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I'm a bit late to this thread, and I do hope I'm not too late; my apologies in advance.  

The Celestron "Astromaster" 130EQ does not come with a parabolic primary-mirror...

https://www.celestron.com/blogs/knowledgebase/does-my-astromaster-130-have-a-spherical-or-parabolic-mirror-what-is-the-difference

Synta, the manufacturer, went against the maxim that an f/5 Newtonian, regardless of aperture, is to have a parabolic primary.  As to why is one of the great mysteries of the universe, although I know why.  The telescope in question contains a spherical primary-mirror instead, which works well at f/7 and longer, but not with the shorter, at f/5.  What this means is that the telescope is suitable only for the low to medium powers, if that high.  Sharp and pleasing images at the higher powers, of which a 130mm aperture is certainly capable, will be elusive with the kit in question.  The Sky-Watcher and Meade 130mm f/5 Newtonian/EQ-2 kits do in fact come equipped with parabolic mirrors, with the Sky-Watcher the best of the two, for sharp and pleasing images throughout the range of magnifications of which a 130mm aperture is capable, from 20x, to 150x and beyond with the aid of 2x and 3x barlows...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130p.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meade-Instruments-Polaris-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00LU1DY8S

Again, my apologies.

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On 14/01/2019 at 13:20, Alan64 said:

I'm a bit late to this thread, and I do hope I'm not too late; my apologies in advance.  

The Celestron "Astromaster" 130EQ does not come with a parabolic primary-mirror...

https://www.celestron.com/blogs/knowledgebase/does-my-astromaster-130-have-a-spherical-or-parabolic-mirror-what-is-the-difference

Synta, the manufacturer, went against the maxim that an f/5 Newtonian, regardless of aperture, is to have a parabolic primary.  As to why is one of the great mysteries of the universe, although I know why.  The telescope in question contains a spherical primary-mirror instead, which works well at f/7 and longer, but not with the shorter, at f/5.  What this means is that the telescope is suitable only for the low to medium powers, if that high.  Sharp and pleasing images at the higher powers, of which a 130mm aperture is certainly capable, will be elusive with the kit in question.  The Sky-Watcher and Meade 130mm f/5 Newtonian/EQ-2 kits do in fact come equipped with parabolic mirrors, with the Sky-Watcher the best of the two, for sharp and pleasing images throughout the range of magnifications of which a 130mm aperture is capable, from 20x, to 150x and beyond with the aid of 2x and 3x barlows...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130p.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meade-Instruments-Polaris-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00LU1DY8S

Again, my apologies.

Hi Alan64 no need for apologies, thanks for the information. This was bought to see how we get on with star gazing with a telescope, and if we enjoy it recognising that we would need to learn about it all as we went, so all education is welcome.

If in a year I understand fully what your post means then consider that the hobby has taken off ?

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Spotted a gap in the clouds and got 30 minutes in the garden. Not bad for holding a smartphone up to the eyepiece! One with the 10mm and one with the 20mm.

And got the Orion nebula too. Feel very lucky to be able to just nip out into the garden to do this! Brilliant. I fear this could be a slippery slope ?

20190116_202354.jpg

20190116_201554.jpg

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