Celestron NexStar 130SLT

The 130SLT comes with a pre-assembled, adjustable stainless-steel tripod, quick release fork arm, NexStar+ computerized hand control, 130mm Newtonian Reflector optical tube, and lots of bonus accessories - perfect for grab-n-go visual observation!

Celestron NexStar 130SLT

I can't say enough good things about the Celestron 130SLT "goto" Newtonian telescope. I'll get right to it.

The Good

• It's light - I can pick up the Optical Tube Assembly with one hand.
• It's bright - The 130mm/f5 combination makes for a really bright scope for visual use.
• It's priced right - I bought mine at an auction site, but they're still very affordable.
• The NexStar does a great job of figuring out where you are and aiming the scope at things you tell it to. Perfect for a quick night of observation, the Moon, or learning the night sky.
• It's fairly portable (see The Bad, below) but doesn't have a case. I use a padded duffle bag and a car sunshield protector to further pad it for carrying it around. Works great!

The Bad

• The mount is just perfectly made to support this scope and an eyepiece, so don't expect to put a heavy camera on it without making some sort of modifications. It's designed for visual, not astrophotography.
• The OTA can't be rotated once it's mounted in the arm of the tripod, so if you have to aim at something high or low in the sky, the eyepiece might be in an awkward position. This is common among Newtonians, but many are mounted in rings so you can rotate the OTA. You can't do that with a NexStar.
• Throw out any included eyepieces and get better ones. I can't even remember what it came with, but I'm pretty sure they were junk.
• I wish the tripod could collapse further. It's a rather stiff, large, awkward thing that you have to have because is has the NexStar components and mount arm on it.

My Thoughts

Don't expect this to be a perfect scope, but it is what I grab when I want to look at the skies without worrying about cameras or dealing with GEM mounts. This, and a good pair of binoculars are all I need (well, maybe a chair) to spend hours looking up at the skies at night. The 130SLT excels at lunar exploration and is so bright, in fact, that I had to invest in a variable polarizing filter to block some of the Moon's brightness so it was more comfortable to view in the 130SLT. Still, I'd rather it be too bright than not bright enough!

You can put a camera on the end, but it's going to be a bit wonky. The best approach might be to use a cell phone adapter and hold the camera of your phone up to the eyepiece. This way you get both the magnification that the eyepiece offers plus the relatively lightweight phone with a camera taking a picture. I've done a few Moon shots this way and I think they come out pretty good. I'll see if I can find one in my vast storage of casual snapshots. A dedicated astro-camera would also be a good option since it fits inside the eyepiece tube and a small one would be pretty light. I haven't done this myself, but maybe I'll do it when Spring gets here.

Conclusion

All things considered, I love the 130SLT. It's light, it's bright, and it's great for taking out at a moment's notice and staring up at the night skies. For imaging, it's not ideal, but it still takes great pictures if you can work within the limitations of the mount and telescope design. If you see one on sale, you might want to buy it. Especially if you're looking for a visual scope that's easy to use, relatively portable, and accessible for people new to the hobby.

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