Black Friday is the perfect time to buy your first telescope and take advantage of the massive savings on offer at various retailers. We’ve found this Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ telescope deal at Amazon — now just $246.49.
Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ now 33% off at Amazon
It’s not quite as cheap as it was during Prime Day ($5 more — if we’re splitting hairs), but it tends to sit quite close to the $300 mark, so it’s still a worthwhile deal.
We are yet to publish a full review, but our staff writer bought one during Prime Day and it’s one of the best telescopes for beginners and intermediate users who want detailed views of the moon, and want to observe Jupiter’s moons, Saturn’s rings and getting a closer look at star clusters. There’s a learning curve when it comes to its setup if you’re new to the hobby, but it proves to be a satisfying challenge when you sink your teeth into it.
It comes with everything you need to get started, including 10mm and 20mm eyepieces. The instructions leave a little to be desired if you’re a complete beginner, but you’ll be able to get it set up easily enough with a bit of research and watching some online tutorials. We’d have also liked it if it came with a bag for storage or transport, so keep that in mind if you don’t have anywhere to keep it set up constantly.
The 130EQ gives a fairly wide field of view for sweeping across the sky, but if you want more detailed views with a longer focal length, the Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ is a similar price and gives higher magnification. If, however, you don’t want a manual mount, the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ with Motor Drive is just $78 more than the manual version.
Key features: Newtonian reflector, 130mm aperture, 650mm focal length, f/5 focal ratio, 33x and 65x magnification with included eyepieces.
Product launched: February 2007.
Price history: It was $5 cheaper during Prime Day, but it’s the cheapest we’ve seen for a while.
Price comparison: Walmart: $299.97 | Adorama: $289.95
Reviews consensus: Great for views of the moon and planets for beginners, and a fantastic learning tool. There is some chromatic aberration around contrasty objects, but that’s to be expected for the price.
Digital Camera World: ★★★½
Featured in guides: Best telescopes
✅ Buy it if: You want to see the moon and planets up close without breaking the bank.
❌ Don’t buy it if: You want GoTo technology, or you want stunning views of deep-sky objects.
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