Skyliner FlexTube Dobsonian Telescopes

Dobsonian Telescopes are named after John Dobson who pioneered a simple approach to telescope building that made large telescopes accessible to a greater number of people.

John popularised astronomy by taking his telescope to where the crowds were and held 'sidewalk astronomy meetings'. He just set his telescope down and started showing people how much there is to see.

It is this simple, direct approach that made the Dobsonian Telescope so popular. The simple mount makes it the cheapest way to obtain a large aperture.

Large apertures mean large telescope tubes and this can be a problem for carriage and storage. Some companies make 'truss tubes' that can be dismantled but the Skyliner takes the concept a step further with a telescopic tube. This makes it easier to carry and store, and getting it ready for use takes just seconds with no stray parts to get lost.

Read Ade Ashford's review of the 12-inch version

Skyliner FlexTube Dobsonian Telescopes - AUTO

Dobsonian Telescopes have long been a favourite with astronomers wanting a large aperture for deep-sky observing at an affordable price. They are quick and easy to set up, and it is more feasible to handle a large Dobsonian than a similar-sized fork-mounted telescope.

But the simple manual control that their fans love puts off others who are concerned that they will have trouble finding things, then tracking them, especially at high magnification.

The SkyLiner FlexTube Automatic Dobsonians overcome these problems by adding built-in computer control for automated tracking. The simple design of the Dobsonian mount keeps the price down so you can now enjoy a large aperture with full motor control at an affordable price.

The FlexTube also addresses another problem encountered on many classical Dobsonians, the size of the tube. Instead of a long rigid tube, the FlexTube has a telescopic tube that compresses down for carriage and storage. It is also a great improvement on the tubes that have to be dismantled and reassembled.

So, if you want to enjoy those deep-sky objects at their best, and want a telescope that is easy to store, handle and use, then choose an automated SkyLiner FlexTube Dobsonain.