Dobsonian telescope facts for kids
A Dobsonian telescope is a special type of Newtonian telescope. It was made popular by John Dobson in 1965. His goal was to make large telescopes that were easy and cheap for amateur astronomers to build.
Dobsonian telescopes use a simple mount called an altazimuth mount. This mount lets you move the telescope in two main ways:
- You can turn it left and right (around a vertical axis). This changes its direction, like a compass. This movement is called changing the azimuth.
- You can tilt it up and down (around a horizontal axis). This changes how high or low it points in the sky. This movement is called changing the altitude.
This design makes it easy to point the telescope at different parts of the sky.
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Why Dobsonian Telescopes Are Great
Dobsonian telescopes are very good for looking at faint objects far away in space. These include glowing clouds called nebulae and huge groups of stars called galaxies. To see these faint objects clearly, you need a telescope with a large main mirror. This mirror gathers a lot of light.
Dobsonian telescopes are designed to have a large main mirror and a relatively short body. This makes them powerful yet often portable. You can easily take them to places with less light pollution (like away from city lights) to get a clearer view of the night sky.
How John Dobson Made Them Popular
John Dobson showed people how to build these telescopes using simple materials. This meant that many more people could own a large telescope without spending a lot of money. His ideas helped many amateur astronomers explore the universe.
Images for kids
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Two more Amateur built Dobsonians at Stellafane
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A modified Dobsonian from 1983 that features a collapsible open tube assembly with integrated bearing surface and a very compact "rocker box" mount.
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Two Dobsonians that combine a truss tube, compact "rocker box", large radius altitude bearings, and a collapsible design.
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Commercially mass-produced 10" Dobsonian
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Commercially custom-built 16" truss Dobsonian
See also
In Spanish: Telescopio Dobson para niños
