Sky-Watcher’s new Stargate truss-tube Dobsonian telescopes offer serious aperture for those looking to sail farther into the depths of the cosmos in big – and even bigger! – deep-sky-gobbling apertures of 18 and 20 inches. For those stepping up from the 12-inch instruments, the 18-inch Stargate captures more than twice the light, and for those graduating from the popular 16-inch Dobs, the 20-inch gains 56-percent more. Aperture is king, and these new Dobs deliver that … and more.
Like the option of full go-to performance. Imagine the ability to locate and track celestial objects with nearly half a meter of aperture. Crank up the power on galaxies, clusters and nebulae without the annoying distraction of constantly re-centering your target. Sky-Watcher’s SynScan system keeps any celestial target centered.
Both big apertures feature a fused conical primary mirror and a cellular secondary mirror, a dual-speed 2-inch Crayford style focuser, two-section truss poles for ultra-compact transport, and a minimalist, all-metal design.
The 18-inch Stargate Dobsonian has a focal ratio of f/4.1 (1900-mm focal length) and a 120-mm (minor axis) secondary mirror, both of which are crafted from Borosilicate and finished with 94-percent reflective aluminum coatings. And that fast focal ratio yields an eyepiece height at Zenith of just 74.5 inches. It weighs 129 pounds fully assembled.
The 20-inch Stargate’s primary mirror has a focal ratio of f/3.95 (2000-mm focal length) and a 134-mm minor axis secondary, both with the same 94-percent coatings as the 18-inch. Eyepiece height at Zenith is 79 inches, and it weighs 138 pounds fully assembled.
The 18-inch Stargate is priced at $5,999US and the 20-inch Stargate at $6999US. Both include two eyepieces, a 9×50 optical finder, three 2.3-pound counter weights, a shroud and captive truss clamps, Add full go-to to either for another $1000US, featuring Freedom Find, dual encoders (which allow you to move the telescope manually without compromising alignment) and SynScan with 42,000+ object data base.
For more information, visit www.skywatcherusa.com.
###
The Astronomy Technology Today editorial staff would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the availability of our Solar eclipse equipment guide – The Definitive Equipment Guide to the 2017 Solar Eclipse. Our goal with the 40 page publication is to provide an easy-to-consume introduction to the technological options for viewing and imaging the Great Solar Eclipse. We cover the gamut of options available including building you own solar viewer, solar glasses, smart phones, DSLR cameras, using astronomy telescopes, solar telescopes, using binoculars, solar filters (including a DYI filter option), CCD astro cameras, astro video cameras, webcams and much more. You can view the guide on our website here – its free and there is no requirement to sign up to read the guide.