Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

Current Price: $349.99 User level:

Our Verdict on the Orion SkyQuest XT8

Obviously we are going to tell you this is a good telescope, the Orion SkyQuest XT8 has made it onto our select list of recommended products after all, and we have given it a 5 star rating. But you don’t have to take our word for it – 38 Reviews on Amazon.com (March 30th 2012) with an Overall Rating of 4.7 stars and 127 Reviews on Telescope.com with an overall of 4.9 stars – make no mistake, this is a good telescope.

A very popular, rock solid telescope with precision optics for serious amateurs. The Orion XT8 is a large aperture Classic Dobsonian Reflector that represents tremendous value considering the high quality views it provides on such a wide variety of celestial objects.

Description for the Orion XT8

A very capable and powerful telescope and one of the most popular models ever built. The Orion SkyQuest XT8 combines precision optics with mechanical simplicity and rock-solid stability. It has an 8″ (203mm) diameter parabolic primary mirror mounted in a cast-aluminum support cell for maximum ventilation. The mirror collects 73% more light than a 6″ – enough to view the Moon and planets in close up detail, tease out dust lanes in nebulas, resolve the cores of prominent globular clusters, and reveal subtle structure in elusive galaxies. Enhanced-reflectivity mirror coatings boost the Orion XT8 Classic Dobsonian’s mirror to 94% reflectivity so as much light as possible is transmitted to the eyepiece for bright and clear views.

The wonderful Autostar gives you quick and immediate access to over 30,000 celestial objects, view planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae and comets all at the push of a button. It even has a ‘Tonight’s Best Tour’ that will automatically select for you the best objects in the sky for your particular time and location. With the Orion SkyQuest XT8 (and the right conditions) you will be able to view the intricate panorama of craters, rays and rills on the moon, the polar cap on Mars, watch the orbiting of Jupiters 4 moons and even view Saturns famous Titan moon.

The Orion XT8 gives you effortless point and view simplicity thanks to its low-profile altazimuth platform. The 46″ long enamelled steel tube attaches securely to using the CorrecTension Friction Optimization system which applies just the right amount of friction on the altitude bearings to ensure proper tube balance. With a little practise a push or pull of the navigation knob will have you finding objects in the sky like an experienced astronomer. The telescope can also conveniently and simply be separated into two pieces for easy transport and storage.

The Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian also comes with a host of useful accessories including an upgraded Crayford-Style Focuser, a 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, an EZ Finder II reflex sight, collimation cap, dust caps Starry Night Astronomy software and a SkyTheater DVD.

Features of the Orion SkyQuest XT8

• 8″ diameter reflector optics
• Stable low-profile altazimuth platform
• Orion’s CorrecTension Friction Optimization system
• 2″ Crayford-style focuser that accepts both 1.25″ and 2″ accessories
• 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece that provides a 48-power magnification
• Orion EZ Finder II reflex sight
• Quick collimation cap for easy mirror alignment
• Dust caps for the reflector telescope tube and focuser
• Special edition of Starry Night astronomy software and a SkyTheater DVD

Favourite Review

The most “Bang-for-$” possible from ANY Telescope – bar none!
5 out of 5 stars.

“Every year, around Xmas and birthdays, parents all over try to find a “good quality, but not expensive…” telescope for their kids…, and end up buying a piece of junk some Department Store sales person (who couldn’t tell the difference between a coffee-maker and a telescope) said was great. Those usually aggravate beginners to the point of losing interest in anything astronomical at all.

The Classic Orion XT8 Dob.,or its smaller XT6 cousin, are the greatest gifts any budding young Astronomer could receive!
First, because they are really, serious quality telescopes, with enough aperture to actually gather enough starlight to see something. Many professional and amateur astronomers own Dobsonian telescopes for their own personal enjoyment because they are simple and easy to use, portable, and quick to set-up and take-down, and reward the casual observer with outstanding views.

Secondly, and probable the most important feature they have over any other type of telescope, is the fact that using them makes the observer actually ‘Learn’. The quick and excellent views a beginner sees prompts questions. “What am I seeing?” … “Where is Jupiter?”… , etc. I’ve actually met people who have been using ‘Go-To’ scopes only for years, that couldn’t point out the North Star to me. In short, using a Dob. Scope makes one actually learn about the night sky and where things are and how they move, rather than how to punch buttons and use a computer.

I’ve had mine (XT8) now for several years, and have acquired several other telescopes, but it is still my favourite one to use. The only problem I’ve had with it was when I set it up on some sandy ground (my mistake), some sand got into the plastic bearings the base slides/turns on and had to be cleaned out. I then sealed the base opening against such by glueing a strip of window unit air conditioner installation foam around the base opening.

There’s only two accessories I would recommend for this, or any, beginner telescope. A 2X Barlow and Moon filter. The Barlow doubles the magnification of the supplied eyepieces (which are very good ones, btw.), effectively giving you 4 instead of 2. The Moon filter because at some point, you’re going to look at it, and in a telescope, it can get very bright! I recommend a rotating, polarized one that adjust to the brightness of the moon phases.

Favourite viewing location: 100 miles from the nearest light bulb

Favourite object to observe: Deep Sky Galaxies, Comets, Planets…anything higher than the horizon.

Pros: all around best telescope.

Cons: you’ve got to use your brain.”

More reviews available at Telescope.com.

Featured Video

Orion SkyQuest XT8 Review by Geoff Highcliffe