With a respectable aperture contained within a portable unit, this reflector promises enough light-gathering power to bring out delicate details in a range of objects, including lunar features, star clusters and planets.

While it isn’t a Go-To system, the StarSense Explorer app helps users to align the telescope and therefore locate objects, which is often a struggle for beginners.

We were of course keen to put this budget smartphone-friendly scope through its paces.

StarSense Explorer 114mm tabletop Dobsonian unboxing and setting up

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 114mm tabletop Dobsonian arrived in one large box, unassembled.

With all the tools supplied and easy-to-follow instructions, we were soon putting the base together ready for a clear night.

Full assembly took around 60 minutes, as we did find it took some time to fit the base components properly.

It’s easier for two people to do this and we’d recommend not overtightening the screws during the assembly.

Once built, the StarSense Explorer 114mm tabletop Dobsonian mount was sturdy and a quick test proved it was easy to manoeuvre, with just the right amount of tension.

The build quality of the telescope also exceeded our expectations for a relatively budget model. 

Mounting a smartphone on the StarSense Explorer 114mm tabletop

Setting up the StarSense Explorer app (available for Android and iOS) proved straightforward, although it’s important to note that each telescope comes with a unique code to activate it.

Keep this safe, as without it you won’t be able to use the app. 

A clear night beckoned and we positioned our smartphone in the StarSense Explorer dock ready to explore the skies.

We soon discovered that the joy of using the Dobsonian and StarSense Explorer app together is that you don’t need any previous astronomy experience.

We particularly liked that the app suggests the best objects to view for the time of year.

It’s intuitive to use and the alignment process proved accurate on a dark, clear sky.

Soon enough, we were ready to explore.

How it performed

Selecting our target, we headed over to a nearly full Moon.

Via the 17mm eyepiece, we enjoyed a lovely clear view, resolving beautiful details around Tycho and the seas Serenity and Tranquillity.

We couldn’t resist taking a picture with our smartphone.

We noted that, although taking an image required us to remove our phone from the dock, once we put it back into the dock it retained our place in the app and we could continue exploring. 

Next, we moved to a star test and headed over to Capella. We found the star appeared sharp and bright in both the 17mm and 10mm eyepieces, with no noticeable colour fringing.

Using the app, we then moved across to the Beehive Cluster in Cancer, guided once again by the StarSense Explorer app.

We enjoyed tight stars across our field of view with no noticeable distortions around the edges.

It was a beautiful sight and, feeling accomplished, we thought we’d locate Jupiter, which was low on the horizon. While we didn’t see much surface detail, we enjoyed the small specks of its Galilean moons. 

We did note that sky quality influenced the app’s performance: if there was light pollution or the skies were not quite dark, alignment and object location accuracy reduced.

In clear, dark skies, the app worked flawlessly. We also found a powerbank useful, as it kept our smartphone charged so we could extend our tour of the sky.

We thought the tripod adaptors on the Newtonian reflector were useful, as you could attach it to a tripod if preferred.

Teamed with our smartphone, Celestron’s StarSense Explorer 114mm app-enabled tabletop Dobsonian telescope created an easier way for us to explore the Universe.

Its field of view was bright and clear and, for the price point, it will reward beginners and inspire them to continue with astronomy.

A rewarding grab-and-go starter telescope set.

The StarSense Explorer 114mm tabletop smartphone navigation

The StarSense Explorer system transforms your smartphone (whether iOS or Android) into a celestial guide.

Once placed in the phone dock, it determines location by plate solving, much like a cosmic GPS!

After that, it’s straightforward to locate targets: the app prompts you to point the Dobsonian towards a clear patch of sky to identify your location, with a bullseye that initially glows red.

Once it turns yellow, the system has identified stars and you’re ready to start exploring.

The app comes with lots of features and suggestions to aid the new astronomer.

For example, while viewing an object, the app suggests other objects to view in that area of the sky. 

It also provides rise and set times and the best celestial objects to view that night, from clusters to stars and more challenging objects such as nebulae and comets.

It’s furnished with other lovely details, such as object descriptions, facts and observational tips to boost the experience.

StarSense Explorer 114mm tabletop best features

Optics

The primary mirror and 114mm aperture gather enough light to be able to view celestial objects in quality detail. For example, you can pinpoint the Galilean moons of Jupiter, while also viewing dusty swirls of the Orion Nebula. Even with light-polluted skies you can still see bright objects.

Altazimuth base

Compact and lightweight, the Dobsonian-style base makes it easy to transport this scope to dark skies. Even better, because it can be positioned low to the ground, it’s easily accessible to little ones who want to explore and learn about the night sky. The sturdy tabletop size is easy to set up and position.

StarPointer finderscope

The Celestron StarPointer red dot finderscope is a handy accessory for beginners, as the field of view provided by the open tube design makes the process of finding and locating objects as easy as possible. Once fitted and aligned, objects found via the StarPointer will appear in the eyepiece. 

Kellner eyepieces

The two provided eyepiece give a good range of power options for first-time astronomers. The 17mm proved useful for positioning objects and also viewing large clusters. Stepping up to the 10mm was excellent for closer views of lunar craters, refining details in faint objects or resolving double stars.   

StarSense Explorer phone dock

The StarSense Explorer dock is specially designed to turn your smartphone into a navigation tool. Sliding the dock’s cover off reveals a mirror which allows you to place the stars in your phone lens’s field of view. The plate-solving capabilities of the StarSense app then kicks in to locate your targets.

Vital stats

• Price: £299.99
• Optics: 114mm (4.5-inch) parabolic primary mirror, Newtonian reflector
• Focal length: 450mm, f/4
• Mount: Altaz tabletop Dobsonian 
• App control: StarSense Explorer
• Focuser: 1.25-inch rack and pinion
• Extras: StarSense smartphone dock, Star­Pointer red dot finder, eyepiece rack, collimation cap, 17mm and 10mm Kellner eyepieces
• Weight: 6kg
• Supplier: PicStop
• Tel: 01624 670005
• www.picstop.co.uk

This review appeared in the August 2024 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine