SDM Telescopes
15-32 inch custom built Obsession style Dobsonians
 

Welcome ...

to the virtual home of SDM Telescopes, where size does matter and the Dobsonian Revolution lives on in Australia. SDM telescopes are craftsman built by Peter Read in the tried and tested style of Obsession Telescopes to provide the ultimate large aperture experience. Tailored individually to each customer, SDM Telescopes are configured uniquely to suit the southern hemisphere and its harsh conditions.

Just Delivered

SDM053 Alex Mihailidis's 14" f/4.65
SDM052 David and Amy Heard's 25" f/5
SDM042 Rod Doig's 24" f/3.6

Latest News

Now that is a Big Dob DOG! (12/01/2012)
When Peter dropped off SDM053 to its proud owner Alex Mihailidis, he was surprised to have a close encounter with Canis Major (canēs to be exact, for there are two)! The scope was mistakenly unloaded beside the roll-off roof observatory, which turned out to be a kennel, as his four legged friends eyed up their new chew-toy.

Thankfully their Big Dob is built to withstand the rigours of the harsh Australian climate with many stainless steel parts and finest marine ply construction. This beautiful scope sports a very fine 14" mirror too, figured to perfection by Mark Suchting and is sure to give outstanding views of the skies.

The first challenge will be to resolve that difficult double, Sirius, the Dog Star...

A wheely big telescope (7/08/2011)
A monster dob is a joy to view through at a star party, but spare a thought for the generous owner who had to transport it there.

When you have got one of the largest, sometimes you need a little more help to move that beast in to position. So SDM's biggest ever creation, SDM022 has been back for a re-tread!

The new transport system makes it wheely easy to move about and the owner can now enjoy stunning views of the night sky without tyreing...

There is Nyx you can't do with an SDM (17/05/2011)
In the right hands, a beautifully constructed Dobsonian turns in to a fabulous astrograph.

And those right hands belong to Alex Cherney  and his fabulous telescope Nyx (SDM035).

Armed with a spectrum-modified Sony NEX-5 camera and great sky during the South Pacific Star Party trip earlier in April, Alex took this top image of M20, the Trifid nebula. 

The image has been created from 27 x 15sec images taken at ISO 3200. It is testimony to the 'scopes precision engineering and the superb tracking of ServoCat that this is even possible, but never underestimate the skill needed by the photographer to bag a shot like this.

Great shot Alex!

David and Goliath (part II) (14/01/2011)
It's hard do believe that it would be possible to enjoy the exquisitely detailed images of a premium grade 32" Dobsonian without sustaining an altitude induced nose-bleed. Well, it's time to think again and take a look at this paradigm shifting beauty.

SDM022 is a 32" f/3.6 scope with a mirror made by Steve Kennedy. This is the 14th 32" mirror Steve has made and at this focal ratio the scope is only 6" longer to the eyepiece than a 20" f/5. And those who have frequented one of Australia's many star-parties with big dobs in attendance know, that height only requires a modest stepladder to reach the eyepiece when it is near the zenith.

For those of a more nervous disposition, the scope on the right is a somewhat safer, but no less exquisite, SDM054 at 12" f/5.

The Goddess of Night Basks in all its Beauty(15/09/2010)
"With the improving weather I managed to take Nyx (SDM035) out to a reasonably dark site.

The views of galaxies in Grus were excellent including the trio, with some good details in quite a few of the observed galaxies. The Helix Nebula was excellent with a UHC filter and Jupiter looked very crisp and detailed.

Taking Nyx out from the backyard, loading it into the car and setting up at the site takes very little time - less than 30 minutes all up.  The collimation is a breeze and the scope is exceptionally solid (the return laser beam dot stays in its place no matter were the scope is pointing). Best of all - the custom designed semi-compact 22" telescope easily fits into our family wagon and I can leave the ladder at home. The innovative design provides full protection of the primary mirror for piece of mind.

I could continue on and on about what I like about Nyx, but putting it simply - the workmanship and attention to detail are superb and it is is a pure joy to use Nyx.  As you might have guessed already I am another very happy and proud SDM owner." Alex Cherney

No Steps to Heaven!(05/08/2010)
Terry Dougherty had his feet firmly planted on the ground when he took possession of SDM008 after an extreme makeover saw it converted into a folded Newtonian.

Terry loves being able to observe any object without using a ladder! It has the convenience of a 15" Dob with the light collecting and resolving power of a 25" with no noticeable loss in light gathering power, contrast or resolution.

This amazing instrument has been designed so that it can be used in its original "full length" configuration or can be folded using shortened poles and a special upper tube assembly, sporting a 9" circular flat and 4.5" elliptical diagonal flat both by Terry Ostahowski. The conversion process takes just a few minutes, but we suspect that it will stay folded for quite some time.

SDM008 is undeniably two scopes in one and to celebrate this special instrument, we have given it gallery entries for both its classic and folded configurations.

Eric's Exceptional Ergonomic E-scope(21/06/2010)
This is a scope that pushes the definition of luxury to a whole new level. Eric had a clear vision of what he wanted in the ultimate observing instrument and SDM were only too willing to build a scope with so many innovations. All observing is done seated and an integral heated eyepiece box is within easy easy reach. This 12" beauty is designed to fit into the back seat of his car.

So what does Eric think? "I love my new scope, not just for the quality of the observing experience, but the convenience. Setup time is far shorter than its previous commercial incarnation and I love having a powered ground board - no more tangled cable! And if it wasn't such a superb telescope, my wife admits that it would make a wonderful, if not large, "objet d'art" in the lounge room, with the beautiful colours, textures and shapes!"

Sab's Sizzling SDM(25/04/2010)
Victorian telescope connoisseur Sab Szalai asked SDM Telescopes to re-home his superb 12” Barry Adcock mirror.

As you can see, SDM's smallest ever telescope is still something seriously special and a very fitting home for an exceptional mirror.

SDM045 had been eagerly anticipated over in cyberspace and we are looking forward to hearing about its performance over on Ice in Space!

More News>

"Size DOES Matter"

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