Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium
by Celestron
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List Price: Our Price: $191.36 You Save: $206.59 (52%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $107.97 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium
Customer Review: Great way to start to learn the night sky!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered my SkyScout in September, hoping that the initial rush on this item was over and that it would be in stock (as listed) when I ordered it. Sadly, it was actually out of stock, and took a few months to arrive. The unit powered up and seemed to function, but was unable to get a GPS fix in a clear field. Hoping that it was a simple matter of updating the unit, I attached it via USB to my computer and followed the simple directions on the screen. It updated quickly and easily, but I still was unable to obtain a GPS fix. Using the instructions provided, I contacted Celestron, and was directed to return the unit to them for evaluation and repair. Less than two weeks passed, when a new unit straight from Celestron arrived in the mail. This one worked perfectly and as advertised, and without any problems!
Now that I've actually used my SkyScout, I can say that it is great fun to use! Now, December and January in Wyoming isn't the best time of year to be outside at night...wind chill last night was -40F for example, but the SkyScout still works like a champ. Multiple modes of function exist as listed in the description, but my personal favorite is being able to identify just about anything you can see with the naked eye in the night sky. Just view the object through the sky scout, push a button, and you'll get the name of the object as well as at least a few lines of text of information. Brighter objects or better known objects also have an audio commentary that will teach about the history and/or significance of what you're looking at.
While I was disappointed about my first SkyScout not functioning properly, the quick customer service and the replacement working flawlessly have overcome my initial disappointment. The SkyScout is quite simple to use and provides a great way for anyone who can read to start to learn the night sky. I highly recommend it for individuals with an interest in astronomy, families, star parties, and youth groups such as the Boy Scouts.
Customer Review: So cool, but sometimes suffers from glitches (5- stars)
Summary: 5 Stars
I love the SkyScout and the information it supplies despite the occasional bug. My husband and I recently took ours out on a moonless summer night to identify the stars, galaxies, and planets overhead. Just one point of the camera, lining up the celestial object in the middle of the scope, and one push of another button to record the choice, and we had the identification. We scrolled through the list of evening highlights, my favorite feature, to make sure we saw everything; the SkyScout helps you locate these objects by guiding you through the scope with red lights until it is centered in the scope. Very cool.
We do encounter the occasional glitch with the GPS (it sometimes takes too long to register), with the season (once it had the moon above us when it had already set), and with a "magnetic interference" error message. We are always able to set it right by restarting it or temporarily pointing the SkyScout in another direction. The display is black on backlit red, and while it provides light to view the information in the dark, we still had to put on reading glasses to see the small letters. Younger or better eyes shouldn't have this problem. If you plan to use this a lot, you probably will want to buy two sets of rechargeable batteries.
The interface is very user-friendly, and a glance at the quick-start guide should get most people started right away; however, make sure you eventually read the included materials to learn about all the features.
The SkyScout is great fun, especially if you have access to an open sky without a lot of light pollution. Although the SkyScout will "find" objects in a lighter sky, you won't be able to see them. This is not a telescope but rather a tool to identify the lights in the sky. It would make a great gift for anyone interested in the night sky, from preteens (provided they are careful with expensive items) to adults.
-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann
Customer Review: works as stated, and if you get a bad one, send it back
Summary: 5 Stars
everyone loves amazon for the prices, i more like it for the return policy, 30day no questions, i would have never got in a car, drove to a shopping center and gambled 200$ on a device such as the skyscout, thats whats so great about amazon for me, on this device, once i agian i was lucky, it worked right out of the box, i get the magnetic field reading sometimes, but it quickly goes away, using the skyscout for a few months led to research motorized telescpopes, took another gamble and got the celestron nexstar 130, tripod was stripped, so i sent it back and got another one(no charge for return or shipping of course), it works great. with these items, there is a risk of getting bad procuct, but there is no risk of getting cheated, just understand the very real possibility of having to send high value electronics back, if you can deal with that, this is a really cool device, and the price is just right, and i am below average with electronics, manuels, the works, this thing could not be easier, look at a star, hit the target button and it tells you the name, scientific data, and many have audio or text descriptions, that simple, and just plain fun, idea for families, kids of all ages, couples, everyone, it commands ones attention much like a tv, xept this device has you outside, observing nature itself. if you can afford it, and are interested in the stars, do not be afraid to purchase this device, many of the bad reviews are 2-3 years old, and the others i can only assume were just bad product.
def get sum rechargeable batteries, people seem to like eneloop, by sanyo
update, last week i left my skyscout outside all night in the rain, when i found it,fearing the worst i turned it on a few hours later, and with the rain clouds still above me, it found the satelites and is working like a charm, they only way the skyscout could be better if it was cheaper.
Customer Review: Celestron Skyscout
Summary: 5 Stars
Was a bit skeptical when purchasing the Celestron Skyscout as its claims to locate and identify objects with ease just seemed too good to be true. The cost of the unit said there had to be something to it or they wouldn't continue selling them at this price. Products was very well packed and it even included a carry case which was a pleasant surprise because i was planning on purchasing one before i knew it would come with one. I opened the box upon its arrival with the enthusiasm of a kid opening his first gift on Christmas morning and located a couple of batteries. Seemed a little goofy to me to have the battery compartment screwed down but then i guess i'd rather spend the extra minute playing with it than losing it in the dark some night which i'm sure is why they made it like that. The unit was bulky but solidly built. I turned the unit on and GPS immediately starts linking. If your indoors the gps may fail to connect properly or take twice as long as if you were outside. You would be best to step outside while linking. Long story short the unit lives up to the easiness of operation and locates items and tells you about them. The only draw back is that it doesn't have a sleep mode. The unit will shut itself off if you dont touch any buttons for a certain length of time (which isn't long... i didn't time it). You then have to link back up. I'm an impatient person and the 2 minute link time seems like forever when you go to your telescope to view something then have to link back up again on the Skyscout to identify the next star or galaxy of interest. I identify several objects in the sky at a time in an area so i dont have to link up between each and every viewing. Excellent product and i highly recommend it for the enthusiast. I look forward to the SD educational cards that are supposed to be coming out this summer. Give it a 4.5 out of 5 rating.Customer Review: Very Cool and Useful Stargazing Aid - Highly Recommended!
Summary: 5 Stars
The "Celestron SkyScout" is one of coolest stargazing aides we have come across. We have never been able to get our Meade XTA90 telescope properly aligned to automatically find celestial objects and this has been a point of contention between my wife and I (she thinks I should be able to "fix" it). The solution was to buy the SkyScout.
The SkyScout worked perfectly right out of the box for us, the GPS satellite acquisition was amazingly fast, and the unit literally pointed out our first target (Venus) in less than 5 minutes from the moment we powered it up. We also like the one touch "Target" button that can identify the object the unit is pointed at.
The "Tonight's Highlights" is a very nice feature that presents a list of the best viewing targets for the current day. We were able to find several galaxies that we hadn't viewed before, which was very exciting for us and our kids. Speaking of group viewing, I recommend using the Celestron 93985 SkyScout Speaker (Black) if more than one person is going to be around when using the unit. This is especially true if you are going to be using the SkyScout's informative audio guides. The SkyScout does come with earbuds, but no one really likes to share them.
While the SkyScout comes with a case for transporting this unit and it's cables, it does not protect the unit while it is in use. We bought the Scoutcase Deluxe Soft Case for the Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium for extra protection since our kids also use the unit.
We highly recommend the SkyScout for it's ease of use and relatively low price. This has brought us a new level of enjoyment to our stargazing!