"Sky-Watchers GoTo Dobsonian
High-tech meets bargain-telescope design. A shotgun marriage or a match made in heaven? We find out!"
"Could the new
Sky-Watcher SynScan telescopes really work? ...my doubts were allayed
the first night out.Our test telescope,on loan from Pacific Telescope
Corp., worked great. Surprisingly so."
- Alan Dyer wrote in his review of the Sky-Watcher GoTo Dobsonian telescope at SkyNews November/December 2014 issue
- Patented Collapsible OTA Design
- 14" / 356mm Aperture
- 1650mm Focal Length, f/4.9 Focal Ratio
- 8x50 Straight-View Finderscope
- 2" Dual-Speed Crayford-Style
- 25mm and 10mm Plossl Eyepieces
- 8x50 Right-Angle Erector Finderscope
- SynScan Computer Hand Controller
- 42,000+ Object Database
- DC Servo Motors with Dual Encoders
Sky-Watcher improves on the often unwieldy standard design of Dobsonians with their 14" f/4.9 Collapsible GoTo Dobsonian Telescope.
It features a patented truss tube system that enables the front
corrector plate/eyepiece assembly to be moved back and locked against
the main rear tube to greatly reduce the size of the OTA for storage and
transportation. This open OTA also has the benefit of reducing overall
weight versus standard Dobs. To add another level of usability to the
scope is a motorized ground-based rocker alt-az mount. Equipped with
dual servo motors, they are controlled using the SynScan computer hand
controller. This self-contained system features over 42,000 celestial
objects with alignment assistance, guided tours and full go-to
capabilities. Its dual encoders, coupled with the patented Tension
Control Handle, enable users to manually move the scope without having
to realign it.
It features an exceptionally large 14" aperture
conical parabolic mirror to draw in copious amounts of light to make
detailed observations of the Moon and planets, and still reach out past
our solar system to discover dim deep-sky subjects that smaller scopes
are unable to resolve. A conical mirror, as opposed to a standard
parabolic, helps to reduce the mirror's weight while allowing it the
ability to more evenly acclimate to the ambient temperature. Its f/4.6
focal ratio and two-speed Crayford focuser makes this an ideal choice
for imaging. Its fast focal ratio enables devices to capture images in
less time than slower scopes, while the unique focusing mechanism
employed in the Crayford-style gives it the ability to achieve
tack-sharp focusing with zero back-lash that rack-and-pinion focusers
generally are unable to.
Specifications
| Optical Design
|
Reflector
|
|
Aperture
|
14" / 356 mm
|
|
Focal Length
|
1650 mm
|
|
Focal Ratio
|
f/4.9
|
|
Eyepiece Barrel Diameter
|
2" directly to focuser
1.25" with included adapter
|
|
Diagonal
|
N/A
|
|
Finderscope
|
8x50 right angle erect-image
|
|
Tripod
|
None
|
|
Mount Type
|
Motorized alt-az
|
|
Power Source
|
10 - 15 VDC 1 A
2.1 mm plug
|
|
Optical Tube Dimensions
|
Not specified by manufacturer
|
|
Weight
|
Tube: 53.0 lb / 24.0 kg
Base: 94.0 lb / 42.6 kg
Assembled: 147.0 lb / 66.7 kg
|
|
Package Weight
|
207.0 lb
|
|
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|
58.0 x 43.0 x 27.0"
|
In the Box
Sky-Watcher 14" f/4.9 Collapsible GoTo Dobsonian Telescope
8x50 Finderscope
10mm Plossl Eyepiece
25mm Plossl Eyepiece
2"-to-1.25" Adapter
Limited One-Year Warranty
Customer Reviews:
It
arrived in three huge boxes, one containing the OTA, one the 14" mirror
and one the parts for the Dobsonian mount. It was easily assembled in
about an hour, with the only "sweaty" bit being the mounting of the
mirror onto the mirror support in the OTA. This wasn't difficult, just
nerve wracking.
First light was at a reasonably dark sky site and I was simply blown away.
Get
the Dob base horizontal (use a bubble level and some wooden chocks to
get this) and the OTA horizontal and pointing North (Home position).
Then do a 2 star align. After that the GoTo is accurate to within about
0.3 degrees after a 120 degree slew.
I can fully resolve M13, right to the core. M57 seems to have colour and the "ring" has structure - it isn't a simple ring.
Views of lunar craters are simply awesome!
This
'scope can be used for simple astrophotography of the moon or planets.
Long exposures are not possible, but I can (and do) take 100 images of a
lunar crater using a Canon 500D, stack and process these, ending up
with a pretty pleasing image.
The mount weighs about 26 kilos and
will not go through a doorway. The OTA weighs about 17 kilos. The
'scope can be moved and set up by one person, but it is at the upper
limit.
Overall it is an excellent 'scope, with good optics,
awesome light gathering and accurate goto. Tracking is fine for
observing, keeping Saturn in the FOV for an hour at x100.
A good observer's "light bucket", but Dobsonian mount is not suited to more than simple Lunar astrophotography.
This 'scope is a keeper.
Tom
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