Meridian C160

A full-sized, ultralight 6.3″ telescope for just $298!

Only 12 lb including the stand, ready to explore space anywhere.

Get the Full Kit and have a working telescope in under two hours. Choose the 3D Printing Kit to print the parts yourself and save money.
You can even build it entirely yourself! The STLs are free.

Get it on Kickstarter Get the files

Meridian C160 telescope on its wooden Dobsonian-style stand

Front view of the Meridian C160 optical assembly

Meridian C160 telescope collapsed for storage and transport

Meridian C160 telescope taken apart into its main assemblies

Front surface of the Meridian C160 primary mirror

Collapsible and only 5.5 kg (12 lb)

6.3″ (160mm) aperture

Tool-less collimation for both mirrors

Fast Betty-style secondary collimation

Two eyepieces supplied with the Meridian C160

Two high-quality eyepieces included

A proper Crayford focuser

Meridian C160 azimuth tension adjustment

Meridian C160 altitude tension adjustment

Adjustable tension on both axes

Red-dot finder for easy aiming

Carbon-fiber trusses

Meridian C160 disassembled for transport

Airline transportable

Take it anywhere

Meridian C160 on a wooden deck at sunset, with the sea behind it

Two people setting up the Meridian C160 on the grass

Two people sitting with the Meridian C160 beside a stone wall

Looking through the Meridian C160 eyepiece toward the sea at sunset

Carrying the collapsed Meridian C160 along a seaside path

A visitor looking through the Meridian C160 at night

Silhouette of someone at the Meridian C160 eyepiece against a sunset

Walking along the shore carrying the collapsed Meridian C160

Two people with the Meridian C160 on a blanket in a field

Walking a lit path at dusk with the collapsed Meridian C160

Looking through the Meridian C160 eyepiece at night

Standing with the Meridian C160 on the shore at sunset

Everything but the galaxy was taken through the Meridian C160, as you would see it with your own eyes.

What can I see with this telescope?

The Moon – craters, mountains, and other surface details.
Planets
- Jupiter – its cloud bands and four bright Galilean moons.
- Saturn – its rings are clearly visible, and under good conditions you can see the Cassini Division between the main rings.
- Mars – when it is relatively close to Earth, you can see larger surface features and its polar caps.
- Venus and Mercury – their changing phases.
Double stars – many can be split into two distinct stars.
Star clusters – including bright targets such as the Pleiades and the Beehive Cluster, which can be observed even from the city.
Nebulae – bright objects such as the Orion Nebula can be observed even from the city. Under darker skies, fainter targets like the Lagoon Nebula and the Ring Nebula become much easier to see.
Galaxies – some brighter galaxies can be observed, especially from darker skies.