Celestron Newtonian Telescope Red Dot Sight Picatinny Rail Mount

I recently acquired a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Telescope from Facebook Marketplace at an excellent price. However, the original sighting scope was damaged and replaced with an  LR hunting scope by the previous owner. I noticed that the telescope’s original mount was somewhat unstable, causing the scope to lose alignment easily. After researching, I discovered that many experts recommend red dot scopes for their ease of use, etc. I purchased an affordable, all-aluminum red dot scope from Amazon for $20 and modeled a Picatinny rail to mount it securely to the telescope’s most stable component—the brackets that connect the telescope to the tripod. Since Celestron uses similar mounts across multiple models, this setup should be compatible with more than just the 130EQ.

Installation Instructions:

1. Print the Picatinny rail model.
2. Remove the single bolt (originally installed by Celestron for camera mounting). This bolt is installed from inside the bracket, with its head beneath the felt. To remove, turn it clockwise from the threaded stud side (gently with pliers, or by locking two nuts).
3. Secure the printed bracket using two 1-inch-long 1/4-20 hex head bolts.
4. Attach the red dot scope to the Picatinny rail.
5. Sight it in
6. Enjoy!

Step file is attached if you want to make your own mods to it.