Telescope review
This reflector is great for observing the planets and bright sky objects, but absolute beginners will require patience with its mount
Choosing a telescope as a beginner is a process often fraught with pitfalls. These days we are spoilt for choice with the enormous range of equipment available. Telescopes for beginners are wide and varied, but some are most certainly better than others. The budget Celestron AstroMaster range seeks to reveal the wonders of the cosmos to those who are perhaps just taking their first steps into exploring an interest in the night sky without breaking the bank. In this review we test the 130mm-aperture reflecting telescope, which is available for under £200 – a great price for a complete telescope of this size.
The AstroMaster 130EQ comes supplied in a single box which includes the telescope optical tube, mount and accessories. Assembly of the whole telescope takes around 10 to 15 minutes and is very straightforward. The telescope is supplied with a German equatorial mounting, which unlike its more simplistic alt-azimuth counterparts requires a little more thought and patience to set up correctly.
The mount will require basic polar alignment for use under the night sky, which is a fairly easy process, especially if you are just using the telescope for visual use. A rough alignment of the polar axis towards the celestial pole is easily good enough.
The telescope itself is a 130mm Newtonian reflector. Its focal ratio of f/5 means it is a fast telescope more suited to general lower power viewing of celestial objects. The telescope tube itself attaches to a German equatorial mount with manual dual-axis slow-motion controls.
The telescope and mount are nicely made and are of good quality. One especially nice point that is quickly realised is how lightweight and portable this system is. One person can easily move around the entire telescope with no problem. Assembly is simple and straightforward following the included instructions. The telescope itself is moved manually – either by pushing the telescope tube with your hand or using the slow-motion control knobs for fine adjustments.
Being a Newtonian telescope, it’s very important to collimate it before use, and this is also quite easy to achieve following the included instructions. We cannot stress how important this is if you really want to get the most out of the AstroMaster 130EQ – it will make a significant difference to your enjoyment of the telescope.
The telescope comes with two eyepieces – a 20mm and 10mm, giving powers of 33x and 65x respectively, both suitable for low-power wide-field observing. If you wish to use higher powers, we’d recommend purchasing a good-quality Barlow lens. To see details on the planets you will need magnifications of at least 150x, which is well above what the included eyepieces offer.
Once set up and collimated, you are ready to begin observing. Star testing the telescope at higher powers revealed well-corrected optics, and stars focused nicely into tiny airy discs, as you would expect from a good-quality optical system – a very promising first sign!
“THE MOUNT WILL REQUIRE BASIC POLAR ALIGNMENT FOR USE UNDER THE NIGHT SKY, WHICH IS A FAIRLY EASY PROCESS”
Our first proper target for the telescope was the giant planet Jupiter, shining brightly in the south, which was only a month away from opposition. We moved the telescope tube manually by pushing it slowly towards the target. The motion was smooth and didn’t require much force. The small red-dot finder helped to centre the target within the main telescope’s field of view. Upon gazing in using the 20mm eyepiece, at 33x we could quickly see Jupiter’s flattened disc with the bright Galilean moons either side of the planet. Moving the power up to 66x using the 10mm eyepiece revealed a few belts and zones visible across the Jovian disc. The view was very sharp and clear, and really asked for higher power. This is perhaps where the telescope would benefit from having a Barlow lens or a higher power eyepiece included.
Thereafter we decided to move to nearby Saturn. The famous rings of the planet were easily observed, with some of the planet’s brighter moons seen alongside it. We decided to up the power using some of our own equipment, installing a 2x Barlow and increasing the magnification to 120x. The Cassini division in Saturn’s ring system was easily observed, as well as cloud bands on the disc of the planet – an impressive performance for such a low-cost telescope. We quickly moved back to Jupiter, and details could be seen within the cloud belts of the planet. Ganymede – Jupiter’s largest moon – also presented a tiny disc.
We also took some time to observe some fainter targets. The Dumbbell Nebula is a bright planetary nebula well visible in small telescopes. Through the AstroMaster 130EQ it was a clear, bright view, and the nebula clearly showed some of its double-lobed shape. We then moved over to the famous globular star cluster Messier 13. The cluster showed a myriad of pinpoint stars with resolution right into the core of the cluster. We’ve viewed this cluster through countless telescopes over the years, and the AstroMaster 130EQ certainly gave an impressive view for a small telescope. Of course, with a 130mm aperture you are perhaps somewhat limited in hunting down fainter nebulae and galaxies, but under a dark sky it certainly has enough light-gathering power to show many interesting and varied targets.
While the AstroMaster 130EQ is undoubtedly a fine telescope for visual observing, it is not well suited to astrophotography. Since the mount is undriven, long-exposure work is impossible. You can take simple afocal images by holding a phone to the eyepiece or by using an adapter to attach your phone or camera, but more advanced work will prove frustrating. You should remember, however, this telescope isn’t really designed with that in mind. It’s certainly more than good enough to make some first photographic attempts with.
Overall, the AstroMaster 130EQ is a nice telescope for the beginner or those just starting out. It would make an ideal gift to the budding young astronomer – we can only imagine how delighted we would have been to have received such a telescope back when we started out. Another great point here is the affordable price tag; you get a very capable system for your money.
No telescope is perfect, however, and this is no exception. It would be good to see a higher power eyepiece or Barlow lens included to allow higher power views of the planets – essential if you wish to see details on them. Another point worth mentioning is that the telescope must be collimated to perform properly, and collimation isn’t the simplest task for the beginner, especially with a Newtonian. That said, the small size of the 130EQ makes the process far more rapid than on larger telescopes, where you are constantly moving between collimation screws and the eyepiece. The mount may prove a little tricky to get to grips with for those with no experience, and an alt-azimuth mounted alternative may be a better option for an absolute beginner. This AstroMaster 130EQ is a great choice for a first telescope or for those just starting out: it offers impressive views of a wide range of different objects and would make a great present for a budding astronomer.
“UPON GAZING IN USING THE 20MM EYEPIECE, WE COULD QUICKLY SEE JUPITER’S FLATTENED DISC, WITH THE BRIGHT GALILEAN MOONS EITHER SIDE OF THE PLANET”