A large aperture for a little money - that was always the main idea when acquiring a Dobsonian telescope. With their BlackDiamond Dobsonian, Sky-Watcher have created a classic with a new slant. The new, patented, a novel patented sliding rod design makes it is particularly easy to transport. Another advantage of this is that it allows the focus point to be flexibly shifted by sliding the rods further in or out.
Not being able to track objects has always been a problem. Hardly was an object positioned, than it was already drifting out of the eyepiece's field of view. Dobsonians were therefore preferentially used for deep sky observing at low magnifications. With BlackDiamond Autotracking and BlackDiamond GoTo Dobsonians, Sky-Watcher has now created a new option: a series featuring automatic tracking. Tiresome guiding by hand is no longer necessary. The device is fully capable, even when planetary observing at high magnification.
The telescope and mount:
This Black Diamond truss tube Dobsonian comes equipped with a 14 inch parabolic mirror. A 14 inch telescope provides enormous light gathering capacity but remains fairly easy to transport. A 14 incher collects 36% more light compared to a 12 incher. This is immediately noticeable when looking through the eyepiece. Interesting things, beyond the usual range of objects, can be discovered with such an instrument. With good seeing, almost all of the NGC catalogue objects are visible. An aperture ratio of f4.9 and a finely adjustable 2 inch focuser make this telescope suitable for the photography of the brighter objects. A large amount of detail can be seen on planets under good seeing conditions. Saturn shows half a dozen of its moons as well as the gaps in the rings.
The telescope is equipped with a smoothly operating Crayford focuser, which allows precise focusing adjustment. A T2 camera connector is included with the focuser. A camera-specific T2 adapter, which is included in our product range, is additionally required for using a DSLR camera.
Truss tube Dobsonians are particularly popular with committed observers due to their excellent portability. Skywatcher offers an especially easy to manage system with its new FlexTube Dobsonians. Only having 3 tubes, they can be quickly collapsed. On arriving at the observing site you simply need to extend the tubes again and you have a fully operational and aligned instrument within seconds. The telescope is still very rigid even in its fully extended configuration. The manufacturer promises very stable collimation despite the simple design.
Included in delivery:
- optics with a collapsible tube
- reinforced rocker box
- 10mm and 25mm eyepieces (1.25")
- 2 inch Crayford focuser with 1.25 inch adapter and T2 camera connector
- 9x50 quick-release finder for easy location of objects in the night sky
- primary mirror with central marker for a easier collimation
- user manual in German
The built-in tracking capability allows the photography of brighter objects. Unlike many standard Newtonians, there is no problem with the focus position with Sky-Watcher truss tube Dobsonians. The position of focus can be flexibly adapted. The large light gathering power opens up interesting options at lunar eclipses and for planetary astrophotography. The powerful servo-motors on both axes can be controlled is via the hand box and can move the telescope at a range of different speeds.
The GoTo version of the Sky-Watcher Dobsonian comes with a SynScan control. The hand box is used to select any object from the pre-programmed database of 42,900 objects and the telescope then slews to this fully automatically.
It not only matters which telescope you buy but also where you buy it. Our additional services:
- We are a leading telescope dealer and know the devices we sell. Our customer service team will gladly help you after your purchase if you have problems with assembly or operation.
- We provide a copy of the 80-page Telescope ABC beginners handbook with every telescope.
