Much lighter and more easily portable than its 8″ cousin, this 6″ telescope uses the same GOTO interface. It exhibits a minor amount of chromatic aberration, An HBG3 controller and joystick are available which allow control of the telescope via an Android phone.
T47 – Celestron C6 6″ SCT Read More »
At almost 10″ in diameter, this is the largest dobsonian in the library. This venerable telescope (made in Canada!) is mounted on a solid metal base and adjusts easily. It can fit in the back seat of a car, fully assembled, which is quite unusual for a large Dob. It’s a really good telescope, with stars showing nice and crisp. The optical finderscope is somewhat awkward to use since the tube is relatively short.
T46 – Omcon 620D 10″ Dobsonian Read More »
This tiny all-in-one astrophotography telescope works with your cellphone to create beautiful images of the night sky. It is simple to set up and easy to use. It does all the work for you. A great introduction to astrophotography.
T39 – ZWO Seestar S50 automated imager Read More »
This GOTO telescope with very good optics was produced at an affordable price point. The tripod and mount are undersized, so it is sensitive to wind and takes a while for vibrations to settle down. At 4″ in diameter it has sufficient light-gathering ability to see a great many objects, yet it is not very sensitive to atmospheric turbulence that can ruin the views in larger telescopes. It has a few too many parts to be considered grab-and-go, but it is quite light and easy to set up.
T34 – Celestron 102GT 4″ refractor Read More »
Celestron has made a great many fine telescopes, but some models really stand out. The white-tube C5 is one of those. The optics are very sharp, and the portability is outstanding. Place the mount with its built-in wedge on a flat surface like a picnic table, orient it roughly north/south, and the built-in motor drive will follow objects in the sky faithfully for many minutes. The 9V battery will power it for up to 50 hours.
T32 – Celestron C5+ tabletop SCT Read More »
Uses 1-1/4″ eyepieces.
Includes a set of 2 eyepieces.
Weighs 11 lbs (26 lbs in the case).
Optional tripod available.
T03 – Astroscan wide-field Read More »
This featherweight travel telescope has quite acceptable optics on a very shaky mount. It packs into the included small backpack. Lenses are plastic, the finderscope is not necessary, and the whole thing threatens to blow away if there is some wind, but it is quite usable as a telescope.
T25 – Travelscope 70mm refractor Read More »
This is versatile telescope with very little chromatic aberration. Its wide field of view is quite crisp and provides fine views of star fields and the moon. It is not quite as well suited for viewing the planets and smaller deep sky objects. It is rather short, which can make viewing of objects which are low in the sky rather awkward. Like all reflectors it can be somewhat counter-intuitive when trying to center the view on an object.
The base has a handle that makes it quite easy to carry, but it is still large and cumbersome.
T21 – SkyWatcher 8″ Dobsonian Read More »
This versatile rich field telescope is quick to set up and simple to use. It is a great first telescope. It has very little chromatic aberration, and its wide field of view is quite crisp and provides fine views of star fields and the moon. It is not quite as well suited for viewing the planets and smaller deep sky objects. It is rather short, which can make viewing of objects which are low in the sky somewhat awkward. Like all reflectors it can be a little counter-intuitive when trying to center the view on an object.
T07 – SkyWatcher 8″ reflector Read More »
