Collapsible and light
At under 6 kg, the C160 is easy to carry, set up, and move between observing spots.
Meridian C160
A full-size, ultralight 6.3″ Dobsonian telescope.
And you can build it yourself!
Get the Assembly Kit and have a working telescope in a couple of 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.
Key features
Pack it away
Break it down and pack it into a suitcase or duffle bag for easy transport.
Tool-less collimation
Align both the primary and secondary mirrors by hand. No hex keys or extra tools.
Betty-style secondary cell
A unique Betty-style secondary cell allows super-fast collimation.
Zero-backlash Crayford focuser
Smooth focus control without the backlash of a rack-and-pinion focuser.
Adjustable motion
Fine-tune friction on both axes to get the feel you prefer.
Easy to aim
A red-dot finder helps you get on target quickly.
Make it your own
Multiple mounting interfaces let you add your own accessories and upgrades.
Built to be repaired
Off-the-shelf components make replacement parts and repairs straightforward.
Under 1 kg of filament
Print the complete set of parts from a single standard 1 kg filament roll.
Specifications
- Optical design
- Newtonian reflector
- Primary mirror
- 160mm (6.3in) spherical, 1300mm focal length (F8)
- Height
- 133 cm
- Finder
- Red-dot finder
- Eyepieces
- 25mm Super Plössl (52°) and 9mm wide-field (68°)
- Weight
- total: 5.5 kg telescope: 2.2 kg stand: 3.3 kg
Example imagery — future images in this carousel will be taken through the Meridian C160.
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.
What's in the kit
The 3D Printing Kit includes everything you need to build and use the telescope, just print the parts yourself.
The Assembly Kit includes the printed parts too, so you can get straight to building.
You can also build it completely yourself, the parts are easy to source, and the STLs are free :)
- 160mm spherical primary mirror, 1300mm focal length (F8)
- 35mm flat secondary mirror
- 2 eyepieces: 25mm Super Plössl (52°) and 9mm wide-field (68°)
- Red-dot finder (battery not included)
- Large aluminum base bearing
- Birch plywood side panels
- Carbon-fiber tubes
- All required hardware, plus spares
What 3D printer do I need for the C160?
If you choose to print the parts, use a 3D printer with a build area of at least 205 × 218mm.
It should be capable of producing accurate, straight parts. Automatic bed leveling is recommended.
The printer must also be able to reliably complete an uninterrupted print of at least eight hours.
Tried and tested
Have questions before you build?
Q&A