Good Telescope

[Bryan196]

I was looking for a good first telescope, the Celestron Astromaster 130eq caught my eye, but reviews are saying the red dot finder is rubbish. I have looked at alternatives and the one that seems most promising is the Sky-Watcher Explorer 130p. Is this a decent scope? Or would there be better alternatives? Thanks in Advance.

[Cornelius Varley]

The Skywatcher Exploper range are better made than the equivalent Astromaster. Less plastic, better finder that can easily replaced with a different type.

Peter

[BEYOND EARTH]

Hey Bryan196,

I had a Astromaster 130eq and it is a great scope to start out with. You can see the moon with good detail, also good for viewing planets and some deep sky objects. The red dot finder is no good so I bought a laser along with a v-mount.

Hope this helps you out!

[Bryan196]

Thanks guys for the advice I think i'll go for the Skywatcher, seems to fit my needs, decent focal length and nice size aperture. Are there any major accessories i may need?

[Ags]

There a millions of accessories that you will persuade yourself you must have! But wait till you get the scope and get used to it with the supplied eyepieces.

[Radders]

Each to their own but I have this scope and think its great for a 1st scope. Yes the finder is rubbish so I brought a Telrad. Now have no trouble finding things.

Radders

[Bryan196]

Well i've got plenty of time to decide (couple of months actually). One thing i have come across on this forum are dew shields, where would be the best place to get one, or is it possible to make one?

[rwilkey]

If you do get a reflector, you don't really need a dew shield, unless to get rid of extraraneous light. Not a great worry with reflectors to be honest. Look at replacing the finder as has been suggested in the first instance.

[Bryan196]

Another question about the two telescope, will the focal length have a massive impact on what i see? I noticed the Skywatcher has a 900mm focal length while the Celestron has a 650mm focal length. Is there a big difference?