects a telrad and a 6 to 8 inch dobsonian telescope and you are on your way!

[@Youtuber-ku4nk]

Love your dialect 😅 amona, pole-aris.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Ha ha. Thanks.

[@lornaz1975]

I have not considered splitting Polaris. I will try that.

[@gwuengr2]

I bought this telescope and promptly returned it; the mount was not stable and as a result the starsense struggled and never really worked. That was my experience. I ended up with the 150mm tabletop dob version and bought the base mount which has proved to be excellent.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

The telescope you ended up with sounds like a much nicer telescope.

[@A0111.]

I have a Starsense DX 6" SCT with the same mount. Having 1500mm of focal length it has no issues with StarSense at all, perhaps your mount's clutches were not properly adjusted at the factory. I have a similar mount from Celestron AZ102, and it's terrible.

[@woody5109]

Collimating is what chased me away from newts.

[@RefractorGuy]

Collimating my newt takes 5 mins

[@tsulasbigadventures]

It's very easy to do once you have done it a couple of times.

[@sadfriedgamer6648]

@@RefractorGuy5 mins is a while, i have a 12” reflector and it takes me around 1 and a half mins

[@jesuschrist2284]

Any opinions on the dx6 version please?

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I've never tried the 6" SCT. So, I am unable to comment. But I am a big fan of Schmidt-Cassegrains.

[@jesuschrist2284]

@tsulasbigadventures thanks for a fast reply tsula and thanks for all your videos

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@jesuschrist2284 You're welcome. Down in the comments somewhere someone said he has that telescope and he likes it and considers it a great travel telescope.

[@kevanhubbard9673]

I wouldn't buy it myself but the 2" adapter is good.I have uses .96"(years ago I had two .96" telescopes).and 1.25"eye pieces but never 2"ones.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I have never used a .96 but I have to admit that I don't like having to remove and then replace the 1.25 adapter in order to use 2" eyepieces but occasionally they do come in handy.

[@markpattinson4627]

How do align the phone in the dark?

[@tsulasbigadventures]

It's actually pretty easy. Since Venus is so bright you can see it in the phone and then you center Venus in your eyepiece and then place the crosshairs over Venus in the phone. If Venus isn't up just use anything bright like a neighbor's light or one time I used some neighbor's very bright Christmas lights or something else very bright even a street lamp or Jupiter or the moon or something that bright will show up on the phone.

[@craigpalmer9196]

To few ppl emjoy our moon during the day, thank you

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks. It's not so blinding during the day.

[@Aloha96789]

They put the slomo controls on the wrong side! Why Celestron? Why would you do that?

[@tsulasbigadventures]

It seemed very awkward to me. Why would you lean over your telescope in order to move it?

[@mesenteria]

The cheaper red dot finders just don't cut it. Maybe they're good with young eyes, say those under 40, but a 72 year old male isn't going to be able to see much beyond the glass element unless it's super bright. I was just up the mountain under Bortle 3 skies (moon was just rising), and found it hard to see things like M42. An illuminated finder is the way to go, 9 X 50 RACI (Right Angle Correct Image).

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Well, that may be but on this telescope you only use the red dot finder to line up the bright object for your Star Sense and after that you are expected to just rely on the Starsense to find objects for you. But I agree with you that the red dot finder has limitations if you are solely relying on it to find objects. On my Orion Dobsonian I have a RACI and a telrad and that helps a lot.

[@RefractorGuy]

A lot of us can only afford a red dot finder especially in my country with extremely high gst on everything.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@RefractorGuy I don't mean to pry but what is your country?

[@MatthewHolevinski]

LOL, Seasonal affective disorder hahaha meeeee tooooo :)

[@MatthewHolevinski]

Someone got me a pair of those cheap celestron binocs for xmas, not toooooo shabby. I'm more than a little impressed by them things, not great, but definitely not terrible.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@ Celestron must have improved them because a few years back I bought the Celestron Skymaster 15x70 and they were not that great. Maybe it was a different model. The ones I bought were only $69. In fact, I decided to upgrade (for a lot more money) and got the Oberwerk 15x70 which are superb.

[@MatthewHolevinski]

@@tsulasbigadventures I think my collimation might be off a smidge, but I'm not getting a lot of chromatic aberration like I expected there too be. The glass in this pair isn't too bad, it's not great like I said, but it's way better than I expected it to be.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@ I think the pair you have are a level up from the cheap $69 pair I have because they have horrible chromatic aberration.

[@MatthewHolevinski]

@ Ya they are the skymaster 15x70's, I think my step sister got them for a steal. I've never done binoc viewing, I can't wait to throw them on a tripod. I never do visual work, but once I have been fortunate enough to go for a sky walk with a nice tele vue. I didn't know you could get an eyepiece that made you feel like you were inside the stars, that's bananas, now I'm chasing it, and the binocs kinda give you more of that 3d'ish feeling, I'm really digging it.

[@brettatton]

The table top Dobsonian versions are probably better for a lot of people. 114mm, 130mm and 150mm mirrors.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

They are much more stable and just better telescopes.

[@brettatton]

@ Yes. I actually bought the 80mm SSE refractor in 2020 just to get the phone cradle and unlock codes. I’ve hacked the SSE onto numerous telescopes including a 28” F/4.1 Webster Dobsonian. You can’t beat Celestron’s SSE technology. But if you are starting out and didn’t already have a telescope then I’d recommend one of the Dobsonian mounted Newtonian models…They start at 4.5” and then there are the 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch models. Also your review focused on the 130 DX scope and mounting not the SSE pointing technology. In my experience finding sky objects is one of the biggest barriers to enjoying time under the stars. Struggling to point a less than stable mount is a close second. I think the 130 DX fails on the mounting. My 80AZ LT was wobbly and I never used it other than with the 25mm. Great review. I’m always checking out people‘s reviews on StarSense Explorer scopes so I can share the good ones with new comers.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@brettatton OHH la la! A 28"! That sounds really nice. Thanks.

[@andrzejczarnota3661]

There really should be an option of buying StarSence alone. I don't understand Celestron.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I agree but I think Celestron is using it to sell lower end telescopes.

[@perry92964]

ed ting just did a review of this scope but a much older version that came with a weird eq mount and no star sense. he had no issue with the tube but i never saw an eq mount like that one and now that i have seen yours im wondering if it was supposed to have a star sense on it

[@b1530807]

do you mix up with the 127eq? ed ting had introduced 130dx with an alt mount but not eq mount.

[@A0111.]

Please do not mix Starsense Explorer DX 130AZ with Astromaster 130EQ reviewed by Ed Ting - these are totally different scopes with Astromaster 130 being an utter trash because of a cheap spherical primary mirror (Ed mentioned lots of spherical aberrations that means views aren't sharp) and a horrible mount, while DX 130AZ has much better optics, focuser, finder, tripod, weighs much less, and a lot easier to use

[@perry92964]

@ its the same scope but i just seem to remember it being an eq but that was months ago and i have so memory issues

[@perry92964]

@ it was like 6 months ago i was wrong about it being an eq, i just remember it wrong i have memory issues

[@RefractorGuy]

Whatever the price is in the US in my country we pay double.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Ouch!

[@RefractorGuy]

I get sharper images at the eyepiece with my skywatcher heritage 130p

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I believe you because the Celestron's selling point is that it comes with the Starsense at the expense of other things on the telescope including the mount and the mirror.

[@MW-hf5nk]

No zenith position possible? That's a no go. Shame on Celestron. They should know it better. Thank you Tsula for this well made review. Thumbs up for you, but thumbs down for Celestron.

[@hugadogstudio]

I think it just needs a bit of a setup correction of altitude arm to a bit flatter angle and rotate in AZ axis between tripod legs - after all it’s alt-AZ mount, no EQ, so it should make no difference at what azimuth you point the tube upward toward Zenith.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@ If you move the mount then you lose your alignment of the starsense. I don't think looking at the zenith is possible with this mount.

[@brucebeamon5460]

Fabulous fireplace …. But I’m wondering why images she saw weren’t shown TO US other than the moon …. That one is less relevant because we see that ALL the time .. also wouldn’t buy because this doesn’t give us FULL MOVEMENT because of the tripod interference 😒

[@RefractorGuy]

People only buy it for the starsense

[@blobrana8515]

Don't buy this telescope or any cheap celestron reflector.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Well, some people are lured to this telescope by the Starsense I think.

[@JoeJaguar]

Thanks for your review again I agree with you the 114 mm was the traditional starting reflecting telescope for many decades Then at about the mid 2000s when they were made well and cheap enough, the 130 became the natural go to telescope since it wasn’t much more expensive than the 114 mm version As you see by the comments, there’s no perfect starter telescope in this price range with something that helps you locate items I think overall, Celestron did OK with the quality of the telescope the accessories, the StarSense and the tripod with slow motion controls overall I know my first telescope in the early 90s it was used and I only spent $150 If I had to spend maybe $400 and I guess that’s in US money would probably be more closer to about C$525. I’m not sure I would’ve actually spent that much on my first telescope not knowing I would stay in the hobby . I think that would’ve been too high of a price point for me back then Me personally I would probably prefer that one over like a 6 inch Dobson And as you know, by the comments, there’s no perfect telescope. It’s all about preference. In the end, whatever makes people observe is the number one thing Thanks for your video

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@JoeJaguar Thanks, Joe. Yes, I agree with all those things you said but I wasn't aware that the US dollar was so much stronger than the Canadian dollar. I should visit Canada! I was so poor when I bought my first telescope. All I could afford was this terrible Orion, I think 4" reflector on a wobbly EQ mount. A friend of mine still has it. My second telescope was an 8" Dobsonian and I loved that telescope. I still love Dobsonians. But like you said, whatever gets you out there under the stars is the best telescope.

[@JoeJaguar]

@ the exchange rate between our two countries fluctuate, but it’s normally always minimum 30% to about 38%. You guys have 10 times the volume and do 10 times the trading I guess but anyway yeah cheers

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@JoeJaguar Well, I'm not going to Canada right now. It's so cold here that all I can think about is going south. Joe it was -12F (-24C) last night. Brrr