Sky-Watcher 10″ f/4.7 Flextube 250P Telescoping Truss-Tube Dobsonian

Description

A navigation knob conveniently mounted below the focuser makes it easy to control the scope’ motion in any direction. The optical tube starts moving at a gentle touch – smoothly and with no fuss. Center on an object and the scope settles down immediately, with no shudder or vibration to mar your viewing experience.

Carry handles/altitude tension control/eyepiece tray: The handles in the sides of the rocker box incorporate a tension control in altitude that lets you compensate for eyepieces of markedly differing weights. An eyepiece tray capable of holding one 2″ and three 1.25″ eyepieces attaches to the front of the rocker box above the supplied centrally-mounted carrying handle.

Altazimuth base dimensions: 20″ in diameter by 29″ high.

What can you see through the 10″ Sky-Watcher telescoping truss-tube Dob?

In viewing deep-space, aperture matters – big time! With the 10″ Sky-Watcher, you have tremendous light gathering power to see faint and distant nebulas and galaxies – over 1300 times that of your unaided eye. Under dark skies, the Orion Nebula becomes a glowing and subtle complex of filaments, and color starts to become visible. The spiral structure of the Whirlpool Galaxy becomes apparent, as do dark dust lanes across the nucleus of the Andromeda Galaxy (although the full 3 width of the galaxy itself is far too large to fit into the field of view of any eyepiece generally usable with the scope). Globular clusters are frequently resolved to the very core. Messier, NGC, and IC objects show detail and structure never visible in smaller telescopes.

Many challenging objects for an 8″ aperture scope now come into their own with the 10″ Sky-Watcher. The Crab planetary nebula (M1), a supernova remnant, requires a 10″ aperture to truly begin to appreciate its subtle, gaseous filamentary structures. M33, the low surface brightness face-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Triangulum, exhibits significantly more open arm structure than is visible in an 8″ scope. The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros begins to show the pattern of a blooming rose that gives the Rosette its name.

There is no question that the increased resolving power and 56% greater light-gathering power of a 10″ aperture is visually impressive when compared to an 8″ scope. Therefore, it is no wonder then that the 10″ aperture is overtaking the 8″ as the serious amateur astronomer’s aperture of choice in a Dobsonian telescope. Sky-Watcher’s compact, telescoping optical tube design makes the decision to step up in aperture to a 10″ scope even easier.

As with any large aperture telescope, the performance of the 10″ Sky-Watcher on faint objects will be markedly improved by a dark sky observing site. Light-polluted city and suburban sites are not recommended as the primary observing site with a 10″ scope. Such sites require a nebula (light pollution) filter to take even limited advantage of its immense light-gathering.

While it is in deep space observing of galaxies and nebulas from a dark sky observing site that the 10″ Sky-Watcher telescoping truss-tube Dob excels, significant planetary and lunar observing is also within its capability. All you need is a neutral density eyepiece filter to cut down the immense brightness of solar system objects seen through this “light bucket.”

Taking advantage of the weight-saving sophistication of its telescoping truss-tube design, the 60.5 pound Sky-Watcher 10″ Dobsonian makes it practical for one individual on his or her own to explore the heavens with a truly big scope, whether from a back yard or a distant dark sky observing site. This Sky-Watcher 10″ telescoping truss-tube Dobsonian reflector will keep you happily observing for many years to come.

Tech Details:

Supplied Accessories:

• Telescoping no-tool assembly truss tube design
• Rolled aluminum /die-cast secondary mirror cage and primary mirror tub
• Navigation knob
• Laminated altazimuth mount with Teflon bearing surfaces and altitude tension control
• 4-vane spring steel diagonal mirror support with adjustable mirror holder
• Adjustable primary mirror flotation system
• Diffraction-limited Grade A optical glass mirrors
• Protective primary mirror cover
• 2″ Crayford-style machined aluminum focuser with 1.25″ eyepiece adapter
• 25mm (48x) and 10mm (120x) 1.25″ Plssl eyepieces
• 8x50mm right angle finderscope.