Rank #5 in Best Telescopes 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Specs That Don't Add Up
Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Motor Drive
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ-MD is a 130 mm Newtonian reflector on a CG-3 equatorial mount with a motor drive, listed at £299.99 and rated 4.2 out of 5 from 1,956 ratings. It takes fifth place in this guide. Celestron includes two eyepieces (20 mm and 10 mm), a red dot finderscope and the motor drive, which runs on one included lithium metal battery.
The figure that does not hold up is the focal length. The listing states 260 millimetres for a 130 mm mirror, which is f/2, while the same listing gives the optical tube as 552 millimetres long — longer than the focal length it is meant to hold. The 4 mm exit pupil it also lists works out at roughly 33x on a 130 mm mirror, and 33x would need about 650 mm of focal length to reach with the supplied 20 mm eyepiece. The 'zoom ratio' of 130.0 is the aperture diameter repeated in a second box. One number does agree with the rest: a Dawes limit of 0.89 arc seconds is what a 130 mm mirror should give. Everything on this page comes from the Amazon listing, not from any testing of our own.
How those 1,956 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.2 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £299.99 |
|---|---|
| Rating | 4.2 out of 5 from 1,956 ratings |
| Aperture | 130 millimetres |
| Focal Length (as listed) | 260 millimetres |
| Optical Tube Length (as listed) | 552 millimetres |
| Exit Pupil Diameter (as listed) | 4 millimetres |
| Dawes Limit | 0.89 arc sec |
| Weight | 7.71 kg for the item, tripod listed at 3.4 kg |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“Complicated to setup. Took me almost two hours. The hardest thing was putting the battery in the motor. You would think Celestron would make that easier. Have to admit it's all very heavy when built.I'm looking forward to clear skies to give a good test.”
Verified purchase“It took a bit to figure out set up and adjustments but yeah, that is Jupiter and it's 4 moons!!! I also bought the collimator laser and a barlow lens (don't buy a x5, it is too overpowered). The red dot finder needed a lot of adjustment but once done, it worked perfect. I highly recommend the YT channel: Small optics. Lovely guy and very helpful with everything you need to know as a begginer. It is quite big but each man overcompensates in different ways xD Get one!!”
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best Telescopes 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Specs That Don't Add Up.
Questions people ask
What does the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ include?
A 20 mm and a 10 mm eyepiece, a red dot finderscope and a motor drive, on a CG-3 equatorial mount with setting circles.
Why does the focal length not add up?
The listing gives 260 millimetres of focal length for a 130 mm mirror, which is f/2, and in the same listing gives the optical tube as 552 millimetres long.
What magnification does the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ give?
The listing does not state one. On the 260 mm focal length it does state, the 20 mm eyepiece works out at about 13x and the 10 mm at about 26x, while the 4 mm exit pupil it lists implies roughly 33x.
Does the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ track objects by itself?
Celestron describes a manual German equatorial mount with a motor drive that automatically tracks celestial objects as they appear to move, powered by one included lithium metal battery.
How heavy is the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ?
The listing gives 7.71 kg for the item and 3.4 kg for the tripod, and notes that the mount carries a deluxe accessory tray.
Is the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ easy to set up?
Celestron calls it quick and easy no-tool setup on an adjustable steel tripod. One reviewer reports it took almost two hours and that fitting the battery in the motor was the hardest part.
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