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: I have bought several of these...
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought my first SkyScout when they first came out at $399 and now that they are half the price I am not at all bitter, I still think it was $400 well spent. Since they came down in price I have bought several for gifts.
So I've had mine for over a year and without even trying, I am so much more celestially aware. So is my husband. It's so easy to use, you just point it at a star and it tells you what it is. When we got married a couple years ago, we both had telescopes that were programmable. This is so much easier to use for location. You look at a star where it is in the sky and the thing tells you what it is. You aren't looking at the more isolated and abstractly disconnected field of vision in a scope. You see how your star connects to all the others.
The SkyScout triangulates location off of satellites with GPS so it's nice not to have to program anything, too. I have not had any trouble with batteries being short-lived, either, like some early purchasers reported. I really love mine. I've always wanted to look up in the sky and see patterns and this thing pulled it all together for me. Get one. Or four, like me.
Customer Review: Fantastic! (but get at right price and source)
Summary: 5 Stars
This Celestron SkyScout is a superb astronomical device! Works exactly as advertised and
is great as a singluar item or with a telescope. (The optional speaker ($30) is very good for
use with group viewing, especially children too young to operate it.)
Caution: The selling/list price is $200 (even direct from celestron) so don't pay more
from other vendors (e.g. Amazon Partners such as MACY'S, 7GIFTS, etc). It's in stock NOW
via several sites [amazon (varies), celestron, adorama, astronomics, etc].
Note: This isn't a toaster; therefore a few SIMPLE factors are important: fresh batteries,
initial positional settings, and a non-signal-interfering viewing area. (Also, download the latest
database and software updates.) Afterall, this is an "Official Product of the International Year of
Astronomy 2009" and also won the following awards:
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE: Outstanding Technology of the Year (Finalist) 2006
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE MAGAZINE: Best of Adventure Gear
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION (CEA): Best of Innovations 2006
Customer Review: This gadget got me back into astronomy
Summary: 5 Stars
The SkyScout is a remarkable device and works surprisingly well. The accuracy is amazing, i'm able to get most of the objects using the locate function within the 2 rings of the sights. However, this device is really sensitive to any large metals or magnets which can easily skew the accuracy by a few degrees. Some reviews complain about the lack of a built-in speaker, but that would affect its accuracy. The GPS lock is usually within a minute and I can even get a lock in the 2nd floor of my house. The controls are intuitive and the audio descriptions are great.
I order this through Adorama and they shipped me a IYA 2009 limited edition instead. Basically it includes the IYA2009 SD card for additional audio and descriptions.
The best part of it all is that it got me back into astronomy. Trying to locate the constellations with a sky map in light polluted skies has always been frustrating, but the skyscout makes it easy. I now mount it on my telescope to transform it into a "push-to" scope. Highly recommend and a must to would-be and experienced astronomers.
Customer Review: Beautifully Engineered
Summary: 5 Stars
This thing does just what it says it does, and well. You point it at something and it tells you what it is. You ask it to locate something in the night sky and it leads you there with a ring of friendly flashing arrows. It's light enough to hold at arm's length for minutes on end, the eye relief is generous, the controls are easy to master, and the battery life looks good.
The flaws I've found so far are minor. It can't see GPS satellites well through clouds, which limits its use as just a GPS device. (Obviously, the designers had starry nights principally in mind, and may have saved some weight or power consumption by sacrificing some sensitivity.) On the other hand, it complains too easily about magnetic distractions, though that has yet to compromise its usefulness, best I can tell. And the guide arrows are kinda dim for daylight use. But what the heck -- overall the design is superb.
I'm taking it to Hawaii next week for a real workout. Airport security can keep my Dom Perignon, but I'm not parting with my SkyScout for anything.
Customer Review: Excellent Product
Summary: 5 Stars
In a word this product is fantastic.
I ordered my Skyscout on May 3 and rec'd it on July 25th. The delay in delivery was frustrating (not surprising with a new product of this complexity)but worth it. I had the device working within a minute of taking it out of the box. Just insert two double A batteries, turn it on and within a minute the GPS had located my position and the Skyscout was ready to go.
The Locate and Identify functions work exactly as desribed, the accuracy is amazing. The interface is very user friendly and informative. You get look up stars, planets, other objects, constellation (it can show you maps). You get a primer on astonomy and famous astronomers plus lots of other features.
The device feels solid, it is easy to grip and is not heavy to hold. It comes with a USB cable and software that allows you to check for updates from the Celestron site.
I've used it five of the past seven evenings and have enjoyed every minute of it!!