Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ

The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ is an 80mm refractor telescope designed to make getting started in astronomy straightforward. It combines a conventional optical system and manual alt-azimuth mount with Celestron’s StarSense Explorer technology, which uses your smartphone to help you find objects in the night sky.

Its 80mm objective lens provides a good balance between light-gathering ability and a manageable telescope size. Celestron rates the LT 80AZ at 131 times the light-gathering power of the human eye. The additional aperture allows the telescope to collect more light, which can make faint objects easier to see and can provide brighter, more detailed views of brighter objects such as the Moon and planets.

The 900mm focal length gives the telescope a focal ratio of f/11 and provides useful magnification for observing the Moon and planets. The supplied 25mm eyepiece gives 36x magnification, while the 10mm eyepiece gives 90x. A 2x Barlow lens is also included, which doubles the magnification when used with an eyepiece.

Celestron specifies a useful magnification range from 11x to 189x. The telescope’s theoretical resolving power, calculated using the Dawes limit, is 1.45 arc seconds. Resolving power describes the telescope’s ability to distinguish between two very closely spaced points of light. In practical terms, better resolving power allows finer details to be separated when the atmosphere and observing conditions are good. The actual detail visible at the eyepiece will depend on factors such as atmospheric stability, the brightness of the object and the quality of the observing conditions.

Finding objects is made easier by the StarSense Explorer system. The supplied smartphone dock works with the StarSense Explorer app, which uses the phone’s camera to analyse star patterns and determine where the telescope is pointing. After aligning the phone with the telescope, the app can generate a list of visible objects and guide you towards a selected target using on-screen arrows. When the telescope is correctly positioned, the app’s bullseye turns green.

The telescope itself remains entirely manual. The alt-azimuth mount can be moved by hand, while an altitude slow-motion adjustment with a sliding control rod allows finer adjustments and makes it easier to follow an object as it moves across the sky.

The supplied 25mm and 10mm eyepieces use the standard 1.25-inch format. A 90-degree erect-image diagonal is included. This produces an upright image, making the telescope suitable not only for astronomical observing but also for daytime viewing. Celestron specifically lists birds, wildlife and landscapes among its daytime uses.

A StarPointer red-dot finders is also included, providing an alternative way to aim the telescope without using the StarSense Explorer system.

As the larger-aperture model in the StarSense Explorer LT refractor range, the LT 80AZ offers 80mm of aperture and a 900mm focal length in a straightforward, manually operated package. The complete kit weighs 4.17kg and includes the optical tube, mount, tripod, eyepieces, Barlow lens, diagonal, finder, smartphone dock and accessory tray.