There are even observing tips to help get the best view possible though the telescope for the selected object.Ĭelestron developed the StarSense Explorer app in collaboration with our friends at Simulation Curriculum, the makers of the industry-leading planetarium app, Sky Safari.

You can observe the object while listening to an audio presentation or you can peruse other object information and data within the app.

When the bullseye changes its color to green, the object is visible in the telescope’s lower powered eyepiece. Move the telescope as directed until the bullseye appears centered on the selected object onscreen. These indicate the direction in which you should move the telescope to find the object. Once you select an object, the app displays pointing arrows onscreen. You may see planets like Jupiter or Saturn, nebulae like Orion, the Andromeda Galaxy, or other object types. You’ll see a variety of objects, which will vary from night to night. Objects that are highlighted in the planetarium view or listed as Tonight’s Best list are our recommended targets-all currently visible above the horizon from your observing site.

From here, you can select an object to view, either by tapping it in the planetarium view or selecting it from the Tonight’s Best observing list. Next, the app displays a view of the night sky and shows a bullseye on the screen to represent the telescope’s current pointing position. When you launch the app, it guides you through a simple two-step procedure to align the smartphone’s camera with the telescope’s field of view. The StarSense Explorer app runs on a user-supplied smartphone attached to the StarSense Explorer telescope via the StarSense dock. The dock also features a built-in shade around the mirror to prevent stray light from entering the smartphone camera’s field of view. It’s equipped with X-Y adjustment knobs to help you position the camera over the mirror. The dock holds most smartphones with their cases attached. The mirror is tilted slightly relative to the telescope to provide better performance when locating objects low in the sky. The star patterns overhead reflect off the mirror and into the smartphone’s camera. The StarSense dock-a special bracket that couples the smartphone to the StarSense Explorer telescope-holds the smartphone in place over an integrated mirror.

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