Orion SpaceProbe 130 EQ Reflector Telescope

Rating:
Summary: Great Telescope
Review: Easy to use and portable. Was able to see the rings of Saturn the first time I had it out. Great starting telescope.

Rating:
Summary: Great Telescope
Review: This is a good beginner telescope. The optics seem to be very good and with its 130mm aperture you can see most things of interest in the solar system and some more distant objects.

Even from the balcony of our apartment in LA (i.e. far from ideal environment) we have been able to see clearly the rings around Saturn and Jupiters Galilean moons. The details of the moon's surface are also clearly visible.

Taking it out of the city lights into the desert we were even able to see Titan, one of Saturn's moons, and the Cassini gap. We could also see the fuzziness of the Orion nebula and the Trapezium.

We have also used it to look at globular clusters and a few other things of interest.

The software, The Sky, that is included with the telescope is particularly useful for figuring out at what time the objects you wish to view will rise. You just have to feed it your position coordinates (most major cities are preprogrammed into it).

I have not used it for astrophotography but you would probably need to get the electronic drive to get good pictures, especially if you intend to photograph faint objects.

The scope is also pretty easy to operate and as it comes with an equitorial mount it's also easy to trace objects as they move across the sky.

Finally, this scope is quite portable, which was important to us in choosing it as we live in the city where conditions are not too great for viewing. It will easily fit in any trunk and is not too heavy to carry around for a few tens or hundreds of meters.

On the whole this is a great telescope for a beginner who is not yet sure whether he/she is willing (or able) to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on equipment. It is good enough to show you most things of interest and light enough to be portable.

For the serious astronomer it would probably be clever to go for larger aperture - although that always comes at the cost of portability and higher price.

Rating:
Summary: Good portable telescope
Review: This is a good beginner telescope. The optics seem to be very good and with its 130mm aperture you can see most things of interest in the solar system and some more distant objects.

Even from the balcony of our apartment in LA (i.e. far from ideal environment) we have been able to see clearly the rings around Saturn and Jupiters Galilean moons. The details of the moon's surface are also clearly visible.

Taking it out of the city lights into the desert we were even able to see Titan, one of Saturn's moons, and the Cassini gap. We could also see the fuzziness of the Orion nebula and the Trapezium.

We have also used it to look at globular clusters and a few other things of interest.

The software, The Sky, that is included with the telescope is particularly useful for figuring out at what time the objects you wish to view will rise. You just have to feed it your position coordinates (most major cities are preprogrammed into it).

I have not used it for astrophotography but you would probably need to get the electronic drive to get good pictures, especially if you intend to photograph faint objects.

The scope is also pretty easy to operate and as it comes with an equitorial mount it's also easy to trace objects as they move across the sky.

Finally, this scope is quite portable, which was important to us in choosing it as we live in the city where conditions are not too great for viewing. It will easily fit in any trunk and is not too heavy to carry around for a few tens or hundreds of meters.

On the whole this is a great telescope for a beginner who is not yet sure whether he/she is willing (or able) to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on equipment. It is good enough to show you most things of interest and light enough to be portable.

For the serious astronomer it would probably be clever to go for larger aperture - although that always comes at the cost of portability and higher price.

Rating:
Summary: Great Starter Telescope!
Review: This telescope is easy to use. This is my first scope (I am approaching 60) and I just wanted to be sure that I would enjoy looking at what's up there before I invested more money later as you can spend a lot on some models. With this scope I got the most for my money. Who knows, I may not have to get anything else! This is a great looking, quality telescope!

Rating:
Summary: The best telescope for beginniners!
Review: This telescope is the best telescope for beginners! It's aperture (the daiemeter of the mirrors) is 130mm (5.1 inches). Some telescopes (like Bushnell 675 X 4.5) are pricer and worser! With this scope, you can view Jupiter's bands (and occasally the Great Red Spot), zoom on the rings of Saturn, while exploring the Orion Nubluea, star clusters, and MUCH,MUCH MORE! I'm planning to get it next June!