Sky-Watcher | Skyliner 200P FlexTube Deluxe Edition

The ultimate 8" Dobson. Superb parabolic optics from Sky-Watcher with 203 mm, made from low-expansion borosilicate glass. Reduced cooldown times, with excellent optical and thermodynamic properties!

For those who really want the best 8" (200 mm) Dobson, this Deluxe Edition is the right choice. It’s the best manual 8" Dobson available: it combines excellent optical performance, great portability and practicality, original design, high build quality, and superb standard equipment. The equipment includes: a 2" dual-speed Crayford focuser with 10:1 reduction and fine focus, 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 damaging the eyepieces, and a universal smartphone adapter to take your first photos of celestial objects.

A large Dobson, light collector, is hard to beat in visual astronomy. The only downside is that, as they grow larger, they become more difficult to transport and store. Traditional truss tube designs require a time-consuming assembly procedure. The clever and patented design of Sky-Watcher’s FlexTube™ truss tube truly changes the game, as it requires no assembly. The tube deploys easily and, in seconds, rests on three stable legs. There is no lateral movement or flex once deployed, so no new collimation is needed. A second locking position is provided for observing with a binoviewer. Once retracted, the tube is easy to transport and can be stored vertically. The tube easily removes from the rocker box by simply removing the side handles, making transport even easier.

The Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P Flextube Dobson, with its impressive parabolic optics, is an excellent all-rounder and offers truly impressive views of the Moon and planets, as well as deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. Our Skyliner Flextube Dobson telescopes are extremely popular and perfect for beginners due to their high performance and ease of use; they are often the only telescopes an observer needs. At Sky-Watcher, we also love motorized telescopes, but using a star chart to find objects in the night sky can be much more rewarding and deepens your knowledge of the sky. Put your electronic devices aside, go outside, and let yourself be amazed by the wonders of the universe. It’s a rewarding experience to observe the wonders of the night sky in real-time through an eyepiece.

Often referred to as “light buckets,” traditional Dobson telescopes offer the largest possible light-gathering aperture for your budget compared to other types of telescopes. You get the best value for your money, as the majority of the budget is invested in the optics. The Dobson mount, introduced by John Dobson in the 1970s, is a very simple yet effective method for mounting a Newtonian telescope according to the altazimuth principle. It sets up quickly and easily. The Dobson mount consists of a “rocker box” that allows you to adjust the height of the telescope in its cradle and rotate the box itself in azimuth. The secret of this design lies in the proper balancing of the optical tube and the use of low-friction materials for the bearings, which allow the tube to be moved slightly and smoothly while keeping it in position when released. The mount was primarily designed to be moved by hand.

The heart of any Dobson telescope is the quality of its mirrors. The precision of the polishing, the material used, and the coating play a crucial role in the telescope's performance. Sky-Watcher's experience in manufacturing high-quality telescope mirrors is well recognized. Sky-Watcher is an expert in this field and has proven it for decades. Parabolic mirrors have a complex surface and must therefore be made with the utmost care. A perfectly shaped parabolic primary mirror avoids spherical aberrations and brings all light rays to a focus. Sky-Watcher's parabolic primary mirrors, limited by diffraction, produce sharp, high-contrast, and detail-rich images.

The primary and secondary mirrors of the Skyliner Flextube 200P (Deluxe) are made from special low-expansion borosilicate glass, similar to the famous Pyrex, whose thermal expansion is extremely low compared to ordinary glass types like BK7 or window glass. In practice, this means shorter cooldown times to achieve thermal stability without needing a fan. During this process, the mirror retains its shape better and thus avoids image distortions, allowing for quicker observation.

The primary and secondary mirrors are treated with the premium Sky-Watcher RAQ™ Radiant Aluminium Quartz coating, consisting of layers of aluminum and dielectric tantalum pentoxide for increased reflectivity and protection, as well as silicon dioxide. A brilliant and durable combination with 94% reflectivity that lasts for many years.

The secondary mirror is held by four specially designed struts, only 0.5 mm thick but very robust. They minimize obstruction in the optical path and reduce diffraction spikes around stars to a minimum.

The mount of the Skyliner 200P Flextube (Deluxe) is much more than just a simple rocker box. The base uses special friction pads for smooth and easy azimuth movement, as well as cleverly designed patented friction control handles that ensure you always have the right level of resistance for precise movement and good stability. The right degree of resistance can be intuitively adjusted in seconds, for example when using heavy eyepieces or when you want to lock the telescope. These handles can also serve as additional carrying handles. An accessory tray keeps your accessories securely in place. The telescope tube quickly and easily removes from the rocker box for easier transport.

The Skyliner Flextube Dobsons are beautifully finished with Sky-Watcher's Black Diamond metallic paint, complemented by contrasting white surfaces, which is not just a matter of aesthetics: the white surface makes it easier to see your telescope at night, so no one accidentally bumps into it.