Orion is a world leader in Dobsonian telescopes. No one offers a bigger selection of Dobsonian telescopes. At Orion we've known that bigger is better and have wanted to take the art of Dobsonian telescope making to new limits. That's why we're proud to introduce the new Orion 50" Dobsonian, a Monster Dob in a class by itself. The Orion 50" Dobsonian is larger than even the largest of the telescopes ever used by the Herschel's (arguably the greatest visual observers of all time) and as of release, is the largest production telescope for amateur astronomers in the known universe.

The Orion 50" Dob is the bigger brother of the Orion 36 and 40 inch Monster Dobsonians and is the biggest amateur telescope in the world. We know of three 48" scopes used by amateurs to explore the night sky. Some larger professional observatory telescopes are occasionally open to the public, but access is limited and viewing is usually restricted to a few "showcase" objects. If your passion is the deep-sky and you want the biggest Dob at the star party, this Monster Dobsonian makes everything else look puny.

Fifty inches of aperture. Almost 2000 square inches of light-gathering power. That's almost 33,000 times more light than what your eye can gather (assuming a dark adapted 7mm pupil). That's almost double the light the Orion 36" Dob will capture; four times what a 25" telescope can collect, or 16 times what a 12.5" gathers! This monstrous light grasp lets you capture some seriously faint objects and bring out the details other observers have only seen in photographs. With a limiting stellar magnitude that is approximately +17.4 and a theoretical resolving power under a tenth of an arc second (seeing conditions limited, of course) you are going to be catching details in the 'faint-fuzzies' up there that no one else can.

The telescope is designed to be light for its size and very stiff — so that collimation is maintained as you sweep across the sky. The top cage is aluminum with carbon graphite spacers between the top and bottom rings. The main struts are also carbon graphite with Moonlite connectors for easy disassembly, should you want to transport this beast. The side bearings, rocker box and ground board are constructed of an engineered composite of Russian birch with aircraft-grade aluminum epoxy bonded to both sides of the birch core, making exceptionally strong but surprisingly light structural components.

Premium components and exceptional attention to detail are used throughout the construction of this monster, including all stainless steel fasteners, a Moonlite dual-speed, fine adjustment 2" focuser and custom secondary cage light baffle. ServoCAT tracking/slewing system and Argo-Navis digital setting circles, with docking station for the hand control give the telescope complete GoTo capability. The drive and navigation system will interface with most popular planetarium programs on your PC to give you robotic control over your night's observing. An Orion 12-volt power pack is standard for field operation.

The Orion 50" Dobsonian is the ultimate adventure in astronomy for serious deep-sky observers. You can literally go where no man or woman has gone before. Premium optics, quality construction, complete GoTo functionality and massive light gathering power. Only one element of the optical system — eyepieces — are not included, because Orion assumes the owners of these telescopes will have their own collection of favorite eyepieces.

Orion supplies the light. You supply the wonder and awe you'll feel when you see the universe in a way nobody else can!

Notes:

This telescope is designed for visual use, but photography would be possible with the addition of a field de-rotator and auto-guiding solutions (not included).

Don't point a Monster Dob at the sun! Just pointing this at the sun can instantly damage eyepieces and cause irreversible eye damage and burns. Use extreme caution leaving it uncovered during daylight. Concentrated sunlight from this much aperture can damage the telescope or set its surroundings on fire!

Moonlite, Argo-Navis, and StellarCAT are trademarks or their respective companies.

Digital electronics are FCC Class B, CE Class B certified and fully RoHS compliant.

Ordering Information:
Due to the exclusive nature of these telescopes, a purchase contract is required and will be supplied by an Orion Sales Representative that will be your personal contact throughout the sales, building, delivery, installation and use of your custom-built telescope. Once your order is received you will be contacted by your Orion representative.

A 75% down payment will be required to place your order. Although a credit card number is taken at the time you enter your order information online, your credit card is not charged. A wire transfer of the deposit will be required prior to beginning to build your telescope. Final payment by wire transfer will be required prior to shipping.

The estimated expected shipping date is displayed, but this is only an estimate. As this is a custom built product the actual shipping date may vary.

This product will ship directly from the North American factory. Shipping is arranged by Orion, usually by air freight and in consultation with the customer. The Customer is responsible for all shipping, insurance, brokerage fees, duties and taxes.

The customer is also responsible for arranging for needed material handling equipment at the delivery site (for example, the crated 50" mirror will weigh about 500 lbs — you'll want a forklift or a whole bunch of friends!).

Some customization options and installation services are available at an additional expense. Your personal Orion Sales Representative can provide additional information.

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.