I think the scope will perform OK. I have not been able to really test it. It is now in a box. Won't see it until Christmas. My brother in-law and I really checked it out. There is a little bit of assembly required. All of the hardware on the scope is made of better quality plastic, not that softer cheesy pastic that bends easy. The finder scope is typical, I would replace it with a Telrad if I could, but overall it will do. As for the Auto Star, I haven't a clue if it will work. I did punch in some coordinates just to see if it moves it the right direction. There is a database of objects on the AutoStar, but until it is set up at night, no way in telling how accurate it is. Find the September issue of S&T on page 64. There is a good review from them. Good Luck.