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Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope

  • mfr: 22451
  • SKU: 22451-CELESTRON
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Product highlights

  • 80mm Reflector Optical Tube
  • Focal length of 900mm (35.43 inches)
  • Focal ratio of f/11
  • Altazimuth mount with slow motion control rod
  • StarSense dock for your smartphone
  • Includes 25mm and 10mm eyepieces
  • 2x Barlow lens to double the power of each eyepiece
  • StarPointer red dot finderscope
  • Works with StarSense Explorer app
  • Full-height tripod with an accessory tray

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night sky—no telescope experience required. Patent-pending StarSense sky recognition technology uses your smartphone to analyze star patterns overhead and calculate its position in real time. StarSense Explorer app automatically generates a list of objects currently visible. View planets, brighter nebulae and galaxies, star clusters, and double stars from the city or take your telescope to darker skies to view faint, deep sky objects. StarSense Explorer works with most modern smartphones, including iPhone 6 and up and most devices running Android 7.1.2 or later manufactured since 2016.

Manual Telescope Ideal for Beginners

Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense Explorer that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. StarSense Explorer is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It’s like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky. Manual altazimuth mount with smooth, dual-axis slow-motion controls makes it easy to follow the on-screen arrows to your desired target. When the bullseye turns green, it’s ready to view in the telescope’s eyepiece. The Celestron StarSense Explorer Telescope comes with an 80mm refractor with fully-coated glass optics for bright, sharp views.

Sturdy Altazimuth Mount

StarSense Explorer LT’s simple altazimuth mount makes it easy to move the telescope to find your target. A slow-motion altitude adjustment knob helps you fine tune the telescope’s pointing position and follow targets as they appear to drift across the night sky. It’s all anchored by an adjustable, full-height tripod.

Dazzling Views with High Quality Optics

You can expect sharp, bright views through this 80mm refractor. Fully coated glass optics provide increased light transmission, enhancing details in celestial objects. The telescope also includes a 90-degree erect image diagonal, so you can use it during the day to view birds, wildlife, landscapes, and more. Also included is are 25mm and 10mm eyepieces, 2x Barlow Lens, StarSense smartphone dock, erect image diagonal, a red dot finderscope (in case you want to use the telescope without your phone), and a full-height tripod.

StarSense Sky Recognition Technology

StarSense Explorer uses patent-pending technology and your smartphone to determine exactly where the telescope is pointed in the night sky. Utilizing a Lost in Space Algorithm (LISA), similar to the ones used by in-orbit satellites to correctly reorient themselves, helps the app match star patterns it detects overhead to its internal database.

Dock, Launch, Explore

Leave complicated star charts, imprecise planetarium apps, and computerized mounts behind. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more accurate. Within minutes of setting up the telescope, you’ll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the unique StarSense dock and launch the StarSense Explorer app. After aligning your phone to the telescope’s optics (a quick, 2-minute procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of celestial objects currently visible. Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding you as you to move the telescope. When the object is ready to view, the bullseye turns green.

Perfect for the City or Dark Sky Sites

Even if you live in a light polluted city location, StarSense Explorer is advanced enough to be able to pick out Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, double stars, and a few more of the most famous celestial objects. But if you can take the telescope to an even slightly darker location, more objects will become visible. The entire telescope kit weighs just 9.2 pounds, so it’s perfectly portable and easy to bring on your next camping trip or to a remote observing site.

Specifications

Main
Aperture 3.1-inch/80-81mm
Finder Scope Red Dot
Mount Design Altazimuth (AZ)
Mount Operation Manual
Configuration Core
Color Black/Silver

Questions

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Returns

Returns are incredibly simple. Please log into your account, find your item you wish to return and follow the prompts to make a return. If you do not have an account, click here to find your order and make a return.
You will receive a full refund when you return an item in its original manufacturer’s packaging, undamaged and unmarked. If the item you are returning is priced at less than $35, you will be charged a 15% restocking fee. Please note you will not be refunded any shipping charges. 
You have 30 days to make a return. During the holiday season, from November 1 to December 31, we extend the return window to 60 days. 
If your order has been noticeably damaged in transit, we strongly recommend that you refuse delivery and notify us immediately. Claims for missing items or items damaged in transit must be made within 48 hours of delivery. If there is carrier damage, please contact support@focuscamera.com with your order number and a description of the damage. 
Oh no! Please contact our customer service team so we can resolve the issue immediately. You can call us on 1.800.221.0828, email us at support@focuscamera.com, or send us a message here.  
We do not currently offer exchanges. Please return the item you purchased within 30 days and order what you’d like instead. 
If you ordered a kit, you must return all components and accessories to receive a full refund. 
If you ordered a product that included a free item, you must include the free item with your return. If not, your return will not be accepted and you will not receive a full refund. 
We currently only offer camera repairs at our Brooklyn store. The item must be dropped off and collected in person as we do not accept shipped items for repair. For more information, please call our Brooklyn store on 1.718.431.7900. 
Most items can be returned within 30 days for a full refund. Click here to read our full return policy. 

Shipping and Returns

Same Day Shipping

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Flexible, Easy Returns

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Ratings and reviews

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80 Refractor Telescope

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope SKU: 22451-CELESTRON

Rated 4 out of 5 by from Quality review Image quality is why i give it a 4..everything else 5.
Date published: 2022-06-10
Rated 5 out of 5 by from My son loves it Excellent so far, easy set up, very light but sturdy
Date published: 2022-01-31
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Excellent, affordable, beginner telescope or a great 'push-to add-on' for Dobsonians I am often asked at 'public outreach' events to recommend telescopes for beginners and will now feel confident promoting any of the four telescopes in Celestron's new "StarSense Explorer" series. The LT 80AZ is an unprecedented bargain that I will soon 'piggyback' on my vintage 13" Dobsonian to give it 'push-to' capability. I have already had a total 'blast' however using it as designed, a simple 80mm alt-azimuth refractor and I enjoy amazing my astronomy friends with how easy it is to set up and use. Best of all, it only takes a couple of seconds after moving the OTA or the tripod before the software 're-aligns' my smart phone perfectly with the sky, no worries anymore about unintentional movement of the tripod! I have been pleasantly surprised how reliably the whole system works even under the light polluted skies in Michigan and Florida where I divide my time. For the past three years, I have been much less satisfied using a "StarSense AutoAlign" (Celestron #94005) with my otherwise delightful "NexStar Evolution" mount because of the time it takes to set up and 'work' (sometimes) combined with the necessity of fairly dark skies. This feels like and must be a completely different 'system', costing less than half as much although I have not yet given up on that earlier "StarSense" product. The solid, well made, fully adjustable and thoughtfully designed smart phone holder (with integral diagonal mirror) along with the proprietary application software alone are well worth the cost of the entire package of equipment. Never, ever thought I would say this, but the LT 80AZ actually seems 'under-priced' ! I am also willing to risk sounding 'hyperbolic' and say that in more than fifty years as a serious amateur astronomer, the "StarSense" Explorer series feels like a revolutionary advance for beginners or even for more advanced amateurs like me. The 25mm and 10mm Kellner eyepieces are an affordable and effective match for the f11.3 optics and the 'erect image' prism diagonal is way better than anticipated. So nice to look up from the eyepiece to the phone screen and see that both views are oriented the same way with the Galilean Moons of Jupiter (for example) or any bright stars in the field of view (all of the Pleides!) clearly identified. Obviously, a good 40mm Plossl eyepiece or a full set of Plossl eyepieces are the first upgrades I would suggest for a beginner. The 2x barlow provided is not very good but without a 'tracking drive' most observing with this telescope will be at lower magnifications anyway. Other big 'plusses' are no need for cell phone or wi-fi coverage and the option of listening to interesting audio descriptions of many objects. I hang a heavy bluetooth speaker and small battery from the tripod accessory tray that also serves as a 'stabilizing weight'. Setting up the telescope and the smart phone bracket should be done in the daytime as suggested and a 'first time user' might appreciate a little assistance from a more experienced amateur astronomer. Celestron really 'hit it out of the ballpark' with this new series, I cannot wait to see where the "StarSense" technology evolves to next. If I wanted to make a fortune marketing astronomy accessories, I would start designing mounting hardware because a lot people are going to want to be able to use the Celestron smart phone holder and the related app(s) on all sorts of telescopes, it's just an incredible, versatile 'add-on'!
Date published: 2020-11-23
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