Celestron 130SLT or?

[smuudge]

Hello everyone, i will be taking the plunge and buying a scope with in the next few weeks. generally i am swaying towards the Celestron 130SLT nexStar which has good reviews, motorised and is around the right sort of budget.

I wondered if anyone has any first hand experience of this scope and what, if any, accessories are worth buying when i take the plunge?

Alternatively are there any other GOTO scopes around the same sort of budget as the 130SLT that may be worth considering?

Thanks!

Ben

[Astro_Baby]

The Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO has an almost identical spec and the 130 tube is well regarded.

The Skywatcher one has a 2" focuser which may be of use - not sure whther the Celestron one does. The Sky-Watcher is a bit less expensive. I;d talk to Steve at FLO on the comparative specs of the two scopes.

The Celestron software is a bit more refined than the Skywatcher software and potentially easier to align with. GoTo needs to be aligned before it will work and the Celestron version (although they are both made by Synta who own Skywatcher and celestron) is a little nicer I think.

Do you really need GoTo ? You could get a bigger scope without it. GoTo is a tough call and theres a thread on here from someone asking a similar question which would give you all the arguments for and against - the threads here.

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-help/100494-help-chosing-first-scope.html

Hope thats of some small help. Sorry its a big thread but between the two differing points of view expressed in that thread you may find something that helps.

[Cornelius Varley]

The 130SLT now has a 2" focuser . The only real difference between the two telescopes is the goto. The SkyAlign is probably a better system than Synscan as it has been around for a little longer. Do you really need goto? For less than the price of the Skywatcher 130 you can get a 150 dobsonian reflector or even a 200 for less than the cost of the 130SLT. The 130 is a small telescope in comparision to the 150 or 200 and may ultimately disappoint you with the lack of magnification and detail the larger telescopes can provide.

Peter