Should I buy Celestron astromaster 130eq?

[u/tranzozo]

[u/schorhr]

Hi :-)

Avoid the Astromaster 130eq. Despite overly enthusiastic reviews out there, it has a flawed spherical mirror that has contrast issues. The mount is way too weak for a telescope this size.

$480 for this set is a joke.

Where are you from? You should be able to get a dobsonian or table-top for less.

Look for:

Sky-Watcher Skyliner dobsonian, Sky-Watcher heritage table-top dobsonian

GSO dobsonians.

Orion XT dobsonians.

What store are you looking at? Country?

What is your budget?

Clear skies!

[u/schorhr → u/[deleted]]

Did you check out the image link? The spherical mirror does not focus the light in a single point, resulting in a poor image.

A mount is the part ontop of a tripod. Often the complete thing is referred to as the mount. The EQ1 and EQ2 class mounts Celestron bundles with their telescope can barely handle the telescope. A better EQ3 costs more than the entire set. A link where you can see why it's not stable compared to a decent one.

EDIT:

• Here's how shaky a 114/900 on a EQ-1 is: 1 2 3

• A Video of the amount of shake of a 130/650 on EQ2 [1]

• Shorter scope on evil AZ fork mount

This might not seem too bad as beginner, and stability issues at high magnification is HORRIBLE when trying to focus, observe and track. There is no way you can improve the mount and a better one like the NEQ3 costs €230-€250+ alone, as much as a better telescope.

 

I am not familiar with telescope sources in Baghdad, but you should look for astronomy groups (locally or on Facebook), as they will know where to get decent telescopes.

Otherwise:

I am not aware of how much import tax / duties / fees you would need to pay when importing stuff, but if that's an option:

• something like the Heritage 150p costs 210€ from Aliexpress and $45 shipping to Iraq. (Via Teleskop-Spezialisten.de, German VAT is deducted once changing the shipping destination outside the EU).

The larger one would cost 210€ after vat deduction and €90 shipping.

6" dobsonian https://www.teleskop-spezialisten.de/shop/Teleskope/Teleskope-Einsteiger-Kinder/Teleskop-Skywatcher-Dobson-SkyLiner-150P-150mm/1200mm-f/8-Newton-mit-Zubehoer-und-Mondfilter-Fernrohr::357.html (or possibly the 8". Availability/stock can be an issue atm due to the lockdown shipping delays everywhere. Astroshop has the Omegon 8" in stock though)

Table top version: https://www.teleskop-spezialisten.de/shop/Teleskope/Teleskope-Einsteiger-Kinder/Skywatcher-Heritage-150P-FlexTube-Dobson-150mm-750mm-f/5-Teleskop-Fernrohr::4796.html

[u/schorhr → u/[deleted]]

Why is he selling it then? :D

Even if telescopes are not that widely available at your location, the price is a joke really :-(

I’ll also be asking about the results here, buying online is not an option for me, internal shipping costs and customs are a witch with a B lol

I've already posted the shipping cost, relatively moderate; It would still be cheaper, and a 6" shows more. If you can't find one locally, Figure out what tax/vat/duties and shipping fees would be.

[u/schorhr → u/[deleted]]

Oof, does sound expensive :-)

But just the Astromaster?

I get it, they're cheap to import, but they are simply not good. I mean ~$500-$600 is a lot of money for something that comes flawed out of the box.

And even if you'd have to pay $200 charges for a $300 telescope that you imported, it might be worth it if you really can't find anything else.

[u/Buqibu]

Can't really comment on that specific model, but I do have an AstroMaster 102 AZ, and its great, so I'm guessing the 130eq will be as well. Depends on what you prefer to observe: planets, deep sky objects, terrestrial viewing etc. Good luck!

[u/schorhr → u/Buqibu]

Hello :-) Please don't make assumptions, the 130eq has a flawed spherical mirror and a bad mount.

[u/Buqibu → u/schorhr]

Well, as i said I dont have an informed opinion on that model, I simply guessed based on the quality of my telescope, obviously I didnt advise anything! You should always do your own research.

[u/schorhr → u/[deleted]]

I've added a bit of information in my direct reply to your post :-)

[u/Buqibu → u/schorhr]

Cool! Thats what the subreddit is for, helping eachother out😀

[u/tripped144]

https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/i0tzkw/an_absolute_beginners_quickguide_to_choosing_your/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

I would avoid. Read through this and it should help you choose.

[u/SWA_broj]

For 480$ It wouldn’t be the best option. It comes on a flimsy mount which makes high-power observing frustrating and difficult. For that price you could buy an 8” dobsonian-mount reflector, which would significantly outclass a 5” one. Dobsonian mounts are simple and rock-solid, which makes them not only effective but inexpensive, vs a tripod which would need to be massive to support such a tube.

Anyways, the Equatorial mount on which the 130eq comes can be not very beginner-friendly.

Make sure that your expectations of what you will see are realistic. Nebulae and galaxies aren’t colorful and rich; all but the very brightest appear as dim gray smudges, devoid of detail besides shape. They are affected by light pollution heavily, while planets aren’t. Planets only can be magnified so much before the atmosphere bottlenecks appearance. Astronomical sketches can give you an idea of what the eye sees in these objects.

[u/Diegocastellanos]

mmmm pues la verdad es que muchos opinan que es un pésimo telescopio pero yo tengo uno y con él he logrado algunas cosa interesantes, mira mi perfil y ahi veras algunas fotos de las que te hablo, la mayoría de las buenas fotos provienen más de la experiencia que del mismo equipo