With the planets returning to the evening sky over the winter, a telescope is the perfect way to get a closer look — great news for those of us who aren't nocturnal and don't want to wake up in the wee hours of the early morning to get a glimpse. Our optics writer impulse-bought the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ during Prime Day last year, and it's discounted again this Prime Day, selling for $251 at Amazon, which is almost the cheapest we've seen it all year.
Saturn has already made its return to the sky just after sunset, and Jupiter will be following suit over the next few months (it's currently visible after midnight). Plus, around February 28, 2026, you'll be able to see a six-planet lineup about an hour after sunset (Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, and Mercury). With the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ, we have spent many nights (OK, evenings) out in our backyard gazing at Jupiter's four Galilean moons and Saturn's rings, and we think, for price versus performance, it's one of the best beginner telescopes out there.
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The Equatorial mount setup is a nice challenge for beginners to sink their teeth into (especially as the instructions leave a lot to be desired), but once you've figured it out, it becomes a lot easier to follow objects through the sky as opposed to an Alt-Azimuth mount, which you tend to see a lot more of with beginner models.
It comes with two eyepieces — a 10mm and a 20mm — although we wish it had come with a barlow lens, like some of the other models do. Still, we'd recommend upgrading the eyepieces over time anyway, and this Celestron eyepiece and filter accessory kit is 26% off for Prime Day.
Key features: Newtonian reflector, 130mm aperture, 650mm focal length, f/5 focal ratio, includes 10mm and 20mm eyepieces.
Product launched: February 2007.
Price history: Over the past year, we've only seen this particular model around $5 cheaper, so this really is one of the best prices you'll be able to buy it for.
Price comparison: B&H: $339.99 | Walmart: $324.99 | Adorama: $329.99
Reviews consensus: An excellent telescope for beginners who want to kickstart their stargazing journey. You'll need to upgrade the eyepieces and some of the parts over time, but for the price, it gives enough of a challenge to newbies without being overwhelming and is better than many other 'beginner' models.
Featured in guides: Best telescopes, Best beginner telescopes
✅ Buy it if: You want to start stargazing as a regular hobby, and want a good beginner telescope that you won't need to upgrade once you get bored.
❌ Don't buy it if: You want a super simple setup-and-go telescope — for that, we'd recommend an AZ mount.
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