A very good price for a decent size starter reflector telescope. £209 on Amazon.
Find everything you need to discover the wonders of the night sky with the easy to use Meade Polaris EQ 130MD Reflector Telescope.
The Polaris 130MD EQ is the perfect introduction telescope for enthusiast astronomers. It includes three high quality eyepieces for viewing a wide range of objects including moons and planets.
With slow motion controls and an electronic RA motor drive, you can easily track celestial objects as they move across the sky.
What's more, it comes with the Autostar Suite Astronomy planetarium DVD, which features a guide on over 10,000 celestial objects.
Discover your passion for astronomy and see more of the night sky with the Meade Polaris EQ 130MD mm Reflector Telescope.
Top comments
VDisillusioned
15 Apr 1710#1
I think that's a pretty good deal. Much better than a lot of the "starter" scopes that are around for a similar price.
I would recommend to anyone that is interested in getting into telescope astronomy that they do a lot of research first. Partly because it is actually quite hard to figure out what to do at first and partly so you manage your expectations. It's actually quite tricky to get good views with a small scope. It's not just a case of putting up a telescope and pointing it at the sky, even finding what you want to look at is quite hard at first, let alone actually getting a reasonable image. I haven't done any observing for a while but when I did I thought the real thrill was the managing to get a decent image, rather than the actual view itself - if that makes any sort of sense. Getting internet and media saturated children excited about a tiny and slightly blurry image in an eyepiece, as they stand in the dark and cold, is particularly challenging!
cabek666
15 Apr 173#7
Get a Nikon P900 and a sturdy tripod.
Latest comments (23)
anewman
27 May 17#23
Now 79.97
xxxxLucy_Louxxxx
16 Apr 172#14
I was one of the uneducated few, I presumed you'd be able to see planets in detail with one of these, always wanted one. We went to a star gazing evening where they had telescopes worth thousands of pounds, you could see the moon very clearly, but everything else was only a dot in the sky, was very disappointed.
GlentoranMark to xxxxLucy_Louxxxx
16 Apr 17#15
Totally agree and I'm an Astro Nut!
Most things are underwhelming but wheen you think of the vast distances you can really appreciate it. I have seen Uranus and Neptune through my own telescope and I do use it maybe monthly but for many this will end up an expensive coathanger.
I'd recommend a pair of binoculars as a first scope, I've 3 pairs which I use far more frequently than my telescope but here is not the right place to gain advice. If your serious about purchasing this then I'd go to a star party like you or an astronomy club or a specialised forum and ask for advice.
MAdam98 to xxxxLucy_Louxxxx
22 Apr 171#22
Definitely not one of the few!!!
Most people have similar ideas.
Wadadli_Cooler
15 Apr 17#9
Wild goose chase I'm afraid. Out of stock for online ordering. No stores anywhere in the North West of North Wales have any. They probably just had one ex-display in Inverness or somewhere.
CR_&_JR to Wadadli_Cooler
18 Apr 17#21
There is one left in the Midlands at 15:00 BST.Hope this helps someone :smiley:
Reserve & Collect
Currys PC World Mansfield
Unit B/C Nottingham Road
Mansfield, NG18 1BW
GlentoranMark
18 Apr 17#20
Taken with a Celestron 102SLT and a SPC900 Webcam, 2 minutes stacked. I'm very light polluted BTW, I can only detect Mag +2 stars with my naked eye.
GlentoranMark
18 Apr 17#19
Your equating telescopes to the focal length of a camera lens. The most important parts of a telescope are not focal length but objective diameter and quality of the optics. A reflecting telescope will also have a secondary mirror that will block out some of the light, that is why refractors of similar diameter will always be superior. There are other important parts like resolving power and light gathering but focal length is well down the list, a "fast" image doesn't equate to a better image in the land of telescopes. I ground my own 8" lens (never for it to see any light) so I had to learn about all these factors when doing so.
I have taken similar photo's (although nowhere near as good) as the above picture with my telescope. Software (Registax) takes each image, analyses it, discards the worst and then stacks each image on top of one another to give a composite better image. Some people sharpen the image in Gimp or similar. Stacking images teases out information from the image, it doesn't add to it.
Nasa do the same as what I'm doing. They tease out information from images, they don't falsify it. Some things may be in false colour but that is because our eyes can only see a narrow band of wavelengths. Other things might have enhanced features but again that is teasing out information, not adding to it.
In fairness to your tin foil reference, I haven't been hit on the head by an asteroid since I started wearing mine.
NASA_is_Religion
18 Apr 17#18
Yes... Nikon P900 focal length (2000mm) is close to the same telescope which would cost 5k at least. Most powerful telescope i have ever used had just over 4000mm, while Nikon with digital x4 zoom would be equal to 8000mm focal length. Of course planets will not look as you have seen on TV or Magazines, because they are not real pictures in EVERY SINGLE CASE. There is no REEAALL HQ pictures of planets, let alone star Sirius/ Arcturus/ Vega stars...
There is NO real picture of EARTH (go figure), why would you imagine there is real picture of other planets?
This picture above is best what you can get by stacking hundreds of pictures and processing with loads of software features.
And if you still believe your new priest (NASA) of your new religion (full of aliens ever expanding space), i would rather not laugh now, but go educate yourself how to analyze picture/ video authenticity and prove that for your self.
Just if you wonder... I am finished now Computer Science BSc and helping courts with digital image forensic analysis. But i would never get to this point if i would personal wouldn't be interested in social engineering, conditioning, etc... And i am glad i did, just shame i can only share my thoughts online. As you can imagine most indoctrinated people would say i forgotten my tin-foil hat, lol.
PatkW
17 Apr 17#17
Nice price, but tbh *cue double entendre replies* anything under 6 inches is mostly a waste of time with a Newt. reflector. The secondary mirror is already limiting its magnification and a scope like this with a short focal length and sub-par light gathering capacity isn't up to much visually.
You'd be better off spending that 100 quid on a pair of quality binoculars and a tripod if you want to get into entry-level Astronomy.
MAdam98
15 Apr 171#2
Don't expect anything incredible! Decent starter scope but if you're expecting to see anything like what you see in magazines or on TV of objects like Saturn, Jupiter and various nebulae then you'll be in for a shock.
jeczap to MAdam98
15 Apr 172#3
Oh, hi thar! You left out Uranus!
tawse57 to MAdam98
15 Apr 17#4
How much do you have to spend to get decent kit? Or is it simply a case of joining NASA and going to live on top of a mountain in Chile?
jaydeeuk1 to MAdam98
15 Apr 17#10
No amateur telescope will give you Hubble like views of galaxies or nebulae,at least not with your eyeball, everything will appear as a grey smudge, even m42. You can get a decent view of Jupiter (prime spot right now) and Saturn (although probably not for next few years from UK) but you will need a Barlow or powermate to increase focal length, and then you'll need to set mount up to track by hand, and then you'll discoverthat the image will wobble as you move it.
This is a decent price, but for visual observation an alt az mount is a lot less faff.
I started off with the smaller 114eq and then upgraded to a celestron 127 mak, there's no way i could enjoy this hobby without goto, spent too many hours trying to find the target rather than looking at it.
Agent004 to MAdam98
16 Apr 17#16
Ive still got my old 4.5 inch reflector that i had when i was a kid , and i saw loads with that including the belts of Jupiter and 4 of its moons , Saturn and its rings , Mars , Venus, The Orion Nebula , The Andromeda Galaxy etc . A scope that size will fire you're interest in Astronomy but obviously won't give you the stunning images seen on TV and Magazines as they are taken with much bigger setups and long exposure photography . Heat added for a great brand starter scope .
Rys_Ochodzki
16 Apr 17#13
Perfect for watching my 22 years old "page 3" neighbour!
jaydeeuk1
15 Apr 171#12
Agree, DSO imaging requires a certain type of mount, scope and camera to get the best, but planetary or lunar imaging can be done easily with a humble webcam (don't think you can attach a dSLR to this as won't reach focus without modding or a Barlow). Add a tracking motor to this and something like this should be possible with this scope (not my image, but one taken with an identical scope)
MAdam98
15 Apr 171#11
I think my comment was misleading aha!
That was my point. A lot of people will buy scopes hoping to be able to see incredible detail in planets or even DSOs. Simply not the case.
Even more want to image using their scopes. Well, unless they have an extra few hundred quid minimum, they wont get particularly good images.
Check out the AP forums if you want tips on scopes and astro advice.
stethorn
15 Apr 17#6
Can anyone recommend a good scope to buy, want something good quality but not spending hundreds.
markpj777 to stethorn
15 Apr 172#8
It depends on what you want to see. You'll be able to see the craters of the moon up close with this as well as Saturn's rings and Jupiter with its moons. You should also be able to see Orions nebula. The light pollution will affect the quality of the vision so if you have problems with light pollution take it somewhere dark. Treating yourself to a wide angle eyepiece will improve things.
cabek666
15 Apr 173#7
Get a Nikon P900 and a sturdy tripod.
mcclunyboy
15 Apr 17#5
I have a version of this telescope and it's great for beginners or people on a budget. I've had plenty of nights enjoying things through this (as said though it should be considered a starter scope) - planets/moon and others a bit further away too ;p
VDisillusioned
15 Apr 1710#1
I think that's a pretty good deal. Much better than a lot of the "starter" scopes that are around for a similar price.
I would recommend to anyone that is interested in getting into telescope astronomy that they do a lot of research first. Partly because it is actually quite hard to figure out what to do at first and partly so you manage your expectations. It's actually quite tricky to get good views with a small scope. It's not just a case of putting up a telescope and pointing it at the sky, even finding what you want to look at is quite hard at first, let alone actually getting a reasonable image. I haven't done any observing for a while but when I did I thought the real thrill was the managing to get a decent image, rather than the actual view itself - if that makes any sort of sense. Getting internet and media saturated children excited about a tiny and slightly blurry image in an eyepiece, as they stand in the dark and cold, is particularly challenging!
Opening post
Find everything you need to discover the wonders of the night sky with the easy to use Meade Polaris EQ 130MD Reflector Telescope.
The Polaris 130MD EQ is the perfect introduction telescope for enthusiast astronomers. It includes three high quality eyepieces for viewing a wide range of objects including moons and planets.
With slow motion controls and an electronic RA motor drive, you can easily track celestial objects as they move across the sky.
What's more, it comes with the Autostar Suite Astronomy planetarium DVD, which features a guide on over 10,000 celestial objects.
Discover your passion for astronomy and see more of the night sky with the Meade Polaris EQ 130MD mm Reflector Telescope.
Top comments
I would recommend to anyone that is interested in getting into telescope astronomy that they do a lot of research first. Partly because it is actually quite hard to figure out what to do at first and partly so you manage your expectations. It's actually quite tricky to get good views with a small scope. It's not just a case of putting up a telescope and pointing it at the sky, even finding what you want to look at is quite hard at first, let alone actually getting a reasonable image. I haven't done any observing for a while but when I did I thought the real thrill was the managing to get a decent image, rather than the actual view itself - if that makes any sort of sense. Getting internet and media saturated children excited about a tiny and slightly blurry image in an eyepiece, as they stand in the dark and cold, is particularly challenging!
Latest comments (23)
Most things are underwhelming but wheen you think of the vast distances you can really appreciate it. I have seen Uranus and Neptune through my own telescope and I do use it maybe monthly but for many this will end up an expensive coathanger.
I'd recommend a pair of binoculars as a first scope, I've 3 pairs which I use far more frequently than my telescope but here is not the right place to gain advice. If your serious about purchasing this then I'd go to a star party like you or an astronomy club or a specialised forum and ask for advice.
Most people have similar ideas.
Reserve & Collect
Currys PC World Mansfield
Unit B/C Nottingham Road
Mansfield, NG18 1BW
Taken with a Celestron 102SLT and a SPC900 Webcam, 2 minutes stacked. I'm very light polluted BTW, I can only detect Mag +2 stars with my naked eye.
I have taken similar photo's (although nowhere near as good) as the above picture with my telescope. Software (Registax) takes each image, analyses it, discards the worst and then stacks each image on top of one another to give a composite better image. Some people sharpen the image in Gimp or similar. Stacking images teases out information from the image, it doesn't add to it.
Nasa do the same as what I'm doing. They tease out information from images, they don't falsify it. Some things may be in false colour but that is because our eyes can only see a narrow band of wavelengths. Other things might have enhanced features but again that is teasing out information, not adding to it.
In fairness to your tin foil reference, I haven't been hit on the head by an asteroid since I started wearing mine.
There is NO real picture of EARTH (go figure), why would you imagine there is real picture of other planets?
This picture above is best what you can get by stacking hundreds of pictures and processing with loads of software features.
And if you still believe your new priest (NASA) of your new religion (full of aliens ever expanding space), i would rather not laugh now, but go educate yourself how to analyze picture/ video authenticity and prove that for your self.
Just if you wonder... I am finished now Computer Science BSc and helping courts with digital image forensic analysis. But i would never get to this point if i would personal wouldn't be interested in social engineering, conditioning, etc... And i am glad i did, just shame i can only share my thoughts online. As you can imagine most indoctrinated people would say i forgotten my tin-foil hat, lol.
You'd be better off spending that 100 quid on a pair of quality binoculars and a tripod if you want to get into entry-level Astronomy.
This is a decent price, but for visual observation an alt az mount is a lot less faff.
I started off with the smaller 114eq and then upgraded to a celestron 127 mak, there's no way i could enjoy this hobby without goto, spent too many hours trying to find the target rather than looking at it.
That was my point. A lot of people will buy scopes hoping to be able to see incredible detail in planets or even DSOs. Simply not the case.
Even more want to image using their scopes. Well, unless they have an extra few hundred quid minimum, they wont get particularly good images.
Check out the AP forums if you want tips on scopes and astro advice.
I would recommend to anyone that is interested in getting into telescope astronomy that they do a lot of research first. Partly because it is actually quite hard to figure out what to do at first and partly so you manage your expectations. It's actually quite tricky to get good views with a small scope. It's not just a case of putting up a telescope and pointing it at the sky, even finding what you want to look at is quite hard at first, let alone actually getting a reasonable image. I haven't done any observing for a while but when I did I thought the real thrill was the managing to get a decent image, rather than the actual view itself - if that makes any sort of sense. Getting internet and media saturated children excited about a tiny and slightly blurry image in an eyepiece, as they stand in the dark and cold, is particularly challenging!