Gskyer Telescope, AstroMaster 130EQ Professional Reflector Telescope

[pat 1951]

can anyone help is this telescope any good reduced from £399.00-£314.00 for  starting astronomy

Gskyer Telescope, AstroMaster 130EQ Professional Reflector Telescope, German Technology Scope

 

• 100%New, Specialized supply for scientists to research professional astronomy and Natural Science.
• German equatorial mount,and Comes with Stainless Steel Tripod and accessory tray
• Aperture: 130mm(5.1"). Focal Length: 650mm. Focal Ratio: f/5. Rack-and-Pinion Focuser &Low (25mm) , medium(10mm), high (5mm) magnification eyepieces give you variety for any viewing situation & 3x barlow lens doubles the magnifying power of each eyepiece, Erect image optics - Ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use. Permanently mounted StarPointer, Quick release dovetail attachment - no tool setup.
• All-glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity and stars, with detailed instructions for our every customer, it is very easy and quick assemble. And become favorite by every one
• 1-year warranty and lifetime maintenance ,we will provide the best service and reliable products to our every customer. And best quality at this reasonable price,thank you for your trust and support!

• Product description

  Telescope Specification 
  Aperture: 130mm (5.1 IN) 
  Focal Length: 650mm ( 26IN) 
  Focal Ratio: 5
  Eyepiece1: 25mm(0.98 IN) 
  Magnification1: 40X
  Eyepiece2:10mm(0.39 IN) 
  Magnification2:100X
  Eyepiece3: 5mm(0.2 IN) 
  Magnification3: 200X
  Barlow lens: 3X
  Finderscope: Red dot finder
  Tube Connection: Anchor Ear
  Tube Connection: Hook,Dovetail Plate
  Mount: EQ Advanced Equatorial Mount
  Optical Coating: Multi Antireflection Blue Film
  Tripod: 1.25 inch Stainless Steel Tripod
  Max Magnification: 307X
  Minimum Magnification: 40X
  Field of view: 1.5°
  Main mirror length: 609.6mm (24IN) 
  
  Remark
  3 Inverted images eyepiece and a positive prism, switching between use 
  
  Product Description 
  Gskyer Infinity have over 20 years Optical history,Use of Germany's advanced technology, for different groups of people from different telescopes for science, astronomy, exploration, and tourism, etc.Gskyer's value priced AstroMaster 130EQ is an affordable entry high level telescope, with some nice extras like a correct image prism and astronomy. Gskyer telescopes are designed and manufactured using all fully coated glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity. 

 

 

[Ricochet]

It looks a bit like a Skywatcher Explorer range OTA on a Celestron Astromaster type mount. I would imagine that the mount is the weak point and that for that sort of money you're better off buying something else. FLO sell a 150p on EQ3-2 for £310, which is a slightly bigger telescope on a mount that I think should be more sturdy. However, I don't like Newtonians on EQ mounts for visual use so I would be inclined to go for FLO's 150p + az4 bundle or an 8" dob instead. If you give us an idea of your budget and what you want to do with the telescope I'm sure you will get lots more suggestions. 

[pat 1951]

thanks for the advice just cancelled order with amazon.i know nothing about telescopes, my wife who wanted to take up  this hobby and i said i would go along with her and and get a better telescope and pool our cash .we my wife and i have now decided we need a decent telescope thht needs to be portable and rests on a computer desk in a room.no tripod type. my budget ranges between £100-£399 

[Cornelius Varley]

Any description of a 130mm reflector that includes the word "professional" should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Professional telescopes tend to be sited on mountain tops in large observatories. As ricochet suggests, the gskyer 130 astromaster is a Skywatcher 130P on a Celestron style EQ2 mount. The mount is the weak point in this setup. For the price of the gskyer you could also get a Skywatcher Skyliner 200P or Skywatcher 150P on the better EQ3 mount.

[Ricochet]

Do you want a telescope that can sit on a desk for storage purposes or are you thinking that you will set the telescope up on the desk and look out of the window with it? You really should observe from outside if at all possible and so a tripod based setup is likely to be more useful in that situation. The Skywatcher Heritage 130p fits your description of being able to sit on a desk, but then when you take it outside you need another table or raised platform to use it on otherwise you will be left sitting on the ground.

For tripod-based portable setups Skywatcher's new manual AZ5 and electronic AZ GTi ranges might be of interest. It really depends on what your definition of potable is. Is it something that you can carry outside in one go? Something that you can take somewhere in the car? On a flight in hand luggage? On a trek up a mountain?

[Cosmic Geoff]

It's difficult to advise beginners except to urge that they start with something small and portable that isn't rubbish, and be resigned to buy again as their interest and experience develop.

A 130P Newtonian is a sound choice - they are cheap (because easy to manufacture), but capable enough to be a useful  serious instrument.  As for a mounting, for visual use one of the new Sky watcher alt-azimuth mounts e.g. AZ5 would be a sound choice. (And if you upgrade, a portable alt-azimuth mount will always be useful for something.)

Then there's GoTo - where you have the choice of several mounts either as a package or buying separately. This will cost an extra £200 or more, but makes a vast difference to the ease of finding objects - assuming you can master the setup procedure.

You'll find that people have widely different ideas about the ideal equipment - some prefer lots of mount tech while others like the basic aim and look approach, and each of the radically different telescope designs and mounting types has its fans.

[pat 1951]

sorry for the confusing mail not used to talking over internet .the telescope will be resting on a sturdy computer desk when not in use.it will only be used in our back garden only when looking at the sky .the lighter the telescope the better 

[Cosmic Geoff]

In my experience the best way to store a small astronomical telescope is to take it off the mount (a very quick operation) and lay it on a flat surface eg a table or cabinet. The tripod/mount can be folded in some fashion and stood in a corner.  I don't know why you are concerned about the weight if you are only going as far as the back garden.  You don't need to carry the whole setup in one go.  Lifting up to 12Kg should cause most people no trouble.

[happy-kat]

The heritage 130p is very portable and capable. The actual telescope can even be removed from the mount and used on a sturdy photo tripod with an adaptor should you later want to use a tripod. It fits comfortably in your budget and leaves room for growth with additional eyepieces etc. Download Stellarium to get going with what is up there in the sky. I use mine outside on an upturned bucket and I sit on a plastic garden chair.

[Chris]

I'd go for the Meade Mini Lightbridge if you can stretch to it over the Heritage 130p. Better focuser and no need to make a light shroud as it's a solid tube.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/meade-telescopes/meade-lightbridge-mini-130mm-table-top-dobsonian-telescope.html

Ah they are sold out at FLO, but maybe someone else has them in stock?