Reviews & Ratings for Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ Equatorial Reflector Telescope 31045 — 16 reviews — Page 1

This is my first telescope and I have used it for about 2 months now, so keep in mind I have no means to compare this scope with any other.This is a true beginner's review. The eyepieces provided are ok, and with the 10 mm one I was able to see the 4 Galilean moons of Jupiter, and the Saturn rings were very fainted. I started to enjoy it more after I bought a 2x barlow lens and a celestron 5 mm eyepiece, which stretches the magnification to the scope's limit at 260X. With such magnification I can see see the rings of Saturn very easily (without any details) and Jupiter looks much better. Mars has been a bit disappointing (no contrasts, just a pinky circle). The finderscope is ok, I could not collimate it, but it gives me enough precision to find the objects I look for in a matter of minutes. The equatorial mount is not complicated to use, but a negative here is that it shakes too easily (even with a little of wind). Overall I'm satisfied with the telescope, and for the price I paid I say it's pretty good, but I already think on upgrading to a computerized and powerful scope (which apparently is a good indication that I've become a true hobbyist :)

I recently purchased the 130EQ as my first telescope and I am very pleased. It is budget minded so it is not as perfect as some higher cost telescopes, however there are not many 'I wish I had this..' associated with it. Setting it up was quite simple, and mine was already culminated out of the box.

The EQ mount functions well, though the tripod is not the most stable so distant objects will bounce around a lot.
The 10mm eye piece is the most useful as it seems to be made better than the 20mm. I do recommend purchasing an eyepiece kit for it as well that includes a 2x or 3x barlow magnifier. This will help enlarge distant objects.

You will not be able to view Deep Space Objects with it, however I have viewed objects as far as Neptune with it quite easily. A magnifying barlow would have made Neptune a bit more than a bright dot, but the closer planets should be easily seen better.

For the money it's a good value. The EQ mount is what you want to have when your at the highest level on viewing the night skies. And the mount is well put together. It is not light. But not too heavy as to stop you using it. It is not the easiest mount to use, but a quick YouTube search on EQ mounts and setting them up and you will be fine. The legs of the tripod are steel so they are very nice. The plastic pieces that attach the screws are the weak points. But as long as you use it with care, as you should, you should have no trouble with them. The scope its self is well put together and leaves very little to assemble. My mirrors seem to be very nice so far. I have only had it out twice so far. And my targets have been the moon and star viewing. A total of 30 minutes at most. The scope comes with software that is okay. But much better can be had online for free. This comes with two eyepieces, a 10mm, and a 20mm erecting. The 10mm is just okay. The 20mm is really at the bottom of what I would ever want to use. So that leads me to the bad things. The first is the eyepieces, but that's not any different than any telescope you buy. They all come with very few and not the best. So you should buy either the celestron eyepiece set with filters or do as I have and go for really good eyepieces such as celestrons X-Cel LX line, or Luminus line. I did the X-cel and love the one I have so far. The next con is the red dot finder, it's worthless and to my knowledge there is no way to swi...
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Local camera shop had it on for 1/2 price. Paid $170 CDN for it. well worth the price considering what you get. Wouldn't pay full price for it.
Can easily hit the usual targets, Jupiter, Saturn, etc. still trying to get to nebula's etc. maybe too much light pollution.

Pros: excellent optics for price
Cons: finder is tough to aim to get close to objects

Very pleased with this telescope. I have owned several in the past and this is the best. Very easy to assemble and all parts of the highest quality.
Pros: QUALITY INSTRUMENT!
Cons: NONE!

I Bought this scope as a step-up from my old refractor and and I am impressed. For an instrument this price it is sturdy and well built, with pretty good optics too. I also bought mine with the Celestron Eyepiece & Filter kit, which adds a lot more observing possibilities. The finder is a little tricky to use and (as some other reviewers said) the Dec knob slightly interferes with the R.A. circle. Apart from that, the scope works great.

I read some of the other reviews for this and I have to wholeheartedly disagree. If you're going to drop under $200 on a scope you cannot expect perfection. Per dollar spent, this is the best telescope I own. It has its faults but I wouldn't trade it in for a scope that's worth $50-$75 more. If you're willing to spend more than that, then get something else.
Pros: Pound for pound the best telescope
Cons: Planetary optics are weak

The counter weights are too heavy for the fine adjustment screws.
The planetary optics are very poor. I would have expected to be informed that different optics would need to be added to see anything more than views that I could see with my binoculars.
The basic unit is sound, but I think that Celestron oversold the ability of this unit.
Cons: No real usable optics, and adjustment gears not sufficient.

I have replaced the red-dot finder with a Rigel Quickfinder, and changed to a sturdy Alt-az tripod mount. After careful collimation, good view obtained up to 55-60X. A good aftermarket eyepiece helped a great deal. Not the best choice for planets or doublestars, but useful within the limits of an RFT. (Far more light gathering than my old 80mm WA RFT). By all means, look for a discount price.
Pros: good f5 parabola mirror
Cons: finder scope next to useless, EQ mount inconvenient

i purchased this for my son, as his xmas present... i purchased in early november, and i am glad i gave myself plenty of lead time... after setting up, the "dec shaft" - which allows the scope to move smoothly, was bent... i called celestron, and instead of sending a replacement part, they asked me to send the WHOLE scope for repair... when i contacted optics planet, they tried to intervene, but to no avail.. i am sending this unit back for a refund as this is defective... i will purchasing a much simpler scope (i.e. refractor, instead of reflector) and AZ mount, instead or EQ mount... i am hoping Optics Planet will follow thru with their promise to give me a full refund...