Good starter telescope how to#
Good starter telescope download#

Once it's in your instrument's field of view, the Starsense app will issue an alert - all you have to do is look through the eyepiece!Ĭelestron’s Starsense Explorer range includes a 4.5-inch aperture Newtonian and a 4-inch refractor, but for better light-grasping views, the Celestron Starsense Explorer DX 130AZ, which boasts an aperture of 5.11 inches, is the model to go for. Once you choose your target, screen arrows are displayed, directing you to nudge the telescope in the direction of your chosen object. Your smartphone screen will then display a simulated view of the night sky along with menus from which to select objects (such as the planets or galaxies) to observe. The app takes an image of that reflected starry sky, and based on the patterns of the stars that it 'sees', can calculate what direction the telescope is facing, mapping out where astronomical objects of interest are in relation to its field of view. A mirror built into the dock sits below your smartphone’s camera, reflecting the starry sky into the camera’s lens.

Good starter telescope download#

Celestron’s Starsense technology ingeniously does all of the calibration and aligning for you in a matter of minutes.įirst download the Starsense app onto your smartphone, which you can then place into a bracket attached to the telescope’s mount. This could be a bit daunting for newcomers to the hobby who just want to start observing amazing celestial wonders, without getting bogged down in the setting up. Ordinarily, a GoTo telescope user would have to align their telescope on one or two bright stars for the onboard computer to figure out what direction it’s pointing in. Celestron Starsense Explorer DX 130AZ: Best telescope for beginners Looking for more buying advice on optics? Have a scroll through our round-up of the best cameras, or read through our guide to the best beginners cameras currently available.ġ.

This should mean that you’ll be able to pick up deep sky targets that are fainter and further away - and nearby targets will appear more brilliant in the night sky. One of our main bits of advice when buying a scope is to get one with a biggish aperture, so you can gather plenty of light.

Good starter telescope how to#

If you scroll down, you’ll find more advice on how to pick the best telescope for you. Catadioptric telescopes fix some visual aberrations in these older types of telescopes - but they are often a bit more expensive. These all have different benefits and drawbacks, but in brief refractors are great for looking at the moon and planets, while reflectors are better for low-magnification targets such as galaxies and nebulas. There are various types of telescopes available: reflector, refractor and catadioptric.