No counterweights, clutches, slow-motion-knobs, locks and switches and dials, no hand controllers–just a big tube that you shove where you want it to go. For example: compare the price of an 8” Dobsonian to an 8” SCT, or if you really want a shock, try finding a price on an 8” Refractor. There’s no cheaper way to get a functional large-aperture telescope on a sturdy mount.
Books like “Turn Left At Orion”, star maps, and practice will get you pushing your telescope wherever you want. Computerization in the imported Dobsonians is never really at the same level of quality as the computerization in dedicated astrophotography mounts–though they are, to be fair, quite a bit cheaper–and in large part, they take out the fun of observing, the thrill of the hunt. They took off so much that it is now cheaper to buy a completed Dobsonian than to make one yourself until you reach about 12 inches or so in aperture.īecause part of the beauty of the Dobsonian is its simplicity and ability to be pushed around manually, I will not be touching on the computerized Dobsonians available. They were originally introduced by sidewalk astronomer John Dobson as a cheap and affordable way to build a large telescope to show the universe to people. Traditionally, this is done with large Teflon bearings, but some commercial telescope manufacturers have come up with different solutions.ĭobsonians combine easily manufactured large-aperture reflector optical tubes with dirt-cheap but very functional mounts, making them the absolute best bang for your buck of any telescope design. A rockerbox has to be able to smoothly move left and right, up and down, and smoothly enough that you can push it in a diagonal motion without it sticking. The OTA is the reflector telescope itself, and the rocker box is the mount. To look through a Dobsonian, you usually set the telescope on the ground, aim the telescope, and sit in a chair next to the eyepiece.Ī Dobsonian is made up of two parts (in fact, these parts usually ship in separate boxes) the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) and the Rockerbox. It’s the simplest way to aim above the horizon, as it eliminates the need to mess with an equatorial mount’s complicated and expensive hardware.Ī Newtonian telescope has a paraboloidal mirror at the back, a flat diagonal at the front, and an eyepiece at the front of the side. Very good, but not that great What’s a Dobsonian and how does it work?Ī Dobsonian reflector is a Newtonian reflector mounted on a simple, strong, and easy-to-use mount that moves up, down, and left and right.
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