Sky-Watcher | Skyliner 200P FlexTube Enhanced Standard Edition

Superb 203 mm parabolic optics from Sky-Watcher made of low-expansion borosilicate glass for faster cooling and superior thermal stability! Ultra-practical retractable FlexTube truss tube design!

Here is the Enhanced Standard Edition of the Sky-Watcher Dobson Flextube 200P. It is identical to the fully equipped Deluxe edition, except that it features a single-speed precision Crayford focuser instead of a dual-speed focuser. It combines excellent optical performance, superior portability and practicality, unique design features, careful craftsmanship, and very good standard accessories. The included accessories consist of: a single-speed precision 2" Crayford focuser, a 9x50 right-angle finder with an upright image for comfortable viewing, super wide-angle 70° eyepieces of 12.5 mm and 20 mm, a 1.25" adapter with brass compression ring to avoid marking your eyepieces, and a universal smartphone adapter for photographing celestial objects! (Note: The addition of the 9x50 right-angle finder with an upright image distinguishes this model from the factory standard version, which comes with a straight 9x50 finder.)

There really is nothing better than a large, light-hungry Dobson for visual astronomy. The only downside is that the larger they are, the more cumbersome they become to carry, transport, and store. Traditional truss tube designs require time-consuming assembly. The clever and patented retractable FlexTube™ truss tube design from Sky-Watcher truly changes the game: it requires no assembly. The optical tube (OTA) easily retracts or deploys in seconds on three extremely rigid rods. There is no lateral movement or flex once deployed, and the telescope maintains its collimation. A distinct locking position, slightly shorter, is provided for use with a binoviewer. Once retracted, it can be transported and stored neatly in an upright position. The OTA can also be easily separated from the base by unscrewing the tension handles, greatly facilitating transport.

The Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P Flextube Dobson, with its impressive parabolic optics, offers excellent versatile performance and provides truly memorable views of the Moon and planets, as well as deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. The Skyliner Flextube Dobsons are telescopes appreciated by both beginners and experienced observers, thanks to their high performance and simple, reliable operation, and they are often the only telescope that some users will ever need. While we at Sky-Watcher love motorized telescopes, using a star chart to find objects yourself can be much more rewarding and will enhance your knowledge of the night sky. Unplug your electronic devices, go outside, and immerse yourself in the wonders of the universe. It is a profoundly enriching experience to contemplate the treasures of the night sky through an eyepiece in real-time.

Often referred to as “light buckets,” traditional Dobson telescopes provide users with the largest possible aperture for their budget compared to other telescopes of similar size, with an incredible aperture-to-price ratio, as most of their cost is devoted to the optical tube. The Dobson mount, popularized by John Dobson in the 1970s, is a simple and effective method for mounting a Newtonian telescope according to the alt-azimuth principle. Quick and easy to set up, without tedious alignments, the Dobson mount consists of a “rocker box” that allows the telescope to pivot in altitude, while the box itself rotates on an azimuth base. The secret to this design is to properly balance the optical tube and use low-friction materials that allow it to be moved easily with a gentle push while keeping it in position when released. The mount is designed to be moved by hand rather than with slow-motion controls or a motor.

The heart of any Dobson telescope is the quality of its mirrors. The precision of the polishing, the material used, and the coatings applied all play an important role in the telescope's performance. Sky-Watcher's expertise and reputation in the commercial manufacture of mirrors are well known and are among the jewels in its crown. Sky-Watcher is an expert in this field and has demonstrated its consistent ability to produce high-quality, consistent telescope mirrors for decades. Parabolic (or paraboloidal) mirrors have a complex shape and must therefore be well made to provide the high performance expected of them. A properly polished parabolic primary mirror eliminates spherical aberrations by bringing light rays to the same focal point. Sky-Watcher's parabolic primary mirrors, limited by diffraction, produce sharp, high-contrast images rich in detail.

The primary and secondary mirrors of the Skyliner Flextube 200P (Enhanced Standard Edition) are made of special low-expansion borosilicate glass, similar to Pyrex, whose thermal expansion coefficient is exceptionally low compared to ordinary glass types like BK7 or float glass. In practice, this means a shorter cooling time to reach thermal equilibrium without resorting to a fan, and during this process, the mirrors maintain better shape, reducing distortions and allowing you to start observing sooner.

Both the primary and secondary mirrors are treated with Sky-Watcher's superb RAQ™ Radiant Aluminium Quartz coatings, consisting of layers of aluminum, dielectric tantalum pentoxide for increased reflectivity and protection, and silicon dioxide, which together form a brilliant and very durable finish with 94% reflectivity that will last for years.

The secondary mirror is held in place by four specially designed spider arms, only 0.5 mm thick, which are extremely rigid once tensioned. They minimize obstruction of the light path, allowing more precious photons to pass through, and reduce diffraction spikes to a strict minimum.

The Dobson Skyliner 200P Flextube (Enhanced Standard Edition) rests on much more than just a rocker box. The base uses special low-friction bearings for smooth and easy azimuth movement, as well as cleverly designed patented tension control handles that ensure you always have the right level of resistance for precise movement and maximum stability. The right degree of tension can be intuitively applied in seconds to maintain perfect balance when heavy eyepieces are used, or even to completely lock the vertical axis. They also conveniently serve as transport handles. An accessory tray is included to keep your accessories safe in one place. The OTA of the telescope can be quickly and easily separated from the base for easier transport.

The choice of colors is not just a matter of aesthetics. The Skyliner FlexTube Dobsons receive a beautiful speckled Black Diamond metallic finish, unique to Sky-Watcher, and feature, by design, complementary contrasting white surfaces. These white surfaces are a very practical feature that enhances visibility and can prevent your expensive and carefully aligned telescope from being accidentally bumped in the dark.