Explore Scientific 10" f/5 Hybrid Truss Tube Dobsonian Telescope

Explore Scientific's solid-tube 10-inch Classic Dobsonian travels as one 46.75-inch tube. If that won't fit your car, the Explore Scientific DOB1045C sets the same 254 mm aperture on a hybrid truss: an f/5 parabolic mirror with its secondary in a solid upper tube, carried as a 31.5 lb mirror box (the heaviest piece), the rocker box, a 15-inch upper cage and four pairs of 25.2-inch truss poles. It comes apart to travel even in small cars.

Key Features

• Why "hybrid". The secondary mirror is held inside a tube, as on a traditional Dobsonian, rather than in an open cage. Powder-coated aluminum truss poles join that tube to the mirror box, and all the parts weigh 54.35 lb.
• Setup. Truss pairs slide onto threaded rods at the mirror box corners and lock with knobs; four knob screws hold the upper cage, and the supplied hex wrench fastens the altitude wheels. Plan on a helper the first time, and mark each truss for assembly at night.
• Collimation after each assembly. Explore Scientific collimates before shipping and recommends collimating after reassembly, which should take only a few minutes with numbered trusses. The primary has a center mark, and the supplied hex tool locks into the collimation screws beside the mirror; our collimation guide covers the steps.
• Cooling. Allow up to 30 minutes for the telescope to reach the outdoor temperature before you collimate on a star.
• Balance and motion. Large altitude bearings are designed for smooth motion at any magnification. The wheels have two positions, the lower holes for 1.25-inch eyepieces and the upper for a coma corrector or heavy eyepieces, and clutches with tension pads on both sides of the rocker box keep the tube from slipping.
• Finder, focuser and eyepieces. The red dot finder (its CR2032 battery included) is aligned after dark. The single-speed 2-inch focuser has a 1.25-inch adapter, a 25 mm extension tube installed and a 20 mm tube to add when an eyepiece needs it. The supplied 25 mm and 10 mm Plössls give 51x and 127x (1,270 ÷ 25 and 1,270 ÷ 10).
• What 254 mm shows. Saturn's Cassini division should be easy to see on nights of steady air, and Jupiter's four Galilean moons are often visible even at low magnification. The mirror collects (254 ÷ 203)², about 1.6 times, the light of an 8-inch (203 mm) mirror.

Who It's For

• Observers who drive to darker skies and want 10 inches of aperture without loading one long tube.
• Visual observers ready to collimate, which Explore Scientific recommends each time the scope is reassembled.
• Buyers weighing a solid tube. Explore Scientific's 10-inch f/4.7 Classic Dobsonian weighs less in total (a 24.2 lb tube on a 21.5 lb base) and has a 2-inch Crayford focuser, but its tube is one 46.75-inch piece, and it comes with one eyepiece to the DOB1045C's two. For 8-inch against 10-inch, see 8 Inch vs 10 Inch Dobsonian Telescope.

Accessories & Compatibility

• Shroud. Explore Scientific's shroud for 10" and 12" truss tube Dobsonians pairs with the DOB1045C. It keeps the light path between the mirrors dark for contrast and keeps dust away.
• Counterweights. Not included; they are a recommended accessory, sold separately.
• 2-inch eyepieces and cameras. Remove the 1.25-inch adapter for 2-inch eyepieces. The focuser's tension collar is threaded for a camera T-ring, sold separately.