Sky-Watcher GreatStart 130N-EQ2 Newtonian Reflector Telescope

Sky-Watcher GreatStart 130N-EQ2 Newtonian Reflector Telescope
by Celestron
(12)

1 used & new from $120.00

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Review & Description

The Sky-Watcher GreatStart 130N-EQ2 is a Newtonian reflector telescope packaged with a sturdy equatorial mount, two plossl eyepieces, a 2X barlow lens, and planetarium software for your PC. Invented by Sir Isaac Newton, reflector telescopes provide more light gathering power per dollar than any other telescope design. With 130mm (5.1 inches) of aperture, the Sky-Watcher 130N produces images that are twice as bright as 90mm telescopes and more than four times brighter than 60mm beginner scopes.

The Sky-Watcher GreatStart 130N-EQ2, with its plossl eyepieces and barlow lens serves up bright, clear images of the Moon, the planets, and even deep space objects like star clusters and galaxies. The 25mm Super Plossl eyepiece magnifies the image by 36 times; when I look at the Pleiades or Seven Sisters cluster at 36X the Sky-Watcher 130N shows me a bright open cluster with dozens of point-like stars filling the field of view. When I use the 12mm Plossl eyepiece (75X magnification) the lunar disk fills the field of view and the rings of Saturn are plainly resolved. And when I use the 2X barlow with the 12mm Plossl for 150X magnification I can see the cloud bands of Jupiter and pick out individual stars in bright globular clusters like M13.

The EQ2 equatorial mount included with the Sky-Watcher GreatStart 130N-EQ2 comes partially assembled, but it shouldn’t take long to set up. The direction booklet is fairly generic, with instruction for several different models, the instructions for the EQ2 mount start on page 8. The trick to using an equatorial mount is to point the polar axis at Polaris, the North Star. Once the mount is aligned and balanced, the telescope tracks stars and planets at high power with just a turn of one slow motion knob. You can even add an optional motor drive for hands free tracking.

The Sky-Watcher GreatStart 130N-EQ2 Newtonian Reflector Telescope is a simply a great value. The Plossl eyepieces and 2X barlow deliver bright sharp images of the Moon, the planets and the stars, and the EQ2 mount can be motorized for hands free tracking. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• More than 4 times brighter than 60mm scopes
• Includes two very good plossl eyepieces and a 2X barlow lens
• Solid equatorial mount and aluminum tripod
• Planetarium software included

Cons:

• Terrestrial images appear upside-down

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