The Bresser Messier 130 is a great starter scope for the more advanced user and offers 30% more light gathering power than the 114mm reflectors that are usually offered at this price point.

This substantial telescope offers much more than a basic introduction to telescopic astronomy. Although no harder to use than many of our most basic starter scopes, the Messier 130 will certainly carry you a lot further in the hobby of astronomy. It's heavy duty Mon-1 equatorial mount can be upgraded with a sophisticated RA motor drive system that constantly counteracts the rotation of the Earth and allows targets to be examined in extended detail and also allows advanced photographic projects to be attempted with this telescope.

We recommend the Messier 130 for anyone committed to exploring astronomy with the aid of a serious instrument and would like to view the widest range of targets possible - it is especially suited for projects, like astrophotography, double-star observing and the observation of planets.

Anyone who has enjoyed the books by Sir Patrick Moore (as we have!) will know that he recommends a 3" (76mm) telescope as a minimum for serious observations. Well the Messier 130 is a full 2 inches (50mm) bigger than this requirement and is an ideal first step into serious observing.

This classic reflector telescope comes with a kit of accessories with everything you need to get started for just £244.95 inc UK p&p (normal price with accessories is over £240 inc p&p!).

The Messier 130 is a well constructed classic Newtonian reflector with a top quality 130mm (over 5 inches) Pyrex primary mirror. The optics are fully anti-reflection coated.

Mon1 Equatorial mount on steel field tripod (that can be motorised - see recommended accessories):

The Messier 130 is ideal 'step-up' for anyone who has already done some astronomy with a small basic telescope or binoculars. It's an ideal gift for the adult that has a serious interest in astronomy. We suggest that this larger telescope is a little too advanced for young explorers under the age of 12 years.

The complete package is handsomely boxed with full assembly instructions.

(see additional special FREE offer at top of page).

Additional features:

The Messier (named after the famous 18th century French comet hunter) shows its long Bresser pedigree in one or two of the extra little features that display the experience and thought that is the mark of the Bresser brand. The eyepiece fitting is the full 1.25" size allowing the widest range of additional accessories. The included Barlow lens has a quality all metal construction and excellent two element optical design. A modern software program on CDROM is included to aid exploration.

Ideal for serious explorers the Messier 130 is the perfect instrument to discover the wonders of the remote wilderness of the night sky from your own back-garden. One of the great features of the Messier 130 is the heavy duty sophisticated equatorial mounting that is equipped with slow-motion extension handles as well as a 30mm finder scope and high quality engraved setting-circles to aid navigating through the night sky.

The Messier 130 Mon1 mount is equipped with a directional compass and bubble-level to aid speedy set-up - just a few basic steps and you're ready to explore!

Features and content of the kit:

large bright 130mm primary Newtonian reflector astronomy telescope

4 eyepieces: 4mm,10mm,12.5mm and 25mm (high to low power 222x,80x,64,and 32x)

1 2x Barlow lens (increases the magnification of all eyepieces by a factor of 2x ie used with the 10mm at 80x plus Barlow = 160x)

High quality all metal 1.25" rack & pinion focusor.

Easy set-up heavy-duty equatorial mount with full height field tripod.

Full 6x30mm optical finder for daytime or night-time use

Sky Charts CD-ROM astronomy software that can display the night sky on your home PC and print charts to find interesting objects.

Supplied with easy to understand illustrated instruction manual.

So what’s so great about the Bresser Messier 130?

If you are looking for a serious telescope to explore the night sky and observe first-hand the amazing range of astronomical targets that are displayed above your back-garden - this has to be one of the best medium sized 'classic' reflector scopes available in the UK.

It´s large 130mm primary optics make it ideal for viewing the widest range of tagets - from planets to nebulea and galaxies.

The Bresser Messier 130 comes complete with a 5-piece optics set including 4 eyepieces that deliver 45x, 90x, and 225x magnification. Also supplied is a high quality 2x Barlow lens - this useful accessory increases by a factor of two the magnification of any eyepiece used with it. Using the Barlow the magnifications can be increased theoretically to 90x, 150x and even 450x (although at 450x the magnification is much too high to yield useful results). Thus any of five magnifications between 45x and 225x can be selected simply by using a particular eyepiece or eyepiece+Barlow combination.

Complimenting the eyepiece set, a precise rack and pinion focusing system (the standard on good astronomy telescopes for decades!)snaps the image into pinpoint focus accurately and quickly.

What can you expect to see in your back-garden sky?

This telescope will show you some of the most amazing sights in the solar system right from your back garden! If you haven’t seen the surface of the Moon in a quality telescope then get ready for some incredible views. The Moon is an awesome spectacle any month of the year — its desolate and ancient surface showing thousands of impact craters and some of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the solar system! The phases of the inner planets Mercury and Venus, going rapidly from almost a full disc to a thin crescent can easily be seen and tracked over the weeks of their seasonal apparitions.

The high quality mirror is singularly free from false colour (a source of irritation and detail loss with achromatic refracting telescopes) and under favorable conditions the planet Mars will show a wealth of surface detail and at the right time of year the white frost of its polar cap - even faint wispy clouds can be seen in this powerful instrument. The giant planet Jupiter, just a bright star to the unaided eye, will, at anything over 60x magnification, show the observer a larger image of Jupiter’s globe in the eyepiece than the full Moon appears to the unaided eye! A wealth of detail can be seen in its prominent cloud belts. Jupiter's four major moons can be tracked through the evening and even their dark shadows can be seen transiting Jupiter´s disk.

The famous rings that encompass the giant planet Saturn can be seen (and are truly unforgettable) as can Saturn’s largest enigmatic attendant moon, Titan. The nebulae and galaxies millions of light-years distant can be seen with the Messier 130 with beautiful asterisms (groups of stars) like the Pleiades and globular clusters (swarms of stars in a clump) like the famous M13 can be easily viewed on any dark night when these targets are above the horizon. The great M42 nebula is an unfogettable sight in even a low-power eyepiece of the Messier 130.