Reviews & Ratings for Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Series Newtonian Reflector Telescope — 10 reviews — Page 1

This scope is a very good entry level scope.
But like ALL scopes it has its own quirks that need to be understood to enjoy this scope to its full potential.

1) Don't use batteries. Get an external power pack or use a mains adapter. There can be problems aligning this scope and tracking when using batteries.

2) Learn how to do the star align properly it works but you need to be aware of a couple of oddities.

3) Understand how telescopes work. Understand how aperture size / focal length and EP's works.

4) Understand that you are not going to see the same images that get plastered all over the magazines. If you want images like that see if the Hubble telescope is for sale.

3) When you understand some of these things you will understand that Saturn will appear as a small disc with a line through it even with some of the bigger telescopes...!

4) Understand that the quality of image is improved with the darkness of the sky. Get away from light polluted areas. Get to some dark sky sites.

This is a great little entry level GoTo scope if you are patient enough to learn about it. Don't take my word for it. Find some of the reviews about this scope on Astronomical web sites. Try this for starters.

http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/public/im/cel130SLT.html

Don't listen to *ollocks written by people who don't have a clue.

Clear Nights:)

This is a great telescope... IF you understand a few basics!

MOST of the reviews I have seen are from other novices, like ME!

HOWEVER... given a little more time, and effort. this CAN be a GREAT telescope!

BUT... it DOES require a little knowledge, and understanding!

Once you aquire some DEEPER understanding about how the scope works, ALL "double images", and the "tracking issues" etc. are GONE!

In short... Ya gotta be smarter than the telescope! Just learn HOW to use it properly!
Pros: Easy for beginners!
Cons: DOES NEED to be co-limated!

Never in your life buy this scope, it is worthless, the go to system is not usable,the optics are blurry, if you purchase it you will regret doing so, if I were you I would get something more expensive
Cons: go to not usable, optics are poor, celestron did not fix it

Since this was our first telescope we didn't have anything to compare with. The step-by-step instructions are very easy to follow. At first we thought that the collimation was off but after trying I noticed that I could see the inside of the tube when the eye was centered. Celestron was closed for the holidays until the 5th of Jan. I called and waited 25 minutes only to speak with a person who knew nothing about telescopes. I asked to speak with someone that did and he said there was no one else. I asked for his name and requested to speak with a supervisor and he claimed that he wasn't permitted to release his name or forward the call. I contacted Opticsplanet to replace it. They have an easy online system to request returns. Unfortunately, I threw away the outer shipping box to send the telescope back to Opticsplanet for a replacement. They on the other hand have been quick and courteous. The product arrived very quickly. Chicago to Honolulu in 4 days after ordered but the post office decided not to deliver it until 4 days after it arrived on island. The only object we can look at is the moon. When I look at stars or planets they appear as comets. So now I have a expensive lunar telescope. There are many reviews about this one so if you decide to purchase it ensure that it has no defects before discarding the shipping box since once that is gone you are stuck with it. Sad that Celestron has no customer support.
Pros: Unknown
Cons: ZERO support from Celestron

Great scope for the money, very easy to use and great optics. Highly recommended.
Pros: Easy to setup, Excellent optics, Great price
Cons: 9mm eyepiece is a little cheap

My entire family loves this telescope and we have had hours of fun, quality time using it together. None of us knew anything about astronomy before, but it has been very easy to use and is a nice balance as a mid-range telescope for the price-- it's sophisticated but not so much that we're afraid to use it!

Don't know much about computers or the stars, but I got this to work first time out. If I can do it, anyone can!

I received this scope as a birthday gift from my father. I know little to nothing about astronomy, other than what I have read on the Optics Planet forums and articles. I can say that this scope was easy to use. The instructions were clear and the setup was easy. I can see how the alignment process will only get quicker ans easier with time and practice. I would recommend this scope to any beginner or intermediate backyard astronomer.