The holidays may be behind us, but a whole new year of stargazing awaits in 2022 and Adorama is currently offering this powerful Celestron StarSense Explorer DX telescope for $200 off right now.
You can get the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ refractor telescope for $399.95 at Adorama right now, a 33% savings off its normal price of $599.95, to gear up for the new year. This deal is at the top of our list for best telescope deals available now, but Adorama also has offers on two others depending on your needs.
Celestron is a proven telescope manufacturer with a wide variety of instruments available. The StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ telescope is designed to work in conjunction with Celestron’s free StarSense Explorer smartphone app to locate objects in the night sky based on your smartphone’s position.
This version of the Celestron StarSense DX 102AZ is a manual telescope that uses the StarSense app to guide users to find objects that are currently visible in their night sky. Our reviewer found it a breeze to use, adding that the combination of powerful optics (it has a 102-mm aperture for light gathering) and its smartphone guide can make it fun and easy for stargazers just starting out.
The manual version on sale now comes with a smartphone dock that does not cover up the eyepiece but does need to be aligned with the telescope’s optics, a process that is designed to a take a few minutes. Once aligned, the app generates a list of what’s visible in your night sky to choose from, then displays direction arrows indicating where to move the instrument to bring the object in view.
It comes with a tripod and mount, as well as two eyepieces with magnifications of 26X and 66X, and a StarPointer red dot finderscope.
Users of the telescope app have hailed its ease of use to find Saturn’s rings and the moons of Jupiter, as well as star clusters and galaxies. Our reviewer found this Celestron telescope more suited for beginners than for dedicated observers but noted that its smartphone app connection made for one of the quickest-ever alignment periods and night sky object finding times they’d ever seen.
If you’re looking for a little more power for your stargazing sessions, you may want to consider the Celestron StarSense DX 130AZ reflector telescope, which is currently on sale for $429.95 at Adorama, saving you 28% — or $170 — off its normal $599.95 price.
Like the 102AZ, the 130AZ reflector works with Celestron’s StarSense app to help users get started quickly. But it also has a larger objective lens at 130 mm, which is designed to resolve the cloud bands on Jupiter, details of the Orion nebula and more.
Our reviewer found the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AX ideal for observing galaxies, planets and star clusters, and noted that it can be used for basic astrophotography by beginners.
In addition to its tripod and smartphone mount, this telescope comes with two eyepieces that offer magnifications of 26X and 65X, and a StarPointer red dot finderscope.
If the above telescopes are a bit steep for you, but you’re still looking for an easy setup, you may want to opt for Celestron’s StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ, which is currently on sale for $189.95 at Adorama, saving you $75 off its normal $264.95 price.
Like the above telescopes, this instrument works with the StarSense app to make it easy for newcomers to use. It is a reflector telescope instead of a refractor, like the ones above, but has a larger objective lens than the 102-mm refractor. It’s designed to offer crisp views of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and Saturn’s rings, as well as nebulas and star clusters.
It comes with two eyepieces that offer magnifications of up to 40X and 100X, respectively, and the traditional StarPointer red dot finderscope.
Whatever your telescope needs, now is a great time to pick up a telescope to prepare for night sky events in 2022.
Be sure to check out Space.com’s best telescope deals for more sales, as well as our guide to the best telescopes. If you’re looking for a telescope for a young skywatcher or beginner, then read our guides on the best telescopes for kids or best telescopes for beginners.