Celestron AstroMaster 130 Review - Not Recommended, But...

[@I.turbanastro]

Hey ed ting I just wanted to thank you for being a underated legend in the hobby, alot of us have learned alot from your videos, if i hadn't watched your videos ,i would have left the field of telescopes.. thanks for all of the information you give in the videos and I love watching them alot. You might not have many subscribers like other youtubers like astro backyard but you sure are the best one 🙏. Once more thank you and we hope that you still have alot of time on youtube.

[@thereboot5247]

I just wanted to reply to bump this comment up, Ed's helped me out when I've emailed him in the past and I watch all his videos now to learn more. He's extremely helpful and a great guy and I wish he got more recognition for what he does

[@goldni4429]

I also 3rd the motion,you are the best astronomy channel and my favorite on KZbin!

[@PeteQuad]

I started out reading his website scopereviews about 25 years ago and pretty much everything I know about telescopes came from him. I agree, he truly is a legend.

[@radioparisment628]

Ed is well known in the hobby, even in France !

[@jrwestimate6953]

I have to pile on here and echo all the great comments about Ed. Every time I log on to KZbin my first look is at my favorites to see if Ed has a new post.

[@LearnToStargaze]

Thanks so much for reviewing this! Now I have a place to send the dozens of folks who ask me about this scope every month!

[@I.turbanastro]

wow thats great!

[@ArdsleyAstro]

I have both the Astromaster 130 EQ and a Skywatcher 130P EQ2. The Sky-watcher is much better

[@miscellaneouswaynes3655]

Do good telescopes even exist in this price range? I bought one of these like 10 days ago. Seeing this video bummed me out. Seeing that it was posted 5 days ago bummed me out even more 😂 I know nothing about astronomy. Just bought it for my mom because she loves the stars. Just tonight got the red dot *close* to sighted in and was so psyched simple to see a star through it. However, it was a tad bit underwhelming imo. At clearest focus it was just a…slightly higher definition star. There was also a black cross in the image when “zoomed out”?? on it? Idk. Any advice? First thing’s first we need a better telescope, but I’m not wealthy

[@Astrolavista]

I'm increasingly including KZbin videos in in more and more replies to customers; they’re incredibly valuable! This video will be fantastic to share when customers ask about the AstroMaster 130, especially when I’m guiding them towards the Sky-Watcher StarQuest 130p to ensure they’re not disappointed, and need to justify the extra cost. Thanks so much, Ed!

[@brentjablonski3730]

Just a comment to feed the algo. Always good to see a new video. Thanks, Ed!

[@jmould6]

This was my first scope and, as you say, I found the mount incredibly frustrating to use... After watching a few of your videos I decided to sell it on and bought an 8" Dob. So much better! Keep up the excellent content Ed, it is so helpful to us novices!

[@miscellaneouswaynes3655]

Dob?

[@goldni4429]

You made my Sunday,an Ed Ting video on my day off, Thanks!

[@I.turbanastro]

yeah hes the g.o.a.t of our comunity

[@thecity-zo2xe]

I own an AstroMaster 130. I struggled with it for months and thought it was due to my lack of experience. I then listened to your reviews and ordered an Orion Short Tube 80T. I instantly was impressed with the Short Tube. From using it, I learned that in astronomy, a “gentle” telescope can really change things.

[@jimmazurek5589]

The ST80 is a great first telescope.

[@RagShop1]

@@jimmazurek5589 Too bad Orion is gone now.

[@BCHLking]

Hey Ed! Awesome video. I had one of these for about 4 days, and it was extremely frustrating to use like you said, so I ended up re turning it. 2 years later I now have a 12.5” dob that I got donated from a local astronomy club member and friend, it was just too big for him to use so I got it for free!

[@williamcecil9945]

Ed, Love your videos. I don't care what you are talking about, if you have a new video, I am watching it to the end. Great stuff. Thanks.

[@interestinggameraltlol9245]

I have the Astro master 114. Despite its issues, it somehow has gotten me far into this hobby :)

[@kaboom4679]

You most definitely deserve a medal of some kind , for your perseverance and tenacity .

[@interestinggameraltlol9245]

@kaboom4679thanks… a 32mm plossl and some determination led me to find some cool stuff.

[@Green_House]

Spot on advice ! I bought one cheap to see if I wanted to get back into the hobby. Then a bought an 8" Dob. I THEN made a small dobsonian mount for the AstroMaster using some simple parts from the hardware store and a tripod stool from Ikea. I also add a very cheap finder scope. Works OK. Then I sold the original mount. With the original mount, I always found I had to dismantle it into 'tube, counterweight and tripod' to transport and store. AND assembled, it was hard to move. This was a real pain for such a small telescope. With my new mount, I can leave it assembled and it's light & easy to transport, move and use.

[@taylor315]

I started with their 114az and it’s the same story. Just a cheap introductory scope, even with better eye pieces was no good. I upgraded to their 8” DOB because I love the StarSense app and I’ve never been happier.

[@rosaluks644]

Ed, love your videos! You have a gift

[@BlueTrane2028]

The mount is good for something like a ShortTube 80. Nothing bigger though.

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

Great review Ed! I see these scopes going for pennies, and the optics are at least better than those dreadful "Supermarket cheapos" we see with optics so bad I believe they should be ILLEGAL!!?? 😱😂 My first scope was a SkyWatcher 114/500 and I loved it Ed. I think because I was a beginner I simply didn't notice all of it's flaws? ( that said, I was so passionate about the hobby that I would have tolerated a lot of hassle/problems and still pursued the hobby! ). I'll NEVER FORGET the first time I saw Jupiter through it! It was magical Ed!! Clear Skies from Wes, Liverpool, England.

[@jgm-233]

Hi Ed, been watching your videos for some years now, love what you do. One of these was my second scope, I can agree with the comments on the 20mm eyepiece and red dot finder. As to the rest I worked through and around its foibles and learnt a lot. Then moved on again to something better. I have no regrets owning one.

[@astrofire68]

I scored one of these off a neighbour who just couldn’t get it to work. The mount is utter garbage and not only offsets the optical tube but the base of the mount shifts/tilts on the tripod depending on where you’re pointing. I gave the mount away and will soon be testing the OTA on my old Vixen GP mount. I’ll also strap on my William optics red dot rather than use the red dot (newer version) on the tube which is also total garbage. My original thought was to make a letter box out of the mount and tube and place it out at the front of my house…..Great review Ed. Thank you 👍

[@0almanza0]

Gracias por la reseña, tengo 2 años con el Eq 130 y cometí todos los errores que mencionó 😂, creia que era yo el que no sabia como usarlo.

[@paulnicholson6317]

I've had my Astromaster 130 EQ for a couple of months and agree with all your points. But I like the scope! It's a challenge to use for the reasons you give, but I've learned to get some nice images out of it, using an astro camera instead of the eyepieces, some modification to the (optional) RA motor drive, and plate solving instead of the red dot finder! It's really getting me into astronomy for not much expense.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

EQ mounts can also be used as AZ.

[@Useaname]

Thank you, because I was going to buy one of these.

[@amarbirk8987]

Astromaster 102az (102/660 refractor) has similar issues. The ota is good but the mount is terrible. When you have it on target,the telescope flops down so the target is lost.

[@goldni4429]

I agree,it's a great OTA,I have the omni 102 xlt on the CG-4. The 102 AZ was sold at Costco for a good price and if only they would have had a Vixen Porta like nount,they could have gotten a lot of people to latch on to the hobby😢😢😢

[@millenialfalcon8243]

This Christmas, Costco had a StarSense DX version of the 100az (102az OTA with plastic 1.25" focuser). Had the DX AltAz Tripod mount. $230 It was a clone of the discontinued (I think) StarSense Popular Science 100az with a different paint scheme.

[@amarbirk8987]

@@millenialfalcon8243 the 102az can take a 2 inch focuser whereas the costco version can not but costco had great prices on the starsense scopes

[@jons2447]

Thank you!, Mr. Ting! Another scope to avoid is the Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ. I bought one, I had it maybe a week before I returned it. Good thing too> Because I found a used Orion StarBlast 6i, which is a much better scope, IMO. As for a "low power" eyepiece I like my 32mm Plossl for wide views.

[@alandyer910]

I totally agree. It’s hard to imagine why reputable companies would decide to damage their reputation, and forfeit subsequent sales from owners wanting to upgrade, by continuing to sell such flawed products. Yes, I know, it’s for short-term profits. But the best customer is the one you have and can retain and upgrade, for the long-term gain. This is the eq mount that gives eq mounts their poor reputation as being hard to use. I found in using it everything seemed to collide with something. Why is it so difficult to build a good beginner eq mount? They do exist!

[@bierrollerful]

9:15 Goodness, what were they thinking with that offset on the mount?

[@MatthieusStuff]

it's absolutely shocking. I haven't played with one but I'm wondering if that mount could be decent without the offset. This could maybe be fixed with a 3d printed part that plugs into the current position and offset the dovetail back to center

[@A0111.]

​@@MatthieusStuffperhaps not 3d printed, but CNC machine-cut

[@MatthieusStuff]

@@A0111. yeah, you’d need a robust material so cnc makes sense

[@richardking43000]

Ed, thanks for the video. Unfortunately, AstroMaster 130 was my first scope. I still use it but since have moved on to the 8-inch Orion Dobsonian. I purchased a couple higher end eye pieces, and it improved the scopes visual capabilities. After watching the video, I plan on finding a different mount and use the scope as a back-up if needed. Thanks for the information.

[@BenjaminR645]

I have a 114mm AstroMaster I purchased on Craigslist for $30. It has been an uphill learning curve getting this thing to work, and I'd still say it doesn't really get the job done. I have been able to see the moon, Jupiter's moons, and Saturn's rings. With that said it continues to be a struggle to collimate this thing since the cheap plastic spider plate is missing one of its legs. I have learned a lot with this telescope, but I agree with Ed here. Stay away from this thing unless you have lots of patience and can get a bargain on it!

[@SolesHomestead]

Thanks for the info great job

[@ЛеонГаврилов]

Review bresser pollux 6" f5 eq 3. I've had it as a firs scope and it's pretty decent

[@P61guy61]

Thank you for your support of astronomy.

[@RCFlyBoy314]

I was just given one, really spooled it up for the family and then they gifted it to me. Its as good as she'll get, but that focuser... and the RA knob that bonks the dial...

[@A0111.]

To fix this knob issue - reinstall the scope turning it 180 degree in a dovetail mount. It's not like they show on pictures, but it works. Such a silly design mistake.

[@Matt-li5is]

If I had found your videos 3 years ago, I would not have bought this 'disastrous master 130' new...I elevated myself to the 8 inch dobsonian a year later and everything became much better. Last year I bought the a80mf with porta mount used in Japan auction site for about 140 usd. Hopefully I will get the dusty 130mm optical tube out of the garage and put it on the porta mount for casual observing😂 I still prefer the 80mm f11 achromat over the 130mm reflector with a spherical mirror.

[@running2standstill685]

I have this and i love it, at least the tube. I learned a lot from the EQ mount but i replaced the tripod and the mount with altaz. I use it for DSOs and found Neptune and Uranus wth it.

[@Gofr5]

My Meade Polaris 90 astro set was my starter set when I first started 7 years ago. Luckily I opted for the 90mm achro refractor over the reflector as in my research of what first scope to buy (I did a lot at the beginning, and yes I knew about the old buy a 6" or 8" dob advice at the time already), I'm glad I picked the achro. Yeah the mount was the same trashy thing as this (though it did at least line the scope up properly when mounted), hence why it was one of my first big upgrades early on, but the scope itself is actually half decent. Still use it every now and then to this day despite all the "better" scopes I now have. Always thought the Astromaster 130 optical tube would be a decent scope itself, but apparently not? Disappointing. But then, you may say my little 90mm F10 achro may not be either, but I still love it. I'll say this though, it never shifted the image when focusing. lol

[@IvanProsper]

I have one of these. I would say I regret the purchase but it was actually given to me free. The mount is so terrible but it's just bearable for viewing. Took me a while to nail down collimation on the scope but I got there eventually. On the plus side, I have 3D printed a strain wave gear EQ mount and designed an adapter to fit it to the base tripod. Once it's done I will share the instructions as there are so many cheap ones available used that it may be worthwhile if you like to tinker :)

[@millenialfalcon8243]

I have heard rumors the mirror is not parabolic, but spherical with no corrector lens. Not sure if that is with newer models only, or includes older models.

[@BlueTrane2028]

I was given one of these Astromaster 130s with a broken tripod spreader leg. 3D printer solved that. And it’s my belief that mine was spherical. I couldn’t get it to focus on anything. This wasn’t my first scope I was just hoping for something smaller than a 12” DOB for casual sessions. I threw it out. The tripod is ideal for a ShortTube 80, the focus knobs also upgraded said ST80. Sold it all off when I moved to a 102mm f/5.

[@ceejay0137]

Ed's comment about the amount of spherical aberration is consistent with a spherical mirror. At F/5 it would need to be parabolic to give a decent image even at field centre.

[@ArdsleyAstro]

There is a blog post on the Celestron website from 2011 stating the mirror is Spherical

[@millenialfalcon8243]

​@@ArdsleyAstroI've also heard some experienced people say their copies had very good optics. So maybe in 2011 it was spherical and changed later. Or Celestron just puts in there whatever the mirror supplier gives them, parabolic or spherical.

[@ArdsleyAstro]

@@millenialfalcon8243 Even though the mirror is spherical most people wont notice or realise what the aberrations are.

[@code3257]

Hey Ed Ting, the Celestron Astromaster 130 is my second telescope, and I've been using it for a month now. And it is true, the mount is horrible since it is not that sturdy, but the optical tube is very decent, although the primary mirror is a spherical one, and so I plan to purchase and replace the mirror to a proper parabolic mirror, and purchase a proper and sturdier mount, but not right now. But despite being a spherical mirror the views that it gives are great on clear nights, and I managed to capture some bright messier objects using my smartphone that is attached to a smartphone adapter that comes with the scope.

[@A0111.]

The cheapest way to get a parabolic 130/650 mirror is probably to buy a used scope like Orion SpaceProbe 130ST or Skywatcher Heritage p130, and to get rid of Astromaster 130.

[@tuunaes]

Parabolic mirror and proper quality and sturdyness mount would cost more than more capable Dobson. And even good quality mount won't save from ergonomics problems of German equatorial mount and Newtonian with eyepiece position swinging and twisting all over the place when pointing telescope to different directions. Alt-Az is far nicer with eyepiece moving in simple arc. I used equatorially mounted TAL-1 for 25 years before upgrading to Dobson and only good thing in equatorial mount was super easy finding of Dumbbell Nebula.

[@davewells9142]

I have one of these that I bought off Facebook Marketplace for $50. I've used it a couple of times, but mostly just at outreach events to demonstrate what a Newtonian reflector and EQ mount look like. The 20mm lens is bizarre and I've never used it. With a 40mm Omni plossl I've seen some nice star clusters, as it has a wide field of view. I've used it on my alt az mount, and that did help somewhat with the mount issues. Now it mostly collects dust in my garage. I'd sell it but I'd really hate to saddle someone else with it and kill their interest in stargazing.

[@stargaz629]

Hello Mr. Ting. I was looking for your thoughts on a scope purchase I want to make. I'm going to try getting into the photo side of the hobby. As far as a small scope for astro photos goes, do you have a preference.... without spending a lot. I did see your review of the Astro tech at72edll. What would be any other recommendation for comparable scopes? What about the SVBony line or Explore scientific? Thank you.

[@twohoos]

Lost it when the camera adapter came out 😂

[@asmith8904]

I have the simular but very different 130 SLT for 15 years and enjoy it very much! Its quirks were way easier to fix !

[@A0111.]

I have a Celestron C6. It is also a telescope made by Celestron. The thing is - 130 SLT is indeed a very different scope from the Astromaster 130.

[@mikeisss79]

Couldn't you also try mounting something smaller like an ST-80 on there? I would think the mount would behave a little nicer with something lighter🙂

[@ar37697974]

What would be better recommendation instead of the Astromaster telescope? Within the same price range.

[@markattardo]

Great video. Question, would a camera even be able to reach focus on that?

[@kevanhubbard9673]

They do have a South Pole Star called Sigma Octantis which is about as bright as Uranus so would only be visible in very dark areas with the unaided eye.I have seen it from a Bortle 3 area when I visited the South Island of New Zealand and I am guessing you can still see it from Bortle 4 areas but not 5 and above.

[@A0111.]

Bortle 5 is fine to locate Octans through a polar scope

[@birds_adorb]

Replace the spherical mirror with a parabolic one and also replace the crappy eq mount

[@tuunaes]

At that point you would already have gotten clearly more capable Dobson for the price. There just aren't cheap good equatorial+tripod mounts. Not that German equatorial mount even makes sense for visual observing with Newtonian, because of eyepiece position swinging and twisting all over the place ending half the time to more or less bad direction. Alt-Az is much nicer with eyepiece moving in simple arc.

[@johnrobison1413]

Just looked at it on a retailers site. It has a spherical mirror! AN F5 WITH A SPHERICAL MIRROR??!! ARE THEY CRAZY?

[@thereboot5247]

Hi Ed, could you do a review of the best telescopes for traveling/camping in different price ranges? I don't have enough saved up to afford something like the 4se which I see most people recommending, so I was wondering what you'd had success with or what you think would be best

[@edting]

If I wanted to observe while camping, I'd figure out a way to cram a 6" Dob into the car. I don't love the NexStar 4se. It's Celestron's answer to the ETX, which isn't a great thing.

[@millenialfalcon8243]

Checked out Celestron's StarSense Tabletop Dobs. They come in three sizes, 150 (6in), 130 (5in), 114 (4.5mm).

[@thereboot5247]

@@edting thanks for the reply, just out of curiosity, do you have any low budget recommendations for this? I'm a college student who's just managed to save up about $600 to put towards telescopes, but I'm still looking for my first one. Currently I'm looking at an 8inch dob for my home, but with this upcoming trip that would be too big to pack. We're going to a blackout zone in Maine so I was really excited to see the stars and planets with far more clarity than even my farm town has

[@thereboot5247]

@@millenialfalcon8243 I know these require a good setup to remain steady, but would you recommend them with just a random table I can pack or would you say something bigger with its own stand is better?

[@millenialfalcon8243]

@@thereboot5247 i don't have personal experience with tabletop dobs, but many on Cloudy Nights like to put them on a stool. There is an Ikea stool many recommend. Don't recall the name of it.

[@A0111.]

Few tips to make it better if you happen to have it: Tighten all mount's nuts and bolts, lubricate slow motion control mechanisms, especially big orange Righ Ascension gear. Collimate the scope. If you've never done that, ask someone who knows how, as it's hard to collimate this scope - the primary mirror has no centre mark, you cannot see all primary mirror clips looking through the focuser, the secondary mirror (at least in my case) wasn't set correctly under the focuser, and it was the hardest part to center it right, as its holder is also terrible with long collimation screws moving mirror in random directions when you turn them. Finally my scope is ok, especially for low magnification objects, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially for those who is new to this hobby.

[@richiewitkowski7142]

You should do a review on a decent equatorial mount that is for visual astronomy and not for astrophotography. My Orion Starblast II came with a crappy equatorial mount but I really like the idea and I know how to use them well. I saw one for like $300 forget who the brand was

[@tnbroken4447]

Ok so if not this telescope then which one should i buy ??

[@edting]

There are many buyer's guides on this channel. My default recommendation hasn't changed in 20+ years - get a 6" or 8" Dob from any manufacturer.

[@tnbroken4447]

@edting well but i want to do astrophotography I have some experience and I an sure I can operate an eq mount.

[@normquesnel9095]

Oh god. I just bought this for my daughter for Xmas. I had originally ordered an Orion, based on your reviews, but unfortunately they went out of business.

[@A0111.]

It's a hobby killer. I'm not a novice, but I struggled to use it because of the mount, and optics are just not sharp even when collimated. I hope you can return it and get any dobsonian instead.

[@normquesnel9095]

@ no I can’t return it. I bought it months ago after ordering and not receiving the Orion observer. By all accounts, that one seemed to be the best for beginners. Maybe I can eventually get it working enough to keep her interested.

[@A0111.]

​​@@normquesnel9095 look around for used scopes. Sometimes you can get a gem for very little money. Last year I bought an 8" dob for $120. Last night someone was faster than me to buy Celestron NexStar 8SE for only $300 !

[@jimmazurek5589]

@@normquesnel9095Look for a used AltAz mount. It will be easier for your daughter to use.

[@A0111.]

​​@@jimmazurek5589 right, but it can cost like a used 6" dob. I haven't seen any good used mounts for sale where I live, but perhaps it's easier to find somewhere in a big city. And... anyway, this tube isn't sharp to look at the planets

[@jameslesterphillipsi]

Please review a Stellarvue telescope

[@Astronurd]

The spherical mirror also is a poor choice for a 130mm Newtonian.

[@fommil]

Do you have any recommendations for focuser replacements? (Mounts and eyepieces are pretty well covered already by other videos)

[@CMDRyassuu]

Well well well, it's about time I guess. I've asked you before about the scope here in KZbin and you didn't recommend it, now I have a celestron astrofi 130, so thanks for the advice

[@A0111.]

Astrofi 130 is a good scope, and can even be used to begin with astrophotography. Unlike AM130, Astrofi 130 has a decent parabolic mirror.

[@laubingam]

I love AZ mount much more, because it's easier and more convenient, which have more fun in observing.

[@heven729]

Just yesterday, someone showed up to my astronomy club’s weekly meeting with a similar telescope. It just frustrated me how these cheap telescopes which are marketed to beginners really have a discouraging effect due to their frustrating operation. After seeing a few dobsonians, the visitor was convinced in returning their product and going for a 6 inch dobsonian!

[@AnythingByEric]

thanks for this, i just added this to my cart prior to watching this, removing it from my cart lol

[@leonardvorhis838]

How is the Meade 10" Research scope coming along? Thnx L

[@darthdadious6142]

My kids got me this telescope for me for christmas 3 years ago. I honestly started to think maybe astronomy was for people who love pain. I want to take the mount out back and go at it with a shotgun. It absolutely sucks. I bought upgraded eyepieces, so I can actually see stuff through it in the nights sky, not that I can get it to point where I want it before one piece or another rotates without warning. None of the axis on this thing tightens to the point where it won't move with a feather touch. Polar alight, pipe dream. the base rotates no matter how I tight a crank the knob. It's an absolute joke of a mount. I replaced the finder scope, after the whole tube fell off the mount (did I mention that nothing holds????). Focuser is horrible, as you mentioned. I tried to use it for the total solar eclipse that passed right over my house, but can you believe, this piece of garbage is so bad I couldn't find the sun??? blah

[@tuunaes]

About everything in these is no doubt made for cheap with low QC standards to maximize profits. Especially that's problem for marketing BS hype equatorial+tripod mounts, whose complexity makes quality costly. And even if mount was actually good easily doubling the price, German equatorial mount and Newtonian means ergonomics problems with eyepiece swinging all over the place when pointing telescope to different directions.

[@michaelnixon6672]

Can you assist? I have the svbony MK105 122mm and want to connect the ZWO ASI2600MC AIR but need an adapter. Do you know which one and where I might acquire it?

[@Fossbear]

oooh. my first scope :) What a journey until i just bought an EQ5 mount and finally sold it to a poor soul. Sometimes i was able to see at least the planets kinda focused. Luckily i joined an astronomy club and had the chance to look though an 16" Dobsonian. If you are not impressed by the things you see through one of these... well... Now happily doing astrofotography with all the learning and cursing at clouds

[@deltacx1059]

Shame you can't get a Orion observer anymore, the focuser is too long for my purposes but the mount seems better than this one.

[@marckyle5895]

For exactly the same price at Celestron, the Astromaster 90EQ refractor is a better buy to me. At 4.4 pounds, it doesn't overburden the mount like the 7.7 pound Newtonian. The F/11 focal length means (theoretically) much less chromatic aberration unless the Synta sourced lens is defective, too. That off center dovetail tho SMH 🙄

[@grantsorenson4113]

Ok Ed pretty well got this review right for a change unlike the bumbbled review of the ZWO Seestar he did a way back. Good job ed. I agree I would never pay full price for one of these scopes but used for almost nothing is a different matter. I do have one and mount it on my nextstar goto mount and works pretty good. As Ed said there is indeed slop in the focuser but this can be adjusted and fixed but putting some teflon tap unside and removing the slop. Problem solved. Once done you can get some awesome deep sky captures from it with a astro camera.

[@edting]

Thank you. The SeeStar review is 100% correct. I threw cold water on the cult. They needed it. Don't buy those things. It's a 2 year old product in a fast moving technology. You'll be able to get them for free soon.

[@A0111.]

Does your AM130 have a parabolic mirror (some of them have) ? Mine is spherical, and just not sharp, i e. not suitable for planets.

[@grantsorenson4113]

@@edting well I hope you are right I mean almost getting one for free lol. I used to work in technology and to tell you the truth Ed there will always be a better automatic scope coming out eventually in the future and that is certain for sure. That is the nature of technology but I don't agree with you should just wait and wait. I think you were pretty harsh in your assessment of the ZWO Seestar. If you really took the time to access it properly you will realize how well it actually works and that ZWO has made an amazing amount of progress on their product with updates and support.

[@grantsorenson4113]

@@A0111. yes it one of the older ones with the parabolic mirror lucky me. I think you mean deep sky right? Planets should make little difference since to image planets you need to use at least a 3X barlow with this scope and a roi mode with a extremely narrow field of view. You will never get a great image of planet at 650mm focal length more like 2500mm or higher lol. I have used this scope to image some deepsky targets like the Ring Nebula and Dumbell nebua and they have turned out extremely well definitely capable of deepsky if colliminated well.

[@A0111.]

@@grantsorenson4113 I mean it's not sharp at all looking at the planets. Of course the ideal scope for planets is a long focal length SCT or mak, but to not clearly see Jupiter belts or Saturn rings is frustrating. I have a noname 150/750 which isn't as good on planets as my C6, but it's not bad either (vids on my channel, no monetisation). But this AM130 is just not sharp. I don't even want to put a footage of Saturn taken with this scope to my channel to not mislead people, as the outcome was kind of OK due to some software processing magic.

[@HEXZ0R-]

i had powerseeker 114 for first scope , it was good enough for me , i observed alot of moon,jupiter,saturn , some bright dso's i could say venera(even tho it wasnt so clear) , mars (if looking at something orange makes it really mars) , overall i had amazing experience ,but i think thats because i was already very interested in the sky and where different things are located and i had fun finding them all by myself , i knew it wasnt gonna be "wow" but when i see even 1% of detail im like "wow thats crazy i found this" and it was super fun , now i have skywatcher 200mm on goto eq mount and is even crazier , i can even shoot for a bit and is just amazing :D and if i want to see something really really cool , i go to astrobin to see how the big boys are doing :)

[@WilliamBlakers]

I've wondered over the last few weeks if it was Celestrons willingness to produce bad scopes to flood the low end of the market that kept it afloat, whereas Meade, to my mind anyway, seemed not as willing( or perhaps was not able to) to build high volume, low value scopes that caused its bankruptcy.

[@quicksave1]

Next best beginner telescope in this price range?

[@A0111.]

Sky-Watcher Heritage P130 Not without issues (focuser), but it's easy to use, and it has a parabolic mirror.

[@ColeDedhand]

My wife's 130 Starsense has wonderful optics but the mount is horrible and the eyepieces are... lacking. Those things we just don't use. Sitting on my EQM-35 mount and using my Televue eyepieces it's a really nice view. With good seeing it easily handles 100X giving excellent views of moon and planets and brighter dsos.

[@millenialfalcon8243]

The 130 StarSense has a parabolic mirror, but I've heard the 130 AstroMaster is a spherical mirror. I agree the 130 is too big for the StarSense DX mount. I have the 5" sct version and that works OK since the OTA is shorter.

[@A0111.]

Starsense 130 has different everything, except for 130 in the name. I'm actually searching for a used DX or SLT 130 to put on my AVX mount.

[@thresholdslayer8980]

This was my first telescope. Everything he said about this "wonderful" instrument is true. I had to move the mirror forward to achive prime focus with my dslr. Now I have a Sky-Watcher 10" flextube goto dob. Probably the last telescope I had to buy in my life.

[@martinlagrange8821]

In NZ, South Africa and Australia, we do have a Southern Pole Star - Sigma Octantis. Its just faint, and you need to be in the deep dark to see it easily.

[@jimmazurek5589]

Don’t forget Chile - world’s greatest astronomy site.

[@A0111.]

Not deep dark, bortle 5 is Ok - I can see 4 Octans through my polar scope under a street light from my backyard in Canberra, Australia ;)

[@martinlagrange8821]

@ True - though mid-town Auckland (unless midwinter with no clouds) makes it a bit of a stretch....

[@markfletcher8084]

Thanks Ed. It looks like an acceptable telescope, until you put the pedal to the metal.

[@dirkfierce2525]

I got the 127 on close out for like $100 for fun and even at that price it is bird-jones hot trash. That said, the included counterweights are AWESOME to use on a Skywatcher AZ-GTI/GTE if you want to put it into EQ mode.

[@howardnielsen3869]

Yes, they can mess up even a simple red dot finder. In fact most of the red dot finders, such as the Orion style, are no better made than childern's toys. The only reflext type finders of any use are the Telrad and the Rigel Quickfinder.

[@A0111.]

They're made not better than children toys, but they are usable, unlike this one.

[@kasa6038]

This looks really similar to the now defunct Meade Polaris 130 mm reflector. A decent OTA (for the price) and a terrible GEQ mount.

[@A0111.]

Does Mead Polaris also have cheap Spherical mirror like Astromaster 130?

[@kasa6038]

@@A0111. Not sure. It was my first scope and I could not have told you the difference between mirros at that time. I sold it for $50 after about 6 months and like many other people who commented on this video, bought a 10 inch Apertura Dob. I agree with what Ed has said many time that an 8 or 10 inch Dob is a lifetime telescope. I now have a Lunt solar/modular refractor and a 16 inch Starmaster but the 10 inch is my main scope (outside of solar).

[@uncouthboy8028]

For whatever it is worth, I have this and a nextstar 4se and the astromaster has a better focuser.

[@KingLoopie1]

👍👍

[@dks13827]

About $304 on Amazon.

[@ADCar]

It seems like they just didn't care when they designed this. For just a few more dollars and a bit of engineering, most of these problems could have been eliminated and they would have a fine beginners telescope.

[@Darren-vh5lk]

SkyWatcher Explorer 130EQ2 would be better?.....

[@ArdsleyAstro]

Yes much better, The mount still wobbles but not half as much as the Astromaster. I have both but now have an astrophotography rig.

[@marcfitkin8789]

And just think what Celestron used to distribute in the Vixen era compared to this.

[@mangauniversity]

Why not just put the Astromaster onto that there AP Stowaway's mount? Problem solved! 😆

[@PeterS-r4o]

'We found the Moon' - kind of says it all.

[@xj650t]

another great review of a mediocre telescope, thanks. I see loads of them listed on places like gumtree, eBay and marketplace, so sad that the people selling will likely have left the hobby.

[@stevenlarkin1706]

The old Tasco 60 mm refractor was even worse.

[@perry92964]

this thing really is a shame. i cant see they made that mount like that to save money cause i dont think it would cost more to make it the tried and true way.

[@MikeLikesChannel]

Cheap telescopes are like cheap camera drones. They’re nothing but pain and frustration. Spend $300+ and suddenly you have access to quality instruments, not toys.

[@togray619]

Second!

[@ParamjotHayer]

First!

[@kaboom4679]

It's worse than I thought . Your tires need a new car ...

[@richardlighthill3228]

I bought one of these and IMMEDIATELY removed the scope and made a home-made Dobsonian for it... and removed the "red dot finder"! Eyepieces are a piece of JUNK ! These ought to be BANNED and Celestron can do better... if they wanted to...the German Equatorial mount is pure FRUSTRATION for everyone... even me and I am not a beginner. Thanks for speaking the truth!

[@ziggyfrnds]

Last week I saved a life by stopping a friend from buying this telescope 😛 I'm doing God's work I know ;-)

[@C227C227]

I have this scope. It's not great, and makes me want to cry

[@A0111.]

No. No ifs or buts, just Not recommended! Powerseeker 127EQ is a dream scope compared to this one. I used my own eyepieces, and it was enjoyable to look at Saturn with 127eq, tracking it with one knob, but this mount is absolutely unusable, and optics are just bad. Horrible scope.

[@blobrana8515]

It's a horrible telescope but it can be saved with a bit of DIY skills, a low power eyepiece and a bit of extra kit

[@A0111.]

... and a new primary mirror. Few of them have decent parabolic mirrors from the factory though.

[@RefractorGuy]

The mount is good the rest is crap

[@A0111.]

Everything looks good, but not works. Only the dovetail, and rings are good.

[@ultrametric9317]

Certainly the worst starter scope, from any era, I have ever seen. All the BS with the mount and focuser and junk eyepieces can be worked around, but the optics on the one I tested were beyond terrible. It was a 5" f/5 sphere and was at least 2 waves undercorrected. Focus on anything, even the Moon, was impossible. Dim stars were so mushy as to be not visible, so it wasn't even any good for star fields. This telescope came my way because an acquaintence won it as s door prize at her work. I tuned it up for her as much as I could, but there was nothing to be done about the optics. The best thing for this telescope would be to mask off all but one quadrant of the spider. so that became more or less a 60mm f/11 scope.

[@bill5982]

Celestron should be ashamed for making such a piece of junk. It is the reason I won't buy anything from them as they have no shame or morals.

[@rbmk__1000]

Ed should go to Australia and visit dankpods