--- product_id: 1150975 title: "Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Telescope for Deep-Sky Beginners" brand: "celestron" price: "$1769.48" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 category: "Celestron" url: https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1150975-celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope-for-deep-sky-beginners store_origin: EC region: Ecuador --- # 130mm aperture for crisp celestial views German Equatorial mount with fine slow-motion controls Includes Starry Night astronomy software Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Telescope for Deep-Sky Beginners **Brand:** celestron **Price:** $1769.48 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🌌 Unlock the Universe: See More, Track Better, Explore Faster! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Telescope for Deep-Sky Beginners by celestron - **How much does it cost?** $1769.48 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ec](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1150975-celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope-for-deep-sky-beginners) ## Best For - celestron enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted celestron brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Complete Starter Kit:** Comes with 20mm & 10mm eyepieces, StarPointer red dot finderscope, plus a free download of top-rated astronomy software—everything you need to start your journey. - • **Trusted Legacy & Support:** Backed by Celestron’s 2-year US warranty and expert support, join a community of passionate stargazers who demand quality and reliability. - • **Precision Tracking, Zero Drift:** Equatorial mount with dual slow-motion knobs lets you smoothly follow fast-moving celestial objects without losing sight—because every moment counts. - • **Stellar Clarity, Beginner Friendly:** 130mm aluminized mirror delivers bright, detailed views of planets and galaxies, perfect for new astronomers ready to explore beyond the basics. - • **Effortless Setup, Instant Stargazing:** Tool-free assembly and adjustable-height tripod mean you’re ready to explore the cosmos in minutes, tailored for comfort whether standing or seated. ## Overview The Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ is a beginner-friendly Newtonian reflector telescope featuring a 130mm aluminized primary mirror for bright, detailed views of planets and deep-sky objects. Its German equatorial mount with slow-motion controls enables precise manual tracking of celestial targets. Quick, tool-free setup with an adjustable tripod ensures comfortable viewing for all users. Included accessories like dual eyepieces, a StarPointer red dot finderscope, and a free astronomy software package make it a complete starter kit. Weighing 17 lbs and backed by a 2-year warranty, it’s designed to ignite and sustain your passion for astronomy. ## Description Discover the night sky with the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ, a powerful, beginner-friendly telescope designed for both planetary and deep-sky viewing. Its impressive 130mm (5.1") primary mirror gathers plenty of light, revealing detailed views of Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s moons, lunar craters, and distant galaxies like Andromeda. Aluminum and SiO₂ coatings boost brightness and contrast, delivering stunning clarity on every target. The sturdy German equatorial mount features slow-motion control knobs that let you make precise manual adjustments in right ascension and declination, perfect for smoothly centering and following objects. Assembly is fast and frustration-free thanks to the simple design with just a few key parts; no tools are required. The adjustable full-height tripod ensures a stable base and can be customized for comfortable viewing for adults or kids, in a standing or seated position. The 130EQ comes complete with essential accessories, including a 20mm eyepiece with built-in erect image corrector (providing 33x magnification), a 10mm eyepiece for higher-power 65x views, a StarPointer™ red dot finderscope to help you quickly locate objects, and a free download of top-rated astronomy software Starry Night to help plan your stargazing sessions. Weighing just 17 lb (7.71 kg) fully assembled, this telescope is easy to move and set up in your backyard or at a dark-sky site. Backed by Celestron’s 2-Year Warranty and US-based technical support, the AstroMaster 130EQ is the perfect choice for beginners eager to explore the wonders of the universe. Review: Great telescope to get beginner interested in hobby - So there's been a lot of discussion in the reviews about if this is a beginner telescope or not. As a person who never touched a telescope (except maybe in high school a thousand years ago) until I decided it was something I wanted to try out this year, I emphatically say YES! This is a great beginner scope. Here's the problem with most people's definition of a "beginner" anything. They want it to be rock-bottom priced, and ultra-easy to use. The problem with this mentality, is that often you go so cheap that you wind up getting a product that does not really expose you to the prospective hobby, and while trying to find something ultra-easy to use, it winds up being extremely difficult because it lacks the more expensive tools that were specifically designed to enhance the human ability when performing certain tasks.... NET RESULT: You wind up putting the hobby down out of frustration without ever really trying it out. I think the reality with getting into telescoping (is that a word?) is that you have to first decide that it is something you truly want to try, so that you don't go by a $74 telescope at W*****t (like I did) and expect to actually be introduced to this hobby. So after trying the $74 failure I got this scope due to the (mostly) good reviews, and because of the brand name. Never being in the hobby myself, I still had heard of Celestron. Many reviews showed broken parts. This wasn't the case for me. Everything was intact and assembly was relatively easy for a novice. A few reviews said this was not a beginner telescope because you had to adjust the mirrors, which apparently was a very difficult task to do. I researched this requirement ahead of time, found that for just over $20 you can buy a laser collimator that allows you to do this adjustment in just a few minutes, and decided that wasn't too much to ask to have an opportunity to enjoy this hobby. P.S. when I got the telescope, I used the laser collimator just to find out that the mirrors were perfectly aligned and I didn't need to do any adjusting. But apparently mirror adjusting is inevitable with Newtonian telescopes, so I'll just keep the laser collimator in my kit bag. Now about the beginner using this scope: 1. The red dot starfinder is a life saver! At first I thought you could just look through the starfinder, see what you wanted to look at, then see it in the telescope. NOPE! You really need that red dot to put the object into the site picture of the scope (especially on a low MM eyepiece). My only complaint might be that I couldn't perfectly adjust the red dot. When I first got the scope I focused in on a house way down the street, then tried to calibrate the red dot so that it was pefectly centered on the center of what I saw in the eyepiece... It was close, but wasn't perfect. HOWEVER. It is more than sufficient for my beginning level telescoping. With my $74 flunkee scope, I would use the cross hairs to try to align the scope to an object, yet even on a large MM eyepiece I could never find anything smaller than the moon! With this red dot starfinder, I have (easily) been able to align the telescope to both Jupiter and Saturn. 2. I may have started of with the starfinder, but the equitorial mount is probably the show winner with this thing. Not to keep referring to my $74 fail, but it is good to have a frame of reference when explaining why sometimes you have to make an investment even for entry-level equipment into a hobby. The $74 fail used a super cheap camera tripod. Problem with these tripods is they don't adjust at a fine enough level to make the small changes to put an object into the site picture. And, despite the fact that the cheap scope didn't weigh anything, it still would drift on the tripod... basically making it impossible to do anything except look at the moon. The Celestron is big and heavy, yet the EQ mount holds it masterfully in position, but the real winner is the fine tuning knobs. I didn't realize just how fast objects move in space (I mean.. I get it. The earth is spinning at 1000 mph, I just never put that together to mean objects move out of a telescope site picture QUICKLY). But with one hand on the fine tuning knob, I can follow the object for a reasonable amount of time to enjoy viewing it. NOTE: I recently bought a motor that I am suppposed to be able to connect to the knob, so that it can automatically hold the picture for me (again... spending more to get the right tools to enjoy the new hobby). Only complaint I have is that one knob seems to be able to adjust indefinitely while the other can only change maybe 20 degrees (10 in each direction) before it hits a stop. After additional study, I think this is because space objects only move in one direction, so if you properly polar align the scope, you should only need one knob to get the object where you want (left and right) and then not touch that again, then solely use the (up and down) knob to follow the object as it moves in the sky... but hey.. I'm new.. I'll learn to use this better too :-) Other than that, the only thing left is the scope. Like I said, I've looked at Jupiter, Saturn, Moon. I can't really speak to the provided eyepieces. Understanding from my research about focal length, and deciding that as a beginner it would help if I had an adjustable eyepiece (so that I can start zoomed out, find the object easier, then zoom in), so I bypassed the provided eyepiece and went straight to a x2 barrow with an 8-24mm adjustable eyepiece. So far it's been great! Saturn is still a little small, so I'm going to see if I can go even smaller on MM and higher on barrow zoom to see if I can really clearly make out the rings. ....but do you see what Celestron did? They created a (relatively) affordable telescope that grabbed my interest in the hobby and now I am full on exploring new ways (EQ mount motors, higher zoom barrow, lower MM eyepieces) that I can explore the universe above! Review: Excellent astronomic equipment and good price - Already I have had opportunity to do a few tests of this telescope and can comment to them that the image is excellent. The construction and the design is robust enough. Only I found two negative details of design. First the screw that is used for adjustment of this latitude evil designed. When one increases the latitude due to the weight of the this assembly it becomes hard to manipulate and when one tries to diminish the latitude, that is to say to slacken the screw in order that the set goes down, the plastic piece separates of the metallic screw turning out to be very inconvinient to do that the assembly goes down almost to the point of remaining united. I come second, the unions of the tripod of stainless steel to the assembly are plastic, these should be metallurgies to give him better permanence in the time. A recommendation for CELESTRON, they must improve the protection of the packing of the Mount CG3, it(he) is not alone to put it in a box without any protection, this one should come protected by rubber(gum), to avoid what happened to me, that in the sending(parcel) and due to the weight of the mount, the mount I strike and there was doubled the screw of Slow Movement in DEC. Lamentably I cannot do claim for guarantee since I am in Venezuela, and the costs of movement going and return of the equipment(team) they be be very high in comparison with the cost of the Telescope. I do not still have mas remedy that to try to repair the piece. David Trujillo P. Barquisimeto, Edo. Lara Venezuela Español. Ya he tenido oportunidad de hacer unas pruebas de este telescopio y les puedo comentar que la imagen es excelente. La construcción y el diseño es bastante robusta. Solo encontré dos detalles negativos de diseño. Primero el tornillo que se usa para ajuste de latitud esta mal diseñado. Cuando uno incrementa la latitud debido al peso del montaje este se torna duro para manipular y cuando uno intenta disminuir la latitud, es decir aflojar el tornillo para que el conjunto baje, la pieza plástica se separa del tornillo metálico resultando muy incomodo hacer que el montaje baje casi al punto de quedarse trabado. Segundo, las uniones del trípode de acero inoxidable al montaje son plásticas, estas deberían ser metálicas para darle mejor durabilidad en el tiempo. Una recomendación para CELESTRON, deben mejorar la proteccion del empaque de la Montura CG3, no es solo ponerlo en una caja sin ninguna protección, este debería venir protegido por goma, para evitar lo que me pasó, que en el envío y debido al peso de la montura, la montura se golpeo y se dobló el tornillo de Movimiento Lento en DEC. Lamentablemente no puedo hacer reclamo por garantía ya que me encuentro en Venezuela, y los costos de traslado ida y vuelta del equipo serían muy altos en comparación con el costo del Telescopio. No me queda mas remedio que tratar de reparar la pieza. David Trujillo P. Barquisimeto, Edo. Lara Venezuela ## Features - POWERFUL TELESCOPE FOR ASTRONOMY BEGINNERS: The AstroMaster 130EQ delivers sharp optics, a stable equatorial mount, and smooth manual controls, making it the top choice for beginners ready to explore the night sky. - HIGH-QUALITY 130MM OPTICS: Enjoy views through the 130mm (5”) Newtonian reflector, which features high-quality aluminum and SiO₂ coatings and enough light-gathering ability to view all the best celestial objects. - SMOOTH, ACCURATE POINTING: Effortlessly aim and center your target using the two slow-motion control knobs for right ascension and declination whether you’re observing planets or deep-sky objects. - QUICK SETUP: With just a few key parts to assemble, you can go from box to backyard in minutes—no tools required. The sturdy, adjustable tripod provides stable, comfortable viewing tailored to your height, perfect for adults or kids, standing or seated. - INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: 20mm eyepiece with built-in erect image corrector, 10mm eyepiece, and a StarPointer red dot finderscope. You'll also receive a FREE download of one of the top-rated astronomy software programs. - UNBEATABLE WARRANTY & SUPPORT: Buy with confidence from Celestron, a leading telescope brand in California since 1960. Your purchase includes a 2-Year US Warranty and unlimited support from our team of US-based experts. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B000MLL6RS | | Additional Features | German Equatorial Mount with Slow-Motion Control Knobs, Permanently Mounted StarPointer, TheSkyX - First Light Edition Astronomy Software | | Best Sellers Rank | #167 in Camera & Photo Products ( See Top 100 in Camera & Photo Products ) #3 in Telescope Reflectors | | Brand | Celestron | | Built-In Media | 20mm eyepiece with built-in erect image corrector, Optical tube, Red-dot finderscope, Standard 10mm eyepiece, Tripod and mount (preassembled) | | Coating | Glass mirrors coated with aluminum and SiO₂ | | Compatible Devices | iPhone, iPad, Android devices | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 3,433 Reviews | | Dawes Limit | 0.89 arc_sec | | Exit Pupil Diameter | 1.44 millimeters | | Eye Piece Lens Description | Standard 10mm eyepiece | | Field Of View | 0.67 degrees | | Finderscope | Built-on StarPointer™ red dot finderscope | | Focal Length Description | 650 millimeters | | Focus Type | Manual Focus | | Global Trade Identification Number | 00050234310451 | | Item Dimensions D x W x H | 38"D x 38"W x 56"H | | Item Weight | 17 pounds | | Manufacturer | Celestron Acquisition LLC | | Manufacturer Part Number | 31045 | | Model Name | AstroMaster 130EQ | | Model Number | 31045 | | Mount | Equatorial Mount | | Number of Batteries | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) | | Objective Lens Diameter | 13 centimeters | | Optical Tube Length | 55.2 centimeters | | Optical-Tube Length | 55.2 centimeters | | Power Source | Not Battery Powered | | Telescope Mount Description | Equatorial Mount | | UPC | 050234310451 | | Unit Count | 1 Count | | Warranty Description | TWO-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY | | Zoom Ratio | 90 multiplier x | ## Product Details - **Brand:** Celestron - **Eye Piece Lens Description:** Standard 10mm eyepiece - **Finderscope:** Built-on StarPointer™ red dot finderscope - **Focus Type:** Manual Focus - **Model Name:** AstroMaster 130EQ - **Objective Lens Diameter:** 130 Millimeters - **Optical Tube Length:** 552 Millimeters - **Power Source:** Not Battery Powered - **Product Dimensions:** 38"D x 38"W x 56"H - **Telescope Mount Description:** Equatorial Mount ## Images ![Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Telescope for Deep-Sky Beginners - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DI6XRf2IL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Style** options. ## Questions & Answers **Q: What size optics do I need to see Mars in detail? I'd appreciate a product link on amazon** A: 2017 so answering for mostly others. To see any detail on Mars or Saturn and Jupiter you are going to need at least 6 to 8 inch dia and around 1000 to 2000 focal length so C 8 sct or better is your best bet. That's going to run you about $1000 but you will be using a barlow lens eyepiece holder to double or even triple the magnification ($100). At those magnifications you are going to need a decent rocksolid tripod and mount. ($800-$1500) The mount will track the planet. Otherwise the planet will be out of your field of view in 15 seconds. The mount IS more important than the telescope. After you have done all this, when you look down the telescope you are going to be disappointed because you are going to see a blurry fuzzy dot but the good news is that in the last 20 years we now have cheap ($150) cameras that we can attach to the telescope and by capturing video and using a standard PC to process the video you can get that picture of Mars that you want. Oh btw don't try to use a DSLR. So anyway that all adds up to close to $3000 and it's very easy to spend another $1000 on accessories and extra eyepieces and adaptors so you will also be able to see nebula and other cool things. I recommend you spend an hour a day for at least a week on the internet before you buy anything so that you will have realistic expectations. Oh and looking at stars is boring in my opinion. Telescopes make dim stars visible but you are still looking at a bright dot. Oh and the $299 telescope in this listing is good value if you just want to look at the moon. **Q: is this sturdy enough for a canon rebel xs to sit on or any dslr for that matter?** A: I mount my Canon EOS 77D just fine. You do have to adjust the offset weights to re-balance it, but I've not had any problems so far. **Q: motor vs non motor** A: Motor definitely, makes life a lot easier ... no more fumbling with the control knobs trying to keep your objects centered. Whoever claims the motor does not work has not tried hard enough. For what it costs that motor works very well. **Q: Can this be left undercover outside?** A: No. The tripod collapses pretty easily, though, and the scope comes off without any issues. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great telescope to get beginner interested in hobby *by C***R on January 17, 2024* So there's been a lot of discussion in the reviews about if this is a beginner telescope or not. As a person who never touched a telescope (except maybe in high school a thousand years ago) until I decided it was something I wanted to try out this year, I emphatically say YES! This is a great beginner scope. Here's the problem with most people's definition of a "beginner" anything. They want it to be rock-bottom priced, and ultra-easy to use. The problem with this mentality, is that often you go so cheap that you wind up getting a product that does not really expose you to the prospective hobby, and while trying to find something ultra-easy to use, it winds up being extremely difficult because it lacks the more expensive tools that were specifically designed to enhance the human ability when performing certain tasks.... NET RESULT: You wind up putting the hobby down out of frustration without ever really trying it out. I think the reality with getting into telescoping (is that a word?) is that you have to first decide that it is something you truly want to try, so that you don't go by a $74 telescope at W*****t (like I did) and expect to actually be introduced to this hobby. So after trying the $74 failure I got this scope due to the (mostly) good reviews, and because of the brand name. Never being in the hobby myself, I still had heard of Celestron. Many reviews showed broken parts. This wasn't the case for me. Everything was intact and assembly was relatively easy for a novice. A few reviews said this was not a beginner telescope because you had to adjust the mirrors, which apparently was a very difficult task to do. I researched this requirement ahead of time, found that for just over $20 you can buy a laser collimator that allows you to do this adjustment in just a few minutes, and decided that wasn't too much to ask to have an opportunity to enjoy this hobby. P.S. when I got the telescope, I used the laser collimator just to find out that the mirrors were perfectly aligned and I didn't need to do any adjusting. But apparently mirror adjusting is inevitable with Newtonian telescopes, so I'll just keep the laser collimator in my kit bag. Now about the beginner using this scope: 1. The red dot starfinder is a life saver! At first I thought you could just look through the starfinder, see what you wanted to look at, then see it in the telescope. NOPE! You really need that red dot to put the object into the site picture of the scope (especially on a low MM eyepiece). My only complaint might be that I couldn't perfectly adjust the red dot. When I first got the scope I focused in on a house way down the street, then tried to calibrate the red dot so that it was pefectly centered on the center of what I saw in the eyepiece... It was close, but wasn't perfect. HOWEVER. It is more than sufficient for my beginning level telescoping. With my $74 flunkee scope, I would use the cross hairs to try to align the scope to an object, yet even on a large MM eyepiece I could never find anything smaller than the moon! With this red dot starfinder, I have (easily) been able to align the telescope to both Jupiter and Saturn. 2. I may have started of with the starfinder, but the equitorial mount is probably the show winner with this thing. Not to keep referring to my $74 fail, but it is good to have a frame of reference when explaining why sometimes you have to make an investment even for entry-level equipment into a hobby. The $74 fail used a super cheap camera tripod. Problem with these tripods is they don't adjust at a fine enough level to make the small changes to put an object into the site picture. And, despite the fact that the cheap scope didn't weigh anything, it still would drift on the tripod... basically making it impossible to do anything except look at the moon. The Celestron is big and heavy, yet the EQ mount holds it masterfully in position, but the real winner is the fine tuning knobs. I didn't realize just how fast objects move in space (I mean.. I get it. The earth is spinning at 1000 mph, I just never put that together to mean objects move out of a telescope site picture QUICKLY). But with one hand on the fine tuning knob, I can follow the object for a reasonable amount of time to enjoy viewing it. NOTE: I recently bought a motor that I am suppposed to be able to connect to the knob, so that it can automatically hold the picture for me (again... spending more to get the right tools to enjoy the new hobby). Only complaint I have is that one knob seems to be able to adjust indefinitely while the other can only change maybe 20 degrees (10 in each direction) before it hits a stop. After additional study, I think this is because space objects only move in one direction, so if you properly polar align the scope, you should only need one knob to get the object where you want (left and right) and then not touch that again, then solely use the (up and down) knob to follow the object as it moves in the sky... but hey.. I'm new.. I'll learn to use this better too :-) Other than that, the only thing left is the scope. Like I said, I've looked at Jupiter, Saturn, Moon. I can't really speak to the provided eyepieces. Understanding from my research about focal length, and deciding that as a beginner it would help if I had an adjustable eyepiece (so that I can start zoomed out, find the object easier, then zoom in), so I bypassed the provided eyepiece and went straight to a x2 barrow with an 8-24mm adjustable eyepiece. So far it's been great! Saturn is still a little small, so I'm going to see if I can go even smaller on MM and higher on barrow zoom to see if I can really clearly make out the rings. ....but do you see what Celestron did? They created a (relatively) affordable telescope that grabbed my interest in the hobby and now I am full on exploring new ways (EQ mount motors, higher zoom barrow, lower MM eyepieces) that I can explore the universe above! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent astronomic equipment and good price *by D***. on April 3, 2010* Already I have had opportunity to do a few tests of this telescope and can comment to them that the image is excellent. The construction and the design is robust enough. Only I found two negative details of design. First the screw that is used for adjustment of this latitude evil designed. When one increases the latitude due to the weight of the this assembly it becomes hard to manipulate and when one tries to diminish the latitude, that is to say to slacken the screw in order that the set goes down, the plastic piece separates of the metallic screw turning out to be very inconvinient to do that the assembly goes down almost to the point of remaining united. I come second, the unions of the tripod of stainless steel to the assembly are plastic, these should be metallurgies to give him better permanence in the time. A recommendation for CELESTRON, they must improve the protection of the packing of the Mount CG3, it(he) is not alone to put it in a box without any protection, this one should come protected by rubber(gum), to avoid what happened to me, that in the sending(parcel) and due to the weight of the mount, the mount I strike and there was doubled the screw of Slow Movement in DEC. Lamentably I cannot do claim for guarantee since I am in Venezuela, and the costs of movement going and return of the equipment(team) they be be very high in comparison with the cost of the Telescope. I do not still have mas remedy that to try to repair the piece. David Trujillo P. Barquisimeto, Edo. Lara Venezuela Español. Ya he tenido oportunidad de hacer unas pruebas de este telescopio y les puedo comentar que la imagen es excelente. La construcción y el diseño es bastante robusta. Solo encontré dos detalles negativos de diseño. Primero el tornillo que se usa para ajuste de latitud esta mal diseñado. Cuando uno incrementa la latitud debido al peso del montaje este se torna duro para manipular y cuando uno intenta disminuir la latitud, es decir aflojar el tornillo para que el conjunto baje, la pieza plástica se separa del tornillo metálico resultando muy incomodo hacer que el montaje baje casi al punto de quedarse trabado. Segundo, las uniones del trípode de acero inoxidable al montaje son plásticas, estas deberían ser metálicas para darle mejor durabilidad en el tiempo. Una recomendación para CELESTRON, deben mejorar la proteccion del empaque de la Montura CG3, no es solo ponerlo en una caja sin ninguna protección, este debería venir protegido por goma, para evitar lo que me pasó, que en el envío y debido al peso de la montura, la montura se golpeo y se dobló el tornillo de Movimiento Lento en DEC. Lamentablemente no puedo hacer reclamo por garantía ya que me encuentro en Venezuela, y los costos de traslado ida y vuelta del equipo serían muy altos en comparación con el costo del Telescopio. No me queda mas remedio que tratar de reparar la pieza. David Trujillo P. Barquisimeto, Edo. Lara Venezuela ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great newtonian telescope, amazing views of dark skies and planets, but definitely not for beginners *by D***L on April 5, 2023* So, I'm gonna say this upfront: I wish I could give this telescope a 5 star review, because it is an AMAZING telescope...once you collimate it properly, and learn how to use an equatorial telescope. But here are some quick pros and a few more cons: PROS: - INCREDIBLE views of objects, great for very close planetary observations and very good at looking at Messier/deep space objects. - Not very complicated or hard to initially set up, I did it in less than an hour. - Once you learn how equatorial telescopes work, it's very easy to find targets and align the telescope, then follow targets with the fine tuners. - Comes mostly ready to go, alignment for me was (mostly) in place, but still needs proper collimating for serious users. - Tripod is relatively stable for the weight/size, once you have it firmly in the ground. - Comes with x10 and x20 Plossl eyepieces, and they are excellent lenses (for the prices eyepieces go for! - Targetfinder is VERY easy to use to align the scope, makes for fast changes (when it's not finnicky, see below, it's my biggest complaint about this telescope and others like it). CONS: - Collimating is very very time-consuming: one has to remove the 5 inch mirror at the bottom, perfectly center-dot it, put a binder-ring protector on the mirror (carefully), then align the 2ndary and primary mirrors. I used a collimating cap, not a laser collimator, it didnt sit in very well with enuf stability to get the alignment right. - Adjusting the base screws to collimate the primary mirror takes a lot of patience...I found when I locked one of the 3 screw sets down, it would get just a smidge out of alignment, so it took several tries to get the alignment right right at all 3 corners of the bottom tube. - Astrophotography is next-to-impossible with this telescope: I got into this wanting to take pictures, and for that purpose, its' only stable enuf for really good smart phone and a clamp mount at best. The viewfinder is on the side of the tube, and anything heavier than a cellphone will make it entirely unbalanced. But I've discovered that most telescopes are not really great at astrophotography...they are great for true, naked-eye astronomy though lol - Weight is fairly heavy, making this a little hard to travel with. Requires some disassembly, but it is doable with patience and some arm strength. - Starfinder/Targetfinder is easily the WEAKEST item on this scope. The lateral adjusters to get it aligned aren't very stable, and Im finding that the laser rolling switch is sometimes shorting out after just a few months of usage...may have to buy a better replacement, which is unfortunate, because when it's working, its VERY efficient in finding targets. (*UPDATE 6/10/23* : this stock starfinder basically died on me, and not because of the battery...the roller to turn it on/adjust dot brightness is thoroughly stripped out and not working...sadly, the standard replacement starfinders are no better, this is a SERIOUS problem that has an easy solution, but no mfr. wants to tackle...because the visual parts of it work great, but anything the rotates/rolls just doesn't last...hence the drop to 4 stars on this). All in all, Im "very pleased" with what I'm getting with this telescope, and I expect to use it for many more years to come. But it's really an intermediate-level telescope. If you are just getting started out, it could be a little daunting without some patience, and some help setting up. ## Frequently Bought Together - Celestron - AstroMaster 130EQ Newtonian Telescope - Reflector Telescope for Beginners - Fully-Coated Glass Optics - Adjustable-Height Tripod - Bonus Astronomy Software Package - Celestron – Smartphone Photography Adapter for Telescope – Digiscoping Smartphone Adapter – Capture Photos and Video Through Your Telescope or Spotting Scope Eyepiece - Celestron 8 Piece Telescope Accessory Kit – Eyepieces, 2X Barlow Lens, Colored Filters, Moon Filter and Sturdy Carry Case --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1150975-celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope-for-deep-sky-beginners](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1150975-celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope-for-deep-sky-beginners) --- *Product available on Desertcart Ecuador* *Store origin: EC* *Last updated: 2026-07-29*