The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ telescope is discounted by $30

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ
The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ is suitable for the beginner, offering great views of the moon, planets and bright deep-sky targets. (Image credit: Celestron)

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 Amazon right now for $199.99. That's an incredible 13% (or $30) 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. You'll likely see some of the best telescope deals pop up while retailers have their Summer sales and if you're lucky you might see some of the best telescopes come with a chunky discount. This deal sold out on other retailers over the Prime Day period so 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. 

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.

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ: $299.95$199.99 at Walmart

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ: <a href="https://goto.walmart.com/c/1943169/565706/9383?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FCelestron-StarSense-Explorer-LT-80AZ-Smartphone-App-Enabled-Refractor-Telescope%2F300827274" data-link-merchant="walmart.com"" target="_blank">$299.95 $199.99 at Walmart 

The StarSense Explorer offers high-definition views of the planets, bright nebulas and galaxies, star clusters, sure to delight beginners, kids and skywatchers looking for a "grab and go" instrument. Supplied with eyepieces, 2x Barlow lens, smartphone dock and more.

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 telescope deals, or our guide to the best telescopes.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace