Skywatcher Dobson 8" Pyrex Flex Tube telescope

A large telescope of the Newton system suspended on a mount Dobson with a diameter of 200 mm. It is a great option for beginners, yet discerning astronomy enthusiasts. Aperture of 203 mm and moderate light intensity make the telescope suitable for observing real details on the planets of the solar system. It will also allow you to find hundreds of objects such as clusters and galaxies.

The model is designed in the classical Newton system. The main mirror has a parabolic shape, a diameter of 200 mm and a focal length of 1200 mm. The optical intensity of the telescope is f/6, a value at which no strong coma phenomenon is observed at the edges of the image. Telescopes of this type are less burdened with the features that are considered to be the disadvantages of telescopes Newton. Relatively low coma and moderate secondary obstruction make images from 8-inch dobsonians quite sharp, and the telescope allows not only good images of nebular objects, but also richly detailed images of planets. All telescopes Sky-Watcher Dobson 8" and larger are equipped with pyrex mirror low thermal expansion glass as standard. 

With extendable design the telescope can be folded for storage. Folding is done with the help of the telescope's slide-outs and does not require any tools. There is also no need to disassemble the tube into separate components. The telescope is ready for observation within seconds. The precision-made mechanism means no need for collimation each time after unfolding.

The telescope is suspended on an azimuthal mount Dobson. The simple and very stable design allows the telescope to be easily rotated in azimuth and elevation. The telescope is mounted on two sides in a forked mount, while the entire top of the mount rotates at the base.

The model is also equipped with a 2" eyepiece extractor with a reduction to 1.25". It is a Crayford extractor, operating smoothly and without backlash. It uses a 2" extension and a 1.25" extension/reduction. The extensions should be used interchangeably (not combined into one set). The focuser is compatible with autofocus drives manufactured by Sky-Watcher.

The telescope allows the following astronomical observations:
.
Solar System:
. - Objects on the surface of the moon with a size greater than 1 km,
. - Sunspots and their structure, the granulation of the photosphere clearly visible,
. - all the planets of the solar system,
- phases of Mercury and Venus,
- Mars' disc, polar caps at periods of opposition, first surface details visible,
- clear several zones of Jupiter's belts and Galilean moons,
- Saturn's rings with Cassini gap, belts in the atmosphere and several smaller moons of the planet,
- Uranus and Neptune visible as stars with a distinctly blue coloration,
- movement of many asteroids against the background of stars,
- observations of many faint comets, visible comet structure.

Stars:
- About 2.7 million stars across the sky with brightness up to about 12.5-13 magnitude,
. - double and multiple stars angularly separated by more than 0.7-0.8",
- colors of many stars.

Messier objects:
. - All objects of the Messier catalog,
- hundreds of globular clusters, in many cases broken down into individual stars,
. - hundreds of open clusters with many visible differences in structure,
. - dozens of nebulae along with the first details, rich and subtle details of bright nebulae,
- dozens of galaxies along with visible details of structures, clear shapes and angular position of disks,
- visible structure and structure of many planetary nebulae, increase in contrast with nebula filters,
- visible supernova remnants.

Images seen through large telescopes are susceptible to the effects of artificial light illumination of the sky, air pollution and atmospheric stability (seeing), as well as the accuracy of collimated optics. In order to obtain optimal images of the sky in telescopes of 200 mm and larger, it is important to keep these limitations in mind.

The sky is not a problem.

To a limited extent, the telescope can also be used as a simple instrument for ground observations. To invert the image, use a so-called rectifying lens, which will reverse the image to the natural (straight) one.

In the set:
. - 9x50 finder,
- eyepiece Super PL 10 mm,
. - eyepiece Super PL 25 mm,

Technical data
. Telescope optics: Newton
. Mount type: Dobson 
. Eyepiece Extractor: Crayford
. Telescope control: manual
. Lens diameter: 203 mm
Lens focal length: 1200 mm 
Focal length: 5.9
Focal length of eyepiece 1: 25 mm 
Focal length of eyepiece 2: 10 mm
. Highest usable magnification: 305x
Smallest useful magnification: 29x
Magnification with eyepiece 1: 48x
Magnification with eyepiece 2: 120x
Stellar range: 13.8 mag 

Resolution (Dawes): 0.57 angular seconds
Collective capacity (compared to the unaided eye): 841 
Tube length: 1120 mm
Resolution capacity: 0.58" 
Main mirror diameter: 203 mm 
Secondary mirror diameter: 47 mm
Tripod height: 74 cm 
Extractor diameter: 2" with 1.25 "reduction
Manufacturer: Sky-Watcher, Canada