Celestron 31045 AstroMaster 130EQ Newtonian Reflector Telescope, Dark Blue

Product Information

Visible indicators on the Right Ascension and Declination axes enhance accuracy during celestial tracking. Supporting the telescope is an adjustable, full height steel tripod with an accessory tray, also included to get you started is a 20mm and 10mm eyepiece. Planetary photography with a webcam is achievable (with sharpcap/ firecapure etc), but DSOs will be difficult.

The table below shows the magnification levels you’ll achieve with this scope using a 25mm, 18mm, and 10mm eyepiece. Celestron has been a leading manufacturer of professional quality telescopes for well over 50 years.Tracking is really needed for deep sky imaging and for that you need a better mount for accuracy and for its payload capacity.

edit] gonna try the washer thing and cannot really comment on the scope as its the only one i have looked through. Newer AstroMasters have a standard, run-of-the-mill red dot finder attached to them with a strange plastic jig.It is simple to set up and comes with a StarPointer red dot finder and Starry Night Astronomy software. The only minor drawback noted is the difficulty in reading the latitude scale due to the positioning of the needle, but this is a relatively minor issue in the overall context of the telescope’s design and functionality. Celestron Astromaster series telescopes are made as reflectors and refractors with different apertures (diameter) and mounts. The skywatcher I suggested has a parabolic mirror in astronomy terms the parabolic mirror is better, it gives a clearer, cleaner image that is easier to focus and takes magnification better it is also a lot more expensive to make.

By using the finderscope to first locate and center an object, users can then enjoy detailed views through the main eyepiece. I've been thinking about getting a telescope for some time, and for my birthday my wife has decided to help me take the plunge by getting me one.Crayford style, and while it’s almost entirely made of plastic, it provides smooth and easy operation. Effortless Setup and Navigation: A red-dot finder, included with the telescope, ensures hassle-free setup, alignment, and navigation.

This model is a Newtonian reflector, which uses a primary and secondary mirror to project the image you’ll see up to the eyepiece. The relatively small aperture of this telescope helps mitigate the appearance of chromatic aberration, and Celestron still uses a high-quality mirror to build this scope, so the image quality you’ll see through the eyepiece rivals that of what you’d get with Newtonians with parabolic mirrors. We recommend purchasing a quality low-power eyepiece around 18-20mm and a 2x Barlow for higher magnification viewing. If memory serves me right (and at my age it probably doesn't) the 130EQ does have a parabolic mirror, as does the 76EQ.

The optical tube assembly (the main telescope body / OTA) is set on an equatorial mount, which is where the ‘EQ’ part of its title comes from. Despite the heavy steel construction, this mount is subject to some vibration, which is frustrating for experienced astronomers. Manual Equatorial Mount: The telescope features a manual equatorial mount designed for smooth operation. It is an erecting eyepiece, which means it is capable of presenting images in their correct orientation, making it ideal for terrestrial viewing during the day. The Celestron AstroMasters used to come with a strangely designed, cheap, built-in, non-removable red-dot finder that had a nice switch and glass window, but suffered from alignment problems.