Although Dobsonian telescopes were revolutionary when they first appeared in the mid-sixties in that they made astronomy accessible to the average person with a fascination with the stars, they were also initially very large, and hard to transport without a truck or large van. This changed in the mid-eighties when the Dobsonian design was upgraded with a truss design, that allows the optical tube to be broken down into two smaller parts and assembled onsite. Many modern Dobsonians, in an effort to improve on the truss design, reduce weight, size, and increase transportability have moved toward a collapsible truss design, as seen in the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope. Not only does this telescope focus on reduced size and increased portability, it comes equipped with GoTo functionality in Sky-Watcher’s SynScan technology. These convenient improvements are made to Sky-Watcher’s staple Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian base model design, which we covered in an earlier review.
Priced at an affordable $1,100 for the eight inch aperture model, there are also a number of models in Sky-Watcher’s Collapsible SynScan series. These models increase in price in relation to their aperture, which starts with the eight inch featured here, and increases in two inch increments, up to sixteen inches. Aperture fever, or the need to constantly upgrade to a higher diameter primary mirror, is certainly a reality for many amateur astronomers, so while this review focuses on the eight inch model that start out the series you might consider upgrading to a higher aperture should you budget allow it. The ten inch retails at $1,335, the twelve inch at $2,105, the fourteen inch at $2,675, and the sixteen inch at $3,400.
While Sky-Watcher might not as immediately recognizable as industry leaders, such as Celestron, Meade, or Orion, the company has been making a name for itself in recent years with many of their telescopes topping consumer review charts. Truly, the company has joined the rank of the elite, and true to this form, Sky-Watcher’s products often share a vast overlap with the top three as all turn to Synta manufacturing for their telescope parts and components. As a younger brand, founded only in 1999, Sky-Watcher telescopes offer the same quality make and design of their competitors, and often at a much lower price. And what’s more, is that the company got their start exclusively manufacturing Dobsonian telescopes, so the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope is a continuation of Sky-Watcher’s brand specialty. In a consumer market full of cheap telescopes that don’t function as advertised, Sky-Watcher is a growing brand that can be trusted and relied on.
SynScan GoTo technology with built in wi-fi
Where it is true that the advent of the Dobsonian design was one of the most revolutionary moments for amateur astronomy, the same can be said for the implementation of GoTo computerized tracking. GoTo functionality removes much of the labor in locating and tracking the celestial objects that you wish to view, as rather than scanning the night sky in order to manually locate objects that are faint and hard to see with the naked eye, instead you can let the computerized system show you the way.
The Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope implements Sky-Watcher’s signature SynScan technology through use of an easy to use hand controller that gives the user access to over 42,900 objects in the night sky. This extensive database includes every object in the Messier, Caldwell, IC, and NGC catalogues, as well as a partial list of the SAO catalog, meaning that you will never run out of fantastic viewing opportunities. These SynScan capabilities are allowed thanks to two DC servo motors, which enable up to ten different slewing speeds. The hand controller is menu operated, making it a breeze to find the celestial targets on your wish list, and also comes equipped with a two line LCD display as well as red light backlighting on the keypad so as to keep your eyes adjusted to the dark.
Aligning the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope is as simple as possible thanks to its ability to align to either the brightest star in your viewing area, or any two stars positioned close together, allowing the SynScan database to calibrate its viewing location with accuracy up to five arc minutes. What’s more is that, thanks to the built in Wi-Fi capabilities, you can transfer control away from the hand held controller and to your smartphone or tablet for more personal mobility and ease of use.
While the SynScan database is more extensive than many other GoTo equipped catalogs, there is something to be said about being able to navigate the night sky on your own. After all, there’s no better way to learn the basics of astronomy than putting in the time yourself, as nice and easy as GoTo technology might be. Sky-Watcher takes this into account, and in an improvement over many other GoTo equipped telescopes, allows the user to switch over to manual controls at any time. Amazingly, this can be done without the need to re-align the telescope, as the SynScan technology will continually work to update the current viewing sky-coordinates.
Collapsible Flextube design
Dobsonian telescopes have come a long way since their 1965 debut. Rather than necessitating a truck, van, or SUV for transport, now you can rely on any vehicle that is available to you, regardless of size. This is thanks to increasingly space efficient designs, such as Sky-Watcher’s collapsible Flextube optical assembly. While maintaining a focal length of twelve-hundred millimeters—or forty-seven and a quarter inches— when fully extended, the optical tube assembly is able to callable to a length of only thirty-three inches. For those of you counting, that’s a size reduction of thirty-six percent. Coupled with the fact that the optical tube assembly, which weigh in at just above twenty-four pounds, is able to be separated from the base, which weighs in at thirty-three pounds and measures thirty inches by twenty inches, the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope maximizes not only the ability to transport, but your storage options as well.
The Flextube truss design is not only convenient, but sturdy as well. Functioning with the support of three one inch steel poles, the truss is able to be locked securely in place with chrome locking screws on each of the support poles. Unlike a number of Dobsionians featuring a collapsible design, the optical tube assembly does not need to be broken down into multiple pieces in order to transport it. Thanks to the preset indentations on the support poles, the optical assembly is also able to be locked in place at the exact same position each and every time, which allows the telescope to maintain collimation even after collapsing and extending the optical tube multiple times.
All the features of the Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsionian
Because the Flextube and SynScan upgrades are built on top of the Sky-Watcher’s reliable Classic Dobsonian design, the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope come with all of the same features. These include the quartz, titanium, and silicone dioxide coated mirror systems which reflect up to 94% of incoming light, allowing for crystal clear viewing of deep space objects of up to the fourteenth magnitude, the built in accessory tray, as well as the included accessories. The telescope comes with an 8×50 finder scope that will allow for an easier time locating your viewing targets, as well as a bracket for mounting the finder scope on the optical assembly, a two inch Crayford style focuser, two Plossl styled eyepieces—one ten millimeters and one twenty-five millimeters— and a one and a quarter inch eyepiece adaptor that allows for more versatility in the types of additional eyepieces that you can purchase, as well as a dust mask to protect the mirrors. For further detail you are welcome to read our Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope Review.
Features and specifications
- The Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope features SynScan GoTo Wi-Fi enabled technology that automatically locates and tracks objects for you from a database of over 42,900 objects, while still maintaining the option for manual control
- The optical assembly utilizes Sky-Watcher’s FlexTube collapsible design, saving space, reducing weight, and maximizing transportability
- The telescope features a large eight-inch aperture, allowing for a bright and bold viewing experience that costs much less than telescopes of similar design
- The telescope utilizes fully multi-coated borosilicate primary and secondary mirrors that allow for reflection of ninety-four percent of incoming light and prevent spherical aberration
- The telescope is able to detect stars with as low a magnitude as fourteen, and has a focal length of twelve-hundred millimeters
- The telescope is built with Proprietary Tension Control Handles for stability and eased and accurate motion
- The telescope weighs just over fifty-seven pounds when fully assembled, and can easily be broken down into two pieces for transport and storage
- The Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope includes a number of accessories, such as a two inch Crayford-style focuser, a one and a quarter inch adapter, two wide-angle eyepieces, a dust mask, and a finder scope
User impressions
The Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope is featured on a number of different retailer sites, including Sky-Watcher’s main site, OTP, and Amazon. While reviews are limited, the telescope boasts a 5/5 rating on OTP and 4.3/5 rating on Amazon.
Most users agree that this “this telescope is a must have in [your] arsenal of equipment” that “rivals any scope in the market today.” Users celebrate the SynScan GoTo functionality, which allows you to “keep observing without having to manually track an object, especially at higher magnifications”, the setup of which is “amazingly quick and easy” taking only “two to four minutes”, and its “ability to seamlessly switch between GoTo and manual” tracking. However, you will want to make sure that the telescope is levelled, or you may experience problems with the SynScan system. Users report that “all selected objects are nearly centered in the eyepieces after alignment.” The collabsible optical assembly, while occasionally requiring collimation, “holds fine from the last” use, as long as you practice “gentle moving” while transporting and “setting it up.”
Some negatives that were mentioned include some users who found the size and weight of the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope to be a little much, but that when broken down into its smaller components to be reasonable to transport. One user commented that “while this is portable, the bulkiness of the base makes it quite difficult to move”, although another said that “the scope can fit in my Prius when collapsed.” Another user found the built in SynScan database slightly lacking as “planets cannot be [located] with the on board alignment – that only happens with the App”. The complaint that we find to be the most apt to bother users surrounds the “12V power adapter” which works “only [works with] a cigarette lighter” port. As these are becoming rare in the modern day, you will want to invest in a portable power pack that comes with a cigarette lighter port.
To summarize, the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope is a great addition for the enthusiast or beginner looking for a reliable reflector telescope with GoTo functionality. The traditional affordability and design offered by Sky-Watcher is aided by the FlexTube design of this telescope, which eases transport and storage. The database has a wide profile of deep-sky objects that will occupy your star gazing sessions for a long while. For the price of $1,100, and with the added bonus of the computerized GoTo mount, the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope is a well-manufactured telescope that will not disappoint.
Comparable telescopes
While we endorse the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope, you might also consider the following products:
- Celestron NexStar 6SE Computerized Telescope
- Orion Skyquest XT12g GoTo Dobsonian Telescope
- Sky-Watcher Classic 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Telescope
Additional accessories
Here are some accessory suggestions that will improve your experience with the Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope:
- Celestron Power Tank 17
- Celestron X-Cel LX 2X Barlow – 1.25″
- Orion LaserMate Deluxe II Laser Collimator
