Celestron 31045 AstroMaster 130EQ Newtonian Reflector Telescope, Dark Blue

Product Information

Using the Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ is a user-friendly experience, particularly suited for beginners. To put this in context, I think that any upgrade that you might consider for the OTA is likely to cost you 5-10 times as much as the AM130 and that may or may not be worth it for you. Celestron Starry Night Software is the premier astronomy software package on the market, providing resources and knowledge to view our solar system and beyond. Go behind the scenes with Celestron’s product development team and learn more about our award-winning and patented innovations.

The SkyX First Light Edition Astronomy Software helps beginner astronomers get their first advanced understanding of the night sky with the 10,000 celestial object database to learn from! Tracking is really needed for deep sky imaging and for that you need a better mount for accuracy and for its payload capacity. This innovative software solves the time-consuming problem of trying to pinpoint the North Celestial Pole. The Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ, with its user-friendly design and powerful optics, offers a great balance between affordability and performance.The Celestron Astromaster 130EQ seems pretty good for a beginner like me, but I'm trying to figure out if I want the version with or without the motor. Though it is of average quality, this eyepiece provides a clear and sharp view of celestial objects, making it suitable for detailed astronomical observations. If you're looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the Astromaster Series is for you.

To counteract this, it’s advisable not to overly extend the legs and to add weight between them to lower the center of gravity. I too used to own one of these 'scopes but I did exactly as Scogyrd did and put the motor drive back in the box. TBH I think the motor is more for show than anything else, something to entice beginners like myself at the time, and I ended up removing it because it kept getting in the way of the slow motion controls. The 20 mm eyepiece has a built-in erect image corrector, this means that the image you view is corrected to the right way up, making this eyepiece and telescope useful for terrestrial viewing as well as astronomy.

This software is a useful supplement for learning more about the objects in the sky, and it’s perfect for when you’d love to take your telescope out but can’t because the conditions aren’t cooperating. While it does require some assembly and alignment, the process is straightforward and can be learned quickly with the help of online tutorials.

While certainly an improvement compared to the PowerSeeker line of telescopes, most of the AstroMaster telescopes have questionable if not downright bad build and optical quality, and many come with unusable low-power eyepieces designed to fulfill silly promises about terrestrial viewing, as is the case with the AstroMaster 130.While the idea of adjusting the mirrors may seem daunting, the process is straightforward, and numerous online tutorials are available to assist in this task. Our patented SkyAlign alignment technology makes setting up a computerized telescope simple, fast, and accurate. The Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ is a 130mm Newtonian Reflector Telescope with an f/5 focal length and light-gathering power of 345x, making it probably the best model in the AstroMaster Series for both planetary and deep sky observing. This additional weight should be placed on the central body of the mount where the legs converge, and not on an accessory tray, which might not support the extra weight. All other products have a 2-year manufacturer's warranty, which covers repairs or replacement in cases of defective components.