Is it necessary to have the SkyScout Personal Planetarium for scope to work properly?
1437422
No it is optional. In my own option it does not have enough magnification to matter.
1437423
Absolutely not. I didn't get the planetarium with mine and I still really enjoy the telescope. And remember it is always a accessory you can add at a later time.
1821512
No. I think there might be software available that you can use to tie the telescope to a computer, but it isn't necessary to use a computer with it (I don't use one with it). It is a good idea to have your GPS or latitude/longitude location for where you will be using it at, as that is the best way to get it set up so it knows where it is at so the internal computer (that is part of the drive system) can figure out where it is pointing and then find things (if you want to use that feature). As an example, since I live in a small but heavily "light polluted" city, I generally don't use it in my own back yard, but instead take it out camping or some evenings will drive out into the countryside (to state land that is about 15 minutes away) and use a GPS app on my smart phone to find my location to enter it into the telescopes system, so that I can use that feature to locate things that are worth seeing and to use the "tracking" system that will move the telescope with the sky so that what you are looking at doesn't drift out of sight as the sky rotates. I do recommend purchasing good rechargable batteries for the telescope though, as it does use a modest amount of energy (the rechargeables I use will last a little over an hour and I keep an extra set of them charged with the telescope so I can change them out), otherwise you will be using 8 alkaline batteries every couple of hours of use (whereas the rechargeables, while about 2-3 times the price initially will be usable hundreds of times before needing to be replaced). There is also a large battery pack option (can't recall what it is called now) that is available for the telescope which I would recommend if you plan to use it for longer periods of time (I play to buy one at some point, but just haven't made the purchase yet).
1661999
Yes, but you need to be aware that there are limitations to ground-based telescopes, particularly small scopes like this one. With a 76mm aperture (diameter of the tube), the maximum usable magnification is something like 150x, give or take. The 300mm focal length determines the level of magnification you can get from each eyepiece (divide 300 by the eye piece focus, so 15mm eyepiece is 20x magnification). This scope comes with 10mm and 20mm pieces. A Barlow (check out "Celestron AstroMaster Accessory Kit Telescope" for a tidy kit) can double or triple the magnification. Planets are big, but they are still far away. Even at 50x (6mm eye piece or equivalent), Mars will still look like a large red star. Venus, in addition to being hard to view because of its position relative to the sun, is covered by a dense cloud layer; you can see that it is a disc rather than a distant star even at lower magnifications, but there isn't a lot of detail to see through a small (or large) scope. Jupiter is much larger and better for viewing as a result. At 50x, it will still be small, but it should be easily recognizable as the gas giant we know and love. You should even be able to see the four bright dots in a line that are the planet's four largest moons. At 100x, the banding in its clouds should be clear. Saturn is smaller and farther than Jupiter. Still, you can see that the shape is distorted. A little more power and the cause should be clear: the rings. With my larger scope at home, by 125x (doable on this scope with the right equipment) it is clear that the rings are spaced away from the planet. Uranus and beyond, though, are beyond the reach of this scope, at least if you wanted to see more than a dot. So, yes, you can see the closer planets, but you need to keep your expectations realistic. I'd strongly recommend a Barlow and a decent eye piece. There are a number of kits, some less than $50, that should do nicely in that regard. Even without, there is still quite a bit to view in the night sky.
2210052
This unit is just a finder. You cannot use it to see the planeta or stars; for that you need a telescope. This unit just helps you identify what you are looking at
1100969
Some people do use a wheeled platform to make moving the XT12g all in one piece. However, other people find moving the base to your observing site and then taking the optical tube out and placing it in the base is easier than dealing with the wheeled platform. You certainly want the scope to be stable when observing and that can be an issue with a wheeled platform.
846514
Yes, you need to align each time, unless as mentioned, you have not moved the scope. If you have a secure and weatherproof permanent location, you can enable hibernation in the menu to keep the last alignment.Once you become familiar with certain named stars and "best pairs," you can do an auto two star align to save time.
2218545
I had both this barlow and the firstscope, yes it will fit and will work, but the image will be dimmer because of the way the barlow lens functions and the small aperture size of the scope. For moon gazing or other bright celestial bodies it should do nicely, but it isn't suitable for bringing into view very faraway objects that appear small and dim in the firstscope. If I remember correctly, Jupiter looked good too, but Saturn wasnt visible in my corner of the sky before I sold the little scope. Good luck!
362022
No, I think it's just to help people know what is in the sky in their area. I have not used the app yet, just the telescope.
1953072
I am sorry, but I have not had to do that yet. I did plan to take the telescope to an island cabin where there is little light pollution and kept the original box for that purpose. Still have not done that.
57726
Yes it is a go-to. After a simple alignment process it'll find anything. I absolutely love this telescope! You won't be disappointed!
426449
Yes, you can zero in with the spotting scope and then see detail through the telescope. Easy and crystal clear.
1348063
No App works to control this telescope. You have to use the hand controller that comes with it.
177100
Depends on seeing conditions as well as the position of the planet in the sky. There are several planetarium software choices to determine this. i use solarsystemscope.com for solar system objects. It is a very nice online tool to see when is the ideal time to look for the planets. Under ideal conditions you see them clearly but they are tiny. Additional magnification decreases the sharpness of the image.
2210053
Skyscout is supposed to identify objects in the sky. Mine was pretty useless, working only on rare occasions. I gave up on mine long ago.
1348061
I have not found an app that directly controls this telescope. However apps I use along side it are Google sky map and phases of the moon. Also Celestron Skyportal app. There are many different apps out there. The on board computerized audiostar is also fantastic. Once the telescope is aligned properly you can find lits in the universe with it. Hope this helps. I wish you Clear Skies :)
1857346
Yes it is designed that way on all of them. But if it is off to much take the eyepiece off and redo it to see if it will help.
1357560
I had this telescope mailed out of state as a gift. So I dont know. They are i. Process of moiving and doubt they have used it much.