SkyWatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian 8″ Classic 10717

Dobsonian telescopes offer an incredible aperture-to-price ratio. The Dobsonian mount, popularized by John Dobson in the 1970.s, is a simple and efficient method of mounting a Newtonian reflector, based on the Alt-Azimuth principal. Fast and easy to set up, the Dobsonian mount consists of a box-type mounting which allows the telescope to pivot in altitude, while the box itself is rotated on a base in azimuth. The secret of the design is to correctly balance the optical tube and use frictional materials which allow it to be moved easily when nudged but to stay in position when not. The mount is designed to be driven by hand as opposed to slow motion controls. Sky-Watcher Dobsonians provide excellent all round performance for the observation the Moon and Planets and Deep Sky Objects such as Galaxies and Nebulae. Capture celestial images with your smartphone with the supplied Smartphone Camera Adaptor!

Tips

Park it next to a slightly larger aperture short focal ratio Newtonian at a star party for comparison. The small secondary of this telescope will demonstrate why planetary observers prefer small secondary or zero secondary telescopes. Budget for a Baader UHC or OII 1.25 filter, a Neutral density filter or Baader polarising set for the moon, and an A4 sheet of Baader Astrosolar filter for the Sun in white light.

BBC SKY AT NIGHT MAGAZINE – Highly Commended

“The Skyliner 200’s flat-packed base is very easy to build and set up, and comes with excellent instructions….The optics were sharp across 80% of the 1 degree field of view….We were very pleased with the appearance of al the test objects – we even managed to find the Crab Nebula, M81 and M82 in near-full Moonlight, whereas the other scopes were struggling. Under darker skies the Double Cluster had that ‘Wow’ factor when it was centred using the 25mm eyepiece, as did M35. The Pleiades (M45) was just a bit too large to fit in the field of view, but the main central stars looked stunning….Turning to Saturn, the view really took our breath away: we saw five moons, a clear-cut Cassini Division and a colour difference between the A and B rings. Not only that, but Saturn also displayed a prominent belt – with this scope planetary detail is certainly not compromised….Fans of deep-sky observing would certainly find the Skyliner satisfying….The Skyliner was a joy to use.”

PARABOLIC PRIMARY MIRRORS

Features High Quality Parabolic Primary Mirrors to eliminate spherical aberrations inherent in ‘fast’ focal lengh reflectors with spherical primary mirrors. The mirrors are parabolized to bring all the light rays to the same focal point to give sharp, constrasty images, which are full of detail.

SKY-WATCHER DELUXE MIRROR COATINGS
Most reflectors today usually have a coat of aluminium as the mirror surface and then an overcoat of silicon monoxide or silicon dioxide to protect it. Silicon dioxide produces a much more durable coat than silicon monoxide but requires specialized equipment to apply it and is therefore more expensive. Protection is needed, because in most reflectors, the mirror is open to the elements and deterioration of the reflective layer reduces the resolution of the telescope. ALL Sky-Watcher reflectors are Multi-Coated with Silicon Dioxide as standard for Optimum Durability and Long Term Performance.