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Black Friday is here and with Christmas just three and half weeks away, now’s the perfect time to bag a Black Friday deal. This Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ telescope is an absolutely stellar buy at $115 off and with Christmas three and a half weeks away, it’s the perfect gift for a budding sky watcher.
Get the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ smartphone-ready reflector telescope on sale right now at Amazon for $365.
We think this Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is the best budget telescope under $500 and one of the best telescopes for beginners. Its 5.11-inch aperture is enough to let in plenty of light, it offers clear and crisp views and while the accompanying smartphone app, while not essential, is a serious boon.
In our review of the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ, we called it “An impressively powerful tool that will offer many hours of observing pleasure.” This is the cheapest it’s been this year, though we’ve seen other telescope deals sell out, so we recommend you snap it up while you can.
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This Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ comes with everything you need to get starwatching. It includes a smartphone dock (we were impressed with the app), 25mm and 10mm eyepieces, a StarPointer finderscope and an accessory tray.
This is our overall pick for best budget telescope under $500 and we think it’s one the best telescopes for beginners. To some, budget is a dirty word, but this really is an excellent, beginner-friendly telescope, offering clear images of virtually everything we pointed it at.
In our review of the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ, we said it “Truly unveils the wonders of the night sky, even with the most rudimentary knowledge and experience,” and we stand by that. While we’d have liked to see some higher-powered eyepieces included, you can always upgrade to one of the best eyepieces.
However, if you’re buying for astrophotography you might want to consider the Celestron Inspire 100AZ, $300 at Amazon with a $20 coupon, as it’s better suited for that purpose.
Key features: 5.11 inches (130 mm) aperture, 650 mm focal length, f/5 focal ratio, 307x highest useful magnification, 19x lowest useful magnification, 18 lbs (8.16 kg) total kit weight.
Price history: Before today’s deal, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ was slightly cheaper in December 2023, but this is the cheapest it’s been all year, beating out Walmart and Best Buy.
Price comparison: Amazon: $365 | Walmart: $480 | Best Buy: $430
Reviews consensus: We rated this four stars and think it’s the best budget telescope under $500 and one of the best telescopes for beginners. We love how easy it is to use, the clarity of its images, and the fact that it’s more portable than some other scopes. We were happy with the build quality, but a smattering of Amazon purchasers weren’t.
Space: ★★★★
Featured in guides: Best budget telescopes, Best telescopes for beginners.
✅ Buy it if: You want a reasonably priced telescope that offers excellent image quality and is superb for observing galaxies, nebulas, planets and star clusters
❌ Don’t buy it if: You’re after an astrophotography-friendly telescope, as this is limited to only basic astrophotography. The Celestron Inspire 100AZ is $300 at Amazon with a $20 coupon, and that may be a better choice.
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