AstroMaster 130EQ with Motor Drive and Phone Adapter

Discover our Solar System with the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ! You’ll be ready to observe in minutes thanks to the quick and easy no-tool setup. The 130EQ provides bright, clear images of the Moon, planets, star clusters, and more for great nighttime viewing.

Manual German Equatorial telescope

The AstroMaster mount comes with two slow motion control knobs that allow you to make fine pointing adjustments to the telescope in both Right Ascension and Declination axes, also referred to as RA and DEC.

Accessories Included

Accessories include a 20mm and 10mm eyepiece, a finderscope, a smartphone adapter, and a motor drive. The two eyepieces offer different magnifications for low and high powered views.

Motor Drive

Turn your manual German equatorial mount into a tracking mount by adding the included RA motor drive to your telescope. This easy-to-install RA motor drive compensates for the Earth’s rotation, so the telescope tracks a star’s movement through the night sky from east to west.  When the telescope mount is properly polar aligned and the RA drive is attached and running, the user need only make occasional adjustments in declination (Dec) to keep an object in the eyepiece for long periods of time.  The Celestron single-axis motor drive runs on a 9V battery, so there are no cords to get in the way.  The drive can be used in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.  To change hemispheres (reverse the motor’s direction), simply by flip the N/S switch on the face of the motor drive.  It is also simple to change the speed of the motor.  A “Speed Rate Regulator” knob is located just under the power indicator and can be turned in either direction to slow down or speed up the motor.  Since solar system objects like the Moon and planets move through the sky at different rates than deep-sky objects do, this gives you the ability to match the motor’s speed to the particular type of object you are observing.  

Smartphone Adapter

Image celestial or terrestrial objects with this smartphone adapter. With its light, rigid frame, this accessory allows you to connect any smartphone to any telescope eyepiece with an outside diameter of 45mm. The additional magnification provided by the eyepiece allows your phone to capture great images of the Moon and planets. This smartphone adapter installs easily by clamping over the top of an eyepiece.  The smartphone is held in position with the help of tightening knobs that securely lock your phone in place. The adapter accommodates most phones with the case on, but some large and/or bulky phone cases (including folio style cases) may need to be removed for the phone to fit in the adapter.

Starry Night Software

Download Celestron’s Starry Night Software and learn about the night sky, celestial objects, and how to plan your next observing session. Celestron Starry Night Software is the premier astronomy software package on the market, providing resources and knowledge to view our solar system and beyond.