Celestron Starsense

[Stu]

I’ve enabled the StarSense in my SkySafari now, very easy process so I look forward to using it 👍

[bosun21]

2 hours ago, paulastro said:

I'm glad you asked this Louis, I thought as you did, that if you removed it from a phone, then you could put it on a different phone and have the same number left.

Are you sure about this bosun21 ?  Does this information come from Celestron?

I find it hard to believe that if you have bought a Starsense scope and for some reasons have used the code five times,  Celestron would say you then couldn't use your scope on another device unless you bought another scope to obtain another code.

Yes I'm positive about this. For some reason when my device was updating I had to enter my Starsense code twice for it to work again. I then was told by Celestron that I had two code enteries left. They did inform me that if I ran out, I could obtain additional codes by submitting the purchase receipt.

[paulastro]

1 hour ago, bosun21 said:

Yes I'm positive about this. For some reason when my device was updating I had to enter my Starsense code twice for it to work again. I then was told by Celestron that I had two code enteries left. They did inform me that if I ran out, I could obtain additional codes by submitting the purchase receipt.

That's brilliant news, thank you. I thought I might have to buy the cheapest Starsense scope I can find, so that my Starsense future is secured should I happen to live to be 100 years old 😊.

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, paulastro said:

That's brilliant news, thank you. I thought I might have to buy the cheapest Starsense scope I can find, so that my Starsense future is secured should I happen to live to be 100 years old 😊.

Of course, you bring up the interesting conundrum of corporate support in even 20 years.  Who's to say that Celestron will keep that particular webpage running even that long to kick out your codes to you.  It's also likely the app will no longer work on those future phones due to lack of support, so you'll need to keep your last working phone with Starsense loaded limping along on a long dead dead battery continuously plugged in to a charger.

This isn't that far-fetched.  I'm still using Sky Commander DSCs I bought way back in 1998, 25 years ago.  They're not fancy, but they still work great, and they support realign on object that Starsense does not to refine the alignment.

[paulastro]

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

Of course, you bring up the interesting conundrum of corporate support in even 20 years.  Who's to say that Celestron will keep that particular webpage running even that long to kick out your codes to you.  It's also likely the app will no longer work on those future phones due to lack of support, so you'll need to keep your last working phone with Starsense loaded limping along on a long dead dead battery continuously plugged in to a charger.

This isn't that far-fetched.  I'm still using Sky Commander DSCs I bought way back in 1998, 25 years ago.  They're not fancy, but they still work great, and they support realign on object that Starsense does not to refine the alignment.

Yes, that's probably exactly what I will do!  I'm still using Adobe Elements 9 for all my image processing, along with an even older steam driven Dell laptop.

I'm an optimist.  Now that Starsense is here, I feel sure that it will be here for a long time - and get even better.  Its set a standard that any replacement  of its  type will have to at least match and I'm sure that's what will happen.  Technology doesn't go backwards.  I'm just glad I've lived long enough to see the like of Starsense - though I do wish it had been around over fifty odd years ago when I started using telescopes.  😏

[Ratlet]

Does the Starsense require online access to do the plate solving or is it all done on the phone?

[Second Time Around]

All done on the phone, no internet access required.

 

[bosun21]

33 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

Does the Starsense require online access to do the plate solving or is it all done on the phone?

The only internet access required is for the initial installation of the app and to download a somewhat large data file. After this it’s completely stand alone.

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, paulastro said:

I'm still using Adobe Elements 9 for all my image processing, along with an even older steam driven Dell laptop.

Got ya beat.  I still use PSE 2.0 from 2001 for my photo editing.  It came on a CD with a scanner purchase with the activation code printed on the CD sleeve.  I have it installed on multiple machines around the house.  It does what I need and doesn't depend on online activation.  Even after 20+ years, I keep learning new ways use its features.

I do keep an old 2006 XP computer with a PCI to SCSI card for my Minolta slide scanner and a Firewire port for my old MiniDV/HDV cameras.  I've already converted all of my tapes, but my son's girlfriend just came into possession of her childhood tapes, so I'll be converting those for her with that old machine.

Sometimes being a pack-rat pays off.

Edited July 27, 2023 by Louis D

[paulastro]

3 hours ago, Louis D said:

Got ya beat.  I still use PSE 2.0 from 2001 for my photo editing.  It came on a CD with a scanner purchase with the activation code printed on the CD sleeve.  I have it installed on multiple machines around the house.  It does what I need and doesn't depend on online activation.  Even after 20+ years, I keep learning new ways use its features.

I do keep an old 2006 XP computer with a PCI to SCSI card for my Minolta slide scanner and a Firewire port for my old MiniDV/HDV cameras.  I've already converted all of my tapes, but my son's girlfriend just came into possession of her childhood tapes, so I'll be converting those for her with that old machine.

Sometimes being a pack-rat pays off.

Guest stuff Louis.  Yes, I submit.  It's just amazing that both of us have embraced Starsense Explorer 😅.

[wookie1965]

I wonder if you sold the scope would the person buying it have to use the sellers email to input the code or could they register with celestron to get a new code. 

[Naughty Neal]

One can use a different email for any code  count  remaining .

I bought a used birdjones ota simply for the remaining four codes available and using another email wasn't an issue, all that seems to matter is one register 5 devices to use the code. 

I  registered the email with  celestron as it appears the previous owner hadn't bothered.

Edited January 26 by Naughty Neal