The Orion SpaceProbe 130ST is a product from Orion Telescopes and Binoculars. The company has been in business since 1975 offering high-quality telescopes for all levels including beginners, intermediate, advanced and expert. Orion SpaceProbe 130ST is a reflector telescope for beginners and intermediates. There are three types of telescopes; the refractor, reflector and compound telescopes. The reflector telescopes are great for viewing faint objects, are usually lightweight and provide high-quality images. The refractor telescopes are used for viewing objects on earth, come in a simple design and are easy to use. Just like reflector images, compound images are great for viewing faint objects. However, they work for objects on earth and are used for astrophotography.
The Orion SpaceProbe differs from other telescopes in that it comes with a shorter optical tube. It measures 24 inches as opposed to the standard 33 inch. This makes it easy to carry when traveling. Moreover, it has a wider field of view making it easy for the user to locate objects of interest. Many have termed it as the best telescope for beginner and intermediate astronomers.
- 5.1-inch aperture reflector telescope: This gathers an ample amount of light allowing great views of the moon, bright galaxies, moon, star clusters, and nebulas. This plays a critical role inm increasing the user experience.
- 24-inch optical tube design: The Orion SpaceProbe 130ST has a short optical tube which makes it easily portable. The ST in the product title stands for short tube. It is easy to travel with even when you have a small vehicle.
- Precise equatorial mount: The sturdy EQ-2 mount is ideal and allows for slow motion tracking of objects thus enabling the user to have more flexibility and an optimal experience.
- Focal length 650 mm
- Weight 27lb: This is a convenient weight for transport.
- Focal ration f/5.0: the focal ratio offers a wider field of view. This is a feature that allows the observer to locate objects easily and quickly.
- Magnification (Highest 260x, lowest 19x)
- Optics: The reflector uses a parabolic mirror just like the ones used in bigger reflector telescopes. This is a feature that allows focus on the inbound light thus enhancing clear and detailed views.
- Accessories (2 Plossl eyepieces, starry night software, pinion focuser, finder scope, collimation cap and accessory tray): The Plossl eyepieces offer magnification of 26x and 65x. They are designed to help the user explore the objects in the sky at night. With a 52 degrees field of view, the 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece one is able to achieve sharp images at high contrast. The 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, on the other hand, allows one to study objects with more magnification. They offer a 65x view thus giving one a closer view of objects. When using the eyepieces, it is advisable to start with the 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece and then switch to the 10mm later. Some buyers choose to use a 2x Barlow lenses with the eyepieces for 130x and 52x magnification levels. The role of barlow lenses is to increase the magnification of the eyepieces. They come with more than one glass element, a feature that is meant to reduce the effect of chromatic aberration.
- Starry night SE software makes it possible for one to explore the skies even when it is cloudy. The starry night astronomy software allows one to operate the telescope easily, understand what you see and get information about the stellar objects. The software works on Apple iMac with OS X 10.4 and above, and Windows 7, 8 and 10.
- Colors: 130ST is available in black, which is an ideal color for telescopes
- The Orion SpaceProbe 130ST is a Newtonian reflector that comes with high-quality tech specs. This is a class of reflectors well known for their large apertures.
- Views are not limited to the solar system only; you can view the star clusters and distant galaxies using 130ST. The aperture collects a lot of light allowing you to view all distant objects.
- It is a high-quality telescope with a reasonable price. This gives beginners an affordable way to explore the galaxies.
- The equatorial mount is smooth and accurate giving users a seamless experience. All you need to do is set the knob and then use the adjustment knob as you follow objects in the sky.
- Its compact design makes it easy to store and travel with the reflector.
- With a built-in accessory tray, one is able to organize extra lenses
- The eyepieces and Barlow lens makes it possible to view the clear details of distant objects.
- The parabolic mirror gathers enough light for a clear view of the sky at night.
- Beautiful images: 130ST brings the images close enough to your eyes. You can see the beauty of planets by using this reflector. If you have little ones, you can use the device to bring them closer to science. Seeing objects, in reality, can boost their quest for more knowledge and help them to perform better in school. It would be a good chance to spend some quality time with your kids and teach them more about the universe.
Some users, especially the first time users claim that it takes more time to setup. The user manual claims that that should take 30 minutes, but this can be longer depending on how conversant one is with telescopes. There are ample You Tube videos that can help you in this. Nevertheless, the company has recognized this problem and has promised to make an improvement on the same.
The Orion SpaceProbe 130ST is an amazing telescope that gives beginners and experienced astronomers clear, well focused and sharp images. Its high accuracy, ease of use and affordable prices are some of the great reasons to try it out. Moreover, the telescope allows you to view a wide range of objects in the sky such as the stars and galaxies. Therefore if you are searching for high quality, first time and easily portable telescope, Orion maybe the right choice for you. However, note that it is not the best choice for the experts.