Celestron StarSense AutoAlign: How It Works and Which Mounts It Fits

Aligning a computerised GoTo telescope is the step many beginners find hardest: you need to recognise bright stars and centre them accurately. Celestron’s StarSense AutoAlign (item 94005) automates this. It is a small camera that replaces the telescope’s finder, plus a dedicated hand control that replaces the standard NexStar controller. This page combines two earlier posts about the accessory into one guide and corrects a compatibility error. Specifications come from Celestron’s product page.

How it works

According to Celestron:

• The camera takes images of the sky and identifies star patterns to work out exactly where the telescope is pointing.
• Alignment takes about three minutes and needs no input beyond starting the process.
• You can add up to 10 extra calibration stars to build a more accurate pointing model for the mount.
• The StarSense hand control then takes over all GoTo functions.

Verified specifications

From Celestron’s StarSense AutoAlign page:

• Camera sensor: 1.2 MP Aptina MT9M034
• Camera lens: 20 mm focal length, f/2
• Camera field of view: 6.88° x 5.16°
• Hand control database: 45,178 objects
• Requires mount motor-control firmware version 5.x or later

Compatible mounts

Celestron lists StarSense AutoAlign as compatible with:

• Advanced VX
• CGX and CGX-L
• Astro Fi
• CPC and CPC Deluxe
• CG-5 (with an auxiliary port splitter)
• Evolution
• CGE and CGE Pro
• NexStar GT models from 2015 onward (with an auxiliary port splitter)
• NexStar SE series
• CGEM II and CGEM / CGEM DX
• NexStar SLT
• SkyProdigy

Not compatible

Celestron lists these as not compatible:

• NexStar i series
• NexStar GPS
• Ultima 2000
• Early GoTo mounts
• LCM

Correction: one of the original posts said the LCM mount could be used with an auxiliary splitter. Celestron’s product page lists the LCM as not compatible, so we have removed that claim.

Fitting it to your telescope

In outline:

• Check your mount’s firmware is version 5.x or later, and update it first if needed.
• Remove the existing finder and fit the StarSense camera in its place.
• Replace the NexStar hand control with the StarSense hand control.
• Complete the one-time calibration described in the StarSense manual, which tells the hand control how the camera is pointed relative to the telescope.

Follow the instructions supplied with the unit for your specific mount.

Using it at night

• Give it a clear patch of sky. The camera needs to see stars, so start pointing at an area free of trees and buildings.
• Use the extra calibration stars. Adding them helps when you will be slewing all over the sky, or when you use the telescope for imaging.
• Keep the lens clean and dry. Dew on the camera lens can stop it finding stars, so cap it when not in use.
• Re-align if you move the tripod. StarSense makes re-aligning quick, so there is no need to struggle on with poor pointing.

Who should consider it?

StarSense AutoAlign is most useful for:

• Beginners who struggle to identify alignment stars
• Observers in light-polluted areas where few bright stars are visible
• Anyone who wants to set up and start observing quickly

If you already align your GoTo mount quickly and accurately, the benefit is smaller. Before buying, confirm that your mount is on Celestron’s compatible list and that its firmware is up to date.

Key points

• The camera replaces your finder; the StarSense hand control replaces the NexStar controller.
• Alignment takes about three minutes with no star identification needed.
• It fits a wide range of Celestron GoTo mounts, but not LCM, NexStar GPS, NexStar i, Ultima 2000 or early GoTo mounts.
• Firmware 5.x or later is required.

Jargon buster

• GoTo mount: a computerised telescope mount that can point itself at objects chosen from a database.
• Alignment: the process of telling a GoTo mount where it is pointing, so it can find everything else. StarSense does this automatically with its camera.
• Calibration stars: extra stars added after alignment so the mount can model small errors in how it is set up. StarSense allows up to 10.
• Auxiliary port splitter: an adapter that adds an extra accessory port. Celestron lists it as needed for the CG-5 and for NexStar GT mounts from 2015 onward.
• Firmware: the software inside the mount’s motor controller. StarSense AutoAlign requires version 5.x or later.
• Field of view: the StarSense camera sees a patch of sky 6.88° by 5.16°, wide enough to recognise star patterns.