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Celestron 22460 StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Smartphone

Celestron 22460 StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope, iPhone/Android Compatible, Grey

An ultra-stable altazimuth mount provides a sturdy foundation for StarSense Explorer DX. Slip clutches and geared slow motion controls in both axes help us move the telescope smoothly and zero in your target. As celestial objects appear to drift across the night sky, we’ll be able to follow them with just a few turns of the knobs. It’s all anchored by an adjustable, full-height tripod.

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Weight:	6.4 Kilograms
Size:	DX 102 Refractor
Dimensions:	99 x 43 x 22.8 centimetres
Brand:	Celestron
Model:	22460
Part:	22460
Colour:	Silver
Batteries Included:	1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included)
Dimensions:	99 x 43 x 22.8 centimetres
Size:	DX 102 Refractor

Tags: Celestron DX saverDeal superSaverDeal Telescopes

JulissaGeorge says:

17/05/2023 at

Easy to assemble. Hooks up to my iPhone SE 2020 and operates well after getting it aligned. Quite simple to find many different targets the app is great with much information Not really happy with the eyepieces or the diagonal. Will be trying different better parts from my other telescope the next outing
Anonymous says:

20/02/2023 at

Good price worth the money had good. Times looking at planets and stars
Anonymous says:

20/01/2023 at

After months of back and forth looking at larger beginner dobsonians, weighing the StarSense app, waiting for a sale on the StarSense dob, I finally saw the DX 102AZ refractor go back on sale on Amazon, and went for it. Hindsight: I wouldn’t have had the storage space for a 10″ dobsonian scope anyway, and the portability of this scope will make me want to use it more!

Setup was easy. Downloading the StarSense app was simple, mounting and aligning the scope, red dot, and StarSense during the day was a breeze. This evening was overcast but clear dark sky told me I’d have an hour where seeing would improve so I brought it out and started viewing. God I missed this. I haven’t had a telescope since I was a young teenager and there’s just something so nostalgic and calming about sitting back and looking over the craters on the moon. The entire hour was over before I knew it. I’ve attached a low magnification image and a high magnification image just captured through my smartphone because, somehow, no one has posted any images of captures from this scope. Very happy with my purchase, and can’t wait to find some clear dark sky to really test what StarSense can do!

4 stars because I replaced the lenses and diagonal as soon as I held them (plastic pieces that didn’t feel substantial) and even at this price it would be nice to have fine focus adjustment, but other than that for the price I’m very happy.

A great (re)starting point at a great price
Anonymous says:

10/12/2022 at

It was easy to set up and align. Very well packed and triple boxed. (Double boxed from manufacturer and then an Amazon box outside.)
Some of the items are cheap plastic, but what I’d expect for the low cost. The biggest thing I’d like to see on the tripod would be SnapLock legs. The legs on this one are knobs that you have to reach down and unscrew, then adjust and screw them back in. Not so good for quick adjustments, but they work. The Altazimuth part of it works well. I have not tried the software yet. I’ll edit when I get that going.
Anonymous says:

09/10/2022 at

was easy to put together very robust parts nice design still getting used to the phone App and the pc starry night site after registration as I have never looked at our solar system before through a telescope it will take me a while to look for things in the dark sky I have had this telescope one day lol Lots to see, SPACE IS A BIG PLACE.
Mamiverse Team says:

28/08/2022 at

You are definitely paying for the R&D for the app in the cost of this scope. That being said I think it is great for people just getting in to or returning to the hobby. I picked up this scope to get back into the swing of things after about 20 years away from the hobby. The app does an amazing job of finding things the first time, every time. I’ve been using the scope for a few weeks now and the app hasn’t failed me once.

The scope is good, not great. At 102mm it gives you enough light for visual astronomy of the planets, clusters and brighter DSO’s. One of the big pluses is that the refractor design is maintenance free, no collimation required here. The focuser on mine is a bit gritty and can be hard to get focused when you’re really trying to dial in the sharpness. The eyepieces are typical of what you will see in low cost scopes, I upgraded to Celestron X-Cel eyepieces and it was an AMAZING difference.

Now for the mount, oh lord the mount…. The base of the tripod is, again, typical of a low cost scope, provides enough stability to get the job done. The single fork design is both the best and worst part of the mount. It is made out of amazingly cheap plastic, the movement and slow motion controls are friction based and tend to be either too tight or too loose, finding the sweet spot has thus far eluded me. The scope shakes badly after focusing or movement and you will have to wait a few seconds for things to calm down. But also on this fork mount is the phone holder/mirror that makes the StarSense app work, and boy oh boy does it work.

Celestron also makes these in reflector and dobsonion designs, so whatever your viewing preference they will have you covered, remember you are paying for the app, not the quality of the equipment.

So for a beginner or returning hobbyist I think this is a great jumping off point and a gateway into bigger and better scopes down the line. Grab this scope, upgrade those eyepieces, download that app and have hours and hours of fun. I would like to see Celestron come out with a universal StarSense phone mount and then allow you to pay for the app, I would love to have this on my dob, maybe some day.

Happy stargazing!!
Anonymous says:

19/05/2022 at

Great scope super easy to set up and use I have had some great views of the night sky really good pin sharp views a really good starter telescope been bitten got the bug onwards and upwards
Teodoro32L says:

09/04/2022 at

Brilliant first time beginners telescope, easy to assemble & works like a dream. Well pleased with it thanks

Brilliant first time telescope for beginners
Anonymous says:

06/05/2021 at

Then this is definitely a telescope to check out.

Right now, I am primarily reviewing the setup and storage features, since I just got it, and I am still learning all of its features.

First off, setup was a breeze, So far, I love the tripod. It collapses and sets up easily and is stabilized by the easily removable tray. (If you usually use a patio or balcony for your star-gazing, this shouldn’t be a steadiness issue. (If you are viewing in rocky or uneven settings, or have lots of floor space, the tray can be, just as easily, fixed in place.)

The actual telescope attaches to the tripod, in quite a clever way, to fix it firmly in place when in use, but easy to remove and gingerly store in a padded case, when not in use.

So, if you live in a small space, with not much access to wide open viewing spaces, but can still get a good view of the cosmos from your space, this is a good starter.

The telescope so far:

With probably less than an hour of fidgeting and re-reading the instructions/provided information, I got a good view of a hot air balloon a couple of miles or so away. This is great for me, because I don’t live where there is much to be seen on the ground, tall enough to be seen from a mile away, and that is really what you need to get this thing focused, in the daytime, when first using it, as is recommended.

A stop sign would be great, because it’s red, but the yellow and orange balloon worked a treat. (Something bright in color makes it easy to hone in on something extremely blurry in the distance. Green leaves of tall trees, not so much.)

Hint: Do not try to focus on something less than .5 mile (0.804672km) away (like inside your house) or you will think you have a faulty one.

Hint: Probably best not to buy this the day before some amazing celestial event, unless you are really proficient with telescopes and the study of the great out there.

Sure you can see things far away, but it’s not instantaneous or “point and shoot” (unless, see above.)

Now to check out the moon at night.

First (easily viewable) things, first!

(Updates as I become more familiar with it.)

5-22-21 Update: Saw Jupiter and 3 of its moons! No definition to Jupiter (yet) but it was exciting all the same.
JillianBoothby says:

28/03/2021 at

Present for my husband, as a beginner he found it easy to assemble & use.
Anonymous says:

02/10/2020 at

Saw the rings of Saturn just barely with the 20 mm should have used the 10 mm it is like 2.5 times stronger–still a novice lol. My old Celestron 102 computer controlled had a Barlow add on so you could really see Saturn’s rings clearly. More expensive and hard to setup, this is easy and you still just use the Red Dot Finder Scope remember to turn it OFF, the iPhone app worked well EXCEPT you have to align the darn thing in the dark if you move the telescope, like if you are in a campsite and can not leave it out for hours.
Anonymous says:

01/08/2020 at

Two weeks ago the telescope arrived and First night out the scope worked out perfectly I had the moon zeroed in Jupter and Saturn too. the only issue I had was with the my smart phone I “couldn’t find the scope location” error message So, I called the customer support they told me to delete the app and reload it. I did that and still the same results. After discussing the issue with my wife she asked me if I had rebooted my iPhone before and after installing the App. I said NO. we both have the same I phone type so I downloaded the App to her iPhone and the Star Sense App worked first time I put it on the scope. So the problem was with my IPHone. I deleted the app rebooted my iPhone loaded the App again rebooted and it worked just fine. thanks to my wife for the rebooting tip. I have sense purchased a Barlow lense and a camera The Barlow lense works great on distant stars. So far I really like the telescope and I would recommend it to anyone. my home has a lot of light pollution and in areas where I can not see any stars the Telescope can see them that is amazing to me.

Novice astronomer. Retired Hardware Test Enginee
Anonymous says:

29/05/2020 at

I am a newbie and owning two other go to scopes this is my favorite scope because of this starsense app .Navigating star to star planet to planet is easy and fun. With that said you are buying the starsense app .Full moons will make this app useless and maybe partly cloudy nights depends on how many stars it can find.This dx 102 refractor is not heavy so this is a plus but beginner scopes are cheaply made. I say this because the first week the wing nut stripped off into the leg of the tripod so I fixed it myself.I have seen Jupiter and its moons, mars, saturns rings ,venus ,and some nebulas. Looking at a bright moon the scope does have some false colors around the moon.The holding tray is ok but you have to remove it to close the legs. I do recommend this to anyone with no experience in astronomy to give this a try.
Lindsey Gain says:

12/04/2020 at

First impressions. WOW. I got the StarSense Explore DX 102AZ and easily assembled it and had two clear nights to use it. It’s lightweight, easy to move yet still fairly sturdy once set up. The app works amazingly well and after a few taps on the screen, the scope knew where it was and I was letting it guide me to objects. The app is intuitive and extremely responsive. The views through the scope were crisp and stars are pin points. The app will even talk to you and give you information of the objects you’re looking at while you’re seeing them. This is a game changer for beginner astronomers!! The biggest complaint I hear from beginner astronomers is they can’t find anything with their telescopes and this platform will change all that! I can’t wait to see where this technology goes from here! Amazing product!!
[email protected] Henry Stern LUTCF CBC says:

14/02/2020 at

I just recieved a new StarSense Explorerer 4 inch refractor telescope with a new type of technology and have to say I’m quite impressed. Ordinarily telescopes with a computer push to technology are a bit pricey and and often difficult to learn to use. In this case you don’t pay for any technology because you already own it in your smartphone. This allows you to quickly observe many planets and deep sky objects with ease.
The Starsense ap along with the camera in your phone simply dock and show you how to align precisely with simple and brief video clips. The camera in your phone along with the gyroscope literally compares instant real time pics in the sky and compares to an internal star map to show exactly where to point to whichever star planet or deep sky objects you choose. All you need to do is follow some really cool looking orange arrows until the display shows a green box and you are on your target. My first night trying this was quick and easy. It’s not perfect however. In light polluted skies there was some difficulty in the northern sky so its seems to not be perfect in all situations but with patience it should work.
What I really like about this is you get a new technology without paying for the technology. Previous types of technologies required having to pay for a camera. You already own the smartphone with a camera and the app is free but needs to be opened with a code unique to your telescope. This scope and the technology are seriously cool and can help both newbies and more experienced stargazers to enjoy the night sky without any hassle of starmaps or star alignments and confusing hand controllers. Furthermore if you need to move the telescope you can do so without having to do a new alignment and that is a really nice advantage.