Looking for a telescope that can take you on a tour of the Universe and still fit within your budget? The Celestron NexStar130 SLT, or Star Locating Telescope, was designed to do just that. This compact, easy to use, yet powerful telescope system uses the same star locating technology you’ll find in Celestron’s top-of-the-line telescopes.

The NexStar+ hand control features a 40,000-object database of stars, galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, plus the Moon and planets. Simply select the object you wish to view and NexStar SLT’s high performance servo motors slew directly to the target, center it in either of the two provided eyepieces, and then track it as it appears to move across the night sky. A computerized tracking telescope such as the NexStar 130 SLT is a great choice for families and groups because everyone can observe the same object without having to make adjustments to keep it in the center of the field of view.

The Celestron NexStar 130 SLT is lightweight and easy to transport making it a great outdoor companion. Setup for this telescope can be done in minutes, out of the box,  with no tools required. The telescope runs on eight user-supplied AA batteries, so there’s no need for AC power or an external power supply. Turn the Celestron NexStar 130 SLT on and you’ll be guided through Celestron’s simple SkyAlign setup procedure. Once you’ve centered any three bright objects in the eyepiece, your NexStar SLT is aligned and ready to explore the cosmos.

With a 5” primary mirror—the largest aperture in the Celestron NexStar SLT family—the 130mm Newtonian reflector offers enough light gathering ability to explore fainter Messier objects, split double stars, and render stunning details on the surface of the Moon. Although they are similar in size and weight, the 130mm model gathers 30 percent more light than the 114mm NexStar SLT for brighter, more detailed views.

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Key Features

• High-quality 130mm Newtonian reflector
• Fully computerized altazimuth mount can automatically locate and track thousands of objects
• Includes StarPointer red dot finderscope to help with alignment and accurately locating objects
• "The Sky" astronomy software CD-ROM provides information about the sky and printable sky maps
• Align on any three bright celestial objects with Celestron’s fast and easy SkyAlign procedure
• Flash-upgradable hand control for downloading product updates from Celestron.com
• Internal battery compartment prevents cord wrap during use
• Auxiliary port for additional accessories such as a GPS, StarSense AutoAlign, or SkyQ Link 2 WiFi Module