Celestron StarSense Explorer 12" Smartphone app-enabled dobsonian telescope

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 12" Dobsonian combines a substantial 305mm parabolic primary mirror with Celestron's StarSense Explorer technology, giving you exceptional viewing power together with an easy way to find your way around the night sky.

With 305mm of aperture, galaxies, nebulae and star clusters become a major part of the experience. The telescope has the light-gathering power to bring fainter objects within reach while revealing more stars, structure and subtle detail within many of the brighter deep-sky objects you observe.

That large aperture is equally impressive on brighter targets, with the ability to reveal fine detail on Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon when atmospheric conditions allow.

StarSense Explorer then helps you find all those objects. Choose a target in the app and follow the on-screen arrows as you manually move the telescope towards it. Once the bullseye turns green, look through the eyepiece and enjoy the view.

The 12" is a large telescope and is best suited to someone who has the space to store it and is comfortable moving its two main components. In return, you get the greatest aperture in Celestron's StarSense Explorer Dobsonian range and an enormous amount of night sky to explore.

Why Choose the 12"?

Choose the 12" when maximising viewing performance and deep-sky capability is the priority.

• 305mm aperture provides exceptional light-gathering power for galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and other faint deep-sky objects
• Go deeper into the night sky, bringing a wider range of faint objects within reach
• See more within brighter objects, with greater opportunity to pick out subtle structure and fine detail
• Excellent planetary and lunar viewing, with the aperture and resolving ability to reveal fine detail when conditions allow
• StarSense Explorer guidance helps you find the huge range of objects a telescope of this aperture is capable of showing you
• Simple manual Dobsonian operation with smooth up-and-down and side-to-side movement
• Floor-standing Dobsonian base, so the telescope sits directly on the ground with no table or tripod required
• 2" Crayford focuser accommodates both 2" and 1.25" eyepieces
• 37.9kg complete, separating into a 22.6kg optical tube and 15.3kg base for carrying and storage

StarSense makes this substantial telescope approachable even for a beginner, while the 305mm aperture gives more experienced observers the serious deep-sky capability expected from a 12" Dobsonian.

What Can You See?

This is where the 305mm aperture really comes into its own.

Galaxies, nebulae and star clusters provide a huge range of objects to explore. Bright nebulae can reveal extensive structure and subtle variations in detail, rich star clusters become spectacular fields of stars, and the large aperture brings many fainter galaxies and other deep-sky objects within reach.

For New Zealand observers, the southern sky provides some exceptional targets. Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae are two of the finest globular clusters in the sky, while objects such as the Carina Nebula provide outstanding opportunities for exploring large, complex regions of nebulosity. Celestron also highlights objects such as the Orion Nebula and Lagoon Nebula as excellent targets for this telescope.

The 12" is equally rewarding on the planets. Jupiter can show its main cloud bands, four bright Galilean moons and, when conditions and timing allow, the Great Red Spot. Saturn's rings are clearly defined, while the Moon reveals an extraordinary amount of fine structure across crater walls, mountain ranges, ridges, valleys and shadows.

Exactly what you see will depend on the object and observing conditions, but with 305mm of aperture there is an enormous range of targets to keep exploring.

How StarSense Explorer Works

StarSense Explorer combines your smartphone with Celestron's dedicated StarSense dock and built-in mirror system.

Your phone sits in the StarSense dock above a specially positioned mirror. The mirror reflects the pattern of stars overhead into your phone's camera, while the StarSense Explorer app analyses those star patterns and calculates exactly where the telescope is pointing.

After the phone and telescope are aligned, the app automatically provides objects that are currently available to view. Choose what you want to explore and arrows on the screen guide you as you manually move the Dobsonian towards it. When the target is correctly positioned, the bullseye turns green and you look through the telescope's eyepiece to view it.

The app also provides information about thousands of celestial objects, together with audio descriptions for hundreds of them, helping you learn more about what you are viewing as you explore.

The phone is an important part of the system, but it isn't simply acting as a normal astronomy app using the phone's direction sensors. The StarSense dock, mirror, smartphone camera and Celestron software work together to determine where the telescope is pointing.

There are no motors moving the telescope for you — StarSense tells you where to go and you move the Dobsonian by hand.

Floor-Standing Dobsonian Design

The 12" uses a stable floor-standing Dobsonian base, so it sits directly on the ground with no table or tripod required.

Large altitude bearings and adjustable altitude tension provide smooth, controlled up-and-down movement, while Teflon azimuth bearings allow smooth side-to-side movement. Additional bracing in the base helps provide the stability required for the large 305mm optical tube.

A panning handle on the telescope tube gives you a convenient grip for accurately moving the telescope as you locate and follow objects across the sky.

The optical tube lifts away from the base, so the telescope can be carried and stored as two separate components rather than having to move the complete telescope at once.

A 32mm Plössl eyepiece is supplied, providing 47x magnification. The 2" Crayford focuser also accepts 1.25" eyepieces with the supplied adapter, allowing you to add different eyepieces for a wider range of magnifications and fields of view.

Other Features

• Celestron XLT mirror coatings — applied to the primary and secondary mirrors to improve light throughput and contrast, helping produce brighter views and reveal subtle detail
• Low-expansion optical glass mirrors — help maintain optical performance as temperatures change during an observing session
• Smooth, adjustable Dobsonian movement — large altitude bearings, Teflon azimuth bearings and adjustable altitude tension provide controlled movement and help compensate for slight changes in balance
• Additional base bracing — side-panel braces add stability to the substantial Dobsonian base
• Panning handle — provides a convenient grip for accurately moving the telescope without needing to hold the optical tube itself
• 2" Crayford focuser — provides smooth, precise focusing without focus shift and includes a 2"-to-1.25" adapter and 2" extension tube
• Focus lock — a thumbscrew allows the focuser position to be locked once sharp focus is achieved
• Separates for carrying and storage — the optical tube and base come apart, with ergonomic carrying handles provided
• Dust covers included — covers are supplied for the front of the optical tube and focuser when the telescope is not in use

Smartphone Compatibility

StarSense Explorer works with most modern iPhone and Android smartphones. Because compatibility requirements can change as phones and operating systems are updated, we recommend checking your phone with Celestron's current StarSense Explorer compatibility checker before purchase.

Awards & Press

StarSense Explorer 12"Dobsonian Quick Setup Guide

StarSense Explorer Dobsonian Instruction Manual

StarSense Explorer App Manual