In the 1960s, John Dobson's simple new telescope design revolutionized the hobby of amateur astronomy and brought "sidewalk astronomy" to the masses. More than half a century later, Dobsonian telescopes are still a favorite among experienced stargazers for providing the hands-down best value-per-dollar on the telescope market. TelescopesPlus.com offers a wide selection of Dobsonian telescopes from ultra-portable tabletop designs to monster telescope systems measuring 16" in aperture. 

Dobsonian telescopes are known for their large aperture and low magnification, which makes them ideal for observing faint objects in a very wide field of view. These telescopes are affectionately known among astronomers as "light buckets" thanks to their bucket-shaped design and their superb ability to concentrate light and deliver it to the eyepiece. Of course, Dobsonians truly shine under dark skies in remote observing locations, but when John Dobson first invented this telescope, he used it to provide stunning views of the planets and other objects to families on the streets of urban San Francisco.

Specifically, the Dobsonian telescope is a reflecting telescope with a Newtonian optical design. This means there is a concave mirror at the end of the telescope tube and an eyepiece on the side, toward the front. The mount is really what distinguishes the Dobsonian from a standard Newtonian telescope. Its "rocker box" mount is easy to manipulate and holds the tube like a cannon.

Originally conceived as a simple, no-frills telescope, the Dobsonian has, as of late, evolved into a more sophisticated device. While you can still find inexpensive models, today's GoTo computerized Dobsonian telescopes feature fully motorized mechanics to locate and track thousands of celestial objects automatically. Purists might argue that these "fancy" Dobsonian telescopes take some of the fun out of navigating the night sky using nothing but your finderscope and the lazy-susan style mount. But this new technology certainly lowers the learning curve and allows you to view many more objects in a single observing session. Plus, with the accuracy of computerized tracking, you can even use a Dobsonian for some types of astrophotography.