Customer Ratings & Reviews

Celestron StarSense Explorer 102mm Refractor Telescope – Excellent upgrade thanks to outstanding Best Buy service I originally ordered a different Celestron StarSense Explorer model, but it arrived damaged in shipping—the front optical element had broken loose. I don’t believe this was Best Buy’s or Celestron’s fault; the telescope otherwise looked well-made. What happened next completely made up for it. At the Best Buy in Mankato (where I live), an associate met me at the door, took real initiative, and worked with me to find a better option. Instead of simply replacing the damaged unit, he located the Celestron StarSense Explorer 102mm Refractor Telescope (Silver/Black), applied discounts, waived certain fees, and got me into this much better telescope. I couldn’t have asked for better customer service—Best Buy Mankato went above and beyond and deserves major credit. The 102mm refractor arrived well packaged. It’s heavier than I expected (in a reassuring, stable way) and comes with an excellent tripod. The lenses and optics were clean, properly adjusted, and tight from the manufacturer. Extra eyepieces came in a separate package. Setup was straightforward, and the StarSense technology made finding objects easy. My family put it to use right away and was able to watch the recent Perseid meteor shower with it. We love this telescope. It’s a clear upgrade, a good purchase, and one I recommend—especially when you have the kind of helpful, proactive service we received at Best Buy Mankato. Eric

My wife got me this telescope for my birthday and she did her research on what would be a good beginner telescope for an adult. I think this one checks all the boxes. The app is easy to use and the features are very convenient and user-friendly. The image quality when looking through the telescope is excellent.

Grandson loves it he’s been wanting it for a long time. It was an excellent gift for him.

this is normal and all the quality is incredible.good

Excellent scope getting good use out of it . Very enjoyable

Amazing intro telescope. Crystal moon details and Mars is clear as well.

[Employee of bestbuy] Quality telescope for the price. Multiple options for viewing and magnification. Easy set up and storage when not in use. clear images and easy movements. I highly recommend this telescope.

Great quality easy to put together amazing clarity can’t wait for wife to open it she has wanted one for some long price point is on point

It's a good telescope. Saturn is just smaller than a dime. Jupiter a bit fuzzy but could be haze in our area? The stargazer app is not necessary if you're on a tight budget. Once you start learning where planets and stars are you'll have a great hobby!

The telescope works great. The interface with the iPhone to find the targets in the sky is a really good function. It is also fairly easy to transport.

Pretty easy to set up. Works good though still disappointed that can't see things even bigger and more clearly, but even after spending $400 instead of less than a $100 for a telescope, you can't get the really good views without spending thousands.

Took a little longer to get app to work. Whole reason I Chose this one. Some was due to my own mistakes.I got it to work and it did what I expected. Telescope it self works well. I would recommend getting better lenses. Ones that come with work ok. I had some better lens options. I like it’s more portable than my others.

Family gift, Gift receiver person was very pleased and thanked us.

Easy to put assemble. Works great. It has been fun using it.

I bought this as a gift for my boyfriend. Not only is it an excellent beginner/amateur/hobby telescope, it is very easy to set up and use. Even his 9 year old nephew got the hang of it. It has a wicked nice view of the moon.

Very impressive telescope that is very easy to use. I have little light pollution where I am and I am able to see planets as in Neptune. I love the images and my friends are amazed with the images I am able take with this telescope. Worth every cent!

So far so good. I have only played with this a little but I was able to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.

Ok price and ok performance. Telescope does not have a wifi adapter so you can't use apps to help locate things in the sky. Otherwise pretty cool, you can clearly see the rings of Saturn, the red spot on Jupiter.

Excellent beginner telescope. Bought for my husband for Christmas and he is loving it.

I love my new telescope. The price was right and I can't wait for the weather to warm up a little to use it outside.