Review on 🔭 Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Telescope | StarSense App for Easy Star, Planet, and Celestial Discoveries | 130mm Newtonian Reflector | iPhone & Android Compatible by Amber Davis

"Damn! It works!" That was my reaction as I looked through the eyepiece at the Andromeda galaxy exactly in the center saw the eyepiece. I have to admit, when I saw this I was skeptical. I have advanced equipment and use digital dials on a powerful pusher mount with a large telescope for most of my observations. I have to say that I am absolutely thrilled. This package offers the same functionality as a digital setup but without the encoders, cables and control boxes. I wish Celestron would sell the phone mount separately as it would be a great alternative to the many very expensive Digital Setting Circle packages currently available. Application The application does exactly what Celestron says and does it well. The setup is really as easy as in the video and it just works. The SkyTour app is a great place to start a new observer. Enough for a beginner to keep you busy for a long time. A way to add custom or additional directories associated with some Astronomy League observing programs would be a great feature. Installation of the app on your device is tied to the physical item that you purchased using a code on the card that came with the item. Tripod and mount The tripod is strong enough for the largest telescope supplied, a 130mm Newtonian. It is powder coated for a comfortable feel and durability. I have no complaints about the tripod but set your expectations accordingly. The mount that comes with the Newton 130mm eyepiece is solid and smooth, and the slow-motion control works well for fine-tuning the center of an object in the eyepiece. The phone holder on the side of the mount is easy to set up and intuitive and fits my iPhone 11 with enough space. The 130mm Newtonian telescope in this package is the same optical tube as the Celestron 130 SLT. This is an excellent telescope with good optics and a good focuser for occasional viewing. The mirrors were correctly aligned when delivered and collimation (aligning two mirrors) was not necessary. I really enjoy using this particular telescope because it's small, portable, and lets in enough light to see many deep sky objects. Astrophotography is one of my hobbies, and once everything is set up, the exposure clicks, and the imaging serves its purpose, I enjoy watching. I don't like taking out a few oversized pieces of aluminum because it's just another piece of gear that I have to take apart at the end of the night. This has become my new favorite observation telescope for photography. The first night I used this telescope, I was at the John Wood Astronomy Field near Atlanta on a full moon night, testing out some modifications to my imaging equipment. At full moon I could observe Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31), Triangulum Galaxy (Messier 33), Double Cluster (Caldwell 14 in the app), Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS), Bode Nebula. (Messier 81 and Messier 82), the Eskimo Nebula (Appendix Caldwell 39), the Hubble Variable Nebula (Appendix Caldwell 46), open star clusters in and near Messier 35, 36 and 37, and the spiral galaxy Messier 94 in the constellation Beagle dogs. The Celestron SkyTour 130 is a great telescope for a beginner to start with and advanced enough to keep an observer like me busy for a long time. It's portable, quick and easy to install and remove, and light enough for a girl or boy to handle with minimal control. This telescope is a good alternative to the computer controlled Goto telescope which requires a power source, is less portable and requires more skill to use.