We placed the LightBridge Mini 130 on the observing trolley we often use for a laptop and were quickly in action with the 26mm eyepiece. Overall this is a simple to use tabletop Dobsonian that has the potential to fire the imagination of young and old, and give good views of a wide range of targets. They have many options, so reading Meade telescope reviews is vital. These customer written reviews feature consumer ratings, recommendations and feedback. How Are Dwarf Planets Different From Normal Planets? However, unlike the Mini 82 which uses a very difficult to collimate spherical mirrors for its optics, the Mini 130 uses parabolic mirrors to form its optics, just like the Mini 114. The view was still reasonably detailed even after adding 2x Barlow lens of our own, but as this also had the effect of enhancing the motion of the sky we had to keep centring the view regularly. The accessories themselves are decent but for the Mini 130’s price of roughly $200, plossl eyepieces are what should’ve been included in the box. The telescope looks very nice (photo 1). As for the mount, it’s Vixen-style dovetail, once again, like the Lightbridge Mini 114 meaning it’s easy to place the tube on other mounts that aren’t a tabletop with the sliding dove tail design, allowing for it to be a lot easier to balance heavier eyepieces. The accessories Included in the box are two eyepieces at 26mm (25x) and 9mm (72x), a red dot finderscope, instructions and Meade’s Autostar planetarium software. The wooden, single-arm altaz mount gave free movement in azimuth. 11 Places Most Likely To Support Life In The Solar System. Reviewed in Canada on January 12, 2020. ), Orion AstroView 90mm Equatorial Review (A Refractor Telescope Worth Buying!? Tabletop telescopes are naturally portable and easy to set up anywhere there is a flat surface to stand them on that leaves the eyepiece accessible. The telescope tube attaches via a Vixen-style clamp and can be removed if needed. If you’re looking for systems that are much better for viewing planets, that don’t suffer from coma and have a more ideal focal ratio of f/8 for viewing planets, click here to check out my best of list on telescopes better made for viewing planets. Certainly, the LightBridge Mini 130 provides views that can inspire a greater appreciation of the night sky. Multiple stars and the planets require higher magnification as a rule, so we tried this using the 9mm eyepiece – we were able to pick out and split Castor in Gemini and Algieba in Leo. The finder is a zero-magnification variety and the brightness of its red dot is adjustable, though we found that the lowest setting was best so as not to overpower the view. The deluxe offers an improved finder, a better included eyepiece and a tension adjustable roller bearing for the AZ axis. The telescope is attached to the mount with a Vixen-style bar If you don’t already know, telescopes are generally formed using one of 3 different optic types, which include a reflector, a refractor and compound optics. Meade is the largest telescope manufacturer in the world. Perhaps if the finder was located a little closer to the focuser this might improve the system. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Meade Instruments LightBridge Mini 114 Telescope, White (203002) at Amazon.com. But what’s more important is how it works. What Do The Meade Lightbridge Mini 130’s Specifications Mean? Turning to what few nebulae there were to see in the spring sky, we enjoyed a good view of M57, the Ring Nebula in Lyra, with a nice dark hollow at its centre, and nearby M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, showed hints of structure through the 9mm eyepiece. You have a choice between an 8”, 10” or 12”, and you can get the deluxe or regular flavor. That’s what this test is about. Our rating . M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici, was small but relatively bright in the 26mm eyepiece, its companion galaxy M51a clearly visible, while the 9mm eyepiece enhanced the view – revealing a hazy disc surrounding the main core of M51. These specs mean that the device will be able to reach a theoretical magnification of 250x (the use able amount will likely be closer to 200x) and the images through the viewfinder will be relatively wide too, which means the edges of view will suffer with some coma. They worked well for this basic system and gave pleasing views of a wide range of celestial targets. Choose your book when you subscribe to BBC Sky at Night Magazine today! the Moon and planets to brighter deep-sky targets. Because of this you can be viewing through the LightBridge Mini 130 in minutes – free of the hassle of unfurling a … The altitude axis movement is smooth in use and tension is adjustable using a nice chunky knob at the side. Choose your book when you subscribe to BBC Sky at Night Magazine today! On the other hand, if you want more options within the compact and portable side of things, click here to check out a list on some other solid portable and compact telescope offerings. If you do decide to change the tabletop mount to something a little bit more conventional, the EQ1 or EQ3 mounts are some good options to look into.