X3 NEW CELESTRON STARSENSE EXPLORER TABLETOP DOBSONIANS - YES, REALLY!!

[paulastro]

Great to see Celestron expanding their innovative range of Starsense Explorer telescopes.

I've always said you can't have too much of a good thing!

Edited July 17, 2023 by paulastro

[RobertI]

StarSense is obviously proving a good way to sell more scopes! Hopefully it will enable a lot more people to get into astronomy. I might go and recommend one to my neighbour, who just bought an Astromaster 130 on a spindly equatorial mount without consulting me first. I have offered to give them a friendly demonstration, but I would find it hard not to take my StarSense over and show how easy it could/should be. 

[Second Time Around]

Welcome additions. As I've often said I reckon Starsense Explorer is a game changer.

However, the 6 inch doesn't seem to be good value for money at the moment given that the 8 inch with a full size mount costs just £50 more.  At just £549 that's a great price compared with the 6 inch.

I'm pleased to see that the mirrors are all parabolic, and the focuser is a rack and pinion rather than a sloppy helical one.

By the way there seems to be a discrepancy in the copy of the 130mm.  The In the Box section says that the eyepiece focal lengths are 17mm and 10mm.  On the other hand in the specifications section it says 25mm and 10mm. 

@FLOan you please advise?

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by Second Time Around

[Astro_Dad]

I'm obviously tempted and was genuinely excited when I saw these on FLO's website today - I've long been a fan of the SW Heritage 150p  (both standard and Virtuoso GTi versions), but the frustrations and foibles of GOTO in general along with the extra hassle and need for a home made shroud and PTFE tape to fix the basic focuser on the Heritage has always led me to imagine a SS version of a tabletop "Dob". I even looked into a DIY mod to retro fit my Heritage with a SS dock at one point, but the Celestron version is finally here. I think the 5" version would make an excellent grab and go set up to complement my 8" model. Mmmm, interesting. I'd expect an 8" SCT version on a newly designed mount to be in the pipeline soon.

[IB20]

These do look great, I must admit. I’m still hoping they start selling just the bracket and software licences.

[paulastro]

3 hours ago, IB20 said:

These do look great, I must admit. I’m still hoping they start selling just the bracket and software licences.

If Celestron sold the bracket and software license for, say, £100 and people were tempted to buy them instead of the cheapest scope at around £170 to remove the bracket, they would make more money I would have thought. 

Celestron could stop making the cheapest scope(s) to save the manufacturing costs as well.  Though, I'm sure the brains at Celestron know more about marketing than I do 😊.

Mind you, there will still be people who would be unwilling to pay £100. That is despite  the fact that for purely visual observers it's by far the the easiest to use, most enjoyable, cheapest,  most versatile and quickest locating device there is.   

When you think it can be fitted on any size telescope and save the cost of buying an expensive suitably sized goto mount to put it on, it really is a no brainer.

[paulastro]

4 hours ago, Astro_Dad said:

I'm obviously tempted and was genuinely excited when I saw these on FLO's website today - I've long been a fan of the SW Heritage 150p  (both standard and Virtuoso GTi versions), but the frustrations and foibles of GOTO in general along with the extra hassle and need for a home made shroud and PTFE tape to fix the basic focuser on the Heritage has always led me to imagine a SS version of a tabletop "Dob". I even looked into a DIY mod to retro fit my Heritage with a SS dock at one point, but the Celestron version is finally here. I think the 5" version would make an excellent grab and go set up to complement my 8" model. Mmmm, interesting. I'd expect an 8" SCT version on a newly designed mount to be in the pipeline soon.

I should point out, it was Astro_Dad who spotted these new telescopes before I did and told me about them 😅.

[paulastro]

JUST ADDED POST ON SAME FORUM RE  NEW 12 INCH STARSENSE DOB !!!

[Sunshine]

This is a great little scope to recommend for beginners, Starsense has worked absolutely flawlessly for me in the seven or so months I have used it. One really must try it to be fully convinced and converted. Having said that, I can’t even find these on the celestron websit, what’s the deal? interesting.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Sunshine

[Second Time Around]

I note that the only eyepiece supplied with the 12 inch f/5 is a 32mm Plossl.  This gives an exit pupil of 5.3mm, that for those in light polluted skies or those older observers whose own pupil size is less than this, won't be able to make full use of all of the 12 inch aperture.

Presumably this was chosen to give a wider field of view (1.05 degrees) so that objects that Starsense Explorer found were always visible in the eyepiece.  My own experience suggests that this is conservative as this is easily so even for the 0.83 degree field of view I use for a finder eyepiece.

Yes, Starsense Explorer is that accurate!

[IB20]

8 hours ago, paulastro said:

If Celestron sold the bracket and software license for, say, £100 and people were tempted to buy them instead of the cheapest scope at around £170 to remove the bracket, they would make more money I would have thought. 

Celestron could stop making the cheapest scope(s) to save the manufacturing costs as well.  Though, I'm sure the brains at Celestron know more about marketing than I do 😊.

Mind you, there will still be people who would be unwilling to pay £100. That is despite  the fact that for purely visual observers it's by far the the easiest to use, most enjoyable, cheapest,  most versatile and quickest locating device there is.   

When you think it can be fitted on any size telescope and save the cost of buying an expensive suitably sized goto mount to put it on, it really is a no brainer.

Certainly agree with that price point, even upto £125 would still be attractive, they could supply additional bases for all different finder shoes at a cost too. The other option is selling or gifting my 200P and replacing it with a 10” Starsense  😈. 

[Astro_Dad]

On 18/07/2023 at 01:08, Sunshine said:

This is a great little scope to recommend for beginners, Starsense has worked absolutely flawlessly for me in the seven or so months I have used it. One really must try it to be fully convinced and converted. Having said that, I can’t even find these on the celestron websit, what’s the deal? interesting.

They do appear to be all on the website now -

https://www.celestron.com/products/starsense-explorer-130mm-smartphone-app-enabled-tabletop-dobsonian-telescope
 

Celestron branded as well, rather the Popular Science brand they sometimes use. 

I also think they would be ideal for beginners but also for more experienced observers who need a good travel ‘scope or quick grab and go. I can imagine the 114mm or 130mm tabletop versions for example to be ideal to take away with my kids. 

Tricky on the 150mm though. That’s going to be quite big still as obviously doesn’t collapse down like the SW Heritage models. 

[bosun21]

I myself bought the smallest Starsense refractor (LT70) when they first appeared on the market. I removed the Starsense unit and placed it on my 12” SL dobsonian. Pleased to report that it works flawlessly.

[Carbon Brush]

21 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

I myself bought the smallest Starsense refractor (LT70) when they first appeared on the market. I removed the Starsense unit and placed it on my 12” SL dobsonian. Pleased to report that it works flawlessly.

Is this why the 70mm is out of stock at FLO right now?

Yes I'm thinking much the same for a 12" dob that I often loan out. Maybe use the 70mm frac as a finder?

Do I understand this correctly?
If the software is free and unrestricted, then it is only a matter of time before someone starts offering their own dock.
For example a phone holder & cheap diagonal and a bit of 3D print would make a 'pirate' dock.
A lot of bother for an individual. But having seen folks spends weeks avoiding spending a couple of quid....

[Astro_Dad]

On 18/07/2023 at 06:21, Second Time Around said:

I note that the only eyepiece supplied with the 12 inch f/5 is a 32mm Plossl.  This gives an exit pupil of 5.3mm, that for those in light polluted skies or those older observers whose own pupil size is less than this, won't be able to make full use of all of the 12 inch aperture.

Presumably this was chosen to give a wider field of view (1.05 degrees) so that objects that Starsense Explorer found were always visible in the eyepiece.  My own experience suggests that this is conservative as this is easily so even for the 0.83 degree field of view I use for a finder eyepiece.

Yes, Starsense Explorer is that accurate!

True but an exit pupil of 5.3 is probably going to be fine for many in reality, and in any case those who are prepared to invest in a 12” Dob are probably also those who will immediately upgrade the stock eyepiece (even a quality plossl) or likely have one or two already. 
 

It’s amazing how accurate SS is though isn’t it - even in a narrow field EP as you say. 

[bosun21]

52 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

Is this why the 70mm is out of stock at FLO right now?

Yes I'm thinking much the same for a 12" dob that I often loan out. Maybe use the 70mm frac as a finder?

Do I understand this correctly?
If the software is free and unrestricted, then it is only a matter of time before someone starts offering their own dock.
For example a phone holder & cheap diagonal and a bit of 3D print would make a 'pirate' dock.
A lot of bother for an individual. But having seen folks spends weeks avoiding spending a couple of quid....

Haha, I just want you to know that I had no part in the LT70 being out of stock at FLO. I had to go to Harrisons telescopes to source mine. I gave the scope itself to someone involved with the scouts once I removed the Starsense unit of course. I myself had no interest in fabricating a DIY holder as simply modifying the base to be accommodated by a Synta shoe was enough DIY for me. Another downside of the DIY method is that you are limited to only using the phone model that you designed it for(no upgrades) or changes. For what you get for the price of an LT70 I deem it worth it for the Starsense alone. Plus you get a decent little achromat thrown in. The amount of observing time saved by the unit is substantial.

[StevieDvd]

1 hour ago, Carbon Brush said:

...

Do I understand this correctly?

If the software is free and unrestricted, then it is only a matter of time before someone starts offering their own dock.

...
 

Sorry, the app is free but needs a code from the telescope/starsense pack to open it up to allow the full usage of the app to select and guide you to targets. You get to install the code on up to 5 devices. Celestron will replace/provide codes only on evidence of ownership of the scope.

 

 

[Clarkey]

5 hours ago, StevieDvd said:

Celestron will replace/provide codes only on evidence of ownership of the scope

Interesting. I still own the scope (or at least my son does) but the module is now on my Dob. I do not remember seeing anything in the literature saying the two had to be kept together. If I was to ask for a new software code and showed them the scope and the dock, would they give me a new code? Similarly, if I was to break the dock, would I be able to get a new one? I'm sure there is some bit of contact law somewhere that says 'NO', but it would be interesting to try.....

[tomato]

Just to add to the discussion I purchased a used LT 80 StarSense from a Cash Converters shop, I checked the code was still active in the shop before purchase. A better engineered copy of the phone holder was made for my SW Dob and the LT 80 complete with working StarSense was then gifted to my granddaughter. Before purchase I made enquiries to see if Celestron had any imminent plans to market the StarSense as a stand alone unit, these came back negative.