The GSD 300 offers spectacular views of the night-sky.

Observing with the GSD 300
Fine structures in galaxies and gas nebulae are visible that are otherwise only seen in photographs. Objects even begin to show colour!

In galaxy clusters you will be able to see several galaxies in your field of view, each of the galaxies consisting of billions of stars.

Globular clusters are resolved to the center in single stars. Fine filaments can be seen in supernova remnants like the veil nebula.

Under good seeing conditions the telescope will show splendid details also on the moon and planets. The cassini division in Saturn's rings is an easy target, as are fine structures in Jupiter's atmosphere and on Mars' surface. You only need to consider that with 300mm aperture the performance is often limited by turbulences in our own atmosphere - the telescope itself is not the limit to what you can see!

Easy Handling and Setup

Operation is still possible by a single person. For transportation you will need a station wagon or SUV at least, but the single parts are light enough to be carried by one person.

Setting up the telescope is very easy and done within minutes.

Image Quality

For best possible image quality you need high quality optics as well as optimized mechanics. The GSO Dobsonian has both. The thin spider vanes (see left image) improve contrast and image sharpness compared with a simpler spider with thick vanes.

Tracking Objects With The GSD 300C

The mount of a Dobsonian telescope is called "Rocker-Box", a fitting name for the uniquely simple and well-working design. The rocker allows you to point the telescope at any point in the sky and allows for comfortable, intuitive movement.

Moving the telescope is very simple, just push the telescope into the right direction – no need to use clamps or motors, it doesn't get more simple than this!

Since you need to move the Dobsonian manually it is particularly important that the movement be as smooth as possible. The GSD has an azimuth roller bearing for smooth operation. With a little experience 300-350x is no problem at all.

Advantages of the Crayford focuser in the GSD 300C:

=> Much smoother focus motion compared with simpler focusers
=> secure and scratch-free grip on the eyepieces through use of a brass compression ring (both 1.25" and 2")
=> no image shift. This means that the object will remain precisely in position while you focus. Simpler focusers tend to be shifted a little bit out of alignment, resulting in a relative movement of the object. This somewhat annoying effect does not occur in the Crayford focuser.
=> no play when you reverse the focusing direction. The focuser will reverse the direction in which it moves instantaneously when you change the direction in which you turn the focus knobs. In rack-and-pinion type focusers there is always a certain amount of play which causes a delay in reversing the direction.