StarSense Autoguider
Item #: 94008 / 94008-CGL- Automatic alignment: Aligns your telescope to the night sky in about three minutes with no user input, thanks to Celestron’s patented StarSense technology.
- Precise GoTo: Boosts the pointing accuracy of your Celestron mount, placing celestial objects in the center of the field of view of high-powered eyepieces and small imaging sensors.
- Autoguiding: Tracks celestial objects accurately for pinpoint stars in long exposure astroimages, eliminating the need for a separate autoguiding camera, guidescope, and computer.
- Assisted polar alignment: Walks you through an easy, automated process to dial in the best polar alignment.
- High-quality 4-element optical design: Features a unique optical design by famed optical designer Mark Ackermann, with sharper optics than other mini-guidescopes.
- Multiple ways to control: Works with your NexStar+ hand control or CPWI telescope control software via a wired PC connection or WiFi.
Overview
- Automatic alignment: Aligns your telescope to the night sky in about three minutes with no user input, thanks to Celestron’s patented StarSense technology.
- Precise GoTo: Boosts the pointing accuracy of your Celestron mount, placing celestial objects in the center of the field of view of high-powered eyepieces and small imaging sensors.
- Autoguiding: Tracks celestial objects accurately for pinpoint stars in long exposure astroimages, eliminating the need for a separate autoguiding camera, guidescope, and computer.
- Assisted polar alignment: Walks you through an easy, automated process to dial in the best polar alignment.
- High-quality 4-element optical design: Features a unique optical design by famed optical designer Mark Ackermann, with sharper optics than other mini-guidescopes.
- Multiple ways to control: Works with your NexStar+ hand control or CPWI telescope control software via a wired PC connection or WiFi.
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Description
The Celestron StarSense Autoguider is an all-in-one solution that makes using your telescope easier and more rewarding than ever. This powerful, compact device connects to your Celestron mount to enhance its pointing accuracy and help you create sharp, long-exposure images with ease. Whether you’re an experienced astroimager or just starting in the hobby, adding this game-changing accessory will ensure you have more quality time under the stars.
Automatic Alignment: Be Ready to Observe in Minutes
StarSense Autoguider aligns your telescope to the night sky in about three minutes with the press of a button—no user input is needed. Celestron’s patented StarSense technology “sees” star patterns overhead and matches them to its internal database to automatically orient the telescope. This feature eliminates the hassle of manually aligning your telescope, so you can focus on what’s important—observing and imaging.
Precise GoTo: Supercharge Your Pointing Accuracy
Celestron’s computerized mounts are already hailed for their pointing accuracy, but your mount gets even better when you add the StarSense Autoguider. Instead of placing celestial objects within the telescope’s field of view, Precise GoTo places them in the center of the field—even if you’re using a high-powered eyepiece or today’s small imaging sensors.
Autoguiding: Create Your Celestial Masterpiece
Capturing images of astronomical objects is one of the most exciting things you can do with your telescope. But to capture stunning deep-sky astroimages, you need autoguiding—the power to make tiny adjustments to the mount’s tracking to keep your target locked in over long exposures. Previous autoguiding setups were complex and expensive, usually involving a separate autoguiding camera, a guidescope, and a computer. StarSense Autoguider replaces all that—so even beginners can dive head-first into the world of imaging. Your targets are crisp and detailed, while background stars look like sharp pinpoints, never oblong or streaky.
Assisted Polar Alignment: Dial in the Best Alignment Possible
Many users find that adding StarSense Autoguider to their setup improves accuracy so dramatically that they no longer need to polar align their German equatorial mounts for most casual observing and imaging.
But if you want to achieve the best accuracy possible, the autoguider dramatically simplifies the polar alignment process. Simply follow the on-screen instructions on the hand control or in the CPWI software, and you can complete a full polar alignment in less than five minutes.
High-quality 4-element Optical Design
The StarSense Autoguider features a high-quality 4-element optical design devised by the famed optical designer Mark Ackermann. Its unique design delivers sharper images than other mini-guidescopes. The optical tube is threaded to accept 2” astronomical filters. Add an IR-pass filter to align your mount in twilight or a neutral density filter for daytime focusing.
The device also includes an onboard computer and a highly sensitive Sony IMX290-DLL monochrome CMOS image sensor, all working together to provide exceptional guiding accuracy. You can view a live image from the camera via your PC if desired.
Advanced options
Advanced users will love fine-tuning their autoguiding setup via CPWI’s advanced settings. You can enable dithering options to move the mount slightly between camera sub-exposures, which may help your image processing software perform at its best.
You can also guide on a comet via CPWI. Simply select the comet from the software’s regularly updated database of more than 100,000 celestial objects. Guiding directly on the comet will produce better results than guiding on nearby stars.
Best of all, you can unlock more exciting features like these throughout the lifetime of your StarSense Autoguider. Your purchase grants you access to all subsequent firmware updates. Celestron engineers are constantly adding new functionality to our products, and with a simple firmware update, you’ll always be able to enjoy the latest and greatest.
Works with your current setup
You choose how you want to control your StarSense Autoguider. It works with your NexStar+ hand control, CPWI telescope control software via a wired PC connection or WiFi (with a WiFi-enabled mount or the SkyPortal WiFi Module accessory). The autoguider also works with the rest of your Celestron accessories for a seamless solution that fits in perfectly with your telescope setup.
StarSense Autoguider works with most current Celestron computerized mounts, both German equatorial and altazimuth. See the chart below for full compatibility details.
WARNING: DO NOT PLUG THE STARSENSE AUTOGUIDER INTO YOUR MOUNT’S AUTOGUIDER PORT! The StarSense Autoguider connects to one of your mount’s AUX ports, connecting it to the Autoguider port can damage the StarSense Autoguider.
Mount Compatibility Chart
| Compatible | |
|---|---|
| Advanced VX | CGX-L |
| CPC, CPC DX | NexStar Evolution |
| NexStar 6SE & 8SE telescopes | CGEM II |
| CGX | CGEM / CGEM DX |
| CGE Pro | |
| Not Compatible | ||
|---|---|---|
|
NexStar SLT |
Astro Fi | |
|
SkyProdigy |
LCM series | |
| NexStar 4SE & NexStar 5SE | ||
Specifications
| General | |
|---|---|
| Lens Design: | Double-Gauss |
| Aperture: | 28mm (1.10") |
| Focal Length: | 120mm (4.72") |
| Focal Ratio: | f/4.3 |
| Number of Elements: | 4 |
| Coatings: | Fully Multi-Coated |
| CMOS Image Sensor: | Sony IMX290LLR, monochrome, back-illuminated |
| Sensor Size: | 6.46mm diagonal |
| Pixel Size: | 2.9μm x 2.9μm |
| Number of effective pixels: | 2.13M |
| Onboard computer: | Integrated Computer-On-Module |
| Primary Arm® core: | 2x Cortex® -A53 up to 1.4 GHz |
| Secondary Arm® core: | 1x Cortex-M7 up to 600 MHz |
| RAM: | 512 MB |
| ROM: | 4 GB |
| GPU: | GC7000UltraLite |
| Operating Temperature: | -25°C to 85°C |
| Ports: | AUX and USB-C |
| AUX: | For connection to Celestron mounts |
| USB-C: | For PC connection for live view, USB 3.1 |
| Housing: | Aluminum with plastic covers, threaded for 2" filters |
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FAQ
My mount has a port labeled “Autoguider” (i.e., the ST-4 port). Can I plug SSAG into it?
NO! SSAG connects to the mount’s AUX port. The autoguider port is not compatible with SSAG. If you need additional AUX ports for your mount, purchase the AUX Port Splitter (#93919). You can also use the port labeled “hand control”; it behaves as another AUX port.
I see that my older Celestron mount model is not listed in the compatibility chart. Is it possible my mount is compatible with the StarSense Autoguider?
If your Celestron mount model is not listed in the compatibility chart, then it is not compatible with the StarSense Autoguider.
After I power on my mount, it takes about 10 seconds for SSAG’s LED ring to illuminate, indicating it is ON. Is this normal?
Yes, this is normal. The LED ring does not glow steadily until SSAG’s internal computer boots up.
After I power on my mount, it does not appear that the hand control has “found” SSAG, as I do not see Auto Align as an option. What should I do?
Occasionally, the hand control may not immediately find SSAG. If this happens, you can use the MENU>Seek Accessories command in the hand control to find SSAG. You can also try power cycling the mount and SSAG. When both devices restart, the hand control should recognize SSAG.
I am using Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM) software program to update StarSense Autoguider’s firmware through my mount. The update is progressing quite slowly. Is this normal?
Yes, this is normal. During a firmware update via CFM, a large amount of data flows through SSAG’s AUX port. For a faster option, try using SSAG’s USB-C port and the .swu file on the SSAG webpage. Consult the instruction manual for more information about updating via USB.
I am using Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM) to update my NexStar+ hand control and/or SSAG. CFM does not recognize the hand control or SSAG. Am I doing something wrong?
Try running CFM a second time. The software will likely recognize the hand control and/or SSAG. If it doesn’t, disconnect the USB cable from the PC to the hand control and turn off the mount. Turn the mount back on while holding down the “7” button and the Celestron logo button on the hand control. This will put the hand control in “bootloader mode,” making it easier for CFM to find. Also, check all cable connections.
When I attempt to update SSAG’s firmware through the mount using Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM), sometimes the update does not load. How can I fix this?
Try reseating the AUX cable in SSAG and your mount to ensure the best cable connection.
I have a NexStar SE, CPC, or CPC Deluxe HD mount. I am having trouble updating SSAG’s firmware through the mount using Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM). The software finds SSAG and begins updating, but eventually, the update fails. What should I do?
Try updating SSAG via USB-C instead of using CFM to update it through the mount. Refer to the instruction manual for more information. Once you have had this issue, only use CFM to update the NexStar+ hand control moving forward, not SSAG.
I am using the web browser interface to update SSAG’s firmware via USB-C with the .swu file. After updating, the screen displays “Fetching Status” endlessly. How do I complete the firmware update and confirm the version number?
When you reach this screen, SSAG’s firmware has successfully updated. To confirm the version number, click the “Software Update” back arrow at the top left of the screen and then reload the page in your web browser. The SSAG should then report the updated version number.
I am using an alt-azimuth mount on an equatorial wedge. Sometimes, the selected object does not appear in the field of view after I issue a GoTo command. What should I do?
Issue another GoTo command to the same object. It should be centered this time. This behavior can indicate that the mount is slipping on one of its axes, which can occur if the system is not well-balanced. Consider rebalancing the telescope front-to-back on the fork mount.
The NexStar+ hand control occasionally becomes unresponsive during polar alignment, forcing me to power cycle and start over. Is there any way to exit without power cycling when this occurs?
This behavior can indicate that the hand control is losing contact with SSAG during the polar alignment process. Try pressing and holding the BACK button to exit the polar alignment routine. Then, begin the polar alignment routine again.
I am using the SkySync GPS with SSAG. But the hand control still prompts me to enter my location/time/date. Shouldn’t the SkySync GPS handle this automatically?
The SkySync GPS is fully compatible with SSAG, but for it to work, you must first enable the GPS option in the hand control. Press the MENU button on the hand control and scroll to the Utility menu. Select “GPS ON/OFF” from the Utility menu, choose “ON,” and press ENTER.
I previously purchased the StarSense AutoAlign accessory and have upgraded to SSAG. Can I use the StarSense hand control that came with my StarSense AutoAlign with SSAG?
No, the StarSense hand control is not compatible with the SSAG. Use the NexStar+ hand control that came with your telescope mount. If you do not have a NexStar+ hand control and wish to use one, you can purchase one separately.
I am using Celestron CPWI software for sky alignment. I chose the StarSense Alignment option, then chose “Manual Slewing.” It seems that the process of adding alignment references never automatically stops. How do I know when my alignment is sufficient?
CPWI allows you to add as many alignment references as you want, so it won’t automatically quit in this mode. Follow the on-screen suggestions in the Alignment Window for the best results. We recommend adding at least three or four alignment references (spaced evenly across the sky) before selecting “Cancel” to exit.
I see no Quick Align option for StarSense Alignment in Celestron CPWI software. I know Quick Align does not generally provide good pointing accuracy, but it is sometimes convenient, like when searching for planets in twilight. Is there a Quick Align option?
Although there is no specific Quick Align option in CPWI, you can perform a Quick Align using the Manual Slewing option. Start with your telescope in the initial position as prompted (i.e., home position and polar aligned for EQ mounts or level and North for AZ mounts). Choose StarSense Alignment>Manual Slewing and then select “Cancel” to exit the routine without adding any alignment references.
I would like to inspect the Live View from SSAG while guiding using Celestron CPWI software. Is that possible?
No, accessing the Live View while actively guiding is not possible.
I am using Celestron CPWI software for polar alignment. None of the numbers are changing, and the mount is slewing in RA across the entire sky. What should I do?
This behavior can occur very infrequently and indicates that SSAG is not properly communicating with the mount. Power cycle the mount, reconnect to CPWI and perform the polar alignment routine again.
What is the longest focal length instrument I can use with SSAG?
Thanks to its advanced functionality, SSAG can successfully guide all Celestron telescopes, including the EdgeHD 14”, with a focal length of 3910mm. Keep in mind, however, that imaging at very long focal lengths can introduce a host of other issues unrelated to SSAG’s guiding performance.
Which user interface works best with SSAG—a hand control, a PC running CPWI, or a smartphone running the SkyPortal app?
You can count on SSAG to achieve the same high level of guiding performance with any of its compatible user interfaces. Choose the one that’s most convenient for you.
My computer rides on top of my telescope setup, so it is most convenient to connect my computer to SSAG with the USB-C port while using Celestron CPWI software. Will SSAG’s guiding performance suffer if I connect it directly to my computer via USB-C (instead of connecting to it via AUX through the mount or hand control USB ports)?
No. Your SSAG will perform just as well if you connect it directly to your computer via USB-C.
I am using the SkyPortal app to control SSAG with my smartphone. Can I send the app to the background when guiding so I can use other apps?
Yes, sending the SkyPortal app to the background is OK when guiding. SSAG will still guide the mount when disconnected from the app. To return to SkyPortal control, bring up the app again and select Connect.
Can I use SSAG to find and center the Sun in my telescope?
DO NOT POINT THE STARSENSE AUTOGUIDER AT THE SUN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! The intense and focused light from the Sun will damage the camera’s sensor. You cannot use SSAG during the day because it relies on detecting star patterns overhead.
My SSAG sometimes has trouble finding and centering the Moon. Is this normal?
SSAG uses star positions and plate-solving to determine its pointing position. When the Moon is very bright, and SSAG is pointing nearby, the Moon’s glare can prevent SSAG from detecting enough stars to determine its location. If the Moon is in half to full phase, SSAG may be unable to find and center it. A bright Moon may also affect SSAG’s performance in the sky surrounding the Moon. Hazy conditions can compound the issue because the Moon illuminates the haze, further obscuring the stars.
Should I be concerned about dew forming on SSAG’s lens?
In testing, we have found that dew does not tend to form on SSAG’s objective lens, even in fairly heavy dew conditions. SSAG’s electronics generate heat, acting as a built-in dew heater and keeping the lens temperature above the dew point. In severe dew conditions, however, you may need to take additional measures to prevent dew, like purchasing a heating band from a third-party vendor.
In Celestron CPWI software’s SSAG Menu, I see an option called “Auto Meridian Flip,” which the instruction manual does not discuss. Can you provide more information?
“Auto Meridian Flip” can be useful when imaging near the meridian with your SSAG. When you select this option, CPWI automatically issues a meridian flip when it detects that the scope has tracked beyond the meridian. Then, it will precisely recenter your target using the Precise-GoTo function and restart guiding (if it was active).
- If you use third-party software (NINA, Voyager), turn off Meridian Flip in the third-party software before using Auto Meridian Flip in CPWI.
- For SSAG Meridian Flip, we recommend the following software setting configurations:
- Settings for Voyager:
- Global Settings:
- Setup - Plate solve - none / Blind solve - none
- Setup - Mount - Safety - uncheck: GEM Stop Tracking for inactivity if Meridian Flip needed
- Local sequence settings:
- Tab Plate solve - None
- Tab Meridian Flip - Do Not Manage
- Global Settings:
- Settings for NINA:
- Options - Imaging - Meridian Flip Settings: Recenter after Flip: Toggle Switch Off
- In Sequence: Toggle Switch Off: Meridian Flip
- Settings for Voyager:
