With the Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ 80mm f/11 AZ Refractor Telescope, exploring the wonders of the universe is as simple as 1-2-3:1. Dock your smartphone2. Launch the StarSense Explorer smartphone app3. Observe the moon, planets, stars, and more

This innovative integration of smartphone and telescope offers beginner astronomers a fast and (more importantly) easy way to discover what's up in the night sky and where to view it. Utilizing similar alignment technology that satellites use when they move out of position, the StarSense Explorer app uses your phone's camera to stream a constant series of images and compare them to an internal database to identify the starfield and determine its location. This "Lost in Space Algorithm" is more precise than typical astronomy apps and does not require a cell signal to work—so you can use it even when you're far off the grid. A holder on the mount, aligned with the telescope, ensures that where the phone is pointed is the same as where the scope is, so that when you follow the onscreen directions to find the object of interest and you look through the eyepiece, it will be there.

Optically, the 80mm objective lens offers clear views of the lunar surface and planetary features with accurate color representation and little field curvature at the edges of the view. Supporting the telescope and StarSense holder is a basic manual yoke mount that lets you move the telescope quickly and easily according to the app's direction to find your object of interest. A two-section aluminum tripod provides a wide adjustable height to accommodate a variety of viewing positions and users, while being highly portable for when you have to carry it to remote viewing locations.

Designed as a complete observation rig, Celestron includes a variety of accessories to get you viewing right out of the box. In addition to the telescope, mount, and tripod, you also get two eyepieces that provide you with high and low magnifications, a Barlow lens that effectively doubles the power of each eyepiece—essentially giving you four magnification choices—plus a 90° diagonal that not only places your head in a comfortable viewing position when the scope is pointed directly overhead but also corrects the view so you can use the telescope as a conventional spotting scope.