SkyWatcher StarGate-500P (508/2000) Truss-Tube Dobsonian

There have been many roomers, and talk about if and when Skywatcher would release a telescope of this size. For those who know the Skywatcher Flex Tube Dobsonian Line you will notice straight away that this is a totally different concept. You might recall this style of telescope from other leading brands, but as Skywatcher do so well, they have produced a telescope, that not only performs extremely well, but also is very affordable. Its an open design that has allowed for the telescope to be completely dismantled. Allowing for transportation in any small car. Setup or Disassembly could be easily done within 20mins with use. You could easily fit this scope in your toyota hatch.

Once setup, this scope will defiantly be a draw card for any astronomy shows.

Each truss tubes are 30mm thick, and give a very strong support and structure, stoping any shift in collimation. The tubes are individually numbered helping with correct assembly each time. They are held in position by a a quick release clamp. Allowing for easy assembly and no need for extra tools.

The base is strongly made, and finished off with a smart black look. The whole telescope, rotates and pivots on four teflon runners. There are two locking screws on the side. This stops any vertical movement, and is a nice little feature for if you don’t intend on disassembling the telescope.

Now for the most important part. There were roomers that skywatcher were going to produce a sandwich style mirror. However they have continued with there well trusted and proven  Parabolic Primary Pyrex mirror. If your a previous skywatcher owner, you will know what amazing results these can produce. With 18 inches of light collection it will be even better.

Now your probably thinking its going to be heavy, but they have made it extremely thin, however still strong as ever.

They are using the same three collimating screws as their other models underneath the base of the mirror. Each with its own locking screw.

At the centre of the mirror is a small white 10mm dot helping with colomation.

For the GoTo version we highly recommend the Skywatcher Wi-Fi unit (SynScanWifi), with which you can control your telescope via smartphone or tablet. Just plug the Wi-Fi unit into the hand controller slot and download the free App (Android or iOS) - it is ready to use.