Skywatcher 08" Dobsonian Telescope

The simplest, best value way to start out in astronomy. With a 8" telescope you will see clear, bright views of deep sky objects such as clusters and nebulae and even a few galaxies. You will have sharp views of the moon and planets even at high magnification. You will see extraordinary detail in the moon's craters, be able to see the gap in Saturn's rings and details in Jupiter's atmosphere. Star clusters will resolve into a group of stars and nebulae will be visible. You get a telescope that you are not going to easily outgrow

Dobsonians give the best value for money of any type of telescope. You get a large aperture at an affordable price but still keep portability. The design is simple and solid. It consists of a solid tube and a wooden box-like cradle mount. Setting up is as simple as putting the mount on the ground, slotting in the tube and adjustingthe tension. You navigate the night sky by moving the scope left and right, up and down, by hand. This is simple and intuitive for beginners when compared with more complicated mounts.

The Sky-Watcher 8" Dobsonian is a large aperture Newtonian reflector telescope with f/6 focal ratio, making it ideal for planetary and deep-sky observation. An 8" telescope has 70% more aperture than a 6" Telescope. More aperture means better light gathering power thus more detail you are able to see. With this Sky-Watcher Telescope you are able to see details in the planets prominent deep-sky object such as nebulae, star cluster and much more. The Sky-Watcher Classic Dobsonians are equipped with a 2" Crayford focuser with a 1.25" adapter, to allow easy use of either eyepiece size.

The Tension Control System allows you to adjust the friction setting; to increase or reduce the amount of resistance when moving the tube on the wooden mount, so you always have the appropriate resistance. The secret of the design is to correctly balance the optical tube with the specially designed handles (found on the base) and this adds enough friction and tension to allow the tube to move easily when nudged or to stay solidly in position.