Sky-Watcher SKYLINER-300P FlexTube Telescope

Skyliner-300P FlexTube:

Dobsonian telescopes offer an incredible aperture-to-price ratio. The Dobsonian mount, popularized by John Dobson in the 1970.s, is a simple and efficient method of mounting a Newtonian reflector, based on the Alt-Azimuth principal. Fast and easy to set up, the Dobsonian mount consists of a box-type mounting which allows the telescope to pivot in altitude, while the box itself is rotated on a base in azimuth. The secret of the design is to correctly balance the optical tube and use frictional materials which allow it to be moved easily when nudged but to stay in position when not. The mount is designed to be driven by hand as opposed to slow motion controls. Sky-Watcher Dobsonians provide excellent all round performance for the observation the Moon and Planets and Deep Sky Objects such as Galaxies and Nebulae.

SKYLINER-300P FLEXTUBE SYNSCAN GO-TO 

Combining the power of a large optical tube, the extreme portability of the patented collapsible FlexTube design and SynScan computerised Go-To technology, the new Skyliner FlexTube Synscan Dobsonians bring over 42,900 celestial objects right in front of your eyes, and automatically tracks them as they move across the sky -  its as easy as a walk in the park!

The patented dual-encoder design allows you to manually move the telescope anytime and to anywhere you wish - with no need for realignment. Slewing to an object on the opposite side of the night sky no longer feels like watching a kettle boil. Simply push the tube close to the object and let the computer do the rest of the work. 

"A precision instrument that breaks the stereotypical Dobsonian mold to deliver stunning planetary and deep-sky performance in a compact, readily transportable package." 
"The upper section of the FlexTube containing the secondary mirror assembly and Crayford focuser extends with effortless precision on three rods that are easily locked into position at their greatest extent. Despite repeatedly collapsing and extending the instrument in the course of an prolonged observing session, the FlexTube's optics remained in perfect alignment."
"It would be easy to pigeonhole the 305mm FlexTube as an innovative, transportable Dobsonian for the deep-sky enthusiast, but it's much more than that. Its stunning planetary prowess will have many observers redefining what short focal ratio Newtonians are capable of." 
"Having used a wide range of Sky-Watcher Newtonians over the years, I've often expressed my pleasure at the the consistency and precision with which the mirrors are polished and figured. In my Astronomy Now review of this instrument's predecessor, the Skyliner-300P, I wrote of its enviable optical performance for the price. I didn't think the 305mm FlexTube would surpass it, but it does." 
"Saturn is often described as the jewel of the Solar System, but to see it in all its 24-carat splendour you need a 12-inch FlexTube. In recent memory I haven't seen such a sharp and richly rendered image of the ringed planet as that delivered by the 305mm FlexTube on the night of April 8th, 2008."
"I was able to use the 305mm FlexTube on a wide variety of celestial objects under what passed for fine observing conditions from my heavily light-polluted suburban locale. Messier 3, the stunning globular cluster in Canes Venatici, was resolved into a ball of innumerable stars, some held with direct vision right across the core. Messier 82, the starburst galaxy in Ursa Major, easily revealed mottled dusty filaments across its nucleus. Edge-on galaxy NGC 4565 in Coma Berenices showed the dust lane along its slender form. And so the list went on." 
"Mars, just 6.6 arcseconds in diameter, revealed its 90% gibbous phase with ease. But what surprised me was plainly identifying the Syrtis Major near the planet's meridian at such a distance from Earth." 

Ade Ashford, www.scopetest.com