Celestron 22481 StarSense Explorer 130mm Tabletop Dobsonian Smartphone App-Enabled Telescope Works with StarSense App to Help You Find Nebulae, Planets & More – iPhone/Android Compatible

I got this telescope as an upgrade to my simpler telescope from the same brand, and I was impressed by its quality. I feel it is quite easy to use. (The app and the computer program are also pretty awesome, and they make everything much easier to see and to make sense of!)The assembly part was fairly easy, but the instruction manual is not very helpful. That would be my one criticism of the product.It is very sturdy, and the base sets easily on a table or the ground. It is stable, and the view angle is adequate and easy to adjust. The lens that came with it and we got some great viewings of the moon and planets.This item was not cheap but I feel it delivers great quality for the money.

Fantastic tabletop telescope. Optics are very clear and the lenses were collated right out of the box. Set up was not difficult and all the instructions, tools and parts were included and easy to follow. It is a bit on the heavier side but not to the point it can’t be moved from spot to spot. Setting up you mobile device to use with the Starsense app and telescope was simple and the Starsense app makes night sky viewing easy, fun and educational. I am very happy with this telescope and think it is one of the better telescopes at this price point.

This has been an absolute blast to use out on our farm. The setup is easy thanks to the clear instructions and the StarSense app is beyond impressive in terms of accuracy and usability. I appreciated the extra bag it comes with to store the eye pieces and little parts that I would absolutely lose without it. The tabletop design is also super convenient, though I might by a tripod later on for flexibility.

Scope arrived with the base unassembled, laminated particle board. It is pretty sturdy after it is put together, and an impressive site to see. Not too large for my 12yr old to handle, but large enough to let in sufficient light for star and planet gazing. The lens caddy for the base is meant to take on and off so the screws cannot be over tightened as they only go in so far.The laser pointer/finder slides right on, is easy to adjust, and works pretty well! I was able to align it with the scope within minutes. Do this during the day… Saturn was in view last night and I aligned the scope with Saturn using the laser finder and it appeared right in the lens’s field of view! It was the first time I ever witnessed Saturn and it’s rings through a telescope and it was pretty exciting. I added a 2x Barlow lens adapter and was able to get a zoomed in view that was even more impressive. I was even able to make out one of it’s orbiting moons.It takes a little patience getting used to adjusting the scope while viewing targets as everything you see appears in reverse. To track targets while looking through the lens, you will need to move the scope in the opposite direction (right goes left, left goes right, up goes down, down goes up). It’s easy to do, just takes some practice.The Starsense app works as expected and I was able to get it working without a lot of extra effort. I’m pretty satisfied and makes the setup look professional.I can’t wait to see what else we can spot in the night sky! This is our first telescope so we cannot compare it to anything else, but based on our experience last night, I would have no problems recommending it!

Awesome first telescope, even with cloudy skies we could find some star clusters with starsense. If you can score the 150mm for under 500 grab it! The smaller appetures may be pretty underwhelming, Id get at least the 6" to make the starsense premium worth it or there are cheaper options for smaller sizes.Recommend getting the svbony zoom eye piece if your a newbie and maybe a 20-30$ 32mm to find stuff, itll be way better than the stock ones and its really all you need.The scope is light enough to pick up and move around fairly easily but heavy enough to be stable while observing. I can carry the whole assembly a small distance with one hand by the handle in the mount. Assembly isn't that difficult if you're competent. If you can't figure out how to assemble it there's very little hope for you figuring out how to get starsense working and actually find and focus on objects.. Just make sure to remove the brackets that come attached to the scope and attach them to the mount before locking the scope on to them. Also remember to remove the mirror cover on the starsense mount... and get a cheap laser collimator - Dont worry too much about how to collimate, once you have the laser its honestly self explanatory. look down into the mirror and center it then center on the lil target (more or less).Ive deffinetly had a lot of fun with this thing. Even when I take it out with high moonlight or light pollution its powerful enough to get an at least faint look at some nebulas and star clusters. Any significant upgrade over this scope will be either huge and expensive or around the same size and INSANELY expensive, so if your interested in astrology this is a safe first bet. Im glad i got the starsense app with my first scope, its taught me how to find things very effectively and easily right from the start. Every time i go out i learn something new and improve my skills.