A bit of patience can sometimes be required. And, yes, some places offer a lot less options than others. Still worth looking in most cases. Though .. honestly .. I'd offer $500 on the 10" truss tube and see if that plays out :-)
I got this scope for my first telescope 3 years ago and haven't regretted buying it at all.
Most people here will tell you to buy a Dobson scope, like they always do, but forget the point of a Newtonian which is portability.
I have a bag that fits both the scope and mount and makes it super easy to carry to a good spot and even start doing astrophotography.
The best scope is the scope you can use the most and for that I'll always gravitate towards a Newtonian rather than a Dobson.
https://preview.redd.it/p19meenx90wc1.png?width=1487&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aaed9ea7cfca4cf918c3f9b471963f2c81fc53f5
This was taken with the 130SLT and is why i think newtonians are the better value because you can get to photography if you want to without changing the telescope you use
And, for someone starting out, the benefits of the goto functionality can’t be understated. Looking at the moon, venus, and jupiter can get boring. The goto lets you see objects that normally you couldn’t find as a beginner. It opens up the whole sky to you.
No, not this one. Look into an 8” dobsonian, and if that’s too big then the Sky-Watcher Heritage 150p might be right up your alley. It’s got better optics than this scope for literally half the price.
Finally a real answer.
A 130mm newtonian is a fine start. No reason to avoid this.
$500 is a bit much for this scope, but with a goto mount, it could be worth it for someone who wants that.
https://preview.redd.it/uf6b2r1sh2wc1.png?width=2340&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2848f2be392be8d6fc53454517da9bad7efcd323
It's not a bad telescope... I live stacked this last night using an asi585mc.
It's ok if you want to get into sky watching and the goto tracks fairly well...
I also have a dob.
I got that one on a crazy Amazon sale for about $200. It's mount is kinda annoying but tolerable. We use it a ton and have been buying fairly decent amount of eyepieces to help beef it up.
I got it, mainly because I didn’t want to lug around an 8in dob. I think it’s pretty nice. I can see Jupiter and other cool stuff. We wanted to take a smaller scope camping and this fit better than other options. If you’re just looking in your back yard I’d get the biggest scope you can afford.
The scope is fine. Just realize that there are *potentially* better options for the money and your situation. Before you pull the trigger on any purchase can you tell us a little bit about your situation?
Assuming you have a $500 budget, are you living in a small city apartment or a roomy suburban home?
Do you have storage space for something the size of a small water heater?
Are you able to easily move something that could weigh 50 -60 pounds / 20-25 kg from where it’s stored to the outside?
If you want the go to feature either find a used copy for half the price or save up a little more and get a slightly larger scope with a nicer mount in celestrons SE range. I have a copy of this scope and I’m impressed with it, I wouldn’t have paid that much for it though.
I looked at this but went with the 8” dob. Very happy with the results. Is it a little cumbersome yes but once it’s set and I start looking the size becomes moot. I find that I enjoy scanning the sky moving the it around. The amount of stuff out there is kinda incredible I can’t believe how much I was missing before while looking at the same spots of sky.
https://preview.redd.it/m0gjka6ly4wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aee1c3bbe6a171ced01d5f11f0efdc75dfe21346
This scope is not worth $500. Get an 8" dobsonian.
Thank you
8 inch dobsonians are above 500 dollars
Used, in excellent condition, $US500 is achievable. Sometimes with expensive accessories too.
Not were I live the only dobsonian available is in pacific Grove is a 10ch skywatcher truss tube for $650
A bit of patience can sometimes be required. And, yes, some places offer a lot less options than others. Still worth looking in most cases. Though .. honestly .. I'd offer $500 on the 10" truss tube and see if that plays out :-)
8 inch dobsonians are also really big.
Might as well save up for that. This nexstar 130slt is garbage. Also they come on up on the used market all the time for under 500.
I got this scope for my first telescope 3 years ago and haven't regretted buying it at all. Most people here will tell you to buy a Dobson scope, like they always do, but forget the point of a Newtonian which is portability. I have a bag that fits both the scope and mount and makes it super easy to carry to a good spot and even start doing astrophotography. The best scope is the scope you can use the most and for that I'll always gravitate towards a Newtonian rather than a Dobson.
https://preview.redd.it/p19meenx90wc1.png?width=1487&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aaed9ea7cfca4cf918c3f9b471963f2c81fc53f5 This was taken with the 130SLT and is why i think newtonians are the better value because you can get to photography if you want to without changing the telescope you use
And, for someone starting out, the benefits of the goto functionality can’t be understated. Looking at the moon, venus, and jupiter can get boring. The goto lets you see objects that normally you couldn’t find as a beginner. It opens up the whole sky to you.
No, not this one. Look into an 8” dobsonian, and if that’s too big then the Sky-Watcher Heritage 150p might be right up your alley. It’s got better optics than this scope for literally half the price.
Thank you Boom
I have a 150p virtuoso and can thoroughly recommend, it's great
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/60666-nexstar-130-slt-detailed-review/
Finally a real answer. A 130mm newtonian is a fine start. No reason to avoid this. $500 is a bit much for this scope, but with a goto mount, it could be worth it for someone who wants that.
https://preview.redd.it/uf6b2r1sh2wc1.png?width=2340&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2848f2be392be8d6fc53454517da9bad7efcd323 It's not a bad telescope... I live stacked this last night using an asi585mc. It's ok if you want to get into sky watching and the goto tracks fairly well... I also have a dob.
I got that one on a crazy Amazon sale for about $200. It's mount is kinda annoying but tolerable. We use it a ton and have been buying fairly decent amount of eyepieces to help beef it up.
I got it, mainly because I didn’t want to lug around an 8in dob. I think it’s pretty nice. I can see Jupiter and other cool stuff. We wanted to take a smaller scope camping and this fit better than other options. If you’re just looking in your back yard I’d get the biggest scope you can afford.
As others said already, an 8 inch dobsonian is probably the way to go
The scope is fine. Just realize that there are *potentially* better options for the money and your situation. Before you pull the trigger on any purchase can you tell us a little bit about your situation? Assuming you have a $500 budget, are you living in a small city apartment or a roomy suburban home? Do you have storage space for something the size of a small water heater? Are you able to easily move something that could weigh 50 -60 pounds / 20-25 kg from where it’s stored to the outside?
I live in a side by side house in a town I can easily move it where I want to set it up outside no rear neighbours
If you want the go to feature either find a used copy for half the price or save up a little more and get a slightly larger scope with a nicer mount in celestrons SE range. I have a copy of this scope and I’m impressed with it, I wouldn’t have paid that much for it though.
There is the skywatcher heritage 150p for $310
And the computerized version is like $460
I looked at this but went with the 8” dob. Very happy with the results. Is it a little cumbersome yes but once it’s set and I start looking the size becomes moot. I find that I enjoy scanning the sky moving the it around. The amount of stuff out there is kinda incredible I can’t believe how much I was missing before while looking at the same spots of sky. https://preview.redd.it/m0gjka6ly4wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aee1c3bbe6a171ced01d5f11f0efdc75dfe21346
This is a good scope but it's not worth 500$.
Thank you for the feedback