Celestron’s patented StarSense® Technology makes it easier than ever to locate objects in the night sky, even if you’ve never used a telescope before. There are a lot of photo/video cameras that have found a role as B-cameras on professional film productions or even A-cameras for amateur and independent productions. With a poor unit, the planets are mushy and devoid of fine detail, though the rings of Saturn and the cloud belts of Jupiter are still visible and the Moon may look acceptable to a beginner. Once you’ve managed that, there’s a pair of slow-motion control for fine-tuning where the telescope is pointing, to keep your target in view as it drifts through the sky.

Go behind the scenes with Celestron’s product development team and learn more about our award-winning and patented innovations.When you read one of my reviews at TelescopicWatch, you can trust that not only have I gotten to use the product, but I’ve compared it to numerous others and tinkered with it down to the literal nuts and bolts. I have been given a celestron astromaster 130 but I have no idea how to use it and because of my limited knowledge I haven't found the included instructions very useful as they don't contain much information.

I also plan to use the CG3 mount on some of my smaller scopes - at least it comes with a dovetail saddle. A (more expensive) alternative is to get a low profile focuser, which should allow you to get your camera sensor into the right position for imaging, but it's a lot of expense and not necessarily worth it for your current mount. These objects are often difficult to see with the naked eye but become visible through a high-quality astrophotography eyepiece.Gemma is content director of science and space magazines How It Works and All About Space, history magazines All About History and History of War as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) kids education brand Future Genius. It is better than some of the other junk Celestron sells, but it is still a long way from a decent telescope. If you want to give us an idea of your budget, I'm sure you'll receive many suggestions for suitable brands. Also check out some of the videos on the Youtube showing people assembling their new Astromaster 130EQ's.

After I insert the laser into the focuser, should I try to focus the laser on that off-center circle? To change hemispheres (reverse the motor’s direction), simply by flip the N/S switch on the face of the motor drive. Overall, this telescope is an excellent choice for anyone looking to explore astronomy on a budget while still having access to quality equipment that provides engaging views of our universe.

The Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ also comes equipped with an equatorial mount that allows for more precise tracking of celestial objects as they move across the night sky. It’s also a bit too much magnification (33x) to be a great low-power “finder” eyepiece, and thanks to its narrow apparent field, it only gives a true field of view of 0. From previous reviews, I knew about the mount, built-in finder and the primary mirror without the center spot, but went ahead and purchased it anyways because it was on sale. Surprised that the Republic of Ireland only carries the Celestron brand, mainly Astromasters (see pic) - no Skywatchers here.