Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ Smartphone App-enabled Newtonian Reflector Telescope

Product Overview

The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ is a 114 mm f/9 Newtonian reflector with a spherical primary mirror, on a manual altazimuth mount and tripod, paired with a smartphone dock and Celestron's StarSense Explorer app. The app reads the actual star field through your phone's camera and matches it against its own catalogue to work out where the tube is pointed, then shows on-screen arrows that walk you to a target and turn the bullseye green once it is centred in the eyepiece. Celestron publishes 1000 mm of focal length for this telescope, which with the supplied eyepieces gives 40x and 100x straight out of the box, and a 2x Barlow doubles both. At 10.4 lb complete it is the lightest full-height telescope in the range.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you want an inexpensive way into app-guided observing at standing height, with the Moon and planets as the main draw. The long 1000 mm focal length and the supplied 10mm eyepiece put 100x on a target without buying anything, and the included 2x Barlow takes that to 200x for lunar detail and Saturn's rings. At 10.4 lb it is genuinely easy to carry out and put away, which for a lot of people is the difference between a telescope that gets used and one that does not.

Key Features & Design

• 114 mm aperture at f/9: Celestron publishes 1000 mm of focal length, with a highest useful magnification of 269x, a lowest useful magnification of 16x and a limiting stellar magnitude of 12.8.
• Two eyepieces and a Barlow supplied: a 25mm at 40x and a 10mm at 100x, plus a 2x Barlow (1.25") that doubles each of them — four magnifications in the box, which is more than any other model in this range ships with.
• 265x the light-gathering power of the unaided eye, with resolving power published at 1.22 arcseconds (Rayleigh) and 1.02 arcseconds (Dawes).
• Spherical primary mirror, glass coated with aluminium and SiO2, in a steel tube 609.6 mm (24") long by 147 mm in diameter.
• Aluminium and steel tripod with 1.75" legs, extending to 1320.8 mm (52") — the tallest in the range, and a sturdier leg section than the DX tripods.
• Altitude adjustment by sliding rod, with an accessory tray, supplied preassembled with the mount.
• 10.4 lb (4.71 kg) complete: a 6.6 lb tube on a 3.8 lb tripod.

Optical / Mechanical Design

Celestron specifies this telescope as a Newtonian reflector with a spherical primary mirror, 114 mm of aperture at f/9, and a published focal length of 1000 mm in a tube 609.6 mm (24") long. The long effective focal length is what gives the supplied eyepieces their relatively high magnifications — a 25mm eyepiece yields 40x here, against 26x on the 130 mm f/5 models in the same range.

In practice this is a lunar and planetary instrument first. A long focal ratio makes high magnification easy to reach with ordinary eyepieces and keeps the supplied optics working within their comfortable range, and it also means the widest true field available is narrower than the fast reflectors in this range give. Like every Newtonian it is aligned by the owner rather than sealed at the factory, and f/9 is about the most forgiving focal ratio there is for that.

Recommended Uses

Lunar observing, where 100x from the supplied 10mm eyepiece and 200x with the Barlow show craters, rilles and terminator detail. Planetary observing — Jupiter's cloud bands and moons, Saturn's rings, the phases of Venus. Double-star work near the 1.02 arcsecond Dawes limit. The brighter deep-sky showpieces — open clusters, the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy — at a 12.8 limiting magnitude. Guided touring with the app's list of currently visible objects and its audio descriptions. Family and outreach observing, where the app lets anyone find something themselves.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

Eyepieces: 1.25" fitting. The supplied 25mm and 10mm give 40x and 100x, and the 2x Barlow makes those 80x and 200x — a useful spread before you buy anything, with a 269x published ceiling above.

Solar: we stock the Celestron EclipSmart Solar Filter for the StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ, which is made for this telescope and fits over the front of the tube.

Smartphone: the StarSense Explorer app runs on Android 12 and later and on iOS 18 and newer, including iPhone XR and newer. Celestron maintains the full device list at starsenseexplorer.simcur.com.

Mount: the tube ships on its own manual altazimuth mount and tripod, preassembled. It is a visual mount with no tracking drive and no provision for adding one.

If you are unsure whether your phone will run the app, send us the model and we will check it against Celestron's list before you order.

Good to Know Before You Order

The mount adjusts in altitude by a sliding rod rather than geared controls. The DX models in this range have dual-axis slow-motion knobs; this one is moved by hand with the rod setting the elevation. At the higher magnifications the Barlow reaches, that takes a lighter touch.

The app needs real starlight to work. It cannot orient itself in daylight and wants roughly an hour after sunset before there is enough star detail to match on. Cloud cover, haze, a bright Moon and heavy light pollution all reduce what it can lock onto.

It shows tonight's sky only. There is no date or time control in the app, so it plans the session you are about to have rather than one next month.

Tracking is manual. Objects drift across the field as the Earth turns and you nudge the tube to follow, more often the higher the magnification.

The long focal length narrows the widest field. This telescope is at its best on the Moon, the planets and compact targets rather than large sweeps of sky. If wide-field deep-sky views are what you are after, the 130 mm f/5 models in this range are the ones built for it — tell us what you want to observe and we will point you at the right one.

A Newtonian gives a mirror-reversed view, which is normal for astronomy and makes it unsuited to terrestrial daytime use.

Solar observing needs a purpose-made filter — the EclipSmart filter linked above is the matched one.

Two-year Celestron warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

No — it is the lightest and simplest of the tripod-mounted models. The mount and tripod arrive preassembled, the tube goes on, an eyepiece goes in the focuser and the phone goes in the dock. Aligning the phone to the optics is a short procedure at the start of each session and the app's tutorials walk through it.

Does the app need a subscription?

No. The app is unlocked for use with the telescope, with nothing further to pay.

Which phones does it work with?

Android 12 and later, and iOS 18 and newer including iPhone XR and newer.

Do I need to buy extra eyepieces?

Not to get started. Two eyepieces plus a 2x Barlow give you 40x, 80x, 100x and 200x, which covers most of what this aperture does well.

How does it compare with the DX 130AZ?

The DX 130AZ gathers 345x the unaided eye against this telescope's 265x, reaches a 13.1 limiting magnitude against 12.8, and has geared slow-motion controls and a parabolic mirror. This one is lighter (10.4 lb against 18 lb), taller on its tripod, longer in focal length, and less expensive. The LT is the lunar-and-planetary starter; the DX 130AZ is the deep-sky one.

Can I use it for astrophotography?

It is built as a visual instrument. The mount is manual with no tracking drive, so long-exposure imaging is outside what it does. Short-exposure lunar work held up to the eyepiece is practical.

Bottom Line

A 114 mm f/9 Newtonian on a 52" tripod with app-guided pointing, two eyepieces and a 2x Barlow: four magnifications from 40x to 200x in the box, a 269x published ceiling, and 10.4 lb to carry. The lightest and least expensive way into StarSense Explorer at standing height, and a lunar and planetary telescope by nature.