Sky-Watcher 8 Inch Classic Dobsonian Telescope - S11610

Simple, elegant, and cost-effective

If you’re looking for bright, sharp, detailed views of the night sky, you won’t find a better value than a Sky-Watcher Traditional Dobsonian Telescope. With its closed-tube design, a Sky-Watcher Dobsonian puts most of your investment where it belongs—in the impressive 8” primary mirror.

This telescope is an excellent choice for budding amateur astronomers thanks to its super-simple design. Setup is a breeze: just place the telescope tube into the rocker box, secure it in place, and you’re ready to begin your observations. A sturdy, closed-tube construction means you can take your Dob just about anywhere worry-free, from camping at your favorite dark sky site to a public outreach event with droves of small children.

A rewarding experience under the stars

With so many computerized telescopes and high-tech accessories on the market today, it’s easy to lose sight of the simple pleasure of exploring the Universe with a manual telescope. A Dobsonian lets you trade the glow of a computer screen for the glow of the Milky Way. Think of it as “analog stargazing”—with all the same charm as your old vinyl records.

From taking your first glimpse of Saturn to locating a super-faint “fuzzy,” there’s a feeling of excitement and discovery that comes with using a Dobsonian. If the night sky seems confusing at first glance, remember that humans have been navigating using the stars for millennia. Within just a few observing sessions, you’ll become familiar with the movements of the stars and learn to recognize your favorite objects and constellations. (But if you need to pull out your smartphone’s planetarium app to use as a cheat sheet, we won’t tell.)

Innovative Tension Control Handle

With such a straightforward design, a Dobsonian’s construction and the quality of its individual components is crucial. Sky-Watcher stands above its competition with its patented Tension Control Handle. By simply turning the handle, you can adjust the level of tension between the telescope tube and the rocker box. This enables you to secure your telescope to point at any position in the night sky and lock on target. When you’re ready to move to your next object, loosen the handle and the telescope swings smoothly and silently in its base.

High-quality accessories

Your Sky-Watcher Dobsonian includes a 9x50 optical finderscope, which provides 9x magnification so you can locate smaller targets in the night sky. You’ll also receive a 2” Crayford focuser, plus a 1.25” adapter. With these two accessories, you have ultimate versatility to use either 2” or 1.25” eyepieces. As you grow in the hobby, you’ll want to add more eyepieces to your collection, but Sky-Watcher has included a 10mm and a 25mm Plossl eyepiece to get you started.