Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ Telescope

Ideal telescope for beginners. I bought it for my daughter who is interested in astronomy. First of all, big thanks to Appario Retail for the wonderful packaging and great service. Believe me, it is one of the best telescopes in this price range, only thing is that you have to buy a few more optics for utilising maximum of it's abilities. The telescope is extremely easy to assemble and there is a pictorial guide too. Eventhough it can be assembled without tools, a small screwdriver will be handy especially to tighten the slow motion clutches and finder scope. The presentation of the telescope is good and the tube looks beautiful with a wonderful colour combination and emblem. Don't be confused with other reviews which states that the finder scope is useless. If u know how to allign it, then it is of great help. In fact alligning is so simple too. I simply pointed the telescope to a distant building then switched on the finder scope. Then I used the screws to slightly move it sideways, up and down so that the building was in the center of the finder scope and the laser pointed was also pointing at it. Then I looked through the scope to ensure that the building is still in focus. Done. It's that simple. I have tried to view some celestial bodies but since sky was cloudy, I couldn't have a good view. Then I tried terrestrial viewing. The 20 mm gave decent magnification and a straight view, where as the 10 mm gave more magnification but an inverted view. Altogether the product is worth the money and built quality is excellent. The tripod is sturdy and the eq mount is very strong. I'll update my review after a few days of use. I recommend the scope for all amateur astronomers. Thanks for reading. Thanks Amazon.

i bought this scope after a lot of research and with a strong belief that a 5 inch scope would gather more light and offer the best view of the heavens....can't complain about the details on the moon. it was pretty amazing. i also tested it for terrestrial viewing using the provided 20 mm erecting eyepiece and I must say it was pretty impressive. Got a pigeon that was at least 300 mt away and could see it's feathers in brilliant detail, too many trees near my home limit the view this should be capable off. I'm not able to see the planets yet, i'm guessing it's the collimation is off way too much and the 130 EQ as I hear can be unforgiving if the collimation is not perfect. The product itself feels premium and the setup was quite simple. i downloaded a youtube video to guide me through. The manual however skips the step of attaching the mounting ring. love what i got for my scope. Bug the EQ mount seems hard to tame though, I hate the fact that it's not stable at times and when i want to make some minor adjustment to get the tiny mars/jupiter in view!

Amazing is just not enough to describe what you see and feel looking through the eyepiece. Venus was my first stop, "wow" was the word that came out when the image got focussed for the first time. I could see the phases of venus with just the 20mm eyepiece. 10mm made the image a bigger one and astonishing. Moon was playing hide and seek with the clouds but when it was well above the horizon and shining brightly, I was spell bound with its beauty. Honestly you could spend hours just looking at the moon. 10mm eyepiece gave an even closer look at the Carter's, the shadows casted by the craters and the mountain ranges on the moon. Jupiter looks like a 2mm ball with very faint bands of methane distinguishable if observed for longer durations. The four moons of Jupiter are just a very minute dots if observed very minutely. But I felty it requires more magnification power to observe Jupiter with it's methane bands and the giant red spot. (May be collimation issue is there) Couldnot see the most beautiful planet Saturn as clouds came in hope to see it when conditions are perfect. These were my first experience of amature astronomy with my first telescope. I don't write reviews at all but this Celestron Astromaster 130eq is such amazing piece that it made me to write such a review. Though there are some points which I would like to list to get the most out of the telescope. 1. Lots of patience is required to be able to see what you actually want to see, trust me patience will give you all that you want from this telescope. 2. Try to see the videos and go through the instructions manual before beginning assembly of the telescope as it's quite critical for one who has no idea of any such kind before. 3. Lot of things has to go right to get the perfect views, if not getting the perfect view wait for the perfect condition to occur. 4. The equatorial mount is very heavy and of solid built quality but the pointers are just not right and you can't be sure which degree u are setting on it. 5. The tripod is also of heavy construction but if expanded fully it feels more shakey so I don't expand it. 6. The secondary mirror was dangling loose when I first unpacked the telescope which totally dishearted me but I did manual collimation as per the instructions manual provided and it was fairly accurate but will eventually require a lazer collimation which again costs around Rs 6000/- to get more sharper images. 7. The telescope is very heavy (around 16kgs) and very difficult to move it around in assembled condition. It gave me body pains the next morning after my first setup and observations. 8. There are no cromatic abbrations as it is relfector telescope and the optics are of very good quality Those who are still reading this review and disheartened because I didn't post any pictures of moon or Jupiter for them I just want to tell that pictures just don't do justice to what you can actually see with your naked eye because human eye has 1000 times better dynamic range than any camera. Even I have gone through all the pictures posted in the other reviews. Trust me you are going to see 1000 times better with your naked eye that any of those pictures. If you want to go for this telescope go for it without any hesitation as it will finally give you and out of the world experience.

I recently purchased this telescope, and to my utter disappointment, the starview finderscope is completely non-functional. It’s supposed to be a crucial part of the telescope, but it’s nothing more than a decorative piece at this point. Despite following all the instructions and troubleshooting steps, it simply does not work. To make matters worse, when I reached out to the seller for assistance, I was met with complete indifference. They offered no help, no solution, and no willingness to address the issue. It’s appalling to spend hard-earned money on a product only to be left stranded when it doesn’t work as advertised. Now, the telescope is just sitting there, taking up space like an expensive toy. It’s a total waste of money, time, and effort. I deeply regret this purchase and would strongly advise anyone considering this product to think twice. The lack of functionality combined with the complete absence of customer support makes this an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Save yourself the frustration and look elsewhere for a reliable telescope and a company that actually stands behind their products.

I purchased the AM130EQ with full knowledge of its' capabilities and limitations. This is a budget telescope for those like me who have probably never seen Saturn's rings or Jupiter moons etc. For the price paid, I am very satisfied with the amazing views I have been dished for the last 3-4 days. To list I could see Jupiters bands, its' orange color and its four primary moons. Moon craters are very clear and watching them on a crescent moon made for an breathtaking sight. Today, I saw Saturn, its' rings and two of its' moons Titan and lapetus. Saturn did not exhibit any specific coloration though. Besides this, I have also been observing (sweeps) the sky around Sirius, Orion, Leo and I am astounded by what the telescope can see, especially in the light and air polluted skies of Mumbai. I am still on my first week and haven't purchased any AX yet, but the two EPs provided by Celestron along with the AM130EQ have been more than adequate to satiate my desire for great views. I do plan to buy the Celestron Kit / Barlows / EPs / Collimator / Finderscope soon. Now a few tips for those in India, especially Mumbai. Polar Alignment is a must. This scope is NOT a binocular, and hence should never be used without proper alignment, not unless you love to explore the virtues of frustration. I made that mistake, and spent a good 5-10 mins finding the moon, it was just hopeless given the EQ mount, nothing is predictable unless aligned. Second, you don't need to actually see the polaris, just know where North is and assume a 18-20 degree inclination. Third, the star-pointer should be renamed as star-vicinity-pointer. Do not make the mistake of assuming it'll take you to a star or an object in the sky, instead it'll take you in its vicinity and you should be able to view the target object within a few sweeps. I am easily able to find bright objects this way, I have not tried this technique on DSOs which are not apparent to the naked eye. Lastly, the tripod shakes, yes. Its' best to keep its' legs unextended. That way, the eyepiece align to your eye-height in the sitting position (practical isn't it?). Also unrelated to this product, but to save yourself some frustration do download & install Stellarium a must-have if you wish to have a targetted sky-exploration. Hope this was helpful. Edit: Please buy a 25 or upwards plossl eyepiece, doing so will eliminate a lot of your frustration with the star dot finder. Think of it as the best finderscope for your telescope.

I am reviewing this after 17 days of delivery. Some of the points I would like to mention : 1) Easy to assemble 2) Rudimentary, but a great one to start with 3) Initially takes a bit time to adapt to equatorial setting, if not done beforehand 4) The big downside is its shakiness... A little disturbance, even after proper balancing, makes the target go out of the eyepiece 5) Ideal to see nearby objects viz - Moon, Sun and Venus and eclipses 6) Don't expect much from it.. eg : you can't exactly see The great Red spot on Jupiter, and beautiful saturn rings with default eyepieces Refer to the attached pics taken during annular solar eclipse of 21 June, 2020

Totally worth it purchasing celestron astromaster 130eq telescope. It’s easy to operate the telescope after knowing quick guide. For the first time i watched the moon so clearly and closely with just 10mm eye piece. I haven’t used barlow lens till now, it’s beyond my imagination of the views if i use barlow lens. Perfectly recommended to the amateur astronomers. Watched the moon soo clearly with moon spots but i havent got the perfect video to record it but i just got a glimpse. Everything’s perfect with the product and packaging.

After reading some reviews over here, I must say, a telescope isn't something you should buy on impulse. People complaining about their telescopes not working and giving it negative ratings need to learn the night sky and the telescope before getting in the hobby. Having said that, I've had nothing but fun with this telescope. It's one of the best beginner telescopes in the market, offering a huge mirror and a sturdy mount for the price. Beyond this, 6-8 inch reflectors cost more than double the price. Out of the box, you only get about 65x magnification, so I highly recommend getting an accessory kit or a Barlow lens. Point to note, this telescope is not designed for serious astrophotography, so keep that in mind. Otherwise, it checks all the boxes when it comes to a good beginner telescope. I cannot stress on this point more, you need to learn and appreciate the night sky, only then will you find the joys of being a stargazer. After you've made up your mind and are serious about the hobby, you can go ahead and start with 10x50 binoculars, and then upgrade to telescopes. Speaking about what I've observed till now, I've seen all the planets except Neptune. Mercury appears like a star though. Deep sky objects include the Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster, the Pleiades and the Beehive cluster to name a few. Again, once you're familiar with the night sky, you'll know when to observe and what to observe so that you can get the best out of your telescope. Also, since it is a reflector, you need to learn about collimation of reflectors. It might seem scary at first, but it gets easy as you practice. I might have made this review a bit too long, but I just want to make it clear that astronomy is something you should enjoy. If you don't have a telescope, don't worry, your eyes can show you many things, and once you think you're familiarized with the night sky, go ahead and buy this telescope :)

Lo adquirí pensando en observación de la luna y planetaria. De momento solo lo he usado para observar la luna y el resultado es gratamente satisfactorio. Actualizaré cuando vaya a por saturno que entiendo que es el planeta referencia para muchos. Su montaje es sencillo y las instrucciones son claras. El uso de una montura eq me daba miedo pero para empezar con la luna es bastante intuitivo, no es tan desesperante como esperaba aunque tal vez me puse bien cargado de paciencia por el respeto que le tenía.

Çok iyi bir teleskop. Başlangıç için 50AZ modelini almıştım ama arasında çok fark var. Andromeda, jüpiter, saturn ve niceleri telefonumda var ama "AMAZON TÜRKİYEDE RESİMLERİ AÇSA GÖSTERECEM!" Eğer çok üst segment alıp para basmayacam diyorsanız ideal. Çok ekmeğini de yedim ürünün ;) 2 eksisi var el ile taşınmaz çok ağır. Ekstra lens alıp geliştirmek lazım. Jüpiterin 2 büyük çizgisi ve büyük kırmızı gözü lens yardımı ile gözüküyor. Ayrıca fotozeynep ile 1 günde kapınızda.

É bem preciso na busca de planetas quando se regula bem a buscadora. As lentes que vem nele é de altíssima qualidade e só fica "devendo" uma barlow para aumentar o zoom. - Antes de comprar, é importante saber a latitude e longitude da sua localidade. - Se vai comprar, compre uma barlow também. Respeitando a capacidade do telescópio - Zoom real máximo é de 260x (sem aberrações nas imagens) - Para ver a lua, fica muito bom com o filtro lunar e as lentes de 10mm e 20mm dão e sobram - A regulagem precisa é muito boa - Se for fazer imagens/vídeos, recomendo um suporte para celular ou câmera DSL

After much searching and investigating I picked this telescope as it had the largest aperture for my price range. It is very well built and was easy to setup and build. The guide is useful, but ended up searching YouTube for a video guide - this also included how to balance the telescope [...]). The telescope itself was supplied with 2 lenses, a 20mm and a 10mm. The 20mm is plastic and I only use it as a starting lens to position the telescope first to what I want to see. The 10mm is a good little lens and give nice view of the stars and moon. I also purchased the 'Celestron AstroMaster Accessory Kit' at the same time - this included lens filters and additional 5mm, 15mm and 2x lenses. This gives more range of magnifications to use with the telescope. Viewing with the telescope is very good. The moon is amazing, but you will NEED a moon filter - it is very bright. You can clearly see the moons of Jupiter and with my additional 5mm lens I can just about make out the markings of Jupiter. As for the other planets they have not been visible in the evenings yet - but can't wait until Saturn appears! The only fault is the StarPointer. It's not that good, but you can work around/with it. I have even had my 4 year old daughter looking at the moon - which she found fascinating as she could see the craters very clearly. Since buying this, I have also contacted Celestron support (issue with the additional lens). They were quick and put me in touch with their local distributor (Hama) in the UK. Hama were also very helpful. All-in-all this is very good for the price it costs. I wanted a good telescope that would allow me to get started in Astronomy, without using it for a short while and having to replace it when I want more. This is a good start and with the right lenses will do for what I want it for. Good quality lenses are not cheap (it's the price of the telescope itself for a set), but I can now slowly upgrade this over time now that I have a decent telescope.

not usable