

They come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from small tabletop Dobsonians to medium and large-sized models, which can become very heavy and difficult to transport. If you ever attend a star party, you'll notice that most of the visual observers are using Dobsonians for this reason. In comparison, you can get an 8" Dobsonian for that price, which has 4x the light-gathering power of a comparably-priced 4" telescope! This extra light translates to more overall detail when observing planets, as well as being able to observe much fainter objects. This makes them especially great for observing galaxies and nebulae. Other than Dobsonians, telescopes in the sub-$500 price range rarely exceed 4" in aperture due to cost. This is due to their large aperture and therefore large light-gathering area. Even with a budget of below $500, you can get an excellent performing Dobsonian for visual observing.ĭobsonians can provide fantastic views of both deep sky objects and solar system objects like the planets and moon. The Dobsonian telescope design is easy to manufacture, allowing for large primary mirrors for lots of light gathering at an affordable price.
