Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ

Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Review

The StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is a 130mm aperture reflector telescope from Celestron. It’s part of their newest series of telescopes with have the name StarSense. This series is all about making the telescope almost one with your iPhone or Android device with the help of the StarSense app. This series also includes the StarSense DX 5″, StarSense DX 100AZ, StarSense LT 80AZ, StarSense LT 114AZ, StarSense DX 130AZ, StarSense 10″ Dobsonian, StarSense 8″ Dobsonian.

$499.95
$431.99
 in stock
13 used from $247.14
Free shipping
Found on amazon.com
as of May 29, 2025 6:08 am

Features

  • SMARTPHONE-POWERED SKY TOUR: No experience needed! Just dock your phone, launch the StarSense Explorer app, and follow the on-screen arrows to locate stars, planets, nebulae, and more.
  • PATENTED STARSENSE TECHNOLOGY: Unlike other astronomy apps, StarSense Explorer uses sky recognition technology to turn your phone into a celestial navigation system, analyzing star patterns overhead to pinpoint your telescope’s position.
  • TONIGHT’S BEST TARGETS, INSTANTLY: The app generates a curated list of the top objects to see based on your time and location. See planets, bright nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters from the city—and even more from dark skies.
  • SIMPLE SETUP, SMOOTH TRACKING: Features a manual altazimuth mount with dual-axis slow-motion controls. Follow the on-screen arrows to your target; when the bullseye turns green, you can view it clearly through the eyepiece.
  • 130MM REFLECTOR WITH IMPRESSIVE VIEWS: The 5" Newtonian reflector with high-reflectivity coatings delivers sharp, vivid views of the Moon, planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and deep-sky favorites like the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy.

Unboxing

One you open the box you will see all the components neatly fitted into 3 other boxes. One contains the optical tube, another the tripod and mount with the accessories and the last one contains the small optics.

Telescope

The optical telescope is very similar to what we’ve become accustomed to expect from a company like Celestron. Great optics that you can enjoy a lifetime.

Tripod and Mount

The tripod that comes in the box is a full tripod and is quite sturdy. One thing Celestron needed to get right with this telescope is the tripod and mount. The mount is the place where you will find the smartphone dock as well.

Accessories

The accessories that come with the telescope are the two eyepieces:

  • 25mm Kellner Eyepiece that can offer up to a 26x magnification
  • 10mm Kellner Eyepiece that can offer up to a 65x magnification

Then you also have a red dot finderscope for the times when you want to use the telescope without your phone.

And the last piece in the box, but very important, is the slow motion control rod.

Price

When it comes to the price, the Celestron Star Sense DX 130AZ is decently priced for what it can do.

Portability

Fully assembled everything weights about 18 lb (8kg) so it’s somewhat light. Not a travel telescope per se but it can be used if travelling by car since everything is compacted and the set-up takes minutes. Not that suitable for backpacking though.

Technical Specifications:

Attributes
Optical DesignNewtonian Reflector
Aperture130mm
Focal Length650mm
Focal Ratiof/5
Limiting Magnitude13.1
  • Manufacturer - 9.8/10
    9.8/10
  • Optics - 9.5/10
    9.5/10
  • Value - 9.6/10
    9.6/10
9.6/10
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