Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic
by Orion
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: OrionProduct features:
- 150mm aperture and 1200mm focal length for brighter, more detailed images
- A streamlined Dobsonian base for unflinching stability and superior balance
- Includes two eyepieces, finder scope, collimation cap, and FREE Starry Night astronomy software
- Now with FREE Bonus Accessory Pack with right-angle finder scope, LaserMate collimator and Deep Map
- One-year limited warranty
- 1.25" Orion 13% Transmission Moon Filter
- Orion Beginning Stargazer's Toolkit
- Orion SkyQuest XT6i IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescope
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic
Customer Review: Fantastic Scope!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've now how had my Orion XT6 for well over a month and I must say that it has been a fantastic buy! This telescope delivers images of superb quality at an affordable price. The 6" aperture provides good light grasp and mount is simple and easy to use.
I was able to easily view the planet Saturn on my first night out. I was absolutely amazed by what I saw. The detail of the planet was superb. I could easily make out several different colored cloud regions on the orb of the planet itself. The rings were amazingly well defined and the Cassini division was easily seen. The overall image was crystal clear and I amazed several friends and family members with the view. One viewer even commented that it looked so good it had to have been fake!
I then waited later in the late night so that I could view Jupiter as it rose in the sky. Finding the planet was easy since it appears as a very bright star. I used Jupiter to dial in the finder scope with what I saw in the objective. Since I've done this, I haven't had to adjust the finder scope again and the cross hairs point directly at whatever I am looking at.
As the image came into focus, my jaw dropped once again. Jupiter was clearly visible along with its four large Galilean satellites. It was a very interesting sight as each of four moons lined up within the same plane around the large planet. Jupiter itself was a fun target to observe. The large planet was streaked with cloud bands of various colors that were easily observable. On one night, I was even able to see the great red spot within one of the cloud bands.
Over the next few nights, I decided to find some other targets to observe. The included Starry Night software was very useful for showing exactly what and where these targets were in the sky for my exact location on Earth. I also downloaded another free program called Stellarium to help find objects to view as well. It does take some practice to find some of the targets with the scope and it took me a couple of days to get better at it. Aiming the telescope was very easy with the Dobsonian mount. All you do is use the knob on the front of the telescope to slew it as needed. For deep sky targets, I also used a green laser mounted on a tripod to point in the approximate position I wanted to point the scope at. I then used the finder scope to follow the beam until it terminates.
I could see several globular clusters of stars in my scope. The included eyepieces magnify images to 48x for the 25mm and to 120x for the 10mm. I found that the 48x magnification was the best choice for finding and viewing these targets. The globular clusters appeared as a dense ball of stars and gradually tapered off in star density as you moved towards the outside of the cluster. I also saw a couple of open clusters of bright stars that were closely packed together. I enjoyed observing the different colors of the stars as well. Some are red, others white or yellow and some appear as orange or red.
Nebula were also observable with this scope. They appear as white streaks of gas within the eyepieces. They seem to have almost a 3D appearance. The skies where I live in are quite hazy with significant light pollution from San Antonio. (I live in the suburbs) I suspect that the view will be even better when I use this scope in darker and clearer skies.
After about two weeks of owning the scope, I purchased several accessories for it. I picked up a filter set so I could see more contrast on the surface of planets and I also picked up a barlow lens so I could double the magnification of my scope. When I used the barlow on the 10mm lens, I could then see with 240x magnification. Even with this high magnification, I noticed that planetary images remained crystal clear.
Observing the moon brought some of the most spectacular sights that I've seen yet. At higher powers the view is simply captivating. You can easily see lunar mountains, craters and fault lines. The detail with which they are viewed is amazing. It seems as though you could never run out of new things to see. As the earth turns the view gradually moves what you are seeing through your eyepiece. As you are viewing it almost seems as though you are orbiting the moon itself. Everyone who viewed the moon with this scope uttered "Wow!" the first time they saw it.
I also purchased a white light solar filter so that I could observe the sun during the day. This was a nice addition and I was able to clearly see a small sunspot the first day I used the filter.
The only downside with this scope I noticed was that the dust cover was very tight and difficult to put back on the front of the scope. This caused a few flecks of paint to come off and fall onto the primary mirror. This problem was pretty minor however and it may have just been a quirk with my particular unit.
Overall, I've been very impressed with this scope. The optics are great and the views are consistently good across a variety of targets. I also really loved the portability this scope has. It is quite large but it is still fairly simple to move around with the attached handle. This makes it quite manageable to move between indoors and outdoors as necessary. It should be fairly straightforward to transport in a vehicle as well. I hope to take it outside of the light polluted skies of San Antonio to a darker Texas ranch location sometime in the near future! The say the best scope is the scope you will use the most often. Since I've gotten it, I have probably used it about 20 times already and I look forward to seeing more with it. The 6" aperture gives plenty of light grasp yet remains portable. I feel that any larger of a scope would start to become cumbersome to transport and you might use it less. Do yourself a favor and get this scope!
Description of Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic
Affordable, powerful, and easy to use, our highly acclaimed SkyQuest XT6 is a great choice for beginners seeking an exceptionally capable telescope that's also nicely portable. Its 150mm-diameter, 1200mm focal length parabolic primary mirror gets the goods, rendering excellent images of deep-space objects as well as high-power views of solar system attractions. It's a hands-on scope that is a joy to use -- uncomplicated, stable, and a snap to set up and take down. The tube is equipped with a 1.25" aluminum focuser and a navigation knob for easly slewing, plus a finder scope and two Sirius Plossl eyepieces. You also get an eyepiece rack, quick-collimation cap, and hard dust cap.Reflectors
Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
Bestsellers in Reflectors
Orion 3.6 Clear-Aperture ReflectorOrion; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Orion SkyView Pro 3.6 Clear-Aperture EQ Reflector with Dual-Orion; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Konus 90 x 1200mm MotorMax Electronic Maksutov Reflector TelescopeKonus; Release date: 2004-05-01; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Galileo FS102DX 1100 x 102mm Catadioptric TelescopeGalileo Visions Inc; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Orion 4-Eyepiece Rack for Dobsonian Reflector TelescopesOrion; Digital Camera
Best price: $12.99
Tasco Luminova 420x76mm Reflector TelescopeBushnell; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Celestron Advanced Series C10 N-GT 600 x 254mm TelescopeCelestron; Release date: 2003-09-30; Digital Camera
Best price: $1,399.00
Price in other shops:
Bushnell North Star GoTo 525mm x 3" Motorized Reflector TelescopeBushnell; Digital Camera
Best price: $288.99
Meade 114-EQ-DH 4.5" Equatorial Starfinder Reflecting TelescopeMeade; Digital Camera
Price in other shops:
Tasco Galaxsee 375mm x 4 1/ 2" Mid Tube Reflector Telescope w/ EQ MountTasco; Digital Camera
Price in other shops: