Our guide to buying the right telescope for you

There are lots of telescopes available on the market, and for the beginner, selecting one can be a bewildering experience. Selecting a telescope for both astronomy and land viewing  will usually be a compromise. However, once you have decided on the telescope's main purpose, choosing one can become much easier.

If you have decided that your telescope will be used primarily for observing the night sky, the instrument required does not necessarily need to give a right side up image and is not required to focus on nearby objects. With the exception of the moon, planets and close star clusters, interesting night sky objects are faint, in fact most are very faint.

As a new observer you may be mainly interested in viewing the moon and planets, and if this is the case, a telescope with a small objective (primary mirror or lens) may be sufficient. However, most observers quickly graduate to galaxies, nebulae, globular clusters, open clusters etc. To view these objects you will require a telescope with the largest aperture that is possible for your circumstances, which will include things like cost, weight, portability, etc.

Newtonian reflector telescopes are a popular choice for astronomical use because they have the lowest cost per inch of aperture. Observation of faint deep sky objects, such as nebulae and galaxies, can be achieved at a relatively reasonable cost by reflectors having mirror diameters of 150 to 200mm (6 to 8 inches). Refractor telescopes are good for achieving high power and contrast when viewing the planets and the moon. They have a reputation of providing crisp, sharp-quality images. Since they are virtually maintenance free, they are easy to operate, but due to high costs for the large aperture scopes, most beginners will choose a Newtonian reflector as a first scope for all round astronomy.

Short-tube refractors are now another low cost option for beginners. Their smaller size makes them an excellent choice for a portable telescope and the beautiful wide-field star vistas which they provide, are great for learning your way around the night sky. Astronomy can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to be.  There are ways to start enjoying the night sky without a lot of expensive equipment.  In fact you may aready own a pair of binoculars which is a great way to enjoy the sky. For a few dollars you can get a planisphere, a sort of rotatable star map that can show you the positions of the constellation and major stars in the sky for a given date and time. You can go to the public library or explore the internet for all kinds of information about astronomy and celestial events. There are pitfalls when starting out with astronomy. 

Many department and toy stores sell small refractors (usually 50-60mm) that advetise 500, 700 or 1000 POWER!  They have colorful space images on the box.  These should be avoided.  They can become an exercise in frustration, with their inadequate optics and shaky mounts. It's best to start simply. Find a local astronomy club if available.  Astronomy Clubs are great places to learn and to meet people who can answer your questions.  Also find a reputable store that sell telescopes.  Ask the folks at the astronomy clubs who they recommend. Start learning the sky with your eyes or with a pair of binoculars. 

As you start to learn about telescopes and astronomy, you'll discover that "Aperture" is more important than "Power" and a surprisingly large aperture telescope, like a "Dobsonian Telescope", can bought with relatively little expense. A telescope provides a very narrow view of the sky, typically around one degree and can provide a lot of aperture and magnification.  Binoculars can provide wider views of the sky, around 4-10 degress and have the advantages of using both eyes.

HERE'S MY GUIDE TO 'BUYING AND USING TELESCOPES'

This page will help guide you through your beginning steps.  It''s the full guide to choosing a telescope, what to look at, how and where to buy, etc. This will give you a BIG head start - THEN come back here to look at a some examples of telescopes to buy.

You''ll find a number of ideas to help you enjoy your hobby more so CLICK HERE

Can't be bothered reading all this stuff!? Don't blame you! have a look at this video instead! ——————————————————————————————————————— Let's Have A Look At The Various Types Of Telescopes Available ———————————————————————————————————————
	REFLECTOR The second method of focussing light is to reflect the rays off of the surface of a curved mirror, producing a type of telescope called a reflector. The most common reflectors in use today are called Newtonians because this design was pioneered by Isaac Newton. A mirror is made by coating the front surface of a concave piece of glass with a reflecting material. Light rays entering the telescope reflect off of the mirror and since they never pass through the glass no false colour is produced.
The surface of the mirror of a high focal ratio reflector can be shaped or figured to that of the surface of a sphere. This works for small reflectors and those with focal ratios of f9 or higher. However, with large reflectors and those with focal ratios of f8 or lower, these spherical mirrors do not bring all of the light rays to the same focal point. The rays from the mirror’s perimeter are focussed at a different point from it’s centre, resulting in an image which lacks contrast due to spherical aberration. To overcome this defect, mirror surfaces are shaped during polishing to a paraboloidal shape which focusses all of the light rays to the same point. Since the light rays are reflected back up the optical tube by the primary mirror, they must be redirected in order to be viewed. A secondary mirror, which has a flat surface is mounted at a 45 degree angle in the centre of the tube to reflect the rays to the focal point. The secondary is usually oval in shape because this presents a circular shape when viewed from a 45 degree angle. Obstructions, such as secondary mirrors, have a limited visual effect when placed in the path of the light entering the telescope. They modify the diffraction patterns, which can cause very minute loss of contrast, and they reduce the amount of light reaching the focal point. However, they are not seen in the focussed image presented through the eyepiece. Since the eyepiece is near the front of the tube, reflectors can be mounted lower to the ground giving more convenient viewing and greater stability. Only two surfaces need to be shaped, polished and coated and these can be tested separately. This makes them less expensive to produce than other telescope designs. On the negative side, a long optical tube Newtonian on a German equatorial mount can be more susceptible to wind vibrations than shorter designs. Collimation of both mirrors is part of the regular maintenance for reflectors.
	REFRACTORS There are three basic ways to bring light rays to a focal point. The earliest method used by telescope makers, was to bend the rays by passing them through one or more pieces of glass which had curved, polished surfaces. This method produces a type of telescope called a refractor. Refractors have several advantages over other designs. They are enclosed so that dust and moisture doesn’t enter the optical tube.
They have fixed optics so that they don’t require routine collimation, which means that the optics don’t have to be aligned by the user.They do not have a central obstruction, which reduces the amount of light entering the tube and causes an alteration of the diffraction pattern. The resulting high-contrast, fine-resolution images produced are considered ideal for planetary viewing. A problem with refractors is that since many wavelengths of light are passing through glass, the uneven bending of the rays causes false colour, around bright objects. This must be counteracted with additional lenses and special glass. Since at least four lens surfaces usually have to be very accurately shaped, polished and coated, they are more expensive to produce than other telescope designs.
	CASSEGRAIN A third group of telescopes, called Cassegrain, are hybrids of the two previous methods. Cassegrain telescopes use a combination of both mirrors and lenses to manipulate and focus the light rays. Examples of these are the Schmidt-Cassegrain, and the Maksutov-Cassegrain.
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes use a thin aspherical corrector plate, which is a lens carefully matched to the primary concave mirror to correct for spherical aberration. Parallel light rays enter the telescope through the corrector plate and are then reflected by the primary mirror to a convex secondary mirror which is mounted inside the focal point and concentric with the corrector plate. The secondary mirror reflects the rays back down the tube and through a hole in the centre of the primary. The eyepiece can be placed directly behind the primary mirror or a diagonal can be used to change the angle at which the image is viewed. Focussing may be achieved by moving the primary mirror or by moving the eyepiece. Telescopes can cost upwards of hundreds of dollars. So, before you buy, shouldn't you get informed? Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes are similar to the Schmidt-Cassegrains. They also have a corrector plate to remove spherical aberration, but they use a thick, meniscus lens instead of a Schmidt lens. Light enters through the concave side of the corrector plate and the primary mirror reflects it back up the tube to the secondary which is often a mirrored spot on the convex side of the corrector plate. As with the Schmidt-Cassegrain, the light rays are reflected through a hole in the primary to reach the eyepiece This design is easier to produce than the Schmidt-Cassegrain, but the thicker corrector plate makes it heavier. The Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope was developed in the 1940’s by several different inventors of slightly varying designs. Most commercial Maksutov telescopes available have similar optical designs. The main advantage of this design is that, because the light path is folded back on itself, it provides a very portable, short physical length telescope with a long focal length. Cr Tasco
ASTRO DAVE RECOMMENDS……..

Ok, you're new to all this and you just want to buy a telescope to poke around the sky. You don't want confusion – heck, all this is confusing enough if you've got this far! You don't want to get ripped off, or worse, pay too much for a telescope with features you'll never use,  right? Look, I''ve been there, it's worse than trying to find a good used car with no mechanical knowledge. SO, with all this in mind I've taken the bull by the horns and put together this 'recommened list' of telescopes to suit most levels and most age groups.

Remember, this is just a guide, it's impossible to tailor one specifically for you, but we'll come mighty close! There are hundreds of telescopes out there, BUT it's a guide based on 40 years of experience and 40 years of consoling many Dads who've come to me after Xmas with an el-cheapo scope that won't work, wobbles in the breeze and has lousy optics. (it's usually a department store special) and he wants me to "fix it."

Uh Uh! Can't do! Dad's dejected because he's tried to do the right thing, the kid's lip is on the ground and the scope ends up in a garage sale a few years later selling for a fraction of what it cost. The hardest thing to sell is a used telescope! 

Special Offer – Not Available In Stores!

Now, all these scopes are available from me and delivery is quick. Full warranties and guarantees apply PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line where I'll answer your astro questions or supply good advice. A FREE newsletter is alo available if you want it (sign up on my home page) and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last). NB/ As a lot of these telescopes are imported prices are occasionally subject to change due to exchange rate variations. I'll advise if this is the case .OK. What are we waiting for .. let's go.

Tasco 15- 45 x 50 Spotting Scope

15-45x Zoom Magnification   -   50mm Objective   -   Table Top Tripod Don't be put off by the price of this Scope, it is a well built and very adequate piece of kit.The image quality is very good even at X 45 and build quality is excellent.

Tasco have a good reputation for providing value for money with their products and this item is no exception.It comes with a mini tripod which is very sturdy but can also be used with the standard tripods that are avaialable. Don't break the bank try this one first and I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

Prices? Generally around $80-$90

Highly affordable and easy to use Dobsonian base, perfect for beginners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great all-around astronomical viewing performance. Aluminized and overcoated mirrors – Carefully engineered to combine ease of use, extreme portability and consistent performance in an affordable package. Enough light gathering power to allow simple study of galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae.  Diameter: 76mm, Focal Length: 300mm 2 interchangeable eyepieces. Available in 3 colours.  (Custom design available for quantity orders. 

Contact your local Sky-Watcher distributor for information.) CAN I GET ONE FROM YOU? * NO, I don't sell these scopes but I highly recommend them if you're thinking of buying a telescope for as very young person who shows an interest int he night sky. This is a cheap way of getting into the hobby – See your local telescope shop or camera shop to order or ring me for any help I can be.

Price? Generally around $89 – $99

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BEGINNERS    $249 – $399

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Skywatcher 70 x 900 EQ1 (and Upgrade to 80mm)

A great beginners telescope. I love this scope – always have!

Super popular and good quality achromatic 70mm x 900mm refractor on the EQ1 equatorial mount which has adjustable height aluminium tripod legs.  Our most popular small refractor! Optically, far superior to all el-cheapo 60mm refractors and its EQ1 mount operates very smoothly, too. The Skywatcher GreatStart SW 70AR-EQ2 70mm  Refractor telescope provides a vastly easier way to keep objects centered in the eyepiece.

  At higher powers sky objects can drift across the telescopic field in well under a minute due to the Earth's rotation.  With slow-motion controls higher powers can be used more effectively.  The dual slow-motion controls allow smooth, incredibly fine movement, …impossible to achieve by hand . The 70mm is supplied with what is called an equatorial mount that has slow-motion controls on each axis as standard equipment. 

The equatorial mount allows the telescope to follow objects in their natural arcing motion across the sky from East to West.  These controls are immensely useful in helping keep planets and stars centered in the eyepiece while observing.  By the way, premium quality t eyepieces are standard equipment with this telescope!

It shows clearly and sharply the rings of Saturn, the cloud belts of Jupiter and craters on the Moon by the hundreds.  For land viewing the optics provide tack sharp detail in distant landmarks, nature, or points of interest across the urban panorama.  Stability of the mount and tripod upon which the optics are placed is of paramount importance.  It matters big time!  Cheap flexible mounts and rickety tripods act like tuning forks transferring vibration to the eyepiece.  Such circumstances deprive the viewer of a steady view.  Images dance around in the eyepiece in a distracting manner.

 

    $229.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last). 

*** OR Upgrade to the 80 x 900 EQ2 A$299 – Same design but higher power.

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Skywatcher 130 x 900 EQ2 –  Reflecting Telescope

A very popular and good quality 130mm x 900mm Newtonian reflector

Stable EQ2 equatorial mount with adjustable height aluminium tripod legs.Application range: Terrestrial observation, Moon, Planets, Nebulaes, Galaxies.

 

The SkyWatcher 130/900 mm EQ-2 Telescope offers an impressing efficiency for a beginners telescope. Its 130 mm primary mirror collects enough light to reveal a wealth of celestial objects, allowing great views of the moon, Jupiter and Saturn as well as being a capable telescope for wide field deep space objects.

Concerning planet observations, you can reach  magnifications up to 260x and the planet discs show up in impressing size.  The EQ2 parallactic mounting permits a fine adjustment in declination and right ascension axis and can be refitted with an electronic tracking motor drive (to compensate the earth rotation) which replaces exhausting manual tracking.

The SkyWatcher 130/900 mm provides stability for beautiful and enjoyable hours with your telescope under a clear and starry night sky. Included Accessories: - Eyepieces: Super Ploessl 10 mm, 25 mm -Viewfinder: 6×24 - Aluminium tripod.

  $349.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last). 

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Guan Sheng GS-580 6" Limited 150mm x 1200mm Dobsonian telescope.

Consider this Dobsonian telescope. More powerful and simple to use. Popular Dob mount. Regarded as the world's best quality telescopes at very reasonable prices!

A Dobsonian is a simple, elegant form of an alt-azimuth mount made to carry a Newtonian reflector and it was popularised by John Dobson in the late 1970's. The Dobsonian mounted telescope is popular among amateur astronomers and telescope makers because of its simplicity. In its simplest form, the Dobsonian mount consists of a box which allows the optical tube assembly to pivot in altitude, while the box itself is swiveled on a base in azimuth.

First grade 6" (150mm x 1200mm) Dobsonian reflector with truly outstanding 1/12th surface wave primary and secondary BK7 mirrors. Features a high grade 1.25" rack and pinion focuser. Includes a 6 x 30 finderscope and Premium GSO 9mm and 25mm  1.25" Plossl eyepieces!

 

The GSO Dobsonian line is particular model serves a very clear purpose, to offer a large aperture and an excellent image quality at reasonable cost.

Set-up is as easy as you can imagine very simple assembly with the rocker box and put it on the ground, insert the telescope tube and put the springs in position and you're ready to go to navigates through the night sky by simply moving the tube up or down, or side to side, by hand. These always sell out quickly! …. says something? 

   $399.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

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Mrs Astro-Dave says ….

"WHY NOT MAKE IT A COMPLETE   PACKAGE?"

Combine any of these 3 for the ultimate astronomy experience!

 

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INTERMEDIATE LEVEL  $449 – $699

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Skywatcher 102 x 500 AZ3

Rich field achromatic 102mm x 500mm refractor on the heavy-duty AZ3 alt-azimuth mount with adjustablre height aluminium tripod legs.

This Sky-Watcher 102mm (4") f/5 telescope is a two-element, air-spaced, fully multi-coated objective, achromatic refractor, which can give exciting "rich field" astronomical views.  It can provide excellent vistas of star fields, clusters, nebulae, galaxies, planets, the Moon and (with correct filtering or by projection) the Sun. 

It is also a fine terrestrial telescope when mounted on an alt-azimuth mount or a photographic tripod. Crisp images at a reasonable price make it an excellent beginner's "first telescope", or a great travelling telescope for a more advanced observer.  Similar to the popular 80mm f/5 refractor, this larger aperture model has more light collecting power at the same focal ratio and accepts 2" diagonals for awesome wide field views, while only a small amount to chromatic aberration and weight.

Weighing about 3kg.  (6.5lbs.) the optical tube assembly is readily carried and with a compressed length of approximately 50cm (21.7") it is easily transported. Being a refractor, it is quick and easy to set up and the low- maintenance, enclosed optics come fully collimated from the factory.  The optical tube assembly comes with "tube-mounting rings".  These hinge open to allow easy installation of the optical tube and the locks can be loosened during use to allow tube rotation and balancing.  Mounting the telescope on an alt-azimuth or an equatorial mount is quick and simple with the appropriate mounting plate.

   $449.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

Why pay A$549 elsewhere?

 

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Guan Sheng GS630-8" F/5 EQ Reflector

8" f/5 200mm x 1000mm on SV1 equatorial mount with tripod

Absolutely outstanding quality and value 200mm x 1,000mm parabolic mirror Newtonian reflector on the SkyView 1 high grade medium duty equatorial mount with aluminium tripod. Cooling fan fitted.

GSO SVD series 8" F/5 Reflector is very high quality telescope on the market.  For maximum contrast the secondary mirror spider vanes have been optimized to be as thin as possible without losing stability, it doesn't like many Newtonians have quite thick spider vanes which results in a loss of contrast and image sharpness.

The very precisely figured parabolical primary mirror of this telescope is made by B270 optical glass that is free of internal stress, thermic properties are generally better than float glass and it housed in a high-ventilation aluminum cell with cooling fan. Crayford style microfocuser with 10:1 fine focusing! Why pay more from competitors and not get the right-angle erect image 8×50 finderscope??

Absolutely outstanding quality and value 200mm x 1,000mm parabolic mirror Newtonian reflector on the  high grade medium duty equatorial mount with aluminium tripod. This GSO 200/1000mm Newtonian not only suited for photography and for observing deep sky objects (Galaxies, nebulae, …), but also for observing the moon and the planets. The stable German equatorial mounts with two slow motion controls on both axes for easy and smooth tracking. 

An optional single axis 12v DC drive system is available for electronic guiding.  Strict adherence to GSO tough quality standards for manufacturing and assembly and testing ensures that each telescope performs well, the detail information and standard accessories of 8" F/5 EQ reflector as follow:

Specifications:* 8" Parabolic primary mirror 1/12wave – * Focal length: 1000mm, F/5 – * 2" Precision 10:1 Micro Crayford Style focuser – * Heavy-duty EQ mount * Aluminum adjustable tripod . Includes a GSO 8 x 50 right angle correct image finderscope and Premium GSO 9mm, 15mm and 25mm Plossl eyepieces.

   $699.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

Why pay more and not get the right-angle erect image 8×50 finderscope??

***VERY LIMITED STOCK

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Guan Sheng GS-680 8" 200mm x 1200mm Dob!

NEW Adjustable Super Deluxe (ASDX) heavy-duty 8" Dob!

New adjustable tension design! First grade 8" (200mm x 1200mm) Dobsonian reflectors with truly outstanding 1/12th surface wave BK7 mirrors. This telescope has Newtonian optics, with a 1/8th wave parabolic primary mirror located at the base of the metal tube and a flat elliptical secondary mirror deflecting the light cone to the rack and pinion focusser at the top of the tube.

The mounting is Dobsonian and is particularly suitable for beginners or for those more advanced astronomers wanting the simplest most trouble free mounting arrangement. The telescope is robust, light weight, easy to manoeuvre and simple to transport, fitting in the average car easily. It shows all types of astronomical objects, planets, nebulae, open clusters, globular clusters, stars and galaxies.

The 200mm diameter mirror collects 71 % more light than the smaller 153 mm diameter mirror. With an f ratio of 6, the telescope has a focal length of 1200 mm. The 25mm and 9mm Plossl eyepieces provided as standard, will provide magnifications of x48 and x133 respectively. These translate to fields of view of 63 and 23 minutes of arc, or approximately 2.1 times the diameter of the full Moon and 75% of the diameter of the full Moon respectively.

The telescope will provide excellent viewing of the Moon and planets; sharp views are helped by the small secondary mirror (55mm) and thin struts on the supporting spider. The Cassini division in the rings of Saturn or the great red spot on Jupiter are easily visible. Brighter nebulae and globular clusters are easily seen, and from sites with darker skies, many galaxies and fainter objects will be available.

The limiting magnitude for discrete stellar objects will typically be in the range magnitude 12.5 – 13.0. The GSO 680 comes with a spring friction system. Even with heavy accessories, the telescope will not move by itself, but remains smooth in operation. Product Specifications: 200mm (8") Dobsonian – Parabolic,  – 2" Focuser – Metal enameled tube – Wood Base – Plastic dust cover – 8×50mm Finder scope – Aluminum finder bracket – Plossl 9mm/25mm eyepiece (1.25") 2" Eyepiece rack – Cooling Fan – Top Value.

  $549.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

 

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ADVANCED $799 – $2,549

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Guan Sheng GS-880 Adj. Super Deluxe (ASDX)  heavy-duty 10" Dob!

New adjustable tension design! First grade 10" (250mm x 1250mm) Dobsonian reflectors with truly outstanding 1/12 surface wave BK7 mirrors and 2" focusers and 2" to 1.25" adaptors.

The GSO Dobsonian line is particular model serves a very clear purpose, to offer a large aperture and an excellent image quality at reasonable cost. Set-up is as easy as you can imagine very simple assembly with the rocker box and put it on the ground, insert the telescope tube and put the springs in position and you're ready to go.

To navigates through the night sky by simply moving the tube up or down, or side to side, by hand. All GSO dobsonian use optical quality BK7 glass, cooling fans built into the rear cell to decrease cooling times, also all dobs use a roller bearing on the azimuth surface providing dozens of support points for smooth swivel motion. 

The deluxe model comes with 2" Micro 10:1 Crayford style focuser and 1.25" adapter. Specifications: * 10" Parabolic primary mirror 1/12wave * Focal length: 1250mm, F/5 * 2" Precision Micro 10:1 Crayford style focuser * 3 points mirror cell w/cooling fan. * Roller bearing wood base Standard accessories: 8x 50mm fully multi-coated achromatic Finder –  Premium Plossl 9mm (1.25") – Premium widefield SuperView 30mm (2") - Moon filter included and a bonus SP series 2" eyepiece, too

    $799.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

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Guan Sheng GS-980 12" DX 300mm x 1500mm

NEW Adjustable Super Deluxe (ASDX)  heavy-duty 12" Dob!

The GSO Dobsonian line is particular model serves a very clear purpose, to offer a large aperture and an excellent image quality at reasonable cost.

Set-up is as easy as you can imagine very simple assembly with the rocker box and put it on the ground, insert the telescope tube and put the springs in position and you're ready to go to navigates through the night sky by simply moving the tube up or down, or side to side, by hand. 

All GSO dobsonian use optical quality BK7 glass, cooling fans built into the rear cell to decrease cooling times, also all dobs use a roller bearing on the azimuth surface providing dozens of support points for smooth swivel motion. 

The deluxe model comes with 2" Micro 10:1 Crayford style focuser and 1.25" adapter. * New adjustable tension design!  First grade 12" (300mm x 1500mm) Dobsonian reflectors with truly outstanding 1/12 surface wave BK7 mirrors and 2" focusers and 2" to 1.25" adaptors.

Super Deluxe version includes a right-angle correct image 8 x 50 finderscope, 2" Crayford style microfocuser with 10:1 fine focusing and a 2" to 1.25" adaptor, fan, Premium GSO 6mm, 9mm and 25mm 1.25" Plossl eyepieces – and abonus SP series 2" eyepiece, too!

  $949.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

Why pay A$999+ elsewhere?

 

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8SE Schmidt-Cassegrain computerised Go-To package

Celestron NexStar 8SE – Schmidt-Cassegrain. 40,000 object database

Whether you are a seasoned astronomer looking for a portable scope with advanced features, or just starting your astronomy adventure and looking for an easy way to enjoy the night sky, this telescope will help you take a closer look. The C8-SGT, 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope is a member of Celestron's Advanced telescope series.

Celestron Advanced scopes combine state-of-the-art technology, easy-to-use features, and ready-to-use components to produce instruments of unparalleled quality and utility. The C8-SGT comes mounted on the CG-5 GT computerized equatorial mount that allows access to features like automatic star alignment capability and GoTo slewing to more than 40,000 objects.

Equipped with high speed motors and hand controller, the CG-5 GT allows you to slew your telescope remotely to desired objects quickly and accurately. No matter whether you're a beginner, an intermediate viewer, or an advanced amateur astronomer, this precision instrument will satisfy your needs both visually and photographically.

Includes Starbright XLT ultra-high transmission coatings – 6 x 30 finderscope 25mm E-LUX eyepiece – 1.25" star diagonal CG-5 Go-To equatorial mount with 50mm steel tripod legs "The Sky – Level 1" CD-ROM

  $2549.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomynewsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

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GREAT TELESCOPE OFFER

These are one of the BEST telescope deals in Australia!

Let NextStar SE help you find thousands of stars, planets, galaxies and more at the touch of a button!  In the tradition of Celestron's famous orange optical tubes, the new NexStar SE Family combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with state-of-the-art features including a fully computerized operating system, flash upgradeable hand control, superior coatings, revolutionary SkyAlign telescope alignment software and much more.

With the NexStar SE, you are in the driver's seat.  Simply choose an object from the menu and the telescope will find it for you.  Using our patented NexStar technology, the SE scopes have the ability to locate nearly 40,000 objects.  All you have to do is look through the eyepiece and enjoy the view! Don't know what object to choose? 

Let the intelligent NexStar SE give you a guided tour of the night sky!  The "Tour" feature offers a customized list of the best objects in the sky to view for your exact time and location anywhere in the world! Not only can your NexStar SE find objects, it can teach you about them as well. Information on the most popular objects can be viewed in the LCD screen of your hand control. 

Whether you are a seasoned astronomer looking for a portable scope with advanced features, or just starting your astronomy adventure and looking for an easy way to enjoy the night sky, this NexStar SE will help you take a closer look. With this you get a BIG scope to start with… and there's no problem with that because you'llwant one later anyway!

  $2749.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

These have sold elsewhere for A$4799! PLUS receive a free Astronomy DVD worth $29.95!

Call/email me to arrange sale and delivery davereneke@gmail.com

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C10-NGT 10" (250mm x 1250mm)Newtonian with Go-To!

The C10-NGT is the largest computerized Newtonian in its class.

178% more light gathering than the 6 inch model and almost twice the resolving power.  The C10-NGT (#11048), 254mm reflecting telescope is a member of Celestron's Advanced telescope series. These scopes combine state-of-the-art technology, easy-to-use features and ready-to-use components to produce instruments of unparalleled quality and utility.

The C10-NGT comes with features like automatic star alignment capability and GoTo slewing to more than 40,000 celestial objects. Equipped with high-speed motors and hand control, the C10-NGT allows you to remotely slew your telescope to desired objects quickly and accurately. The optics of the C10-N telescope are manufactured to Celestron‘s uncompromising standards. 

The C10-N uses diffraction- limited parabolic primary mirrors for razor sharp star images across a wide field of view.  This telescope is mounted on the very rigid computerized CG-5 German Equatorial mount.  * 2" Eyepieces tray Customers are recommending it.

Professional quality at an affordable price Computerized equatorial mount Automatic star alignment capability GoTo slewing to more than 40,000 celestial objects High speed motors and hand-control for smooth slewing 254mm aperture. Newtonian parabolic primary mirror Newtonian reflector Features Go-To CG-5 German equatorial mount with 40,000 object database – 9 x 50 finderscope –  20mm Plossl eyepiece  – CG-5 Go-To equatorial mount with 50mm steel tripod legs –  "The Sky – Level 1" CD-ROM.

  $2349.00 AUD (Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomynewsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

Why pay A$4139 elsewhere?

 

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If you've got the dough, and you want observing power PLUS

THE NEW 'SUPERSCOPE' IS HERE

Incredible Guan Sheng GSO 16" (400mm) Dobsonian telescope!

Unrivalled and unbelieveable value – indeed!

New design GSO truss tube 16" aperture, 1800mm focal length   Dobsonian delivers amazing views of deep space and represents outstanding value!  Huge 16" f/4.5 primary mirror - superior 1/12 wave surface error

The GSO Dobsonian line is particular model serves a very clear purpose, to offer a large aperture and an excellent image quality at reasonable cost.  Set-up is as easy as you can imagine very simple assembly with the rocker box and put it on the ground, insert the telescope tube and you're ready to go to navigates through the night sky by simply moving the tube up or down, or side to side, by hand.

If you are using the heavy eyepiece, you may just adjusts with the aluminum side bearing a little bit tight allow you to get better balance, if you would like to install the camera, the side bearing could be move total 25mm on the tube. All GSO dobsonian use optical quality BK7 glass, cooling fans built into the rear cell to decrease cooling times, also all dobs use a roller bearing on the azimuth surface providing dozens of support points for smooth swivel motion.  The deluxe model comes with 2" Micro 10:1 Crayford style focuser and 1.25" adapter.* 2" Eyepieces tray New, stronger roller bearing design with thicker steel panels

• Unique new roller side bearings with adjustable tension/braking by way of extra large, knurled aluminium side knobs (our recommendation)!
• Tube balance adjustment (fore and aft) of up to 25mm is possible
• Strong 18-point primary mirror flotation cell – with a 4.7" cooling fan!
• Easy assembly and disassembly of its heavy duty "TPL" truss tubes
• Crayford style 2" 10:1 precision microfocuser with 1.25" adaptor
• Oversized knurled collimation knobs allow easy mirror adjustment
• Outstanding quality – overall! Black colour, not white!
• No white reflective surfaces within the optical path in this design!
• Features an achromatic 8 x 50 right-angle correct image finderscope
• Limiting magnitude of 15.5 and resolving power of 0.29 arc seconds
• You will see into deep space like you've never seen before…
• Includes 2" 35mm eyepiece extension tube, 2" eyepiece accessory tray, GSO Premium 6mm, 9mm, 15mm and 25mm Plossl eyepieces, GSO Premium SuperView 2" eyepiece and GSO 2" SP series eyepiece!!

 

REDUCED – New low price

Was $2549.00

NOW $2349.00 AUD

(Please contact me for delivery details)

PLUS you get FREE membership to my 'advice/help' line, a FREE weekly astronomy newsletter and every order gets a FREE astronomy DVD (while stocks last).

Why pay A$3400, or even A$2599, elsewhere??

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