GoTo Dobson Telescopes

GoTo Dobson: the simplicity of a Dobson, the motors of a mount

A GoTo Dobson has motors in the base and a computer that knows the location of every object. You align it with two stars, select an object in the app, and the telescope turns toward it and continues to track it. That tracking capability is the major advantage over Push-To: even at 200x magnification, Jupiter stays centered in the field of view. Sky-Watcher is the only merk model we carry in this category, and for good reason: the Heritage-150P Virtuoso GTi is among our ten best-selling telescopes.

What you buy per size

• Sky-Watcher Heritage-150P Virtuoso GTi150 mm tabletop model with WiFi. You operate it with the free SynScan app on your phone. Works on AA batteries or a power bank. Freedom Find: you can rotate the tube by hand without losing alignment.
• Sky-Watcher Heritage-114P Virtuoso: 114 mm, with tracking motors but without GoTo. The cheapest way to keep a planet automatically in view.
• Sky-Watcher Skyliner-250PX FlexTube GoTo254 mm floor model with SynScan hand controller and collapsible tube.
• Sky-Watcher Skyliner-300P FlexTube SynScan GoTo and 350P305 to 355 mm for those who want to view deep-sky objects seriously and not spend the whole evening searching.

For whom yes and for whom no

For: anyone who wants to see many objects per evening, who frequently observes with visitors, and who lives under a light-polluted sky where manual searching is difficult. Also suitable for simple planetary astrophotography with a smartphone or planetary camera, because the telescope tracks. Not for: anyone who wants to take long exposures of nebulae. A Dobson rotates alt-azimuthly, which causes field rotation. For that, you should look at astrophotography or at a smart telescope.

Power and accessories

The Virtuoso GTi runs on eight AA batteries; in practice, you use a power bank with a USB output. The large Skyliner SynScan models require a 12-volt power supply. Furthermore, what applies to any Newtonian telescope applies here: a laser collimator and from 200 mm a 2-inch moon filter. Compare the GoTo models with the cheaper ones Push To Dobsons before you decide. Everything on the Sky-Watcher merk Page.