“since I know nothing about telescope I like to ask if I don't have a smart phone can i hook up my computer to it instead or do I need to have a smart phone?”
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Most importantly, you should NOT buy this scope if you don't have a smart phone. For about $100 less, you can buy the same Celestron scope without the StarSense feature (but I don't know if Best Buy sells it). This telescope cannot be connected to a computer. In fact, you don't even "connect" it to a smart phone. The StarSense system consists of a smart phone mount and an app. The mount attaches the phone alongside the telescope; the app tells you where to manually turn the telescope so you can see a specific star or planet. There is really no interaction or control between the phone and the scope.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.The Starsense Explorer series of telescopes are non-electronic, and thus have no way to interface with a computer like the electronic Nexstar series of telescopes. The Starsense series are manually controlled in response to directional instructions displayed on the smartphone used with the telescope. In the absence of a phone with the Starsense Explorer app installed, the telescope can be used the "old fashioned way" by aiming it with the finder.
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