Beginning skywatchers can get great value for their dollar with a deep discount on one of our favorite telescopes.
The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ is on sale at Walmart right now for $199.99. (opens in new tab) That’s an incredible 33% off the telescope’s usual price.
Make sure to act quickly on buying this telescope, which allows you to easily connect your smartphone to get guided tours of the universe. This deal is the best of the season and stock will likely evaporate very quickly.
Beginners will appreciate not only the sturdy build of the StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ, but also the accessories: 25mm and 10mm eyepieces for magnifications of 36x and 90x, a 2x Barlow lens, StarPointer red-dot finderscope, alt-azimuth mount, tripod, accessory tray, star diagonal and a smartphone dock.Â
Prime optics is another of this telescope’s attributes, as it sports a 3.1-inch (80mm) objective lens that can pick up easy to spot items like Jupiter’s atmospheric bands and Great Red Spot, Saturn’s rings, the cratered surface of the moon, the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31), the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (Messier 13), among other things.
What we love about this telescope is its ability to pick out items in the night sky once the telescope is aligned. Proprietary StarSense sky recognition technology can seek out constellations and help get your location figured out in real time.
For extra help, download the free StarSense Explorer app to see what objects are visible from your position. Selecting the target is a snap, as all you need to do is manually slew the optical tube and mount using handy on-screen arrows, which should guide you right where you need to go.
High-definition views of the universe will then flow through the telescope for you to enjoy, with the strong clarity and contrast you need to see objects at their best. The telescope’s fully coated glass optics and brilliant light transmission will help you pick out the planets of the solar system or the best objects of the night sky.
The deep discount on the Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ will likely disappear quickly, so make sure to pick up your unit for yourself or the skywatcher in your life. If you’re looking for a telescope for a young skywatcher or beginner, then read our guides on the best telescopes for kids or best telescopes for beginners.
Be sure to check out Space.com’s Amazon Prime day deals, or our guide to the best telescopes.