Advice on this telescope

[Stevish]

I am looking at getting a telescope for my grandson and family and came across this at Canadian Tire store starsense explorer 127 smart phone enabled. Is this a good telescope? I like the fact that Canadian tire has it because of the no interest payment plan lol

 

Thanks for your help

Stephen 

[Naughty Neal]

I think the 127 is formally placed in the bird/jones category of optical tubes as which   tbh is pretty crap, however that can't be said of the intuitive and excellent staresense unit.  One would be better to try and get a starsense refractor lt80az or  the one of dobsonians.

For the starsense one needs a phone/s from the known list of compatible phones , one can set up the starsense with five different devices  and on request from celestron get a new code in the future.

StarSense Explorer Smartphone Compatibility (simcur.com)

 

Overall the starsense is for most where the value is especially on the £200/ 300 - 350 Cad range, the unit alone is worth £100.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[Naughty Neal]

I bought the 114 used off ebay purely for the starsense unit  and scrapped the rest, like many other users I have modified the unit to fit on to far better telescopes/ mounts.

[bosun21]

Like the previous answer I would avoid the 127 bird jones design like the plague. The Starsense unit is great so another model of scope in the Starsense range would be a much better decision.

[Stevish]

What would be good for a starter telescope. Would like to see stuff like Jupiter spot and moons and Saturn that won't break the bank. My grandson is young but thinking he will grow into it lol thanks for your time 

[Naughty Neal]

We need a guide on budget.

The issue with all telescopes is  one will also need to buy at some better value eyepieces , typically any higher mag planetary ones supplied so an extra cost on top.

 

 

[Stevish]

Would like to stay around the 300 mark if I can. Can add to it later on when I save money up 

[Ricochet]

2 hours ago, Stevish said:

I like the fact that Canadian tire has it because of the no interest payment plan lol

Given this, which other telescopes do they also stock and have you compared the prices to online retailers?

If there is a suitable smartphone going spare (or your grandson has one) that can be used for the app then the Starsense Explorers are decent choices, aside from the 127 you have seen and the tripod mounted 114.

 

[Naughty Neal]

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80 AZ Refractor Telescope | First Light Optics

 

A pretty good budget starter , as said the starsense (if you have one of the compatible phones ) is a great item to have. Not only does it guide you direct to the object but also will tell you all the other celestial objects that are in your sky as well as object info.

[Stevish]

9 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

Given this, which other telescopes do they also stock and have you compared the prices to online retailers?

If there is a suitable smartphone going spare (or your grandson has one) that can be used for the app then the Starsense Explorers are decent choices, aside from the 127 you have seen and the tripod mounted 114.

 

They also have this one celestron astromaster 70az telescope

[Naughty Neal]

One can add eyepieces at anytime.

The wider view 20mm is usually passable to use but the higher mag 9/10mm are quite poor so a bettrr upgrade will make s big difference.

For good value this pair or either 9mm being higher power and 12.5 towards middle power.

Absolute bargain at the mo StellaLyra 9mm 1.25" LER Planetary Eyepiece | First Light Optics

[Naughty Neal]

The astro master is a basic no frills telescope which will have little used value if you get disallusioned with looking at the sky, on the other hand a starsense enabled telescope will always hold good value purely for the starsenses unit and the ability  to find stuff it will save taking out charts   or other devices to find objects in the sky.  The starsense is a deal breaker imv , I love mine on my 80mm or 102mm  long refractors.

I think with the astro master one would soon get fed up not fnding much or not knowing waht you are looking at .

Starsense is quite a deal breaker for entry telescopes and for seasonal users with everything at the touch of a finger and with the device within eyes view.

 

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[Naughty Neal]

Is there import tax for canada from the UK ?

Edited December 10, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[Naughty Neal]

One thing to say is one may be thinking  they will see magic through the eye piece but are often left dissapointed in what is actually on offer depending on the clearness of the atmosphere and light pollution.

 

 

[Naughty Neal]

With an 80mm refractor one should with good seeing/atmosphere see the moons albeit very small dots when viwing Jupiter, the main body is our moon to concentrate on.  Saturn should be distinguishable but don't expect the vividity that one thinks to expect also Mars will be viewable but don't expect too much. 

Then gradually looking at the easier targets like orion, it's belt and various stars like betelguese the orange /red star.  Taurus and the nearby Pleides/seven sister stars which include the nearby parent stars of Atlas & Plione.   Cygnus is anothe rnotible constellation and the list goes on with  the bright stars .

The difference even in basic telescopes will depend on to a point the quality of the eyepiece .

 

Without dampening ones expectatons please dolook and read the very opening post of the link to the thread in my  previous  post.

 

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[Stevish]

Not sure abiut import tax I would guess government wants there money too. Lots of food for thought I am leaning towards starsense because I think it would make it more fun for the younger ones and the info the apps give you would be cool too. I might get the one you suggested  and see where we go from there. Should of knew that the ones from big department stores wouldn't be good lol. I live in Nova Scotia and was told there was great viewing around here.. Thanks for all your help 

[Stevish]

My god that starsense

11 hours ago, Naughty Neal said:

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80 AZ Refractor Telescope | First Light Optics

 

A pretty good budget starter , as said the starsense (if you have one of the compatible phones ) is a great item to have. Not only does it guide you direct to the object but also will tell you all the other celestial objects that are in your sky as well as object info.

My god this is hard to find in Canada, may have to spend more then I want

 

[Mandy D]

8 hours ago, Stevish said:

My god that starsense

My god this is hard to find in Canada, may have to spend more then I want

 

Try next door in the USA. I understand there is some sort of free-trade agreement between Canada and USA. You will find a lot more choice and many, many more dealers. Join RASC (Royal Astronomical Society of Canada) or just follow them on Facebook. Their page is very active. I don't know whereabouts you are, but there is a big public access observatory at Black Nugget Lake campground,  just north of Edmonton. I understand they have a range of telescopes available for loan for up to a month, which would allow you to test the water before leaping and buying.

Here is a link to the observatory project:

https://edmontonrasc.com/stardust/stardust202306.pdf

[SCANS]

12 hours ago, Stevish said:

My god that starsense

My god this is hard to find in Canada, may have to spend more then I want

 

Don't worry about ordering from FLO. Astro equipment is duty free in Canada. Just expect to pay HST and about $20 for brokerage fees, and even with shipping and brokerage fee, their prices are competitive and delivery is quick.

[Spile]

A good thread to read 

 

[Starfazed]

You said you want to see Jupiter's great red spot.

What's the minimum someone needs to spend, what's the smallest telescope and lowest power eyepiece needed to clearly see it? With my 6 inch reflector and 250x magnification (6mm plus Barlow lens) on a still night, the entire planet looks no bigger than a pea at arms length so I'd struggle to see the red spot!

[dweller25]

1 hour ago, Starfazed said:

You said you want to see Jupiter's great red spot.

What's the minimum someone needs to spend, what's the smallest telescope and lowest power eyepiece needed to clearly see it? With my 6 inch reflector and 250x magnification (6mm plus Barlow lens) on a still night, the entire planet looks no bigger than a pea at arms length so I'd struggle to see the red spot!

Something is not quite right there.

I don’t know which 6” reflector you have but at x250 the image should be bigger than you have described.

I observe Jupiter between x150 to x180 and can clearly see the Great red spot when it’s on show.

But you should persevere as a 6” Reflector is a very good telescope 👍
 

But back on topic…..

Hello @Stevish and welcome to SGL.

A 6” F/8 Dobsonian is a very capable scope if you are prepared to manually find things.

Edited December 12, 2023 by dweller25

[Franklin]

7 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

I don’t know which 6” reflector you have but at x250 the image should be bigger than you have described.

Jupiter at x250 looks about the size of a £1 coin not a pea, that's more like x120. Sometimes the GRS is vivid and sometimes it's not, it's a dynamic region in Jupiter's atmosphere and is constantly changing. A neodymium or contrast filter can help seeing the GRS.