Sky-Watcher Dobsonian 10"

[starscy]

Will a Sky-Watcher Dobsonian 10" be a good choice as a grab and go solution for short observing sessions? Between the Skyliner closed tube and the Skyliner FlexTube what will be best? I am concerned about portability, but I think that the FlexTube will be exposed to straight light and dust and will probably need collimation more often.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I asked the same question a while back. Apparently the closed tube is lighter then the flextube. I have not noticed any stray light with my 130P fextube but i have not used it much YET. I'll most likely make a shroud for it and test it to see if there is much stray light. Unless you live beside an open cast mine i dont think dust will be a problem. Scopes with larger mirrors do seem to need collimating more often then scopes with smaller mirrors.

[kniclander]

it's great if you are strong enough to carry it in one piece although if you have to carry the base ond the OTA separately, it's only about 30 seconds extra work. The flextube is actually heavier than the sold tube and also you'd probably need a light shroud for it. the only point of the flextube (it seems to me and I haven't got one) is if your vertical storage space is limited. I'd guess also the solid tube holds collimation better?

[arad85]

Yes, it would be great (assuming you are OK with the weight of it)

[starscy]

Another option is the 10" Skyliner FlexTube AUTO, but is this really worth the almost double price?

[tinvek]

only thing i would say is how do you define a short observing session?

if your scope is storred in a shed / garage etc or if you have time to let it cool down then yes it's great, mine gets used for a quick view most mornings when i get home from work. if you store it in the house and your viewing time is less than 30 mins then you'll have to accept the effects of a warm scope. having said that even with a warm scope the views will still be far better than you're current setup

[LukeSkywatcher]

only thing i would say is how do you define a short observing session?

if your scope is storred in a shed / garage etc or if you have time to let it cool down then yes it's great, mine gets used for a quick view most mornings when i get home from work. if you store it in the house and your viewing time is less than 30 mins then you'll have to accept the effects of a warm scope. having said that even with a warm scope the views will still be far better than you're current setup

Good point. If its a quick 10 mins observing here and there then a small refractor would be better as they dont really need time to cool down. By the time you set one up...it is cooled enough. They can be a lot easier also to carry.

[starscy]

At the beginning I was thinking about an 80mm ED refractor and an alt-azimuth mount, but the cost of these is higher than a 10" dobosonian.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Yes refractors are more expensive because it costs more to make a small glass lens(refractor) then it does to make a big mirror(reflector).

[kniclander]

At the beginning I was thinking about an 80mm ED refractor and an alt-azimuth mount, but the cost of these is higher than a 10" dobosonian.

I have an ed80 and a 10" dob and there is no comparison - the dob wins on everything except tight bright doubles (and that's probably because of my collimation skills (or lack thereof))

[Permanent Midnight]

hello, i can only tell from my experience with a 10" newton on a mount (i cant talk about any other type of scope), but i think a 10" newton and a 10" dobson got nearly the same specs.

1 month before i was realy in trouble. what telescope shoud i get?. since i own one and got a few hours observing experience i can talk about some , let us call it "so far", nice impressions.

about the tube 10":

it is long and wide.

if you go trough doors etc, take care of the focuser:)

stairways might be awesome dificulty to manage(site and hight).

no magazines and toys on the stairs (something evil coud hsppen) because it is a big 120 length tube! and i am 192 tall.

thats all:)

anything else is realy nice!

greetings

Teo

[Chris H]

I have the Orion xt10 which is very similar to the skywatcher 10 inch solid tube dob. When it arrived I thought OMG its massive but now a couple of months I've got used to it and its excellent. I keep it in my shed which is unheated and observe 5 metres away in my garden. If I look out my window and its clear I nip out and observe for maybe an hour or so. I can carry it in one piece (just) and its just great.

[russ]

I'll agree with what the others have said. If the dob is kept in a shed ready to go, it makes a great grab'n'go setup. I use my 8" Skyliner for quick 30min (or even shorter sometimes) sessions. Brilliant for a quick peak at the planets before work or any other unplanned observing. Setup time is 30secs (no exaggeration). If it clouds over i don't feel too disappointed like i do if i've spent 20mins setting up the SCT. Just pop it back in the shed.

I used to own the XT10 (same as the Skyliner 250) and had no problem moving it around the garden in one piece. It was more of a waddle/stumble though, where as the 8 can be moved around with absolute ease.

Russ

[Chris H]

I used to own the XT10 (same as the Skyliner 250) and had no problem moving it around the garden in one piece. It was more of a waddle/stumble though, where as the 8 can be moved around with absolute ease.

Russ

You must have seen me carrying my scope around the garden :D

[russ]

:)

[pvaz]

I have a smaller 8" dob, I keep it in the garage and I can confirm everything said.

I open the garage door, pick it up, walk 10 meters, put it down, remove the caps and I'm done. Takes me less then 1 min.

The 8" weights 22kg which I can easily carry. I could probably do with up to 35kg carrying such a bulky FRAGILE object. Over that 2 trips would be required, but I guess that will only add a couple of minutes to it.

[matt c]

I also think the 10" skyliner's a very practical scope it sits in the corner of the kitchen next to the door, and I also find it ok to carry. The only problem with carrying it i find is trying not to knock it into the door frame (I'm fairly tall) and that's about it really, it's not the weight just it's length and then again you can just take the tube out separately