Thanks for the review hopefully you enjoyed it. Maybe another one or two more times I mean it is still an 80 mm so it is limited on what you’re gonna see. What I would recommend is take the StarSense module off that little guy and put it on your big Dobson and then you can find stuff much faster and easier than a traditional go to system And you don’t need any power any batteries it is still intuitive since you’re manually pushing it up and down and focussing it’s not totally a robotic telescope Why I enjoyed it I’m partly in the country about 10% of the time and then in the city 90% of the time And even though I’m experienced like yourself when I’m in the city, they’re just few stars to star hop so this system comes in handy for anybody in the city but also I find it much quicker than my 12 inch SCT go to system I think I’m having more fun with the StarSense on my 12 inch Dobson then I had in a long time It’s just so easy to use But I understand you’re thinking that people should learn that nice guy cause I also agree with that because they need to know some things
Hi Joe: I was very impressed with the Starsense and how well it worked. One drawback for me is that my phone dies quickly in very cold weather. But I can see how the Starsense would help a lot when observing in a light polluted area where it's difficult to find stars to hop onto and also a light weight solution to travel with on a manual mount when travelling to a dark sky site and there's no room for a goto mount and electronics.
Looks like a nice scope for beginners. The starsense makes it easier to find targets, although I agree with you, better to learn the sky by star hoping! Clear skies!
Nice review. I got this one for the kids and was impressed with the view of the moon with such an inexpensive telescope. The craters were really crisp. The tripod height is ideal for kids but a little low for adults.
Thanks. I looked at the Celestron 10" Dob a while back and that telescope weighed more than the other 10" Dobs on the market and so I decided against it and bought a used one instead. But good to know that you like yours.
Hi Tsula, Great review.. I bought the same struggling to find guidelines or direction lines in my app, i have app installed on my iphone 15 pro max, how could I see the guide lines?
Looks like a decent first scope for a beginner. Here's hoping it ignites many passions for astronomy. My first scope was a basic 60mm fract without any bells or whistles. It did the trick.
One piece of advice: Once you have aligned the red dot finder with the scope using the low power eyepiece, then use the higher power EP (10mm) to dial in the alignment even more.
Hi Tsula, I liked the review. I have some questions. What grade would you give Starsense (from 0 to 10)? Does the AZ mount have fine adjustment on both axes? Venus is the champion in chromatic aberration. Hugs
Thanks. Before giving the Starsense a final grade I would like to try it on some very difficult to find objects. I only used it so far to find some naked eye objects that frankly I was embarrassed to be using an app to find. Also, I am concerned that my phone's battery is going to die while using it in the very cold temperatures in Montana. And there is the fact that you can't do anything else with your phone while it is mounted to your telescope. So, I'll wait before I give my final opinion on the Starsense. So far, it worked well but the final verdict isn't in yet. As for the mount, I should have mentioned this, but it was disappointing that the mount did not have fine adjustment in both axes. Strangely it only had that one rod for adjusting the altitude. Yes, Venus can bring even the finest apo to its knees. Hugs back.
Great review. I got the DX130 AZ, how well is that compared to this? It cost me around 550 usd in Norway, and the weather has been so bad the last 2 weeks, So the only thing I managed to get a look at is the moon. I am so excitet do test it and actually see anything next time lol. Will better quality lenses make these better. Do you recommend upgrading to a 20mm eye-piece or sticking to the 13mm or whatever this is? 🙂
Your telescope is much nicer than this refractor. I think the DX is a nicer model than the LX. It looks like your telescopes comes with the same eyepieces as the 80mm refractor. I would get a nicer eyepiece for it. Not necessarily different focal length although you may enjoy trying out different sizes to see which one works best for different objects but just a nicer eyepiece in general will improve the view.
Those 70-90 mm achromat are nice as light-weight grab an go scopes. Although I own multiple telescopes, the one I use the most is a 70/700 mm f10 achromat that weighs just 1.0 kg / 2.2 pounds. It’s just very lightweight and easy to use and the Moon and planets look ok with it.
An enjoyable review which I'm sure the casual amateur will find extremely useful - but you said very little about the StarSense technology apart from its operation in the field, so I did a little research. According to Celestron, which owns the patent, it's a major breakthrough which uses "plate solving" (similar to facial-recognition software) rather than alignment of a complex - and expensive - mount. (Likewise, previous location technologies relying on smartphones - relying, that is, on their internal compasses and so forth - are far less accurate.)
Well, I was thinking I would make another episode about the Starsense but thanks for all that information. It is a major breakthrough for Celestron but you can only get the Starsense if you buy one of Celestron's telescopes that has the Starsense on it. I guess Celestron is carefully guarding their technology for the time being by making you buy one of their telescopes whether you want it or not but other than that annoyance, the technology works great and I can see other companies making their own versions of it very soon.
@@tsulasbigadventures A good argument can be made, I think, for all of the "go-to" technologies. As you've said, a lot of the fun in amateur astronomy is finding what you're looking for, but that can be a lot less fun in the winter. One can certainly try the patience of casual observers - who are more interested in the sights than their history - by fiddling with a telescope while they stand shivering and stamping their feet. 🙂
Always wondered about those starter scopes (achromats) and their quality. Thanks for the video, Tsula! What did you think about the accuracy of the StarSense? Does that required any type of alignment before use? (Sorry if you said that and I missed it.) I've been using my 'extra' Edge HD8 with a manual Stellarvue mount and rigged up a bracket for my iPhone. I've been trying out a couple of apps for push-to functionality, e.g., EZ Goto (not very good without the accompanying encoders which I have on my AD10), PS Align Pro (not bad). I'm going to give Stellarium a try if the clouds ever part. The problem with different apps is they require the phone to be at different angles, but fortunately with the bracket I rigged up, I can change the orientation pretty easily. Anyway, I think it's a shame that Celestron doesn't sell the StarSense unit by itself at a realistic price point (it's over $400!) since I could probably use the bracket holes on my HD8 and attach it directly. Oh, well. BTW, what red dot finder do you recommend, Tsula? I'm still using a laser pointer, but would like to try a red dot finder.
Greg: Good to hear from you. I am having a whale of a time getting the Starsense to attach to my 10" Dob. It worked great on the original refractor it came with but getting it attached to another telescope is proving daunting. SK24 told me about a thread on Cloudy Nights to look at and I found a link to a 3D printed bracket. How did you make your bracket? Or do you mean just attach it directly? Last night I screwed one screw from the Starsense, that would fit into the finder shoe hole of my telescope, after removing the finder scope but it was not very stable and not very accurate (not for me anyway I want the object right in the center!) and I gave up and took it off. I tried a velcro strap and it was still not very accurate. I tried double sided tape and the cold probably prevented it from properly attaching to the 10" Dob's tube. So, it's possible it wasn't accurate because it was moving but I'm not sure. I don't think magnets will work on the aluminum tube of my 10" Dob. So, I am still not decided on how great the Star sense is. Jury is still out on that. In the meantime, I am disgusted with the last William Optics Reflex finder i bought. $85! and the dang adjustment screws won't hold. Normally they make outstanding equipment and I really don't understand it. I use these things all the time and normally recommend them but something is not right with this one. Other companies make them though and you can get a cheap one from AStromania. These are the ones that are normallly used on guns not those cheap plastic things that never adjust properly. Also have you considered a telrad? They work way better and hold their alignment better.
@@tsulasbigadventures Ugh, sorry you're having a tough time transferring it to your Dob. Celestron seems hell-bent on making these things NOT work with anything besides their own scopes. Very annoying. The bracket I rigged up works on my Edge HD8 (since I have a Losmandy-style dovetail on the non-mount side), but wouldn't work on my AD10 (Dob), I'm afraid. (The bracket is just a Losmandy-Vixen adapter purchased from ADM, with an iPhone holder attached to a vixen plate, like for a camera-to-tripod connection.) I do, actually, use magnets on my AD10 (aluminum), but for 'ballast'. They are just small, round 0.5lb magnets, but they do stay put on the aluminum! So might give them a try if you can get a 'block' magnet or something that would attach to both the tube and the StarSense. However, that would be subject to moving out of position as you change the angle of the Dob. Maybe a 3D-printed bracket is the way to go for your Dob. Quite a while ago, I tried an Explorer Scientific red dot contraption (big) and that never worked well. I think I'm just going to order a Celestron Star Finder Scope since it comes with a few different brackets. Cheap enough that if it doesn't work, I don't have to sell anything to get the money back! Hahaha! I think the Telrad is just a little too big and bulky for me, although many people swear by them.
@@gregerianne3880 Greg: I bought a Celestron Red Dot finder and it did come with a multitude of bases but it never worked and I threw it away! You would not believe how many red dot finders I have been through. I will look into the magnets while waiting for my 3D printed holder.
Many people give away that scope & attatch the sse onto their dobs.Hope celesteon hears this so they can sell it seperately and easier to mount onto other otas
Thanks for the review. I’m not so sure that most newcomers really do want to know the night sky. The inevitable rise in popularity of smart telescopes might suggest that people want to look at stuff. I have met quite a few professional astronomers who don’t know the night sky. It’s like the old argument about satnav in cars. It’s a pity but it’s the way of the World. Dinosaurs like us with our paper sky atlases are doomed to a rapid extinction. Happy Christmas!
Hi Tsula, with Christmas approaching this video gives very sound and practical advice to anyone buying a beginners telescope. It’s so tempting to be swept away by the unrealistic images they always put in the boxes!!! That said, this is a good start up scope for a novice beginner. Are you familiar with Astro Hopper? This is a free app you can download to your phone to navigate the night sky by attaching your phone to any telescope and provides a free “go to” facility for astronomers. The screen is in red light which spares night vision and is very handy for finding and locating objects. As you so rightly say , a good working knowledge of the night sky cannot be beaten and will always make you a better astronomer, but as a back up support, the app is very useful! Thanks for this informative and practical review, I’m sure anyone seeing this feature will make a wiser choice now. Wishing dark skies to you, Lynn 🤗✨🌙✨
Thanks, Lynn. I am familiar with Astrohopper. I opened it up on my phone but then wondered how to attach my phone to the telescope and never got past that. So, I haven't actually tried to use it yet. I have some two-sided tape that I could use but I wonder if that will be secure enough for it. How did you attach your phone to the telescope?
Tsula, I noticed in your video that the StarSense mount has been removed from the scope, are you planning to put in on the nice dob that you showed us in another recent video? If so, maybe that’s another upcoming video? Also, for the StarSense series, Costco is currently selling a StarSense 102mm for about $300. It comes with a larger aperture and a better mount with slow motion controls that take standard vixen dovetail. I think that could be a good deal for a beginner. I hear you on learning the night sky, if a beginner desire to do so, they can simply use the telescope without mounting the phone and use the red dot and sky charts to find objects as usual.
Hello: That 102mm sounds like a much nicer scope but I think the 80mm is marketed to someone trying to stay under $200. Yes, I removed it and tried to put it on my 10" Dobsonian but I am having a hard time getting it to fit. First of all the Starsense on the 80mm refractor has a strongly curved base that I had to cut with a hacksaw to make the base flush. Secondly I am loathe to drill holes in my Dobsonian. The Dob has encoders on it that work very well and I might want to move the Starsense around to other telescopes. I sent you another message. I guess you didn't see it. I was asking you how you mounted the magnets. Did you tape magnets to the bottom of the Starsense? I think I will need to remove the right angle finder scope to make room and figure out how to attach the Starsense without drilling holes. I need to leave the telrad on for when I want to use the telescope manually which I really enjoy. If I could just attach it with magnets like you said I would be happier. Honestly I have never drilled holes in a telescope tube before. How to you keep shavings from getting down the tube onto the mirror?
@@tsulasbigadventuresI think UA-cam isn't allowing me to post links in the comments but I didn't have to drill out the dob at all. I used magnets with M4 threads that I got from Amazon. There is a long thread over on cloudy night's forum that talks about how people have adapted Starsense Explorer to use with their own scopes. If yoi find that thread, the solution I used is post #12.
one good point for those who are starting in astronomy is that, the bigger the number in the eyepiece for example 25mm the magnification is lower, the lower the number in the eyepiece example 9mm the magnification will big bigger, so bigger the number the smaller you will see , the smaller the number the bigger you will see
@@tsulasbigadventures I own an 8" Dobsonian with StarSense (for about six months). I love it! Even if I live in the burbs of one of Montana's big cities, (around a Bortle score of 5), the StarSense app lets me find most of the objects I want to observe.
I had to look that song up as I had never heard of it before. Interesting. No, I didn't hear it mention chromaticism but it mentions just about everything else astronomy related.
I don't care what anyone says, these cheap scopes all the way down to the department store 100 dollar specials are gateway drugs. Me, 10 years later with more money spent, I mean invested, than I will admit. Its not as lonely I thought I would be being divorced now. LOL.
There is definitely a place in the universe for cheap department store telescopes, especially if that's all you can afford. Glad it helped you through your divorce.
Hey Tsula I love your videos! I'm an up and coming astro youtuber and your videos are very helpful
Thanks!
Thanks for the review hopefully you enjoyed it. Maybe another one or two more times I mean it is still an 80 mm so it is limited on what you’re gonna see.
What I would recommend is take the StarSense module off that little guy and put it on your big Dobson and then you can find stuff much faster and easier than a traditional go to system
And you don’t need any power any batteries it is still intuitive since you’re manually pushing it up and down and focussing it’s not totally a robotic telescope
Why I enjoyed it I’m partly in the country about 10% of the time and then in the city 90% of the time
And even though I’m experienced like yourself when I’m in the city, they’re just few stars to star hop so this system comes in handy for anybody in the city but also I find it much quicker than my 12 inch SCT go to system
I think I’m having more fun with the StarSense on my 12 inch Dobson then I had in a long time
It’s just so easy to use
But I understand you’re thinking that people should learn that nice guy cause I also agree with that because they need to know some things
Hi Joe: I was very impressed with the Starsense and how well it worked. One drawback for me is that my phone dies quickly in very cold weather. But I can see how the Starsense would help a lot when observing in a light polluted area where it's difficult to find stars to hop onto and also a light weight solution to travel with on a manual mount when travelling to a dark sky site and there's no room for a goto mount and electronics.
Looks like a nice scope for beginners. The starsense makes it easier to find targets, although I agree with you, better to learn the sky by star hoping! Clear skies!
Nice review. I got this one for the kids and was impressed with the view of the moon with such an inexpensive telescope. The craters were really crisp. The tripod height is ideal for kids but a little low for adults.
Thanks. Yes, perfect size for a little kid.
Thank you for a great video I have the 10 inch dob with the starsense and love it
Thanks. I looked at the Celestron 10" Dob a while back and that telescope weighed more than the other 10" Dobs on the market and so I decided against it and bought a used one instead. But good to know that you like yours.
Hi Tsula, Great review.. I bought the same struggling to find guidelines or direction lines in my app, i have app installed on my iphone 15 pro max, how could I see the guide lines?
Looks like a decent first scope for a beginner. Here's hoping it ignites many passions for astronomy. My first scope was a basic 60mm fract without any bells or whistles. It did the trick.
That's a good way to look at it. My first telescope was terrible. It was an Orion 4" Reflector on this wobbly equatorial mount.
I like the new intro Tsula!
Thanks!
One piece of advice: Once you have aligned the red dot finder with the scope using the low power eyepiece, then use the higher power EP (10mm) to dial in the alignment even more.
Thank you. That is excellent advice..
One of my most used scopes is a Vixen 81mm on a small GEM mount.
Now that's a nice telescope.
I love this channel ❤
Thank you!
Hi Tsula, I liked the review. I have some questions. What grade would you give Starsense (from 0 to 10)? Does the AZ mount have fine adjustment on both axes? Venus is the champion in chromatic aberration. Hugs
Thanks. Before giving the Starsense a final grade I would like to try it on some very difficult to find objects. I only used it so far to find some naked eye objects that frankly I was embarrassed to be using an app to find. Also, I am concerned that my phone's battery is going to die while using it in the very cold temperatures in Montana. And there is the fact that you can't do anything else with your phone while it is mounted to your telescope. So, I'll wait before I give my final opinion on the Starsense. So far, it worked well but the final verdict isn't in yet. As for the mount, I should have mentioned this, but it was disappointing that the mount did not have fine adjustment in both axes. Strangely it only had that one rod for adjusting the altitude. Yes, Venus can bring even the finest apo to its knees. Hugs back.
Great review. I got the DX130 AZ, how well is that compared to this? It cost me around 550 usd in Norway, and the weather has been so bad the last 2 weeks, So the only thing I managed to get a look at is the moon. I am so excitet do test it and actually see anything next time lol. Will better quality lenses make these better. Do you recommend upgrading to a 20mm eye-piece or sticking to the 13mm or whatever this is? 🙂
Your telescope is much nicer than this refractor. I think the DX is a nicer model than the LX. It looks like your telescopes comes with the same eyepieces as the 80mm refractor. I would get a nicer eyepiece for it. Not necessarily different focal length although you may enjoy trying out different sizes to see which one works best for different objects but just a nicer eyepiece in general will improve the view.
@@tsulasbigadventures thank you for the knowlegde and super fast reply. I am so excited to start my astronomy journey :-)
Those 70-90 mm achromat are nice as light-weight grab an go scopes. Although I own multiple telescopes, the one I use the most is a 70/700 mm f10 achromat that weighs just 1.0 kg / 2.2 pounds. It’s just very lightweight and easy to use and the Moon and planets look ok with it.
Yes, it was very light and easy to move around from the house to outside and back.
An enjoyable review which I'm sure the casual amateur will find extremely useful - but you said very little about the StarSense technology apart from its operation in the field, so I did a little research. According to Celestron, which owns the patent, it's a major breakthrough which uses "plate solving" (similar to facial-recognition software) rather than alignment of a complex - and expensive - mount. (Likewise, previous location technologies relying on smartphones - relying, that is, on their internal compasses and so forth - are far less accurate.)
Well, I was thinking I would make another episode about the Starsense but thanks for all that information. It is a major breakthrough for Celestron but you can only get the Starsense if you buy one of Celestron's telescopes that has the Starsense on it. I guess Celestron is carefully guarding their technology for the time being by making you buy one of their telescopes whether you want it or not but other than that annoyance, the technology works great and I can see other companies making their own versions of it very soon.
@@tsulasbigadventures A good argument can be made, I think, for all of the "go-to" technologies. As you've said, a lot of the fun in amateur astronomy is finding what you're looking for, but that can be a lot less fun in the winter. One can certainly try the patience of casual observers - who are more interested in the sights than their history - by fiddling with a telescope while they stand shivering and stamping their feet. 🙂
@@waltergold3457 As someone who just stood outside in the 20 degree cold for several hours last night I could not agree more.
Hi Tsula, good morning! What is the name of the app you used on your phone to guide the telescope? Thank you very much! ✌🏻😎
I think I figured it out. Starsense right?
@@WellingtonBarba75 Yes, it's called Starsense and Celstron only sells it as a package with one of their telescopes.
@@tsulasbigadventures I already have the Svbony Sv550 telescope, they could sell it separately! 😭😭😭 Thanks Tsula. ✌🏻😎
Thanks Tsula.
Thanks for watching.
being new i have wondered about how the starsense worked. thanks for the info.
You're welcome. I give it a thumbs up.
thanks for the report !
Thanks for watching!
Always wondered about those starter scopes (achromats) and their quality. Thanks for the video, Tsula! What did you think about the accuracy of the StarSense? Does that required any type of alignment before use? (Sorry if you said that and I missed it.) I've been using my 'extra' Edge HD8 with a manual Stellarvue mount and rigged up a bracket for my iPhone. I've been trying out a couple of apps for push-to functionality, e.g., EZ Goto (not very good without the accompanying encoders which I have on my AD10), PS Align Pro (not bad). I'm going to give Stellarium a try if the clouds ever part. The problem with different apps is they require the phone to be at different angles, but fortunately with the bracket I rigged up, I can change the orientation pretty easily. Anyway, I think it's a shame that Celestron doesn't sell the StarSense unit by itself at a realistic price point (it's over $400!) since I could probably use the bracket holes on my HD8 and attach it directly. Oh, well. BTW, what red dot finder do you recommend, Tsula? I'm still using a laser pointer, but would like to try a red dot finder.
Greg: Good to hear from you. I am having a whale of a time getting the Starsense to attach to my 10" Dob. It worked great on the original refractor it came with but getting it attached to another telescope is proving daunting. SK24 told me about a thread on Cloudy Nights to look at and I found a link to a 3D printed bracket. How did you make your bracket? Or do you mean just attach it directly? Last night I screwed one screw from the Starsense, that would fit into the finder shoe hole of my telescope, after removing the finder scope but it was not very stable and not very accurate (not for me anyway I want the object right in the center!) and I gave up and took it off. I tried a velcro strap and it was still not very accurate. I tried double sided tape and the cold probably prevented it from properly attaching to the 10" Dob's tube. So, it's possible it wasn't accurate because it was moving but I'm not sure. I don't think magnets will work on the aluminum tube of my 10" Dob. So, I am still not decided on how great the Star sense is. Jury is still out on that. In the meantime, I am disgusted with the last William Optics Reflex finder i bought. $85! and the dang adjustment screws won't hold. Normally they make outstanding equipment and I really don't understand it. I use these things all the time and normally recommend them but something is not right with this one. Other companies make them though and you can get a cheap one from AStromania. These are the ones that are normallly used on guns not those cheap plastic things that never adjust properly. Also have you considered a telrad? They work way better and hold their alignment better.
@@tsulasbigadventures Ugh, sorry you're having a tough time transferring it to your Dob. Celestron seems hell-bent on making these things NOT work with anything besides their own scopes. Very annoying. The bracket I rigged up works on my Edge HD8 (since I have a Losmandy-style dovetail on the non-mount side), but wouldn't work on my AD10 (Dob), I'm afraid. (The bracket is just a Losmandy-Vixen adapter purchased from ADM, with an iPhone holder attached to a vixen plate, like for a camera-to-tripod connection.) I do, actually, use magnets on my AD10 (aluminum), but for 'ballast'. They are just small, round 0.5lb magnets, but they do stay put on the aluminum! So might give them a try if you can get a 'block' magnet or something that would attach to both the tube and the StarSense. However, that would be subject to moving out of position as you change the angle of the Dob. Maybe a 3D-printed bracket is the way to go for your Dob. Quite a while ago, I tried an Explorer Scientific red dot contraption (big) and that never worked well. I think I'm just going to order a Celestron Star Finder Scope since it comes with a few different brackets. Cheap enough that if it doesn't work, I don't have to sell anything to get the money back! Hahaha! I think the Telrad is just a little too big and bulky for me, although many people swear by them.
@@gregerianne3880 Greg: I bought a Celestron Red Dot finder and it did come with a multitude of bases but it never worked and I threw it away! You would not believe how many red dot finders I have been through. I will look into the magnets while waiting for my 3D printed holder.
Many people give away that scope & attatch the sse onto their dobs.Hope celesteon hears this so they can sell it seperately and easier to mount onto other otas
Thanks for the review. I’m not so sure that most newcomers really do want to know the night sky. The inevitable rise in popularity of smart telescopes might suggest that people want to look at stuff. I have met quite a few professional astronomers who don’t know the night sky. It’s like the old argument about satnav in cars. It’s a pity but it’s the way of the World. Dinosaurs like us with our paper sky atlases are doomed to a rapid extinction. Happy Christmas!
Hi Tsula, with Christmas approaching this video gives very sound and practical advice to anyone buying a beginners telescope. It’s so tempting to be swept away by the unrealistic images they always put in the boxes!!! That said, this is a good start up scope for a novice beginner. Are you familiar with Astro Hopper? This is a free app you can download to your phone to navigate the night sky by attaching your phone to any telescope and provides a free “go to” facility for astronomers. The screen is in red light which spares night vision and is very handy for finding and locating objects. As you so rightly say , a good working knowledge of the night sky cannot be beaten and will always make you a better astronomer, but as a back up support, the app is very useful! Thanks for this informative and practical review, I’m sure anyone seeing this feature will make a wiser choice now. Wishing dark skies to you, Lynn 🤗✨🌙✨
I too would be interested in your opinion of Astro Hopper.
Thanks, Lynn. I am familiar with Astrohopper. I opened it up on my phone but then wondered how to attach my phone to the telescope and never got past that. So, I haven't actually tried to use it yet. I have some two-sided tape that I could use but I wonder if that will be secure enough for it. How did you attach your phone to the telescope?
@@jlcop I downloaded it and will give it a try once I figure out how to attach my phone. Coming soon!
I Used velcro straps arounnd the telecope to attach a phone holder I could clip the phone into!🤗🌙✨
@@lindafinch8983 OK. Thank you. I have some velcro straps. Let me see if I can try it out.
Tsula, I noticed in your video that the StarSense mount has been removed from the scope, are you planning to put in on the nice dob that you showed us in another recent video? If so, maybe that’s another upcoming video?
Also, for the StarSense series, Costco is currently selling a StarSense 102mm for about $300. It comes with a larger aperture and a better mount with slow motion controls that take standard vixen dovetail. I think that could be a good deal for a beginner. I hear you on learning the night sky, if a beginner desire to do so, they can simply use the telescope without mounting the phone and use the red dot and sky charts to find objects as usual.
Hello: That 102mm sounds like a much nicer scope but I think the 80mm is marketed to someone trying to stay under $200. Yes, I removed it and tried to put it on my 10" Dobsonian but I am having a hard time getting it to fit. First of all the Starsense on the 80mm refractor has a strongly curved base that I had to cut with a hacksaw to make the base flush. Secondly I am loathe to drill holes in my Dobsonian. The Dob has encoders on it that work very well and I might want to move the Starsense around to other telescopes. I sent you another message. I guess you didn't see it. I was asking you how you mounted the magnets. Did you tape magnets to the bottom of the Starsense? I think I will need to remove the right angle finder scope to make room and figure out how to attach the Starsense without drilling holes. I need to leave the telrad on for when I want to use the telescope manually which I really enjoy. If I could just attach it with magnets like you said I would be happier. Honestly I have never drilled holes in a telescope tube before. How to you keep shavings from getting down the tube onto the mirror?
@@tsulasbigadventuresI think UA-cam isn't allowing me to post links in the comments but I didn't have to drill out the dob at all. I used magnets with M4 threads that I got from Amazon.
There is a long thread over on cloudy night's forum that talks about how people have adapted Starsense Explorer to use with their own scopes. If yoi find that thread, the solution I used is post #12.
The thread is titled Adapting the starsense explorer to other telescopes.
@@Sk240DC Thank you very much. I will search for that thread and see if I can find it.
Also, I just went to Costco today and saw that the StarSense 102 is now $50 off for $200! That’s a great beginner scope for the price.
one good point for those who are starting in astronomy is that, the bigger the number in the eyepiece for example 25mm the magnification is lower, the lower the number in the eyepiece example 9mm the magnification will big bigger, so bigger the number the smaller you will see , the smaller the number the bigger you will see
Yes, you are correct.
StarSense rules! Makes my life much easier.
I was impressed with it. But I'm waiting for a really cold night to see how long before my phone battery dies.
@@tsulasbigadventures I own an 8" Dobsonian with StarSense (for about six months). I love it! Even if I live in the burbs of one of Montana's big cities, (around a Bortle score of 5), the StarSense app lets me find most of the objects I want to observe.
I need spell checker every time I search for Pleiades by Kings X. The song doesn’t feature chromaticism.
I had to look that song up as I had never heard of it before. Interesting. No, I didn't hear it mention chromaticism but it mentions just about everything else astronomy related.
you only want it for the starsense...take the starsense off and put it onto a dob
Dang you figured that out!
I don't care what anyone says, these cheap scopes all the way down to the department store 100 dollar specials are gateway drugs. Me, 10 years later with more money spent, I mean invested, than I will admit. Its not as lonely I thought I would be being divorced now. LOL.
There is definitely a place in the universe for cheap department store telescopes, especially if that's all you can afford. Glad it helped you through your divorce.