With its large, one-foot diameter primary mirror, deluxe features and included set of premium accessories, the SkyLine 12" Dobsonian Reflector is an ideal instrument for backyard astronomers who want big, bright views of the cosmos.
The SkyLine 12" features a 12" (300mm) diameter parabolic primary mirror with 94%-96% reflectivity for bright views of celestial treats. The telescope's f/5 optics and long 1500mm focal length will provide night after night of great observing performance, yielding bright views of celestial objects like the Moon and planets, and more distant fare such as cloudy nebulas, star clusters, and galaxies. When you need to align the reflector telescope's optics, adjustments are quick and easy thanks to the tools-free, knurled primary mirror adjustment knobs and center-marked primary mirror. The secondary mirror has a 70mm minor-axis and its alignment can be adjusted with a Philips head driver. An included Orion LaserMate Deluxe II collimating tool will help you keep the SkyLine 12" Dobsonian's mirrors in perfect alignment for the best views possible.
Motion of the SkyLine 12" Dobsonian in both altitude (up/down) and azimuth (left/right) is silky smooth thanks to azimuth roller bearings and robust, adjustable ball-bearing altitude trunnions. Tension of both altitude and azimuth motion axes can be adjusted easily, without using tools, for optimized slewing control. If you wish to use especially heavy accessories with the SkyLine 12" Dobsonian, its sliding altitude trunnions let you alter the reflector optical tube's balance point for smooth, drift-free altitude motion. The sturdy Dobsonian base keeps the 12" reflector optical tube steady and secure.
The SkyLine 12" Dobsonian telescope features a machined, 2" Crayford focuser with dual-speed adjustment control and smooth, backlash-free motion. The fine-focus control knob allows you to dial-in details at a 10:1 ratio compared to the coarse focus knobs for ultra-precise focusing. An included adapter allows use of both 2" and 1.25" sized telescope eyepieces, and both the 2" and 1.25" holders feature non-marring compression rings to keep eyepieces in-place without scratching.
Two telescope eyepieces are included: a big 2" Erfle ocular with 30mm focal length, and a 1.25" Plossl eyepiece with 9mm focal length. The 30mm Erfle provides a wide, 50x view in the SkyLine 12" Dobsonian while the more powerful 9mm Plossl eyepiece yields views with 166x magnification. A handy eyepiece rack for the Dobsonian base is included, which provides a convenient storage spot for your telescope eyepieces and other accessories. A 35mm-length 2" extension adapter is also included.
The included 8x50 finder scope is a premium right-angle model which displays a correct left/right and up/down oriented image for easy aiming of the 12" Dobsonian telescope. To reduce cool-down time, an included cooling fan can be plugged in (fan battery pack requires 8xAA batteries — not included) to help circulate air in the reflector optical tube for fast performance.
With an assembled weight of 83.2 lbs., the SkyLine 12" Dobsonian is a big telescope that promises big and bright views. The 60" long telescope optical tube can be separated from the Dobsonian base quickly for easy, two-component transport.
