Celestron 22481 StarSense Explorer 130mm Tabletop Dobsonian Smartphone App-Enabled Telescope Works with StarSense App to Help You Find Nebulae, Planets & More – iPhone/Android Compatible

I got this telescope as an upgrade to my simpler telescope from the same brand, and I was impressed by its quality. I feel it is quite easy to use. (The app and the computer program are also pretty awesome, and they make everything much easier to see and to make sense of!)The assembly part was fairly easy, but the instruction manual is not very helpful. That would be my one criticism of the product.It is very sturdy, and the base sets easily on a table or the ground. It is stable, and the view angle is adequate and easy to adjust. The lens that came with it and we got some great viewings of the moon and planets.This item was not cheap but I feel it delivers great quality for the money.

Fantastic tabletop telescope. Optics are very clear and the lenses were collated right out of the box. Set up was not difficult and all the instructions, tools and parts were included and easy to follow. It is a bit on the heavier side but not to the point it can’t be moved from spot to spot. Setting up you mobile device to use with the Starsense app and telescope was simple and the Starsense app makes night sky viewing easy, fun and educational. I am very happy with this telescope and think it is one of the better telescopes at this price point.

This has been an absolute blast to use out on our farm. The setup is easy thanks to the clear instructions and the StarSense app is beyond impressive in terms of accuracy and usability. I appreciated the extra bag it comes with to store the eye pieces and little parts that I would absolutely lose without it. The tabletop design is also super convenient, though I might by a tripod later on for flexibility.

Scope arrived with the base unassembled, laminated particle board. It is pretty sturdy after it is put together, and an impressive site to see. Not too large for my 12yr old to handle, but large enough to let in sufficient light for star and planet gazing. The lens caddy for the base is meant to take on and off so the screws cannot be over tightened as they only go in so far.The laser pointer/finder slides right on, is easy to adjust, and works pretty well! I was able to align it with the scope within minutes. Do this during the day… Saturn was in view last night and I aligned the scope with Saturn using the laser finder and it appeared right in the lens’s field of view! It was the first time I ever witnessed Saturn and it’s rings through a telescope and it was pretty exciting. I added a 2x Barlow lens adapter and was able to get a zoomed in view that was even more impressive. I was even able to make out one of it’s orbiting moons.It takes a little patience getting used to adjusting the scope while viewing targets as everything you see appears in reverse. To track targets while looking through the lens, you will need to move the scope in the opposite direction (right goes left, left goes right, up goes down, down goes up). It’s easy to do, just takes some practice.The Starsense app works as expected and I was able to get it working without a lot of extra effort. I’m pretty satisfied and makes the setup look professional.I can’t wait to see what else we can spot in the night sky! This is our first telescope so we cannot compare it to anything else, but based on our experience last night, I would have no problems recommending it!

Well-built economic scope for quickly seeing interesting objects in the sky.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:This review is for the 114mm, but probably applies to all sizes. Views are good and the app is fantastic. The scope itself is not the highest quality. The mirrors seem fine. The main issue is the focuser is pretty cheap (but functional), only accepts 1.25” eyepieces, no compression ring and cheap thumbscrews.The included EP’s are pretty cheap too so you may want to upgrade. The Celestron zoom is pretty decent for the price. Of course, you can get better but the Celestron zoom is on par with this scope’s quality IMO and won’t break the bank.You will likely want the tripod for this which is gonna be an extra $130 + tax. The tripod is good but is only compatible with this scope (all 3 sizes).If you’re gonna go with this scope, the 150mm would probably be the best choice, but when you add up the tripod and the 150mm cost, it’s getting close to the cost of the 8” dob so consider that.The 8” StarSense is between $800-900 and has a 2” focuser which gives better eyepiece options. It’s a better focuser for sure, but not as good as what you will get on a Apertura or SkyWatcher as it’s not dual speed as-is (it can be upgraded to dual speed for ~$100) and has no compression ring (which is pretty surprising & disappointing for a $800+ scope).At the end of the day, the only reason to get this scope over an Apertura or a SkyWatcher is the StarSense app (which is very nice). Otherwise, those brands will get you better hardware for the money.

So this came with missing parts, covered in dust and dog hair, but it's new right Amazon. Wow another "new" object with wear and tear. Everything is backwards also. I put together the stand but everything else came assembled and I just now found out it's backwards. The cellphone holder is upside down. And the eye piece is so close to it u can barely get ur head in to see it. And it's more proof it was previously owned because Celestron wouldn't assemble a telescope backwards. U can see in the pic that everything is screwed up. The only thing I did wrong putting the one board on backwards. U can see in the photo.