Sky at Night Magazine

[Newbie Jimmy]

Hi,
Firstly, sorry to hog this forum with my silly questions, but the advice I'm receiving is so helpful to a new hobbyist such as myself.

I was very happy to find a Starry Nights 7 Celestron SE software download link and pw came as a free add on to the Celestron Astro Fi 130 telescope I recently bought. This should allow me to control the scope via my windows 10 tablet.

I was assuming the Starry Nights software would work 'out of the box' paired with the Wi'Fi of the scope, but the manual says I need a SkyFi-USB Wireless Telescope Adapter - is that correct?
If the scope is Wi-Fi I cant work out why i'd need an additional Wi-Fi adapter for it?

I know there is the option of the free Sky-Portal app, but that requires an IOS android phone/tablet, neither of which I own.

Sorry if this question is a tad ignorant,
Jimmy

[Gfamily2]

Hi.
I don't know, but i suspect the SkyFi-USB won't be of any use I'm afraid. It's intended for use for controlling a handset equipped scope by adding a WiFi access point. Yours already has one, so it's replicating a feature of your scope.
However, if you can get it to try out with the option to return it if it doesn't work, it might be worth trying.

However, you may find it cheaper to buy a very basic android phone or tablet, or look for a second hand one from somewhere like C-Ex.

Just my 1/2p

[Graeme1858]

Hello Jimmy

I don't know the answer to your question directly but I too have just bought a wireless Celestron telescope and downloaded the Starry Nights software. But I haven't played with it much yet because I've only controlled the scope with Sky portal and the hand controller so far. I'll have a play and post back. Let us know if you find out first!

How you getting on with the new telescope?

Regards

Graeme

[Graeme1858]

Well I couldn't get it to work so I contacted the SN7 software people. This was their response:

Hi Graeme,

Starry Night does not feature a wireless connection direct to the built-in Evolution WiFi network.

We also develop Celestron's SkyPortal app, which is a cutdown version of our SkySafari app. Both of these can connect directly to your Evolution WiFi network using a mobile device (iOS/Android).

SkyPortal: https://www.celestron.com/pages/sky-portal-mobile-app

SkySafari: http://skysafariastronomy.com/

Both apps have built in direct connect specific for your Evolution scope.

So, I suggest trying one of the above with your scope, using a phone or tablet, and prepare to be amazed at the experience!
Keiron Smith
Starry Night / Sky Safari / Layered Earth Support Team


So, it looks like we both need to get an Ethernet cable and you need a cheap second hand smart phone or tablet!

Regards

Graeme

[Graeme1858]

Not an Ethernet. It's a serial lead from a pc RS232 port or a usb and converter.

[Newbie Jimmy]

Well I couldn't get it to work so I contacted the SN7 software people. This was their response:

Hi Graeme,

Starry Night does not feature a wireless connection direct to the built-in Evolution WiFi network.

We also develop Celestron's SkyPortal app, which is a cutdown version of our SkySafari app. Both of these can connect directly to your Evolution WiFi network using a mobile device (iOS/Android).

SkyPortal: https://www.celestron.com/pages/sky-portal-mobile-app

SkySafari: http://skysafariastronomy.com/

Both apps have built in direct connect specific for your Evolution scope.

So, I suggest trying one of the above with your scope, using a phone or tablet, and prepare to be amazed at the experience!
Keiron Smith
Starry Night / Sky Safari / Layered Earth Support Team


So, it looks like we both need to get an Ethernet cable and you need a cheap second hand smart phone or tablet!

Regards

Graeme

Hi,
It seems very strange to me that Celestron have given us both a free download with our new scopes to a piece of software for Windows 10 that will not work with the scope out of the box?

As you have suggested though I think I will buy a cheap Android tablet and attach it wirelessly that way, as the Starry Nights software does look very good and easy to use

Jimmy

[Gfamily2]

Hi,
It seems very strange to me that Celestron have given us both a free download with our new scopes to a piece of software for Windows 10 that will not work with the scope out of the box?

As you have suggested though I think I will buy a cheap Android tablet and attach it wirelessly that way, as the Starry Nights software does look very good and easy to use

Jimmy

Weeelll; companies that sell telescopes above the absolute beginners level often include one or another planetarium program to 'add value' to the telescope package, but I think they see them as primarily being useful for finding where to look for targets when planning observations.

So, even though the software may include some level of control of telescope mounts, I'd argue that it's not really reasonable to expect it to control every type of mount, particularly relatively new mounts.

But getting an android tablet is definitely the way to go. If you're interested, I can provide you with a list of apps to consider as well as Sky Portal.