The 10" Celestron StarSense Explorer Dobsonian Telescope - Has Telescope/Phone Integration Arrived?
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- $1099 at the time of filming for the 10" version, $799 for the 8".
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Ed, I think every telescope company ought to be sending you scopes and eyepieces to review. Your reviews are the best on the internet.
Ha, thanks. I'm surprised anyone sends me things. Over the past 20+ years I've said something bad about something in everyone's product line.
@@edting The fact that you are willing to tell the truth is why we hold you in high regard Ed. Letting us know which products are stinkers keeps the astronomy equipment companies accountable.
@@edting Hi Ed, what do you think about the Skywatcher 250p 10" goto?
It's in the same series as the Orion XX that I reviewed earlier. Check that review.
Totally agree! Good job, Ed. As usual!
As someone brand new to astronomy - your channel is a gold mine and I appreciate you and how you share your love for this craft. It shines through.
I bought the 8” a while ago and it is amazing. Pro tip, if after aligning your phone and the finder pointer, you found that your phone is little bit off and you are at night, what you can do is point your finder at a bright known object like Jupiter or so and make sure it is in showing in your eye piece, then reset your app and align your phone on that bright object.
Another interesting overview, thanks Ed.
Thank you Ed. I appreciate all your videos.
Thanks, Ed. As always, great review! The StarSense looks pretty cool!
I can totally see this replacing setting circles. Your grandchildren will ask "What are those?"
Been considering the Star sense, thanks for an informative review! Still contemplating 10 or 8; as you mentioned storage concerns.
Thank you for everything you do Ed.i just got started In this and you helped inspire me!we all really appreciate your work
Ed, as always, your seasoned and brutally honest feedback on these equipment, like none other is greatly appreciated !!! Thank you!!
As always, thank you, Ed! Great information and a great review.
Outstanding video!
Simply outstanding!
Another great review. I appreciate your honest assessments. I have goto rigs for astrophotography but am rediscovering the simple pleasures of my 10” Orion Dob .
Sunday evening's cloudy but I have Ed's video to enjoy, thanks!
I just got the 8 in the mail today.I’m super excited can’t wait to dive into the night sky.Thank you for the video it’s really the best content on RUclips.
As always a very good review! Thanks for all you do. I may have to give an 8" a try.......
Your videos are so relaxed and informative! I always enjoy them very much, and I don't even own a telescope (but thinking of getting one more and more often)!
Ed Thank You. You Present Perfectly. You have been doing this for awhile and the knowledge you have gained is HUGE. That you can and do share your understanding and knowledge with others is a Godsend. Please do NOT stop dispensing your explanations and understandings. Thank YOU Again, G. Rullo / Delaware.
Hi Ed,
I just get the StarSense DX 6 and I’m pretty happy with my SC.
I find myself using the app less and less, but for me it was the perfect introduction to the night sky. Keep up the nice work. You are my astronomy guy!
Greetings from Germany
A year behind the curve, but a great review of both the scope and the app. Just picked up a Starsense DX 130AZ on FB marketplace (well below the cost of new) that had never been opened. Even though we've got a few scopes in the house already, we couldn't pass it up for the app alone (and now the kids can have their own to use too!). Should get to try the app tonight as long as the weather holds; can't wait. Thanks!
Ed. I have watched a lot of you videos. 25 years I had what I thought was a very good scope, I think it was a 4 in. Mead. I let it go when we moved to Florida and I really miss it now. I want to thank you, I pulled the trigger and ordered a XT8. I am getting older now(70) and planning to retire again. I plan to spend a lot of time looking at the stars. Thank you and I can’t wait for my scope to get here.
Lots of great info here. Thanks.
Great Video, Always helpful, Thank you Ed. I can't wait to see the Moon for the first time through scope!!!
great review! I recently purchased the 8-inch version of this scope, it does not seem to share the same balance issue. This scope was an upgrade for me coming from a etx 90 all I can say is wow! I must say I was very concerned about not having tracking but what a liberating feeling to just go out there and just start exploring it is kind of hard to explain. My son managed to get a great shot of Jupiter with his Sony crop sensor camera using the a 2-in eyepiece adapter. Keep up the great videos!
Ed, I really appreciate your honest and sincere reviews and informational videos. Years ago, I had a small Meade ETX60 and I have ever since aspired to get back into the hobby - this time with something having significantly more capability, while also building out an appropriate setup for Astrophotography. Thanks for all the great information you continue to provide! I'm just about ready to take the leap...
I love my Synscan Dobsonian from Sky-Watcher. Would be nice to see a review of one of those one day.
Great review, I got an 8" Dob as my first scope. It really spoiled me for general viewing in comparison to 4 and 5 inch refractors. But that's a different discussion. Thanks for the great channel and down to earth experience.
I'm currently shopping for my first real adult telescope and am I ever glad that I found this channel. The amount of clear and honest information in your videos is very much appreciated. I feel a lot more comfortable about picking the right optic for me because of it. Thank you for that.
I got the 8” and LOVE it! The starsense is an awesome feature to have.
Bought this recently as my first scope and the app works very well on my iPhone 8. I really don't find it hard to realign it at night on the fly if I feel the need and I do spend more time looking through the eyepiece than at the phone! Thanks for the review. Glad to know that someone look agrees that it's a good choice.
Excellent review ! 👍🔭
Nice review. That's an interesting use of smart phone apps. Probably not something I would use much, however. I find that the hunt is at least as much fun as the view after I find it.
I have the 8" and find it works super well and it's especially great for public outreach.
Bought the 8" version of this for outreach purposes and for my kid to use. I love it, the starsense works great.
Two years ago, before this was available on anything over 4" I bought a celestron 80mm refractor with starsense, then moved the mounting onto my 6" Dob. It's been there ever since, and I really like this one.
Instantly clicked new video by Ed Ting❤
wow man , impressive as always , you really know your stuff ,👍👍💪💪
Very fine and objective analysis
My first telescope was actually the Refractor version of the StarSense Explorer called 102 DX. Same app enabled telescope. "Push to(target)" kinda system.
And honestly for beginners its one of the best type of scope you can get.
The phone app is easy to use. And it has a lot of targets and gives information as to what is on the sky the moment you are outside.
And if you are a complete novice and cannot find targets. You can find multiple targets using the phone as a guide and see them. The phone app also got the information/details/and fun facts about the target you are looking at. I still remember seeing Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn for the first time still gives me the chills and wow factor.
Which made me tell friends and folks to try look at it themselves. Really changes people's perspective with life as a whole. (cause we are just tiny and there are other planets out there.)
i.e. you look at the sky and find nothing, then use the app to aim at a double star, focus and voila, you see a double star.
But now I am also on a 10" GSO telescope advertised as Stella Lyra. Which again also has a capability of a "push to" function using asterion push to kit for 10" dobs. But that is bought separately.
Unfortunately the price would go up.
The 10" StellaLyra stock for example (GSO brand) is £599
The Asterion Push to kit for the Deluxe GSO scopes is £259
Totalling £858 (973 USD)
Needs to be installed but its easy to do. And you can connect it using the free app Skysafari or Skyseek
Basically it makes a normal 10"-16" dob and the lower 8" below dob's (different asterion versions for lower size dobs). Turn into a "push to" telescope just like that Celestron one.
Jumped on Celestron's website recently a few times (late 2022). Pretty much all of the "good" telescopes are out of stock. I've been waiting for a couple things from their Advanced VX line for some time. So in the meantime, Orion's website seems to still have many things in stock. I'm only at a beginner level, so so far I have only had personal experience with two beginner models, Orion's Starblast 4.5 reflector (great starter one) and a Short Tube 80 refractor (I think it edges out the Starblast). I think I'm becoming a refractor guy due to the latter 🔭
Ed, I enjoy all your videos! You got me into this hobby just recently. Thanks for showing Celestron's StarSense feature! 👍 good info
I'm one of those people who bought the least expensive version of StarSense Explorer scope to get the app license and the bracket. I adapted it to both my 12.5" truss Dob and also a 5" C5 that I use on an alt-az mount. I found that it generally works well in suburban light pollution in my backyard, but can get confounded when the Moon is too bright. I had bought it earlier when the first revision of the software was out and at that time you had to align the app in the daylight. Subsequent updates gave it a night mode where it gives you a time exposure so you can align the app when its darker, especially using Jupiter as the alignment object which works well. Also, in this later version they increased the object catalog somewhat, so its more useful to intermediate astronomers. Using my C5 at star parties, I've been able to show teenagers how to use the app and the scope, then let them go at it while I used another scope, and noticed they had a great time finding and viewing objects by themselves.
Woke up this morning to a Notification to this review, was waiting for this from you from a long time. Thank you. Praying that it will be available in India soon.
Just... darn interesting, as usual.
Thank you for the video.
My girlfriend bought me the LT 70AZ Starsense Explorer for my 30th birthday this February and I was instantly hooked. I've always been interested in the night sky, but never really dived into astronomy. I think the refractor is the cheapest in the lineup, but man did it get me hooked. I thought the view through the telescope was pretty good (going from eyeballs to a cheap refractor was incredible!), but the mount was just not good, very hard to adjust properly and a lot of wiggle. Anyway, using the app was a really good way of getting introduced to the night sky. I've got a bortle 3 area just 25 minutes from my house so it's definitely overwhelming as a beginner. I experienced just what you said, you end up being very focused on the phone and not so much on "reality". This fall I got an 8" dob and it's been an incredibly rewarding and exciting experience. Just using a star atlas to try and locate things in the sky together with my dob has been fantastic. Don't think I'd want to spend that much money on those dobs, would rather get one cheaper starsense product along with a normal 8 inch dob, haha.
Very nice!! No 3 star alignment is necessary! Plate-solving is becoming main-stream! Now if they put that on a 16 inch truss-rod Dob ----- ooooh some sights we would see!!! Thanks Ed - you are awesome!!
Great review. I am a complete amateur astronomer but I found this review very good and easy to understand. Thanks
Hi Ed, I bought the 10 inch at the beginning of the summer. I bought the 10 inch instead of the 8 inch because of the handle making it easy to move. I am a beginner and I think this is the best scope for beginner because of the ease of use and what I am able to see with it. I had no problem with the app at all. I had an intelliscope from another company. I hated it and sent it back. I live in Riverside California which has about a bortle 9 rating. When I got this I thought yeah right, let's see how this works. I looked for the ring nebula on the app, followed the arrows and there it was in the center of the eyepiece. I could not believe that I was seeing this object in the city. I had never seen this before. It is so easy to go from object to object. I just used the map on the app and go from one object to the other. lots of fun. I took it to Joshua Tree National Park bortle 3 skies. It was amazing what I could see. For me it was easy to transport and set up. Just the optical tube, rocker box, and a couple of eyepieces. I have a Maksutov Cassegrain, and a 5 inch reflector on a goto mount, but the 10 inch dobsonian is the one that I am pulling out all the time. I love this scope!
I think your telling porkies
No, that is the experience I’ve had with the scope. Sorry you feel that way.
@@Astronurd ,Why Would A Guy Just Say That,I Could Actually Read The Excitement He Was Feeling To Be Able To Do That,Dang Man..Clear Skies
Thats Awesom,Go You❤️🔭❤️Im In A Bortle 4 And Dont Have Anything I Can Do That With,My Main Scopes Are My 6se,And A Explorer Scientific AR102/1000😂
@@PafMedic those sound like nice scopes. I started this hobby in the spring time by going to a sky Tours event hosted by a very knowledgeable person in Borrego Springs. This is such a wonderful hobby. Ed’s Website has been very helpful. I was just trying to pass on some information about the scope he’s reviewing that I thought would be helpful.
I recently stumbled across this channel, and it has really peaked my interest in telescopes, the night sky, and astronomy.
I don’t really have money for nice telescope(too many bills). Maybe saving for a couple of years i could had a nice 8inch dob. For now my prescription eye glasses and a night sky will have to do.
I bought the 130 Newtonian star sense a few weeks ago as my first telescope. It had been great and easy to use.
Great review Ed!
I got the StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ (a refractor) as my first telescope back in 2020.
A big plus is the StarSense works 100% from the phone which for me is a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Once the app is installed and updated it does not use cell connection or WiFi to guide you to through heavens!
Really pretty cool. The "use distant object" advice is clearly very important, because of parallax errors when using something too close. The same thing applies to aligning any finder of course. Thanks for the report, very intriguing! I can see a day when there are add-ons for my old classics to make them into go-to scopes! And I would probably do what I usually do, admire it but not use it :)
There already is and it is free, Star Hopper.
Thanks for the review Ed, they are always comprehensive and informative. I love your recommending the 8-inch because some of us are not going to listen to you anyway.
Another great review Ed, thanks, we’re still out here.
Hi Ed, a little off (this) subject. I have used buttery smooth alt az mount I bought roughly 14yrs. ago that is still my go to ( no pun intended) all around small scope monster! It is the AZ4 sold under Orion, Skywatcher and few others. From 70mm, 80mm, 102mm and Celestron 150mm f-5 with no difficulty whatsoever! Take a spin with one of these old gems. Clear skies my friend. JMR
Thanks for the great reviews you do Ed. I bought a 130 DX at a really great price just to play around with and really have a great time with it. I took the Newtonian tube off, it is the Synta AZ mount and the Star Sense phone mount is on the side, and replaced it with my Stellarvue 80 achromat. What a great set up to dash out in my light polluted yard and do some quick observing.
Great review Ed. I have the 102mm DX refractor and love it. Used a Samsung S7 (really old phone) and on a 2021 Motorola Edge and really can't tell the difference in terms of the software performance. It crashes occasionally and you have to re-calibrate about as often. But, I like having the software it helps guide the session. Thank you for all you do for our hobby! Clear Skies!!
Great review sir
Great video Ed. Even though inch/centimeter size is better, that extra cost and weight are difficult for me at my 75 yrs. Of youth. But it’s an interesting telescope.🎉
Love the starsense mounted on some big bino's.
Thank you for another excellent video. I don't think you mentioned the quality of the focuser? Is it a well made metal unit or a plastic one. That might be a major factor in deciding between the 8 and 10 if they are different.
I had to replace the finder that came with the 10" Starsense to a right angle 9X50 from Celestron. Because I couldn't get my head in the right position plus I had to use my left eye. That solved a big problem as the finder that came with the telescope is junk the way it's designed and installed. New holes have to be drilled to accommodate the right-angle scope to keep it from bumping other things. The scope was a little low for me at 6'2" so I built a 6" elevated platform with wheels. Piece of cake to roll into or out of the garage now. Amazing scope for the money. When lining up the scope to the camera and finder I focused on a TV antenna with a red rotating light about 3 miles away. I could see the wires and screws on the light with the 25mm lens at 2pm on a bright sunny afternoon. I am using a iPhone SE.
Hi Ed, love your channel! So if I mainly do camera EAA with a 6" SCT, and I was looking to maximize my "light-bucketness", would you say the 10" is the right move? I know you favor the 8", but I feel like it wouldn't be enough of a departure from my C6 to be noteworthy. 10" would still fit in my car, and I store my scope in the garage so I can technically roll it down the driveway or to the backyard. Thanks for your input (and anyone else's)
I did exactly what you described - bought the 114, unmounted the mirror, gave the scope away for free withouth the mirror and codes. Then I 3D-printed a dovetail adapter, now it sits happily on my 10inch dobsonian, working flawlessly with my Samsung S20. Couldnt' be happier with my purchase! No noise, no fuss.
I saw someone selling only the mirror and I thought about buying it. I didn't know anything about a download code until now. Is the code necessary to download or register the mirror? Would I be able to use it if the previous owner already used the code? Thanks!
@@GTFreeFlyer you need thecode to activate the app. Each code can activate 5 devices so if the seller is trustworthy it should be fine
Great video Ed! I've actually been trying to figure out a way to run my ASI Air in a "Star Sense" mode to use with my Obsession 22. I even emailed ZWO to see if they could add such or feature or tell me how to do it with their existing software. Maybe getting a Star Sense is a better idea but I feel like I should be able to do exactly that with my current equipment as the ASI camera is pretty fast in plate solving mode so I think it would work. Maybe it would be a good video idea if we can figure it out. 🙂
Got my granddaughter the celestron starsense 130 dx and it works great. We are all having fun with the telescope. I will probably get me one of these, or the 8 inch models.
Now that’s very interesting Ed. Thanks for the informative review! If you did this with a Newtonian eauitorial mount you could track too! I assume that the Star Sense wouldn’t care what mount that you use. The only problem I see with this is that it won’t track, but when you loose view at least it will tell you how to get quickly back. I have an 8” CPC and so far have had good luck with it. . The go-to is pretty decent as is tracking. If you set up properly. But you are also right, it’s heavy! I am 79 yrs and it gets heavier by the day ha ha. I want to set up back yard observatory so I can leave it ready. Maybe a 12” dob in the future. Nice and dark where we live.
Good video Ed. Like you I wouldn't mess with a 10 inch, just too heavy.
Very good review.
I picked up this telescope a few weeks ago and found the star sense app worked really well, even in a major city. I could only see about 10-20 stars from my back yard but it knew where I was pointed with great accuracy. Used it with an iPhone 13, I calibrated it at night pointing at Jupiter.
Right on. My son purchased a 130mm Celestron with the StarSense dock and it was incredibly accurate. He was able to push to just about any object visible with that aperture and it was within the fov of his low power Eps. Very handy! He would relay the alt/az to me and I would run my dob to the coordinates on my setting circle and it was very precise. Glad your enjoying your dob. Clear skies Cheers!
Can you see much living in a city. I live where there is some light pollution and dont know if i would be able to see anything. I never used a telescope before
My 10" arrived yesterday, and I just picked up the tube box and there's no way it's 81 lbs. I'd estimate mid to upper 30's, max. Celestron's specs say tube weight is 29.2 lbs, and as a SCUBA instructor, I'm used to lifting tanks, and this is roughly that of an empty Aluminum 80, which is 35 lbs [41 lbs at 3000 psi].
He's a little guy and hey! cardboard is heavy. Nice flex though, underwater astronomer.
Hi Ed, thank you for doing a review on this. I know you recommend the 8", but I got the 10 instead. I bought a KonusMotor 500 new years ago and a friend bought a C8 with GoTo around the same time. We took them out to the desert and had a blast with them. After using the KM 500 for 15 years, I knew it was time for a upgrade. I have a Tele Vue 5mm ?Nagler and a Tele Vue 24mm Panoptic on the way, just waiting for clear skys in eastern San diego :)
Nice review! I wonder why they didnt paint the edge of the secondary mirror?
With my aperature crave I had a while ago , this is so true with the sizes and what used the most. I thought I went past my 80mm refractor a long time ago. But when it's clear night, my hand is reaches for 80mm, while the 8" F5 is just sitting in the corner untouched for months. And that's the newer scope! I did not believe this is gonna happen to me and it's maybe just a myth, but it's true!
Heavier always gets used less in astronomy. You wouldn’t expect it, but observing occurs at the end of very long days. After work/school. After getting the kids to bed. Then the sky has to be dark enough and clear enough. If it’s too cold or too hot, that keeps people indoors too. Hence why my largest scope is an 8” Dob and I use my 72mm refractor a lot. A big scope that sits in the garage isn’t showing you anything.
Used my 10" Starsense Dobsonian last night and saw more deep,space objects in one night ever before. As a new astronomy hobbyist (10/22 got my Evolution 8" HD) I may never learn the old school star hopping, but that is the point of technology, to advance our capabilities. I love the ease of use of the iphone with StarSense app helping me find my targets, and I agree, do not like a talking companion while out under the stars, but do like the ability to tap the phone to read more about the object, when discovered, by whom and description.
You know the old fashioned star hopping isn't as hard as it seems if you add one thing to your search arsenal, an angle finder. I put it on my scope at the degree my target is at from 90 degrees North, a simple search tells me my latitude and that angle is where Polaris is. A plan and a calculator and I can find whatever I'm looking for pretty quickly. Or if you have Stellarium you can put it on the Azimuth grid and it tells you the angle of everything from the horizon if you don't want to do math.
I have an old Celestron Super C8 (1987). I currently have problems with it. However, I don't think the Star Sense would work for me. I would love to see a modern telescope with this app! Great video!
Hi Ed, I love your reviews and your dry, straight-faced humor. I'm one of those who bought an 8" Star Hopper all those years ago. So, it's Sonotube and the focuser is junk but I still get it out from time to time and it's never disappointed me... much. My original Telrad is still going strong too. But I keep eyeing a few of the modern 8" Dobs and have been tempted to buy one. Would you think there would be a big or noticeable difference in the viewing quality from a new 'classic' Dob or even one with the StarSense?
Interestingly this telescope is reviewed in my latest issue of Sky & Telescope (Dec. 2022).
Nice Review as ever!❤. Interesting that the Software „Starry Night“ seems included with cheaper Scopes. I dont want to buy a cheaper Scope only for the Software, but I Wonder why It wasnt included with my not so cheap C9.25.
Hi Ed! I feel that although slightly inconvenient, the flat pack mount is a good way of younger folk learning some very basic DIY, if nothing else? One cosmetic issue I have, that huge "10" number on sticker, obviously denoting the aperture, looks a little tacky and cheap, impo? Maybe I'm being a little bit trivial? A great review and overall a fine beginners 'scope! Thanks Ed!
Wes, Liverpool UK.
I'll stick with my 8" Edge HD Evolution set-up. Tracking is a wonderful feature to have.
Love your reviews! I just upgraded from an 8" Skyquest Dob to a homemade 10". The tube is 60" in the 10" instead of the factory 48" of a 10" Orion. The way to get around the weight issue is to use "wheelbarrow handles"! I have 12" wheels on the easily detachable handles - an eyebolt in the handle screws/unscrews to/from the base. It only takes a minute to attach the handles. You do have to remove them to turn the tube on the base, but it is really only a minute to attach/detach them. They don't take up much space and make moving the scope super easy. I live in a small city. I took the 8" and the 10" out to compare views and in NGC 663 I can see stars with the 10" that are only small fuzzballs in the 8" with 15mm eyepieces in both scopes.
Thanks for that. If you can see 663, you're doing really well!
Ima get this, I got the 4in version randomly for my bday and I liked it a lot. Only flaw I saw with it was not enough power so I’m just gonna upgrade
As always, a "top drawer" informational video.
I hope you got the app out and tried it Ed....it is a game changer. You can align on any bright star. Also don't slow down unless you are unsure of your destination on the sky. If you wait till closer to the target the app will catch up...it is Plate Solving and does not need much help from the operator.
How is the build quality, especially the focuser and base? Is the focuser all metal? I assume the base is MDF or particle board? Thanks!
I love it!
I have the 8inch
What about attaching a weight with velcro to the front of the tube? It really does seem too back heavy.
Nice review, I have the 8" model and for some reason it is not as back heavy as that 10" seems to be (all being relative) regarding starsense I am so impressed with how flawless it has been over the last few months. If you follow the onscreen prompts and give it a few seconds to plate solve while on route to a target it puts it in the eyepiece every single time night after night. So far, I haven't had to do any realigning of starsense since first time months ago.
I have tried two separate phones, both android, with no success. I even went to a dark site with the same results. CELESTRON puts me on an infinity loop that usually end with them disconnecting. High Point seems to think that it is somehow related to the phones setup but I have tried most everything including wiping the phone and using the third of five codes. So for now I give up and use the scope in its traditional nonaided format. What type of phone are you using,?
@@parks51998 Some android phone's sensor packages are pretty bad.
As much as it pains me to say it, try an iPhone.
Had a similar problem concerning the audiochips in android phones.
Great review as usual Ed! I have the DX 102 Refractor and love being it (I'm still a newbie). Been wondering if I should also get the Dob. or get an Orion 8" Dob since I already have access to the Starsense software. Thank you for all you do!
If you already have the dock and the software, get someone else's Dob. Get a used one if you can. You've already paid for the software, no need to pay for it again.
Good point! Thank you!!!
Great review! I've used Starsense on my Samsung Note 10+ and now on a Google Pixel 7 Pro with no crashing. Not sure what was going on there. Also your instructions on how to align Starsense will likely save many people from headaches. When I first started the instructions weren't very clear so maybe they've changed that. I wonder what kind of eyepieces came with it? What were your thoughts on those?
The Starsense 80AZ is $229. I can cannlbalize the Starsenze module for my myraid of manual scopes, use the 80mm F/11 scope as a guidescope for my imaging rig, then part out the rest. I can always use a spare RDF and eyepieces for public outreach can't i?
Hi Ed. Big fan of your videos. Thank you for sharing g your knowledge. I wanted to know if you had thoughts or would think of reviewing the 8” Dobsonian GoTo telescope. S11800. Thanks.
There's a review of the Orion XX14 Goto on this channel. That is from the same series. It's about what you'd expect. Good value, some quirkiness and inaccuracies in the electronics.
Great video
hi ed, did you find that the scopes cap was good at preventing condensation forming inside of it, i live in a quite cold area and am worried about the condensation from bringing it inside, thanks!
Nice review Ed. The focuser looks like a pretty standard 2” one. Would be nice if it came with a dual speed focuser. Did the focuser leave you wanting at all? Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
Of course, we all want nice focusers! At this price point, I think the focuser is about right.
There’s a free website/app that provides a similar, tho basic functionality called Astrohopper. I’ve just strapped my phone to the OTA with elastic bands, no fancy mount, and point it at a star relatively close to my target. I think it just uses the phones gyroscopes for orientation, relative to your reference star, whereas Starsense I believe also uses plate solving.
I really liked you overview here Ed. Thanks!
But I had to chuckle a bit when you said most people spend most of their time looking at the phone instead of through the eyepiece. So true, and, I noticed you spent far more time talking about the phone and its use than the views you got through the eyepiece. That gave me chuckle. Well done.
Yes, true!
Thanks Ed! You made an excellent point about acquiring the telescope you'll use the most. However, regarding magnification and image quality, is there a noticeable difference between the 8'' and the 10''? How about the Starsense DX5 (the CST version) and the Dob 8''?
For most people the 8" is still the sweet spot. The 10" is brighter, but since you'll use the 8" more, it will show you more. Also, the lighter weight of the 8's OTA exerts less pressure on the azimuth bearing, resulting in smoother motions. Don't get the DX5. The mount is too flimsy.
Hello, Mr. Ting;
"THANK YOU!", EXCELLENT video!, as usual.
So, .. "some assembly required", eh?
I want a larger Dob (than my 6") but I'm not inclined towards any 'electronics'.
Not even my cell phone, most phones are obnoxious for flashing brightly in my eyes.
IF my boat comes in I'm likely to go w/ an 8" full size Dob as I'm old & ill.
I'd like a 10" but I do not want buy one that turns out to be to large for me (old & ill).
Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
PS
What do you consider to be "very light polluted environments"?
Does a Bortle 4-4.5 qualify, in your opinion?
I live at the edge of a small town, ~450 ft from a small landing strip.
Looking west I see darker skies than looking east, towards town.
I have public access to a darker location, 12-15 miles west, Bortle 3, the difference is clear.
Further afield I could visit the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge., about 70 miles.
It reportedly is an International Dark Sky site.
Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.