Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium

This celestron recieved did not work properly. Diagnostics says it is a problem with the gps part...but we cannor get ANY response from customer service, 2 weeks after first attempt.
We contacted Amazon who immediately shipped a replacement skyscout and I returned the first one. It was the easiest most pain-free return in my life. Excellent customer service and the replacement works perfectly. REALLY cool product.

it worked great. i just wish i had known which way was the front before it got too dark to see. at first i was spotting my eyes instead of the stars. i recommend learning which way to point it before the sun sets.

This is a wonderful item if you're interested in the night sky. It identifies stars and displays precise GPS longitude and latitude with exact time, both of which may be important in aligning computerized "go-to" telescopes. It is amazingly accurate and reproducible. Point it at the same star three times and get the same identification each time. It has the ability to located celestial objects, which works well, but is a little more cumbersome. You need to follow the little red directional arrows in the view finder. Slow movement of the skyscout is necessary, otherwise, the arrows jump around can give you misleading directional advice.
Since the unit is unaffected by obstructed views or light pollution, it has advantages over sky charts. Having had the experience of pointing the skyscout towards an urban sky obstructed by tall buildings and light pollution to try to identify one of the two or three "stars" visible, only to have the skyscout promptly identify "Mars," I'm quite impressed. It seems to be well constructed. It feels solid in the hand and appears to be able to weather a drop or two, although admittedly I haven't put this to the test.
The manual warns you that it might have difficulty getting a GPS signal if you're next to a tall object and this is true. It works better in small clearing than near a building or large trees. The view finder is direct view and zero magnification, so this is a device for identifying but not observing celestial objects. They do market a telescope now that the skyscout can be mounted piggyback on, but I haven't tested this. It does aid in using my freestanding telescope. The unit is small and very portable. I'm going on vacation to area with much darker skies than to which I'm accustomed, and I'm looking forward to bringing my skyscout to help me identify stars I've not seem before. Since it is small and lightweight, it will pack easily and is much more convenient than packing books with sky charts and red-beam flashlights. I really like this device and recommend it without reservation for anyone interested in identifying stars and planets

good product, a little pricey. Works as advertized. Fast shipping, no problems, web site was OK.

The idea of the product is great; the execution is poor. Why would you want to waste hours to make the software, or whatever it takes to find a star, or to get the name of the star you happen to be watching.