We've rarely seen the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ telescope at a lower price and now you can save $150 ahead of Black Friday.
We gave this ideal beginner telescope four out of five stars in our Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ review and it sits near the top of our Best beginner telescope buying guide for good reason.
Even during Black Friday last year this 5-inch reflector telescope was still a further $80 more expensive! That shows us what a good telescope deal this is. Also featured in the top spot on our Best budget telescopes under $500 guide we love this DX 130AZ telescope for its 130mm aperture — this means it's ideal for viewing galaxies, nebulas, planets and star clusters.
The telescope ships with absolutely everything new astronomers need for a successful night of stargazing including 10mm and 25mm eyepieces, finderscope, StarSense smartphone dock and a full-height tripod.
This is an ideal beginner's telescope because it's simple enough to use the red dot finderscope to navigate your way through the night sky if you have a little constellation knowledge. Alternatively, complete beginners are also catered for with the combined smartphone adapter dock.
Simply install and launch the StarSense app and, with the phone in the dock on the telescope, it will automatically guide you with arrows to find a desired celestial object. Want to locate Jupiter or Saturn? Type it into the app and the app will guide you to the planet. Simple.
For anyone who wants to get a beginner-friendly telescope but with enough power to view some of your favorite night sky objects like Jupiter, Saturn and more the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ, now $150 off is the telescope to buy and now is the time to do it as we've never seen it cheaper.
Don't forget, if you want to make the most of Black Friday, check out our Black Friday deals hub for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
Optical design: Newtonian reflector
Aperture: 5.11” (130 mm)
Focal length: 650 mm
Focal ratio: f/5
Highest useful magnification: 307x
Lowest useful magnification: 19x
Total kit weight: 18 lbs. (8.16 kg)
Mount type: Alt-azimuth
Consensus: Overall, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is a great telescope for the beginner skywatcher. It has an affordable price tag: you get a very capable system for your money. It's also extremely user-friendly, we discovered a youngster at the age of eight years old was able to start getting to grips with it.
Buy if: You want to do basic astrophotography. This telescope offers great views for anyone wanting an intro to basic astrophotography, but for any real long-exposure shooting it would be impossible.
Don't buy if: You want good eyepieces. We noted in our review that the included 10mm eyepiece, in particular, is lacking in quality, so it might be worth either choosing a different model or investing in better eyepieces.
Alternative models: If you're looking for something that offers the same observing clout with a 130mm aperture — and with a range of accessories — then the Celestron Astro Fi 130 is a good choice, offering a bit more of a leg-up in terms of smartphone astrophotography and a more sophisticated way of touring the night sky.
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