Celestron NexStar 130SLT Computerized Telescope - Best Telescope for Astrophotography

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Your Price: CAD859.00

Retail Price:CAD913.97

Your Savings:CAD54.97(6%)

Usually ships in 5-7 Business Days, now ETA 3-5 months

Part Number:31145

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Product Highlights

130mm Newtonian Reflector OTA
650mm Focal Length, f/5 Focal Ratio
Anti-Reflection Multi-Coated Optics
1.25" Focuser, 9mm and 25mm Eyepieces
Computer-Controlled Alt-Az Mount
4000+ Object Database
Multiple Alignment Procedures
Sky and Constellation Tour Modes
Expanded Information on 100+ Objects
Adjustable-Height Stainless Steel Tripod

Named after their venerable GoTo system, the Celestron NexStar 130SLT 130mm f/5 Reflector Telescope is a complete platform for making observations of the Moon, planets, and bright deep-space objects such as binary stars, star clusters, galaxies and nebulae. The combination of large aperture and shorter focal length translates to a fast f/5 focal ratio making this iteration of the NexStar telescope series ideal for wide-field astrophotography or making detailed images of the Moon. Celestron includes two eyepieces, plus an unmagnified finderscope, and stainless steel adjustable-height tripod.

Controlling the motorized single-arm fork mount is the NexStar computer hand controller. Set up is made easy through the use of several alignment procedures, and keeping objects centered is accomplished with variable tracking rates. Packed with over 4000 celestial objects in its database and expanded information on over 100 of those objects, users have the ability to add 99 of their own objects to help customize their experience. For fast observation sessions, simply choose Tour mode and the NexStar will build a selection of the best objects for that date, time, and location and automatically go to those objects.

Optical Tube

130mm aperture
f/5 focal ratio
650mm focal length
Aluminum multi-coated glass parabolic mirror improves light transmission, color rendition, and contrast
Resolution: Rayleigh: 1.07 arcsec; Dawes: 0.89 arcsec
Secondary Mirror Obstruction: 1.7 inches; 33% by diameter; 11% by area
1.25" rack-and-pinion focuser
Dovetail plate attaches to mount head quickly

NexStar Hand Controller

4000-object pre-loaded database, plus 99 user-defined objects
Expanded information on over 100 of the most popular pre-loaded objects
Tour mode: automatically shows the best objects overhead based on date/time/location when viewing
Alignment Procedures: SkyAlign, Auto 2-star, 1-star, 2-star, Solar System
Slew Speeds: 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 32x, 0.5°/sec, 1°/sec, 2°/sec, 4°/sec
Tracking Rates: Sidereal, Solar, and Lunar
Backlash Compensation: Trains-out play in drive gears for improved tracking precision
2-line,16-characters/line LCD screen; 19 fiber-optic backlit LED buttons; Adjustable brightness to preserve night-adjusted vision
RS-232 port for tethering to a computer for remote control
Powered by mount to reduce weight

Named Stars: The common name listing of the brightest stars in the sky
Named Objects: Alphabetical listing of over 50 of the most popular deep-sky objects
Asterisms: A unique list of some of the most recognizable star patterns in the sky
Variable Stars: Select list of the brightest variable stars with the shortest period of changing magnitude
Double Stars: Alphabetical listing of the most popular double, triple and quadruple stars
Caldwell Catalog: With a combination of the best NGC and IC objects
The complete Messier catalog
Select NGC objects
The solar system, including the Moon, Sun, planets, and constellations

Mount and Tripod

Single fork arm alt-azimuth
Dual-axis DC servo motors with encoders; 0.26 arcsec motor resolution
Integrated bubble level
Dovetail saddle accepts plate for fast attachment
Tool-free assembly
Runs on eight user-supplied AA batteries, or optional 12VDC power supply

Stainless steel legs
Adjustable-height allows easy use by a wide variety of users, standing or sitting
Hand controller holder can be moved from leg to leg to avoid cord wrap
Accessory tray stays attached, even when folded, and locks onto leg separator to improve stability and reduce vibrations

Included Accessories

1.25" diameter barrel
Accepts most 1.25" astronomical eyepiece filters
25mm = 26x power
9mm = 72x power

Wide unmagnified field of view speeds up alignment and finding subjects manually
Center aiming dot won't obscure small objects
Adjustable brightness preserves night-adjusted vision
Dovetail mounting bracket makes attachment to OTA fast and easy

Specifications

Optical Design	Newtonian reflector
Aperture	130 mm
Focal Length	650mm
Focal Ratio	f/5
Eyepiece Barrel Diameter	1.25"
Diagonal	None
Mount Type	Motorized alt-azimuth Dual-axis DC servo with digital encoders
GoTo System	NexStar hand controller
Tripod	Stainless steel legs, adjustable height
Finderscope	StarPointer red-dot
Power Source	8 x AA batteries
Optical Tube Length	21.0" / 53.3 cm
Weight	Not specified by manufacturer

Packaging Info
Package Weight	31.5 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)	40.0 x 20.5 x 11.0"

Based on Astronomy magazine’s telescope "report cards", scopes of this size and type generally perform as follows . . .
Terrestrial Observation: Observing terrestrial objects (nature studies, birding, etc.) is usually possible only with refractor and catadioptric telescopes, and convenient only when the scope is on an altazimuth mount or photo tripod. Most reflectors cannot be used for terrestrial observing. Scopes with apertures under 5" to 6" are generally most useful for terrestrial observing due to atmospheric conditions (heat waves and mirage, dust, haze, etc.) that degrade the image quality in larger scopes.	No
Lunar Observation: Visual observation of the Moon is possible with any telescope. Larger aperture scopes will provide more detail than smaller scopes, thereby getting a higher score in this category, but may require an eyepiece filter to cut down the greater glare from the Moon's sunlit surface so small details can be seen more easily. Lunar observing is more rewarding when the Moon is waxing or waning as the changing sun angle casts constantly varying shadows to reveal craters and surface features by the hundreds.	Great
Planetary Observation:	Very Good
Binary and Star Cluster Observation:	Very Good
Galaxy and Nebula Observation:	Fair
Photography:	No
Terrestrial Photography: Photographing terrestrial objects (wildlife, scenery, etc.) is usually possible only with refractor and catadioptric telescopes, and convenient only when the scope is on an altazimuth mount or photo tripod. Most reflectors cannot be used for terrestrial photography. Scopes with focal ratios of f/10 and faster and apertures under 5" to 6" are generally the most useful for terrestrial photography due to atmospheric conditions (heat waves and mirage, dust, haze, etc.) that degrade the image quality in larger scopes.	No
Lunar Photography: Photography of the Moon is possible with virtually any telescope, using a 35mm camera, DSLR, or CCD-based webcam (planetary imager). While an equatorial mount with a motor drive is not strictly essential, as the exposure times will be very short, such a mount would be helpful to improve image sharpness, particularly with webcam-type cameras that take a series of exposures over time and stack them together. Reflectors may require a Barlow lens to let the camera reach focus.	No
Planetary Photography:	No
Star Cluster / Nebula / Galaxy Photography:	No

In the Box

Celestron NexStar 130SLT 130mm f/5 Reflector Telescope

9mm Eyepiece

25mm Eyepiece

NexStar Hand Controller

StarPointer Red-Dot Finderscope

"The SkyX - First Light Edition" CD-ROM

Tripod with Accessory Tray

Limited 2-Year Warranty

Best Telescope for Astrophotography

Astrophotography is a little more difficult than regular observation. One of the biggest differences is the fact that you need a telescope that is actually designed to be able to take the photos needed and desired. According to a lot of astrophotographers, the NexStar 130 SLT computerized telescope is by far the best one available on the market for anyone that is actually interested in astrophotography. This telescope comes with a focal ratio of f5, and it has a focal length of 650mm.

While using this particular telescope, you will find that it is extremely easy to move, and this is entirely thanks to the fact that it has a motorized Altazimuth mount. You will not have to worry about being able to follow objects in order to get that perfect picture of your favorite object in the sky. It also has SkyAlign. This is an excellent aspect about this telescope because you will no long have to worry about just looking at one object. With SkyAlign, you will actually be able to align the telescope with any 3 celestial objects in the sky that are bright.

There have only been two things about this particular telescope that have been logged as needing help. The first thing is its battery. The battery life is rather short compared to others. Therefore, it is imperative when using this telescope that you charge the battery to full before heading out to do your astrophotography. After all, you would not want to be in the middle of your project and have the telescoping die. The second thing about this telescope is that it is a little sensitive to vibration. Therefore, when you are using it, you need to make sure that it is on a surface that will not conduct vibration.

However, the pros of the NexStar 130 SLT far outweigh these minor setbacks. For instance, you will not find another telescope in its price range that has as wide a field of view as this telescope. Therefore, you will be able to broaden the horizons of your astrophotography experience. It is also very light and portable. Therefore, you will not have to worry about it being too heavy to move around as you see fit.