Dobsonian Telescopes

Dobsonian telescopes have a large aperture and are a low-cost telescope when compared to tripod mounted Newtonian Reflectors or the more expensive Refractor Telescope. Dobsonian telescopes can often provide great planetary images. Their large aperture makes the images bright and detailed as well as having good levels of contrast too.

Larger aperture when compared to other designs. More Portable and easier to use than Reflectors and Refractor telescopes. Good image quality for the price, with decent views of galaxies, nebulas, planets and star clusters.

Dobsonian and a Newtonian telescope can actually be the same thing. A Newtonian refers to the optical design of the telescope, whereas a Dobsonian refers to a Newtonian type telescope with some specific features, such as an altazimuth mount. Newtonian Telescopes were invented by Sir Isaac Newton in the 1600, whereas Dobsonian telescopes have only been around since the 1960s, but have grown very quickly in terms of popularity.

Yes - simple to use and relatively portable compared to larger telescopes of similar power. They use a simple turntable and move up and down and twist on a rotating base, meaning they are easy to point at any part of the night sky. They represent great value for money, ideal for beginners to astronomy and Children in particular. Good for observing the Moon, planets, and some brighter deep sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies.