TEETER'S TELESCOPES, LLC.
Since 2002 ~ Newtonian/Dobsonian Service & Repairs ~ Science Ed.
Designed with apertures of 8", 10" and 11", moderate focal lengths and smooth Dobsonian mounts. The Teeter's Telescopes "S.T.S". is a line of Dobsonians offering smaller apertures, faster set-up and break-down times and solid tubes versus open Trusses as compared to our larger Truss-Dobsonian offerings. This line is perfect for the upper level budding astronomer or as a "Grab-and-Go" compliment to a larger Truss-Dobsonian. These scopes are well suited for observing planetary and lunar details. Our STS scopes will show very fine details on the Moon and detail within the cloud bands of Jupiter when local seeing conditions permit.
Why Buy a STS?
50" tube length for the 8" STS (52" length for the 10" and 11" S.T.S.) fits across most 2- and 4-door sedan backseats, while the 30" tall rockerbox (8", 10" and 11" S.T.S. scopes) fits in most trunks with room to spare;
8" aperture provides stunning details on the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars (during opposition) to fascinate the advanced beginner as their first "real" telescope, while the F/5.7 focal ratio allows a smaller secondary mirror for enhanced planetary views;
11" aperture bridges the gap between 10", which some find to be not large enough, and 12"/12.5" which some find too large and cumbersome, while the F/4.5 focal ratio allows for breath-taking richfield views of the Milky Way and large deep space objects;
Black Velvet optical tube assembly (OTA) interior for an incredible boost in contrast for planetary details and low surface brightness galaxy and nebula resolution;
Built-in primary mirror cooling fan facilitates quick cool down with no vibrations or air turbulence affecting the views at the eyepiece. Run the fan all night long to keep your primary mirror tracking the falling ambient temperature, ensuring the best views possible;
Split and Hinged tube cradles allow "on the fly" adjustable balance when using heavy eyepieces/barlows/binoviewers, and full tube rotation for optimal eyepiece placement;
Guan Sheng Optical (GSO) uses high-volume, state-of-the-art, high quality manufacturing and test lines. GSO guarantees diffraction limited performance, but their mirrors typically have a mirror surface quality of 1/16 wave RMS at least, and often better. This very smooth mirror surface results in excellent optical performance with practically no light scatter, while Antares Optics secondary mirrors are 1/15 P-V or better and come Zygo tested;
Upgrades to Lightholder Optics and Zambuto Optical Company available for modest upcharges, please inquire; and,
All "S.T.S." scopes are tested a minimum of two (2) nights under average or better seeing conditions to assess the optical trane, mechanics and lack of collimation shift.
Why Buy a STS?
Solid Tube Series Video Tutorials
Featured Standard Components
Focuser | Spider | Mirror Cell | Tube Cradle | Groundboard
2"/1.25" Crayford | 3-Vane Curved | 6-pt. Flotation | Split & Hinged | Rubberized Feet
*Note: Many great upgrades available. Please see our Upgrades page for more information and pricing.
Custom Color Optical Tube Assemblies
ALIEN GREY
SILVER ARTERY
BLUE ARTERY
RED ARTERY
GREEN ARTERY
A single step powder coat process with silver flecks embedded in the paint. This is a high gloss finish that goes well with our darker wood stain colors and Silver/Chrome hardware package.
Our standard powder coat finish utilizing silver flecks that melt differently than the black background. This yields a speckled finish when seen up close and a silver tone when viewed from further away.
A two step powder coat process utilizing our Silver Vein finish then overcoated with "Candy Blue" clear. This is a higher gloss finish that looks great with our light wood stains and black hardware package.
A two step powder coat process utilizing our Silver Vein finish then overcoated with "Candy Red" clear. This finish looks great with both of our light and dark wood stains, and black hardware package.
A two step powder coat process utilizing our Silver Vein finish then overcoated with "Candy Gree" clear. This finish looks great with both of our light and dark wood stains, and black hardware package.
Recently Jeff B., the new owner of STS24 (11" F/4.5) had this to say:
"...The dialing in of the collimation with passive tools was very fast. I then carried the scope out to the back yard, first the OTA in it's cradle, then the base, then put the two together. I checked collimation again, and it was very close and took about one minute to touch it up with the Cheshire and autocollimator." Jeff continued;
"Within half an hour of setting up, and before it was really dark, I turned the scope onto Saturn. While seeing at that point was not great, the image was quite sharp and very contrasty, using both a 16T5 and a 7T6, with a Paracorr 2. What was most remarkable (and pleasing to me) was that the tube current and boundary layer issues I have had with prior Dobs were largely nonexistent from very early on. S far, I am very pleased with the thinner mirror and the cooling fan setup." Jeff continued;
"A star test on Arcturus was excellent, as good as I have seen in a Dob (and my last two mirrors were a Royce conical and a Zambuto). I spent a bit of time looking at a handful of favorites; M27, M57, Saturn, M104, M20, M8, M13 and M11 were some of them, among others. I think most striking were the views of both M13 and M11 through the Nagler 7, or just over 200X. The contrast and detail shown were as good as I have seen. Again, the lack of thermal issues was really a pleasant change from past experiences." And in conclusion;
"The scope broke down very quickly, with both the OTA in cradle and the base easy to carry. Fast and easy setup and takedown were key objectives for me in getting an STS, and that has clearly been met. This scope is both lighter and faster to setup than any of the prior Dobs I have owned. And so far, I am very pleased with the performance of the scope, both optically and mechanically. Many thanks for all your work in crafting a beautiful scope exactly the way I wanted it."
8" F/5.7
Specifications
Focal Length: Approximately 45.5"
Secondary Mirror: 1.52" minor axis, Borosilicate, 1/20 P-V, 96% Enhanced Coating
Primary Mirror: 0.95" thickness (BK7) for GSO, 1.125" thickness Schott Supremax (all others)
Zenith Eyepiece Height: Approximately 43"
Heaviest Component (OTA): Approximately 22 pounds (+10 pounds for removable tube cradle)
Rockerbox Weight: Approximately 9 pounds
Widest Component (Rockerbox w/ protruding hardware): Approximately 14.5"
Length of Optical Tube Assembly (OTA): 50"
Diameter of Optical Tube Assembly: 10.0"
10" F/5.0
Specifications
Focal Length: Approximately 50.0"
Secondary Mirror: 2.14" minor axis, Borosilicate, 1/20 P-V, 96% Enhanced Coating
Primary Mirror: 1.33" thickness (BK7) for GSO, 1.25" thickness Schott Supremax (all others)
Zenith Eyepiece Height: Approximately 48"
Heaviest Component (OTA): Approximately 28 pounds (+13 pounds for removable tube cradle)
Rockerbox Weight: Approximately 12 pounds
Widest Component (Rockerbox w/ protruding hardware): Approximately 17"
Length of Optical Tube Assembly (OTA): 52"
Diameter of Optical Tube Assembly: 12.0"
11" F/4.5
Specifications
Focal Length: Approximately 49.5"
Secondary Mirror: 2.14" minor axis, Borosilicate, 1/15 P-V, 96% Enhanced Coating
Primary Mirror: 1.25" thickness Schott Supremax
Zenith Eyepiece Height: Approximately 48"
Heaviest Component (OTA): Approximately 30 pounds (+13 pounds for removable tube cradle)
Rockerbox Weight: Approximately 12 pounds
Widest Component (Rockerbox w/ protruding hardware): Approximately 17"
Length of Optical Tube Assembly (OTA): 52"
Diameter of Optical Tube Assembly: 12.0"
Please note - pictures above of telescopes may include optional equipment available only as an upgrade. Please see the Featured Standard Components table above listing the major components and features included for the base prices listed above. Prices subject to change without notice.