Hubble UL24 – A Lightweight 24" Dobsonian Telescope
The Hubble UL24 is a made-to-order 24-inch Dobsonian telescope, designed for experienced observers who want truly extreme aperture without sacrificing transportability.
With a huge 24-inch primary mirror, the UL24 delivers around nine times the light grasp of an 8-inch telescope and four times that of a 12-inch, revealing ultra-faint galaxies, subtle nebular structure, and fine detail in planetary nebulae that smaller instruments simply cannot reach.
Light, Strong, and Surprisingly Portable
The UL24 features a precision-machined all-metal construction with eight rigid aluminium truss tubes and an extremely strong folding altitude bearing structure. Despite its massive aperture, the complete telescope weighs only around 70 kg, making it dramatically lighter than traditional 24-inch Dobsonians.
A real mirror box protects the primary mirror during transport, while the modular design allows the telescope to be broken down into manageable components for storage and travel. The heaviest single component is the primary mirror at around 30 kg, allowing one person to realistically transport the system to dark-sky locations.
Optical Performance
At the heart of the UL24 is a premium parabolic primary mirror with a full 24-inch optical surface and an overall diameter of 24.4 inches. This provides around 4% more true optical area than many other 24-inch designs that use undersized optical surfaces.
Each mirror is individually tested and finished to achieve diffraction-limited performance, with a Strehl ratio of 0.95+ for the primary and 1/10 wave or better for the secondary. Both mirrors receive 96% enhanced reflective coatings, maximising light throughput and contrast while reducing scatter.
The fast f/3.3 focal ratio keeps the eyepiece height to just 1955 mm at zenith, allowing most observers to use the telescope without a ladder while still enjoying extreme aperture.
Choose Your Telescope Control
The UL24 can be customised to suit your observing style. You can use it fully manually, or opt for Guided Push-To or Automatic Go-To systems.
Manual Mode
Even without electronics, the UL24 remains a highly refined Dobsonian with smooth, stable motion and precise balance. Manual observing delivers the classic deep-sky experience at a scale few observers ever reach.
Guided Push-To Version
The Guided Push-To version uses the SkyHub2 digital setting circle system, providing accurate real-time positioning without motorised tracking. High-resolution encoders on both axes feed live position data into compatible planetarium software.
Alignment is quick and intuitive using one- or 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 standard USB power bank. Both WiFi and Bluetooth are supported.
Automatic Go-To Version
The Go-To version adds fully motorised pointing and tracking for hands-free observing. A smart hand controller with a 30,000-object database supports multi-star alignment for highly accurate pointing.
Built-in encoders and a real-time clock maintain accurate sidereal, lunar, and solar tracking. The system can be controlled 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 ensure smooth, precise operation during long observing sessions.
| Optical design | Reflector |
|---|---|
| Optical diameter | 24" |
| Focal length | ~2012 mm |
| Focal ratio | f/3.3 |
| Eyepiece height at zenith | ~1955 mm |
| Optics type | Parabolic |
| Eyepieces | Not included |
| Optical quality |
Diffraction limited++ (Strehl 0.95+ for primary, 1/10 λ PV for secondary) |
| Finder scope | Not included |
| Focuser | 2" dual-speed linear bearing Crayford |
| Secondary mirror | 127 mm |
| Secondary obstruction (diameter) | 20.80% |
| Secondary obstruction (area) | 4.30% |
| Mirror coatings |
96% Enhanced coating on primary and secondary mirrors |
| Tube material |
6063-T6 aluminium alloy tubes Aluminium alloy OTA & mount Steel mirror cell |
| Weight (optical tube) | ~61 kg |
| Weight (fully assembled) | ~70 kg |
| Dawes Limit | 0.19" |
| Rayleigh Limit | 0.23" |
| Limiting magnitude | 16.4 |
| Maximum magnification | 1200× |
| Optional accessories |
8×50 Finder Tube Shroud Wheelbarrow handles Vinyl foam cushioned grips |
| Other features |
Sling lateral support Deluxe push-pull brass knob collimation screws |
