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Large white Dobsonian telescope on wooden base with smartphone dock attached

Celestron

Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" Dobsonian Telescope

SKU CH-XZ9K-11J6F

Smartphone-guided 8-inch Dobsonian with 25 mm eyepiece giving 48x and up to 480x magnification

  • XLT coatings on the 8" mirror maximise light gathering for bright, detailed views
  • StarSense Explorer app uses your smartphone to analyse star patterns and guide you to objects
  • Dobsonian mount gives a stable base for smooth tracking during long sessions
  • 25 mm eyepiece delivers 48x magnification for wide-field observing
  • Highest useful magnification reaches 480x for detailed planetary and deep-sky study

Smartphone-guided Dobsonian for beginners

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" Dobsonian uses a dedicated smartphone app to analyze star patterns and guide the telescope to visible celestial objects. An 8-inch aperture with XLT coatings gathers ample light for detailed views. The stable Dobsonian base supports smooth manual tracking during long observation sessions.

App alignment requires compatible phone

The StarSense dock holds the smartphone and aligns it with the telescope optics so the app can calculate real-time positioning. This method replaces traditional star charts but depends on the phone's camera and sensors working under night conditions. Heavy cloud cover or an incompatible device will prevent the guided navigation from functioning.

480x highest useful magnification sets the detail

The included 25mm eyepiece delivers 48x magnification, while the optical design supports a highest useful magnification of 480x. This upper limit determines the finest planetary and deep-sky detail the telescope can resolve. Observers needing greater magnification will require a different instrument.

Highlights

  • XLT coatings on the 8" mirror maximise light gathering for bright, detailed views
  • StarSense Explorer app uses your smartphone to analyse star patterns and guide you to objects
  • Dobsonian mount gives a stable base for smooth tracking during long sessions
  • 25 mm eyepiece delivers 48x magnification for wide-field observing
  • Highest useful magnification reaches 480x for detailed planetary and deep-sky study

Specifications

No published specifications for this item yet.

Questions about this item

Which eyepiece gives the starting magnification?

The included 25mm eyepiece delivers 48x magnification for wide-field views.

What does the 480x highest useful magnification mean in practice?

It marks the practical ceiling for planetary detail; beyond that the image dims and softens.

How does the StarSense dock interface with the telescope?

The dock aligns your phone camera with the optics so the app can plate-solve star patterns in real time.

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