Buy Celestron 31045 AstroMaster 130 EQ Reflector TelescopeCelestron 31045 AstroMaster 130 EQ Reflector Telescope Product Description:
- Model Number: 31045
- Objective Lens: 130 Millimeters
- Weight: 24 Pounds
Product Description
If you're looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the AstroMaster Series is for you. Each AstroMaster model is capable of giving correct views of land and sky. The AstroMaster Series produce bright, clear images of the Moon and planets. It is easy to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn with every one of these fine instruments. For views of the brighter deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae, we recommend the larger aperture and light gathering ability of the Newtonian reflectors.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
61 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
Nice Scope Crippled by an Unstable mount & Flimsy Tripod
By Super Movie Fan Man
Well, I spent allot of time researching a good beginner scope for myself and my family and after much deliberation I chose the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ. I think I need to look a bit more.Pros:1. Price: Very affordable, I got mine on sale for $213.2. Optics: Very good and clear for this price point.3. Appearance: Very cool looking scope, impressive.Cons: (PLEASE PAY ATTENTION!!!!, I'm Not Kidding)1. Mount: Ummm, Check Please! The German Equatorial mount supplied might as well be a solid block of steel, that would be about as easy to adjust and MUCH more stable, unacceptable. The Latitude adjustment screw requires gloves if you don't want permanent indentations in your fingers. Mine would actually make the whole scope jerk sideways when you would engage it, it's a heavy scope and allot of the weight is exerted on this adjustment, even if you balance the scope correctly. The Declination adjustment was stiff and would not track smoothly...and forget turning the scope....see a trend here?2. Tripod: Solid Steel construction....."Solid"??? I'll put it this way, Steel is a solid, so is Silly Putty. As long as you DO NOT plan to fully extend the tripod legs and view it upright it's more stable than Silly Putty. But if you want to stand as you view the sky (most adults would prefer that to bending over like you're talking to a 2 year old) once the legs are fully extended it just adds to the shakiness. Brother!3. Focus: Are you good at "Estimating"? You'll have to be to focus this thing; any time you even touch this thing (or breathe on it) the objects in the eyepiece do their best 7.5 earthquake impersonation. Once you wait a day or so, it stops shaking.....Now....DON'T TOUCH IT! VERY Frustrating, by the time I got Jupiter and its moons in focus it had practically moved out of view. But Jupiter was VERY cool to see.The Viewfinder has been trashed by allot of people for being inaccurate and basically useless, maybe I lucked out because mine actually worked well. Too bad the rest of the scope didn't.So there it is, it's a really great scope crippled by a cheap mount and tripod. At this price point it's a good Kids Scope and for adults who are not too picky about trivial things like being able to focus and see what you're looking at clearly.I'm returning mine and going back on the Good Scope Hunt, BTW Amazon does not pay for return shipping on this item, I had a $25 gift certificate that I used to get my purchase price down to $188, kiss that goodbye, return shipping was $28.Oh well, live and learn...and return.
38 of 42 people found the following review helpful.
Celestron 130 review
By kands6191
I'm very pleased with this telescope. I've always looked up at the stars in wonder, now I can see more then I thought were out there. This is a great starter scope, from what I've been told by people who love this hobby. The telescope lets you view the sky to see stars you can't see with your eyes. I'm disappointed in the eye piece you receive with it though. The field of view is very narrow, hard to find the stars you want to see. I was given a wide angle eye piece, to use from a friend, which made my viewing pleasure wonderful. I went from looking at a 13" color tv to a 36" color tv. That's the best way to describe it.I'm glad I got my telescope and will enjoy it for years to come.Kevin
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful.good optics
By Justin L. Schlichenmayer
The optical quality is quite good, with a good field of view and very limited spider effect. The star pointer is fair to poor however if used with a low power lens (25mm or larger) it will suffice. Barlow usage is excellent and I'm amazed at lunar observation. Only other gripe is when slewing at a low polar angle you can run into the knobs. Mount seems solid however I don't care for the dec. setup. The focuser could stand a little more travel but is adequate for this scopes capability. Overall I give it 5 stars for lunar and terrestrial use, four and a half for planetary (excellent on Jupiter and Venus, struggles with Neptune and Uranus) but with some filters I hope to improve that. Deep sky is fair. The star finder I give a one.
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