# Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Motor Drive

Source: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-telescopes/celestron-astromaster-130eq
Ranked #5 in "Best Telescopes 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Specs That Don't Add Up": https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-telescopes

- Price: £299.99 (checked on Amazon UK on 2026-09-16)
- Amazon rating: 4.2 from 1,956 ratings
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0013Z42AK?tag=ranked10-21

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.

## Specification

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| 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 |

## 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.