This scope is perfect for someone interested in beginning an astronomy interest
585381
This scope is perfect for someone interested in beginning an astronomy interest.  Great bang for the buck.  Well made with a real metal tube and good glass objective lens.  Other parts are plastic however and could use some refinement but for the price it is a real bargain. The tripod is a bit flimsy but it does serve the purpose.  Great grab and go scope for anyone.
1478807
It's a nice telescope for the price, I got it recently from Amazon. The packing was good, despite I'm out of USA (I'm in Panama) it arrived in perfect conditions. The optical elements of the scope are nice and EQ mounting is easy to assemble. So far, I had been watching the moon and it's amazing the details you can see. I never imagine that with such a low price telescope I could see that much details of the moon. Now, I'm taking picture with the Celestron Imager CCD camera and I just can say that the pictures and videos you can take are just wonderful. The only thing that I can't use accurately is the star pointer, it helps to give you an approximate direction of the targeted object but still need to move the scope, probably I need to adjust mine or learn how to use it more efficiently. Celestron has nice videos in YouTube with detailed instructions to assemble the telescope.
Anyway, if you are interested in looking at the moon and some of the solar system planets this is just the perfect selection of a telescope. I published a photo of the moon here in Amazon so it can be appreciated the images you can get with the AstroMaster 130EQ and the Celestron CCD Imager.
2124781
This is the first telescope I've bought and I'm completely satisfied with it. Set up is simple and quick. It's great for viewing large objects, such as the Moon. Looking at star clusters is relatively easy once you get the hang of using the telescope, but finding and focusing specific stars or planets is a bit tricky. **Update** I've now had this telescope for about 6 months now and my experience has only gotten better. After some reading and videos I learned how to properly utilize the mount which has made using the telescope easier. I've also bought 8mm and 6mm eyepieces. With these I've drastically improved my views of the planets. I can now see the bands of Jupiter and it's moons, Saturn and its ring, and a decent view of Mars (view of Mars may have been affected by weather/atmosphere). My only issue is with the finder scope, which seems to move around easily easily and can throw off alignment. Also, the crosshairs are rather hard to see at night and makes centering objects difficult. However it works well enough to get you in the general vicinity and it's not a deal breaker.
2639697
My first telescope.. and I'm happy with it .. easy to put together,(watch the video on their site as you do it) easy to use, well made (base could be a bit better then it is but it seems to work fine)Great images of Jupiter and four of its moons, also our Moon so far is mostly it.. have been able to find a few galaxies but I live in a pretty heavy lighted area, so not much detail to them, and also its been very hot here lately (heat distorts views I've read?) I think for the price this is a great started scope with some room to grow. OH and Orion has been awesome with its service so far also .. had an issue with a 2" Q70 eyepiece I ordered and they replaced it within a few days.. like three days! Now that's service!
1206663
I've been interested in astronomy for most of my life and finally decided to purchase a telescope.  I spent a while doing my research and settled on the Orion SkyQuest XT8 due to its size, high marks for quality materials, and its price.

As others have noted, it took longer to unpack and verify nothing was missing than it took to assemble the base and mount the scope.  Unfortunately, I did have to spend some time aligning the primary mirror (called collimating) and then sighting in the spotting scope.  Nothing terribly complicated, but it did take a little bit of patience.  The instructions on collimating the mirrors are included and were quite clear.

The telescope comes with one 1.25" 25mm Plossl eyepiece that, when paired with this scope, gives a magnification of 48x.  The eyepieces can easily be swapped out and the telescope can accept either 1.25" or 2" eyepieces.

Once I finally had everything assembled and aligned I got it outside and set up for a first viewing.  I live in a suburban area with moderate light pollution in the skies (mostly low on the horizon) near Pittsburgh, PA.  I was concerned that this might prevent me from getting good views, but that was not the case.  My very first target was Saturn, which was fairly close to the sky glow of light pollution.  I was blown away by the clarity!  With just the basic, included eyepiece (25mm Plossl) I was easily able to see Saturn and its rings, despite them being nearly edge on at the time.  I put a 2x Barlow lens into the eyepiece and the magnified view allowed me to see faint banding in the atmosphere, and a tiny point of light that might have been Titan (one of Saturn's moons).  I was just speechless by how easily I was able to use the telescope.

The next target for viewing was the moon, which was nice and high above the horizon, visible as a waxing crescent.  I was able to pick out individual craters and mountains, and the sharpness of the image made it feel almost as though I was much closer to the moon instead of looking through a telescope.

In short, if you're looking for an excellent telescope for a beginner or a more experienced sky watcher, you'd be hard pressed to go wrong here.
43001
It's a great telescope, the skychart software that came with it also allows me to plan my viewing sessions ahead of time. It works good for lunar viewing or viewing a star grouping. With the 10mm lens on, you can faintly see the rings of Saturn. It's a great starter telescope that I'll be able to pass down. The only problem I had with it, is that I immediately wanted to get a 6-inch+ scope.
4944975
This was a great telescope for the beginner.  you could even put your phone/tablets camera up to it and take pictures.
1713121
I bought this for my niece because she can't see any deep space objects with the one she has. If this gathers the advertised light it should be able to see some galaxies and plenty of other cool things. I wanted to list a couple pro's/cons

Pro - The scope looks very well built
  Solid spider that should keep the secondary mirror aligned
  The fact it has 2 eye pieces and a barlow is great for a kid or this is your first scope
  This is an actual finder scope and not a laser dot which is nice

Con- It has a little lens at the end of the focuser that makes using a laser collimator impossible. You have to either eyeball it or use a collimating cap.
  I think I got the secondary in line but I won't know for sure until I try to collimate off of Polaris.

  If you are looking for a sturdy mount buy a more expensive model.
  The eye pieces are not the best quality and if you plan on seeing crisp images you will probably not ( assuming, haven't taken it out yet)

All in all a good buy for a child or young adult, or even if you just want to get into star gazing. I hope it isn't as hard to collimate as it looks but it already took me forever to get the secondary half way lined up. You will probably have to center the secondary mirror under the view finder before you start the collimating process ( I had to )

**Update** After very little time collimating, this little scope is great. I just looked at some open clusters through it because I set it up in a very highly light polluted part of town. I'd venture to say my niece will be able to see most of what I can with my 150mm. Great buy for a little stargazer or beginner.
1094700
This atlas was recommended to me by the folks at "Company 7", an excellent scope shop in Laurel, MD that services NASA.  I got it with my Celestron 8 StarHopper 5 years ago and haven't come near to exhausting it.  It is for somebody who is already familiar with finding constellations and planets, has looked through binoculars, and is now acquiring their first good telescope and wants to know what they will be able to see in the deep sky.  It is portable and has shading for the Milky Way, an index of main types of objects (globular clusters, planetary nebulae, galaxies, double stars, etc) and their characteristics.  Using this list and the seasonal maps, you can decide which are the best/biggest/brightest of the deep sky objects available to you to see and go find them.  There are more detailed, heavier and more expensive star atlases out there but you can spend a lifetime looking for the objects in this one.
1908348
I'm new to astronomy, but so far, I'm really enjoying the telescope.  First of all it's big.  It's really impressive looking. The telescope required colllimation when it arrived, but that was straight forward.  Set up was otherwise a breeze.  The images are very crisp.  This model comes with several eye pieces, which is nice for viewing.

Now I just wish the weather would cooperate and give me some clear skies!
422096
I spent hours researching my first telescope, I am so happy I went with the 90EQ.  Through it I've seen the rings of Saturn, two cloud bands on Jupiter, four Jovian moons, and been able to name individual craters on our own moon.

If you're looking to get into astronomy without spending an arm or a leg, or need a durable 'scope you're not afraid to knock around during travels, this is the one.
4246698
This is a bargain for beginners with an interest in astronomy. I got this telescope set up in about a half hour and enjoyed looking at the moon on one of this season's rare cloudless nights. I was able to discern all of the craters and features of the moon and got a pretty good look at Jupiter, too.  Its a very sturdy telescope and sits without wiggling on a sturdy tripod. It's easy to move around on the tripod and reset positions for studying different areas of the sky.

I'm going to leave it set up in my guest room and have it on hand for when I have guests this winter when the night sky is easier to navigate and see. The kids are going to love it!
2564150
I bought this to give to my son for his 4th birthday.  He loves outer space, but especially the moon, and I thought he would love being able to see the moon close up.  I am going to surprise him with it on his birthday in a few weeks, but I did test it myself just to see what it could do.

It comes with two lenses, a 10mm and 25mm.  It also came with a 3x Barlow lens, but I have to say that I could not get the image to focus when I was using the Barlow lens.  I am a newbie when it comes to telescopes, so I chalked it up to user error.  But I had much better luck with the 10 and 25mm eyepieces.  I was able to get a clear picture of the moon with both the 10mm and 25mm lenses.  The view was cool, I could see the craters clearly.  It's definitely meant for beginners.  If you are looking for a telescope that will allow you to zoom in and see the intricate detail of the craters, or even view anything much further away than the moon, you will need to spend quite a bit more money to get a much more powerful telescope. But if you are just looking to get a really crisp and clear full view of the moon at a decent price, this telescope will do the trick!

The telescope comes with a really nice canvas case that fits everything perfectly and makes it easy to transport.  It was super easy to put together, it took about 10 minutes.  It's extremely light and easy to move around on the included tripod.  The detachable sight finder is great and really helps you pinpoint where to aim the telescope.  It also has a stabilizing lever (or at least that's what I'm calling it for lack of a better term), which allows you to easily pan the telescope through the sky and then tighten it to keep the view locked in place horizontally.  Then, there is a separate knob on the lefthand side that allows you to lock the scope in place vertically.  So it's very easy to maneuver.

It's also great for viewing distant landscapes.  I was able to zoom in on distant trees with amazing clarity.  I think my son will enjoy that just as much as viewing the moon!

Overall, I think my son is going to love this telescope and it does all I need it to do.  If you or your children are just getting your start as budding astronomers, this seems like a great telescope to begin with.

I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
3277572
I bought the telescope for my 11 year old grand-daughter for her birthday in Feb.  When I checked it out after receiving it I found that it does a decent job of magnifying in detail items at a distance indoors.  We haven't had any clear nights yet so am waiting for an opportunity to view the sky.  I anticipate I won't be disappointed.
208165
This is a great little telescope!  It's nice for quick easy viewing sessions and very portable so I use it often.  I have a bigger telescope but I use the FirstScope more because it's so easy to carry and there's no setup.  The base is sturdy and stable.

The eyepieces that come with this telescope are not good, and that's why I had to give it 4 stars instead of 5.  I found them to be blurry with lots of distortion and a small field of view.  They are a waste of the telescopes capabilities.

This telescope gives some very pleasing views if used with a better eyepiece.  I have 10mm and 25mm Plossl eyepieces that I use instead, and it's like a whole different telescope with them.  Very clear and bright, with a nice wide field of view.  It's great for looking at the Moon and star clusters like Pleiades, Double Cluster, or just scanning across the sky.  The wide field of view is one of its strengths, but you need better eyepieces to take advantage of that.

I would definitely recommend replacing the eyepieces to bring out the scope's true capabilities.  Inexpensive eyepieces can be found on ebay.  The SVBONY/Aspherical eyepiece sets on ebay would be a good low-cost upgrade, as well as any other type such as plossl, gold line, kellner, etc in the $15-$30 range would all be a big improvement.

I'm really happy with it overall.  It's just a great, fun, easy to use telescope that can give steady clear views.  I recommend it to any beginner, or anyone looking for a nice portable low maintenance telescope.
1651891
This is my first spotting scope, and I have been very happy with it.  In normal use the clarity and focus are great.  I wanted to try it for a little star-gazing knowing that it isn't designed for that--the lack of a very heavy duty tripod made any viewing difficult as you have too much movement of the scope when trying to focus, but it wasn't designed for that anyway.  I could probably get spectacular views of the moon, but the lack of any way to install a filter would mean I would probably blind myself looking at the bright light--maybe need to try when the moon is just a crescent.  For its intended purpose, I think this scope is great.
1008650
This is an inexpensive telescope and this fact is reflected in the quality of the focuser and overall construction.  HOWEVER - If you are like me and only use a telescope occasionally, this scope is IDEAL.  The optics are surprisingly good and the image quality is crystal clear.  The Autostar controller works quite well at finding and tracking objects.  The scope is very easy to use and I recommend it for the beginning or, as in my case, "occasional" astronomer who does not want to have an expensive investment taking up space in the closet.