Hubble UL14g – 14" Lightweight Reflector Telescope
The Hubble UL14g is a premium 14-inch Dobsonian telescope designed for serious visual observers who want substantial aperture in a system that remains genuinely portable. Combining advanced mirror technology with precision-machined construction, the UL14g delivers impressive deep-sky and planetary performance in a compact, travel-friendly design.
Optical Performance
At the heart of the UL14g is a full 14-inch parabolic primary mirror featuring Hubble’s exclusive Sandwich Mirror Technology. This lightweight yet rigid design achieves diffraction-limited performance (Strehl 0.95+) while reaching thermal equilibrium up to ten times faster than traditional solid mirrors. Faster cooldown means reduced mirror seeing and sharper, more stable views shortly after setup.
Both primary and secondary mirrors feature 96% enhanced reflective coatings, maximising light throughput and contrast while minimising scatter. This results in brighter galaxies, improved nebular structure, and high-contrast planetary detail even at high magnifications.
Engineered for Precision
The UL14g uses a real mirror box and precision flotation mirror support system to evenly distribute load across the primary mirror, minimising deformation and preserving optical accuracy across the sky. The structure is built from CNC-machined aluminium components with a steel mirror cell, providing excellent rigidity while remaining exceptionally lightweight.
Eight rigid truss tubes ensure stable collimation, while the large altitude bearings provide smooth and predictable motion during tracking.
Smooth, Accurate Focusing
The UL14g is equipped with a 2-inch dual-speed Crayford focuser with linear bearings, delivering smooth, backlash-free focusing. Fine focus control makes it easy to achieve critical focus at high power and supports heavy wide-field eyepieces without flex or slippage.
Big Aperture, Exceptional Portability
Despite its 14-inch aperture, the UL14g is remarkably easy to transport and set up. The modular truss-tube design breaks down into compact components that can be assembled in just a few minutes without tools. The heaviest single component is the primary mirror, weighing around 7 kg, making solo transport realistic for most observers.
With its fast f/4.6 focal ratio, the eyepiece height remains accessible at all times — just 60 inches at zenith — allowing comfortable observing with both feet on the ground.
Unmatched Observing Potential
The UL14g collects approximately 36% more light than a 12-inch telescope and nearly double that of a 10-inch, allowing significantly fainter objects and finer details to be resolved. From dense globular clusters to delicate dust lanes in distant galaxies, the UL14g reveals a level of structure that smaller instruments simply cannot match.
From dark-sky sites, most NGC objects are within reach. Bright emission nebulae show subtle hints of colour, planetary nebulae display internal structure, and Jupiter reveals fine banding and atmospheric detail. With an H-beta filter, even challenging targets like the Horsehead Nebula become achievable under good conditions.
The UL14g strikes a rare balance between serious aperture and true portability, making it a telescope that gets used often, not one that stays in storage.
Push-To and Go-To Options
Guided Push-To Version
The UL16 Guided Push-To version features the SkyHub2 digital setting circle system, providing accurate real-time positioning without motorised tracking. High-resolution (8192 PPR) encoders on both axes continuously update your telescope’s position in compatible planetarium software.
Alignment is quick and intuitive using a one-star or optional two-star alignment. The system works with SkySafari, Stellarium, Cartes du Ciel, TheSky, and other ASCOM-compatible software on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. Power consumption is extremely low, allowing up to 100 hours of operation from a 15,000 mAh USB power bank. WiFi and Bluetooth are supported (WiFi only for iOS).
Automatic Go-To Version
The UL16 Go-To version adds fully motorised pointing and tracking with a smart hand controller featuring a 30,000-object database. Multi-star alignment (1–9 stars) ensures precise pointing accuracy, while built-in encoders and a real-time clock maintain accurate sidereal, lunar, and solar tracking rates.
Control the system via WiFi or Bluetooth using SkySafari, Stellarium, or ASCOM/INDI-compatible software on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android. Adjustable slew and guide speeds, spiral search, and park/unpark functionality provide smooth, precise operation for extended observing sessions.
Specifications (UL14)
| Optical design | Reflector |
|---|---|
| Optical diameter | 355.6 mm (14") |
| Focal length | 1635 mm |
| Focal ratio | f/4.6 |
| Eyepiece height at zenith | 1525 mm (60") |
| Optics type | Parabolic |
| Eyepieces | Not included |
| Optical quality | Diffraction limited++ (Strehl 0.95+ primary 1/10 λ PV secondary) |
| Finder scope | Not included |
| Focuser | 2" dual-speed linear bearing Crayford |
| Secondary mirror size | 70 mm |
| Secondary mirror obstruction by diameter | 19.7% |
| Secondary mirror obstruction by area | 3.9% |
| Mirror coatings / over-coatings | 96% enhanced coating on primary and secondary mirrors |
| Tube material | 6063-T6 aluminium alloy tubes aluminium alloy structure steel mirror cell |
| Length of optical tube | 1525 mm (60") |
| Weight, optical tube | 18.1 kg (40 lb) |
| Weight, fully assembled | 26.8 kg (59 lb) |
| Built-in WiFi | Yes |
| Power supply | 12–15 V DC 2A centre positive |
| Dawes limit | 0.33″ |
| Rayleigh limit | 0.38″ |
| Limiting magnitude | 15.2 |
| Maximum magnification | 700× |
| Other features | Sling lateral support and deluxe push-pull brass knob collimation screws |
