Stellalyra 8” Dobsonian Telescope: A Comparative Hands On Review

[Astro_Dad]

Quite a lot has been written about the relatively new to market Stellalyra series of Dobsonian ‘scopes now so a full user review from me would largely duplicate and is probably not needed. However as I’ve owned both Skywatcher and Celestron StarSense Dobs as well, I can offer my brief views on the importance to me of the relative pros and cons having used all of them. Hopefully this more comparative summary will help prospective buyers. 
 

 

Firstly the main positives and areas I’d see as advantages of the Stellalyra based on my use to date. 

1. The addition of the well built dual speed Crayford style focuser. This has certainly been valuable already on planetary observations and I think matches the overall quality and fit/finish of these GSO manufactured instruments. Not an essential feature but a definite plus that would have lifted the modern Celestron StarSense just a few notches higher. 
 

2. The tensioning system - very well engineered and offers a wide degree of flexibility. In practice not quite as easy to use in my view as the Celestron approach and may still need the additions of weights to balance some heavier accessories (as done have reported here), but a well designed element with potentially more precise balancing available than with the Celestron. The SW falls short here - certainly in terms of ease of use. 

3. The roller bearing movement - provides a smooth and solid azimuth movement with good adjustment using the central bolt. For me provides smoother, more precise control and easier nudging than the Teflon pad based designs used elsewhere (also easier to get the friction level right than with the other systems). I did though find the Celestron azimuth system very good indeed - matter of preference here but for me the SL wins out. 

4. Brass compression rings in the eyepiece barrels - both the 2” and 1.25” - a nice feature here, the Celestron only manages this on the 1.25 resulting in the possibility of marring 2” oculars without an upgraded adapter. The SW of course manages neither out of the box. 

5. The inclusion of a good quality RACI finderscope - much better than the straight through version supplied as standard with the SW. More comfortable and avoids a stained neck. That said for me an RDF of some sort is really needed out of the box - the RACI is a great accompaniment for star hopping  but it is much harder to find the initial “lock” than with a reflex sight. Others will differ here no doubt. 

6. The battery powered fan unit - supplied as standard with the SL. Useful addition - only available as an extra £25 purchase with the Celestron, and even then only the 10”. The SL version is better in that AA batteries are all you need. The Celestron version is USB powered and the supplied cable is simply not long enough to set up and use conveniently. I had to buy a longer cable to use easily with my Celestron power tank. 

7. Good quality included eyepieces - the 2” 30mm Superview and 1.25” 9mm Plossl are certainly much better than the basic “Super 10” and “Super 25” supplied with the SW, but the quality 25mm Omni Plossl packaged with the Celestron is a very decent starter eyepiece - sadly you only get this one, so an additional purchase is required almost immediately if this is your first telescope. 

A good number of real advantages , but there are a few things that I find lacking. What I really miss that both the SW and the Celestron models have is the movement control knob at the top end- with the SL one needs to grab the outer edge of the rim when moving - there is nowhere obvious to place your hand - this feels like a basic but obvious missing feature to me. 

I also miss (even more than the knob) the carrying handle found on the Celestron. This is a great addition that provides an easy way to lift and  handle the ‘scope - obvious! - but why no others seem to want to include one is a mystery. The handle in combination with the knob at the top end provides a natural and intuitive way to place hands and slew the scope when in use. With the SL you have nowhere to grip other than a slippery dewed up tube. Carrying the SL after a session in this condition is also that much harder without a handle.  This makes the 8” SL only marginally more manageable than the 10” Celestron in reality…. although noticeably heavier. 

Some I know will bemoan the fact that the primary adjustment knobs protrude beyond the end of the main OTA - this means when standing on end the knobs are the “feet” - not a disaster but perhaps not an ideal design either.
 

At least though the 8” version has collimating knobs in the first place - only the10” Celestron  has these, though I’ve heard that the 8” (with Allen key and screw driver adjustments) holds collimation very well so not a deal breaker. 

Lack of StarSense itself - this is clearly a functional benefit of the Celestron if navigating the sky with reliance on a phone is what you need or want - it’s a bit of a game changer in terms of observational astronomy but the flip side is reliance on electronics and a screen when a “pure” gadget free experience might be preferable. I miss it on balance, but finding targets the old fashioned way compensates partially by providing the reward of actually locating objects by star hopping and learning the sky in the process - horses for courses pros/cons. The Celestron can be used “manually” of course but the position of the finder shoe is awkward and too far over to the right hand side to be comfortable in my view. 

All of the “down sides” to the  SL are sortable if required. With some effort a StarSense unit can be retrofitted as detailed elsewhere on this forum, or else with slightly less effort an Asterion Push To system can be added. That along with a tracking platform (when available) does indeed make this set up somewhat modular and eminently upgradable (and described as such by Ade Ashford in his excellent Astronomy Now review a few months ago).

Of course, handles and knobs can be bolted on also… just as the SW can have a dual speed focuser and roller bearing base fitted at some cost. 

I haven’t discussed aesthetics yet- best left to last due the obvious subjective and matter of taste nature of this but worth a note. The SW Dobs, whilst increasingly dated in many ways, for me still look sharp in their white livery and green lettering - there’s something appealing about a white ‘scope! The Celestron Dobs for me look the most “modern” due to the silver livery and cut away design in the base (which also provides a functional benefit by making the overall unit lighter),  but the SL for me have the most premium look and definitely have a touch of class. That glossy black finish does attract fingerprints though!

Hopefully this will be useful to new purchasers when considering the relative merits against the quite widely differing price of entry. Aesthetic points aside I may have missed a few structural or design features so additions welcome as well as comments!

Edited November 9, 2022 by Astro_Dad

[JeremyS]

Really insightful and balanced write-up @Astro_Dad 👍🏻
Pit about the handle as we all love a decent handle. There’s a thread on here somewhere by John Handleby where he describes how he fitted on to his Deb.

[bosun21]

32 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

Celestron models have is the movement control knob at the top end-

I just fitted one myself. It’s a piece of cake.

 

[Astro_Dad]

36 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

I just fitted one myself. It’s a piece of cake.

I imagine it is - what did you use? Looks like a rubber foot from a Dob base  ?

[Second Time Around]

What an excellent and informative review/comparison! Many thanks.

[bosun21]

12 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

I imagine it is - what did you use? Looks like a rubber foot from a Dob base  ?

You are almost spot on. I bought a pack of four rubber feet an inch taller than the ones already fitted to the dobsonian. This was to raise the base in order to be able to slide my sack barrow under it for wheeling it in and out. This was the extra one.

Edited November 9, 2022 by bosun21
Typo

[Louis D]

15 hours ago, Astro_Dad said:

Quite a lot has been written about the relatively new to market Stellalyra series of Dobsonian ‘scopes

New branding perhaps, but these GSO scopes have been available under multiple other brands for years.  I recall the Zhumell ones coming out well over a decade ago.  Here's a 2009 review.

Otherwise, very nice write-up.  I agree about the collimation knobs protruding being a concern.  I have a GSO 6" f/5 OTA with the same issue.  I guess since I've never had a Dob with a navigation knob, I've never missed having one.  I just curl my fingertip around the end of the tube.  Handles, especially two on the base, make moving an assembled solid tube much easier.  I just hug mine to my body, straighten my knees, and off I go with it.

[Spile]

Excellent review. I’ve had to upgrade my Skywatcher 200P to get to an (almost) equivalent of the StellaLyra. I’m happy enough with it but I now recommend the StellaLyra over the SW.

[Astro_Dad]

7 hours ago, Louis D said:

New branding perhaps, but these GSO scopes have been available under multiple other brands for years.  I recall the Zhumell ones coming out well over a decade ago.

Yes  - I could have mentioned this in the report so thanks, useful to clarify @Louis D -  new branding aside they are essentially identical to the Zhumell and Apertura models as far as I’ve read, which in a way makes it more surprising others have not innovated more. I’ve recently noticed that Orion (US) now have the same offering under their Skyline branding.  It’s obviously stood the test of  time at that relative price point - indeed  a quality offering from GSO!

[cajen2]

Great and very even-handed review, AD.

As a fellow SL 8" owner, I agree with everything you say, though a knob on it is not necessary for me, as like Louis, I just use the front edge of the scope. A handle, though, would be of great benefit.

The adjustment on the alt bearings is theoretically an advantage but (like I suspect most users) after setting mine I haven't altered them as it's such a faff. I just use a few small magnets to achieve balance.

It's worth noting that several of the other GSO labelled brands don't necessarily offer all the good accessories like the RACI, though I believe the Orion one is identical.

[paulastro]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

Great and very even-handed review, AD.

As a fellow SL 8" owner, I agree with everything you say, though a knob on it is not necessary for me, as like Louis, I just use the front edge of the scope. A handle, though, would be of great benefit.

The adjustment on the alt bearings is theoretically an advantage but (like I suspect most users) after setting mine I haven't altered them as it's such a faff. I just use a few small magnets to achieve balance.

It's worth noting that several of the other GSO labelled brands don't necessarily offer all the good accessories like the RACI, though I believe the Orion one is identical.

Cajen, can you tell me what magnetic weights you use to balance the tube, and where you got them from?  

There are lots on Amazon - too many!  If you can point me to the ones you use it will save me a lot of time wading through them all.

Many thanks.

[cajen2]

Sure. These:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mutuactor-Neodymium-mounting-Vertical-Pull-force/dp/B07K2SKFYP?pd_rd_w=MiHO4&content-id=amzn1.sym.1e2a4e0f-2e12-404a-a171-2e456b4b564a&pf_rd_p=1e2a4e0f-2e12-404a-a171-2e456b4b564a&pf_rd_r=QR3F4R31R6H3TEX3NWPF&pd_rd_wg=Kt9ts&pd_rd_r=e88ca76b-bac7-475f-a93d-cc667f38a4ff&pd_rd_i=B07K2SKFYP&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_1_t

Be warned, though, they're very strong. Although they're covered in rubber, it might be worth sticking a felt layer on to weaken them slightly and make the sliding smoother. I just use three so one is always within easy reach.

 

[paulastro]

Many thanks, thats really helpful.  They look just the ticket, I'll get a set ordered.

Thanks again, Paul

13 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

Sure. These:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mutuactor-Neodymium-mounting-Vertical-Pull-force/dp/B07K2SKFYP?pd_rd_w=MiHO4&content-id=amzn1.sym.1e2a4e0f-2e12-404a-a171-2e456b4b564a&pf_rd_p=1e2a4e0f-2e12-404a-a171-2e456b4b564a&pf_rd_r=QR3F4R31R6H3TEX3NWPF&pd_rd_wg=Kt9ts&pd_rd_r=e88ca76b-bac7-475f-a93d-cc667f38a4ff&pd_rd_i=B07K2SKFYP&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_1_t

Be warned, though, they're very strong. Although they're covered in rubber, it might be worth sticking a felt layer on to weaken them slightly and make the sliding smoother. I just use three so one is always within easy reach.

 

 

[cajen2]

No probs, Paul, that's what we're here for: to help each other out.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, Astro_Dad said:

Yes  - I could have mentioned this in the report so thanks, useful to clarify @Louis D -  new branding aside they are essentially identical to the Zhumell and Apertura models as far as I’ve read, which in a way makes it more surprising others have not innovated more. I’ve recently noticed that Orion (US) now have the same offering under their Skyline branding.  It’s obviously stood the test of  time at that relative price point - indeed  a quality offering from GSO!

Orion has had the Skyline series for at least the last two years. 

[Louis D]

14 hours ago, cajen2 said:

It's worth noting that several of the other GSO labelled brands don't necessarily offer all the good accessories like the RACI, though I believe the Orion one is identical.

You are correct.  There are several non-US versions that include a straight through finder instead of the RACI.  However, I have yet to see this version sold in the US.  The Zhumell, Apertura, and Orion Skyline versions are/were all identical to the StellaLyra.  My 6" f/5 GSO Newtonian came with a straight through finder, so it is possible the US may yet see a version of this Dob without the RACI, so buyers should definitely pay attention to the details.

[bosun21]

13 hours ago, paulastro said:

Cajen, can you tell me what magnetic weights you use to balance the tube, and where you got them from?  

There are lots on Amazon - too many!  If you can point me to the ones you use it will save me a lot of time wading through them all.

Many thanks.

I use these two magnets which can balance my dobsonian regardless of eyepiece selection. I have also fitted a Starsense unit and a Rigel Quickfinder so balance is imperative for smooth operation. I also ran a few short lengths of adhesive draught excluder on the tube for the magnets to sit upon. Works great 👍 

 

[cajen2]

10 minutes ago, Louis D said:

You are correct.  There are several non-US versions that include a straight through finder instead of the RACI.  However, I have yet to see this version sold in the US.  The Zhumell, Apertura, and Orion Skyline versions are/were all identical to the StellaLyra.  My 6" f/5 GSO Newtonian came with a straight through finder, so it is possible the US may yet see a version of this Dob without the RACI, so buyers should definitely pay attention to the details.

Rather like FLO's Ursa Major brand. All the accessories reduced or downgraded, standard teflon bearings, single-speed focuser, etc but very reasonable price.

[azrabella]

Where did you get the magnets from? Such a good idea.

[bosun21]

6 minutes ago, azrabella said:

Where did you get the magnets from? Such a good idea.

From
“First Magnets “ 👇

Product code  F4MG100-1

https://pot-clamping-c43/100mm-dia-x-22mm-thick-x-11mm-hole-ferrite-pot-magnet-68kg-pull-p3763#ps_1_1985

 

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by bosun21
Typo

[Astro_Dad]

4 hours ago, Mike Q said:

Orion has had the Skyline series for at least the last two years. 

Interesting thanks - I didn't know that. My knowledge of Orion Dobs is based on what was (past tense) readily available to order to the UK via their Netherlands based distribution centre. They are not particularly easy to purchase here due to lack of UK based distributor as I understand it.

Well aware of the SkyQuest and SkyQuest Plus branded instruments (the latter incidentally similar in design to the new Celestron Dobs for understandable reasons) and others -  but not the Skylines - Maybe US only?

Although this review was not intended to be an appraisal of how new these various GSO class models are in real terms, (but was fundamentally my own hands on view of the new to UK SL branded version vs the others I have experience of), it's provided an interesting segue 🙂

Edited November 11, 2022 by Astro_Dad

[Astro_Dad]

18 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Great and very even-handed review, AD.

As a fellow SL 8" owner, I agree with everything you say, though a knob on it is not necessary for me, as like Louis, I just use the front edge of the scope. A handle, though, would be of great benefit.

The adjustment on the alt bearings is theoretically an advantage but (like I suspect most users) after setting mine I haven't altered them as it's such a faff. I just use a few small magnets to achieve balance.

It's worth noting that several of the other GSO labelled brands don't necessarily offer all the good accessories like the RACI, though I believe the Orion one is identical.

On the subject of supplied accessories, a minor detail I forgot to mention was the lack of supplied collimation cap with the SL.  For those of us who have other 'scopes or have been into the hobby for a while this is unlikely to be a problem, but it's a nice (inexpensive) touch that the Celestron includes one out of the box. The SW doesn't include one either. (The Heritage 150p does usefully and interestingly enough!).

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Astro_Dad said:

Interesting thanks - I didn't know that. My knowledge of Orion Dobs is based on what was (past tense) readily available to order to the UK via their Netherlands based distribution centre. They are not particularly easy to purchase here due to lack of UK based distributor as I understand it.

Well aware of the SkyQuest and SkyQuest Plus branded instruments (the latter incidentally similar in design to the new Celestron Dobs for understandable reasons) and others -  but not the Skylines - Maybe US only?

Although this review was not intended to be an appraisal of how new these various GSO class models are in real terms, (but was fundamentally my own hands on view of the new to UK SL branded version vs the others I have experience of), it's provided an interesting segue 🙂

My Skyline is two years old and they were around at least a year prior.  I won't go as far to say its US only but i bet it is North America only for a while.  

[Louis D]

6 hours ago, bosun21 said:

I also ran a few short lengths of adhesive draught excluder on the tube for the magnets to sit upon. Works great 👍 

Is that the same as self-adhesive weather stripping?  I've never heard the term draught excluder before.  Must be a UK-US English thing. 🤷‍♂️

[bosun21]

9 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Is that the same as self-adhesive weather stripping?  I've never heard the term draught excluder before.  Must be a UK-US English thing. 🤷‍♂️

Yes I think it’s the same. Here’s a photo 👇