Orion SpaceProbe 130ST Equatorial Reflector Telescope

[KevinK39365]

Good morning everyone. I appreciate any feedback you can provide. My daughter is 12 and looking forward to receiving a telescope for Christmas this year. I myself am excited as well. 
 

We are looking for something that isn’t going to be a door stopper in 2 months. She would need a beginner, but I would like to invest in something a little more advanced so that I can continue to use if she loses interest. 
 

I saw the reviews on the model in header and fairly good. I would love to see other planets, moon, and all kind of things I’ve read about the last 50 years. Does anyone have personal experience with this telescope?  Or is there one that you would recommend to meet the basic need for daughter and my desire to engage more in the stars and planets?

 

thank you for your help. 
 

kevin

[KP82]

The Orion 130ST you've quoted costs £265, so I'd assume your budget is about £250 - 300.

For that amount of money, I'd recommend this one: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-messier-6-inch-planetary-dobsonian.html

The dobsonian mount is much more user friendly for beginners than an Equatorial one especially with a newtonian reflector. The bresser comes with a solar filter, so you can even use it to view the Sun. And if you would like to go further in the near future, you could purchase a separate motorised equatorial mount and attach the scope to it to take pictures of the moon, planets and some deep sky objects with your DSLR.

The major problem you (in fact for anyone who's looking to buy their first telescopes for Christmas) have is that astronomical equipment are in short supply everywhere due to covid, so it is very likely you wouldn't be able to get hold of one before Christmas unless you look into the "Used" market.

[Marvin Jenkins]

I have that very same model. I bought it as a scope mount kit and although I have seen some amazing things with it, it was not until I put it on an EQ5 mount I realized how good a five inch newt can be.

My kit was the EQ2 and it is very wobbly so would echo KP82 and get a dob first. I certainly would second time around.

The other annoying thing about the Orion is that if you suddenly have the idea to do some pictures with it the focuser does not enough back focus to gain focus with a DSLR.

I maybe getting myself ahead of the game here but most people end up at some point thinking “what happens if I stick a camera on it?” You can still use your phone or a point and shoot to take souvenir pictures through the eye piece though.

Marv

 

[Cornelius Varley]

The Orion Spaceprobe 130ST is the same telescope/mount combination as the Skywatcher 130P which is also about £50 cheaper than the Orion as sold in the UK. The Orion 130ST is $330 in the USA for which you could an Orion Skyquest XT6 ($299) with a little left over. The bigger aperture (6") and longer focal length (1200mm) compared to the 130mm, 650mm focal length of the 130ST makes the Skyquest a better telescope for lunar/planetary observing. The dobsonian style mount of the Skyquest is also easier to master compared to the equatorial mount.

The first telescope shown in the video is the same size and performance as the Orion Skyquest XT6

Sky-Watcher Skyliner (A buyer's guide) - YouTube