The Celestron Starsense Explorer LT 114 AZ telescope arrived disassembled, with different parts in individually labeled boxes. Although it looked a bit intimidating at first, the assembly of this stargazing tool proved to be an achievable part of the experience.
The process of setting up the Starsense Explorer app on my smartphone was actually a very streamlined method of calibrating my phone to the telescope via the provided mount. The mount itself seems to be very sturdy. I especially appreciate the design of the adjustment knobs to ensure the telescope’s compatibility with any phone shape and size.
When first introduced to astronomy, the most intimidating thing is locating different stars or planets to study. Luckily, the app makes it so that you don’t have to be an experienced astronomer to use this telescope. The app displays a map of the night sky, relative to your telescope’s direction. With this, it doesn’t take most of the night to find a star like Almach or Messier 34. The app also notifies you of special events happening in the night sky in real time. These events include challenge objects to look at, and the best objects to look at for that night.
Whether it’s a new hobby or a new tool for scientific study, this telescope is a secret weapon in the arsenal of any astronomy enthusiast looking to explore the night sky and seek out new worlds.