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This Classic Dobsonian Telescope is considered a great entry-level telescope as it is about the best all-rounder at an affordable price. It provides way more light-gathering power and resolution than a similarly priced refractor telescope. With its comparatively long focal length, the Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 telescope performs great at viewing the moon and planets as well as deep space objects such as galaxies and nebulae.
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Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
Quite a popular entry-level telescope at an affordable price is the 8″ Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope. The Newton mirror with a large aperture of 8 inches (203mm) and a focal length of 47 inches (1200mm) make this powerful Dobsonian worth to consider. It is easy to set up and straightforward to use.
Features
- 8 “/ 200mm opening
- 47″/ 1200mm focal length
- Focal ratio of 5.9
- Parabolic primary mirror
- Enhanced-reflectivity mirror coating
- 2 ” ocular tube, with reducing sleeve to 1.25″
- 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece provides a 48-power
- Finderscope
- Stable Dobsonian mount
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The 8 “Dobson telescope from Orion has an 8″/200mm aperture, with a focal length of 47″/1200mm. Thus, the telescope has a medium focal ratio of 5.9 which is suitable for observing planets as well as faint deep space objects and stars of up to 14 magnitudes.
The telescope’s parabolic main mirror with its enhanced-reflectivity coatings boosts the reflectivity of the mirror to 94% lending the instrument a high optical performance. The high reflectivity, focusing as much light as possible to the eyepiece as well as the high Resolving power produces crisp and bright images for viewing.
If you use the enclosed 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece you can observe with a magnification of 48x. Additional eyepieces with varying focal lengths are a good addition as the large mirror diameter of 200mm easily allows a possible normal magnification of around 200x.
Pointing the telescope to objects of interest is easy with the help of the Orion EZ Finderscope which is attached to the main tube. When it is adjusted and aligned to the telescope a small red dot in its center helps to find objects quickly.
Thanks to the stable Dobsonian mount and quality bearings, the telescope moves and pivots smoothly horizontally, as well as vertically without jerks and wobbles.
Advantages
- powerful instrument
- great value for performance
- stable Dobsonian mount
- large but still portable
Disadvantages
- only one eyepiece included
- unsuitable for photography
- bulky and heavy
Summary
The 8″ Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is a great value telescope that is particularly suitable for beginners in astronomy, but also for the ambitious amateur astronomer. Its medium focal ratio makes it suitable for observing details on the moon, viewing planets as well as weak stars clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. Additional eyepieces, as well as sun and moon filters, are sensible additions.
A Newtonian reflector telescope with a large 8-inch mirror mounted on a simple affordable Dobsonian mount, this is a great entry-level telescope for the beginning hobby astronomer.
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More about Dobsonian Telescopes
Why Dobsonians are so popular among amateur astronomers https://telescopenights.com/dobson…advantages/
Here is a link to a very interesting site about one of the largest if not the largest backyard Dobsonian telescopes that a hobby astronomer built himself. https://www.cruxis.com/scope…..070.htm
