Celestron has reinvented the Dobsonian telescope with StarSense Explorer--the first Dobsonian that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real-time. This large-aperture Celestron StarSense Explorer is ideal for serious beginners and advanced observers alike , thanks to the app's user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It's like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky. The large aperture will ensure that you won't outgrow the telescope as you continue on in your astronomical adventures. Advanced observers will appreciate the ease of use and spectacular views the StarSense Explorer 12" Dobsonian provides. Dock, Launch, Explore Leave complicated star charts, imprecise planetarium apps, and computerized mounts behind. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more accurate. Within minutes of setting up the telescope, you'll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the unique StarSense dock and launch the StarSense Explorer app. After aligning your phone to the telescope's optics (a quick and easy procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of celestial objects currently visible. Make your selection and arrows appear on-screen, guiding you as you move the telescope. When the object is ready to view in the eyepiece, the bullseye turns green. As you observe, listen to hundreds of audio descriptions and view detailed information about thousands of objects within the app's robust database. High-Quality Altazimuth Base An ultra-stable Dobsonian base provides a sturdy foundation for StarSense Explorer. It features large diameter altitude bearings with variable tensioning, Teflon azimuth bearings, and braces on the side panels for extra stability (unlike many 12" Dobsonian bases). The altitude bearings provide a smooth up-and-down motion while the integrated altitude "brake" system allows you to adjust the tension along the altitude axis for smoothest motion even with slight imbalances. The panning knob on the telescope tube provides an ergonomic grip so you can precisely point the telescope without introducing heat from your hands into the optical system. As celestial objects appear to drift across the night sky, you'll be able to easily follow them with minor adjustments to the telescope's position. Dazzling Views with High-Quality Optics With a large 12" Newtonian reflector optical tube, this telescope has enough light-gathering ability to bring out impressive detail in celestial objects. You can expect sharp, bright views of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, its cloud bands and Great Red Spot, the rings of Saturn, the gaseous glow of the Orion Nebula, dust lanes in the Lagoon Nebula, and our neighbor galaxy, Andromeda. Compared to the other StarSense Explorer Dobsonian telescopes, the 12" Dobsonian has 2.25x more light gathering ability than the 8" and 1.44x x more light gathering ability than the 10", providing better views of faint...