Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" Dobsonian Smartphone App-Enabled Telescope

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" Dobsonian combines the impressive viewing power of a large 203mm aperture with Celestron's StarSense Explorer technology to help you find your way around the night sky.

The large parabolic primary mirror collects enough light to make deep-sky observing a real part of the experience. Explore nebulae, star clusters and brighter galaxies, see more stars within clusters and pick out finer detail, while also enjoying excellent views of Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon.

Where this telescope really stands apart from a conventional manual Dobsonian is in finding what you want to see. Choose an object in the StarSense Explorer app and follow the on-screen arrows as you move the telescope by hand. Once you arrive at the target, look through the eyepiece and enjoy the view.

With a full-size floor-standing Dobsonian base, no tripod or raised surface is required. The telescope separates into the optical tube and base for carrying and storage, giving you substantial 8" viewing power in a straightforward manual telescope.

Why Choose the 8"?

The 8" offers an excellent balance of serious viewing power, price and manageable size.

• 203mm aperture gives you the light-gathering power needed to make galaxies, nebulae and star clusters a much more rewarding part of your observing
• See more detail, from structure in brighter nebulae and more stars within clusters to finer lunar and planetary detail when conditions allow
• Excellent all-round viewing across deep-sky objects, planets and the Moon
• StarSense Explorer guidance helps you actually find the objects the telescope is capable of showing you
• Simple manual Dobsonian design with smooth up-and-down and side-to-side movement
• Full-size floor-standing base, so no table or tripod is required
• 2" Crayford focuser gives you the option of using both 2" and 1.25" eyepieces
• 19.7kg complete, with the optical tube and base separating for easier carrying and storage

For beginners and more experienced observers alike, the 8" offers an excellent combination of easy operation, serious viewing power and plenty to explore as your interest in astronomy grows.

What Can You See?

This is where the 8" aperture starts to become exciting.

Nebulae, star clusters and galaxies become an important part of what you can explore rather than simply an occasional target. Bright nebulae such as Orion can reveal structure, star clusters can resolve into many individual stars, and brighter galaxies such as Andromeda are well within reach.

The 203mm aperture also gives the telescope the ability to reveal finer detail. On suitable nights, Jupiter can show its main cloud bands and four bright Galilean moons, Saturn's rings are clearly visible, and the Moon reveals an extraordinary amount of detail across its craters, mountain ranges and shadows.

Exactly what you see will vary with the object and observing conditions, but an 8" Dobsonian provides enough aperture to keep revealing new targets as your interest in astronomy develops.

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.

Full-Size Dobsonian Design

The 8" is mounted on a stable floor-standing Dobsonian base, so it sits directly on the ground with no table or tripod required.  The base allows smooth, straightforward up-and-down and side-to-side movement as you locate and follow objects.

Large altitude bearings and adjustable altitude tension help provide smooth, controlled movement as you locate and follow objects.

For carrying and storage, the telescope separates into two main pieces. The optical tube weighs approximately 9.3kg and the base approximately 10.3kg.

A 25mm Plössl eyepiece is supplied, providing 48x 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 finer 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 smooth movement and help compensate for slight changes in balance
• Additional base bracing — side-panel braces add stability to the Dobsonian base
• Panning handle — provides a convenient grip for accurately moving the telescope without having to hold the optical tube itself
• 2" Crayford focuser — provides smooth, precise focusing and includes a 2"-to-1.25" adapter and 2" extension tube, allowing you to use a wide range of telescope eyepieces
• Easy to separate 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 the 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 Dobsonian Quick Setup Guide

StarSense Explorer Dobsonian Instruction Manual

StarSense Explorer App Manual