Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope for Adults - High Powered Beginner Astronomy Telescope for Moon, Planets & Deep-sky Objects

I have been researching the perfect telescope for me for almost a year now. I came upon the SkyQuest series and was intrigued byt the pricing. The XT6 was $299 and that's about $50 more than your average "high-tech" telescope from Wal-Mart or some other stores. The one thing that pretty much sold me on these telescopes was Google Images. I just typed in "Orion Skyquest XT6" or "XT8" etc just to see what I got. I saw pictures of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and amazing images of the moon. I figured, If someone saw that with this telescope, I think it's good enough for me. Of course, to get better images you need accessories. So I added the XT6 to my cart, a Barlow 2x Shorty lens by Orion, and a 10mm Plossl HighLight eyepiece. This combined made for an amazing experience for me! After spending a good 30mins putting the base together and making sure it rotated to my standards, I put the scope to the side and waited for nightfall. I live in Washington state on a military base, so light polusion is usually a very common thing. Luckily for me, we had some clear skies before more rain. I went outside and set up my telescope. SIDE NOTE: Make sure you line up your finder scope before you use it. I kept having objects dead center on the finder scope but nothing in the eye piece showed up. I used an app on my Android phone called Star Chart which uses live data to show where objects are in your night sky. I noticed a very bright star and checked to see if it was Venus. Turns out, it was Jupiter, so OBVIOUSLY I pointed the XT6 right at it. It took me a few minutes to look for it since my finder scope was off, but eventually, I found a bright glow from the eye piece. I locked onto it, focused in, and there it was... Jupiter! Not only could I see the planet and it's stripes AND the red storm, I could see moons! Not all of them, but a good handfull. They looked like tiny stars hanging around it. It was beautiful! My wife knew I had been waiting for something like this for a long time so when she came out and saw what I had found, she gave me a big hug and a kiss! TOTALLY WORTH IT! Unfortunely the clouds came in so I had to go back inside but I am extremely happy with my purchase and I no have a reason to be excited for the dark! I am probably going to be spending all my tattoo money of eye pieces and filters now, but I cannot express enough how amazing that sight was! Here's a quick PROS and CONS list: PROS Lightweight Design Easy to build CHEAP 1st night, already viewed Jupiter and some moons Sterdy enough to carry by the handle Comes with 2 different eye pieces, a 25mm (less magnification) and a 10mm (more magnification) CONS (well, not really cons, just things that are not PERFECT) Base rotation takes some fine tuning to get perfect Awkward to carry If you are new to astronomy like I am, and want to see some pretty amazing things for a good price, I would HIGHLY recommend checking this XT6 out.

Great telescope for the beginner or novice! Assembly: Assembly was a breeze but definitely helps when you have a pair of helping hands. It states the assembled weight is roughly 35lbs. Moving and transporting the scope and mount assembly is a little nerve wrecking at first because the mount seems to be made of simulated wood instead of the real thing, and only has a single handle on the front mounting panel. I personally am an avid weight lifter so I don't personally have a problem moving this around, however, if you don't think you can handle the weight of the assembled product, you might want to look into something a little smaller. Quality: Aside from the mount, which although seems sturdy, I have to somewhat question how durable this is through frequent and time tested usage. Simply put, I can't let it lose a star because it hasn't yet been a problem. You're already moving a quite sensitive piece of equipment, so you already know to be gentle and take care! Lining up the view finder with the scope: It was simple. I preferred to use multiple objects at mid length range like smoke stacks on a building, a stop sign about a 1/4 mile out, and smaller objects as well in the DAYLIGHT to adjust the view finder properly. It really isn't difficult at all and once aligned, it is a BREEZE to go ahead and locate just about any object. I planned to originally use the moon, however, considering the moon moves relatively quickly across the sky, I opted for stationary targets. The scope comes with a 25mm lens, and that's about it. Decent for viewing the moon in full and easily, wider range views, and seeing SOME minor planetary features. I saw the rings of Saturn, and even FAINTLY saw cloud belts on jupiter and three of its moons. A slightly higher magnification lens will definitely be added to my arsenal in the near future, as well as a barlow. A Moon filter will be vital for looking at the moon for any length of time in its brighter phases as it can easily distort your vision and appears VERY bright. I do not have the best viewing conditions where I am located, but so far, I have been about as pleased as I could be with this purchase, without any additional accessories. My first night out was partly cloudy and I live within 50 miles of chicago and the city I live in is also quite bright and populated. I still found Saturn in decent viewing, Jupiter and its moons, our moon, mars, etc. Versatility: Versatility is ok for what it is, considering its tremendous size. The bolt on the bottom that allows you to move the scope on its azimuth can be adjusted easily to modify how easily or difficult it is to move it. I actually over-tightened it at first and it was difficult to move it without turning the entire assembly. On the flip side, under tightening it will allow it to move too freely which is probably even worse for alignment purposes. I wound up building a small table to mount the scope on. I am 5'11 and found that when viewing objects low on the horizon I had to bend a bit too much and it gave me a lower backache. My table was built to a height of 12.5" and it solved this problem. I even added a shelf for storage of my future lenses and the lens caps! In comparison/closing: This is a fantastic scope for it's value! Years ago, I purchased a tripod Celestron 70AZ scope and the mounting system was very unstable and horrible to keep aligned as the scope always dropped off of whatever I was viewing. I returned it that same week as defective as no matter how hard I tightened the thumbscrews it was never enough. If you have the extra money, you may want to consider the XT8, but then again, if you had that extra money you'd probably be considering the XT10 or larger. I definitely recommend a good barlow, some filters and also some various sized lenses, as much like a camera, the lens makes a huge difference!

As a complete novice, I went with the XT 6" because it seemed to be a reasonably priced telescope --- not too big, not too small --- and powerful enough to provide good crisp views of the moon (which is all I was really interested in 'exploring'). First, the product is easy to put together -- maybe half an hour of simple assembly. In fact, all you are doing is constructing the swivel stand -- there is no assembly required for the scope itself. Next, the 6" is a bit large -- not something you're going to cart around much (as an aside, its impressive size makes for a very cool conversation piece when not in use. I keep mine in our media room and it always draws questions from visitors. It may sound trivial, but it's a good-looking, visually alluring item! Now the really good part: this machine puts you on the moon! I finished putting my baby together by early evening and couldn't wait to try it out, so I carried it into the yard and pointed it at the sky. Mind you, it was still a very bright sky -- the sun had set and the full moon was sitting in a sea of light-blue dusk. With no difficulty I located my target and I'm sure my neighbors heard my startled gasp as I took my first look at the lunar surface. It was so crisp, so full with detail that I pulled my head back from the lens and let fly an expletive. I was knocked out by what I was seeing! My joy increased ten fold when I attached the Orion Shorty 1.25 2x Barrow magnifier lens that I purchased at the same time (highly recommended) -- the detail was stunning. And this is smack in the middle of a city with plenty of sunlight still in the sky. This all occurred in April 2011. Time passed, and being not much more than a hobbyist, I spent the summer occasionally pulling out the scope when the urge struck to pass a few hours studying the lunar surface. My kids, their friends, family, and others were treated to their first real look at our heavenly neighbor -- "you wanna see something amazing?" is the line I always use before blowing someone's mind -- and then something even more amazing happened: The other night, Oct. 20th, I was out in the yard letting the dog do her thing when I noticed a very large, bright "star". More seasoned sky-watchers may roll their eyes but I had no idea what I was looking at, so I thought to pull out the Orion and give it a look. I had to patiently locate the object because the battery had worn down on the laser scope/finder, but once I had zeroed in on the 'star' and turned the focus knob I gave a repeat performance of the first time I had 'found' the moon: it was JUPITER! And I mean, it really was Jupiter! I could see the familiar streaks of the planet's surface and it took me a few seconds to realize that the four tiny "stars" surrounding the sphere were Jupiters MOONS! I was stunned! I ran into the house yelling "Jupiter...I see Jupiter!" As luck would have it, my kids both had a few friends over and everyone was treated to their first real look at another planet. Gasps and hushed exclamations were plentiful, "Oh...my..God!" as my wife put it. It was a great and memorable experience. All of this may sound corny -- especially to anyone who really knows astronomy and has more experience viewing heavenly objects -- but I need to express how mind-blowing all of this is to someone who has only ever "seen" our solar system in pictures and illustrations. To really see something like Jupiter or the canals and craters of the moon is a profound experience. Get this scope if you're at all interested in such things. This is a great item. Remember to get some magnification via an add-on lens. They really do enhance the experience. I intend to get even more magnification because if there's only one negative it's that I crave more detail. Maybe that's something an 8" or larger would automatically provide, but I'm content with the 6" as a matter of practicality and price.

I did a lot of research before I bought this telescope - I have no experience with them and very little knowledge of the stars. But I knew I wanted to explore the moon and stars now that we live in the country and the nights are very dark and the heavens seemingly bursting with stars. I decided to buy the Orion SkyQuest XT6 based on the overall excellent reviews of the Orion brand, and this telescope in particular. It was at the limit of what I could afford, but I didn't want a child's toy or any of the cheaper ones that don't really work well. The free shipping (at the time) was the final deciding factor. It arrived in two large boxes and I was shocked at the size of it. I truly didn't expect it to stand almost 5 feet tall when assembled, but maybe I'm just showing my ignorance. I unpacked everything and was very happy with the quality of the contents and paperwork. The assembly/instruction manual was very easy to use, and it only took me about 40 minutes to completely put it together. They even sent the screwdriver, allen wrenches and other items you need to assemble it. The base is very heavy and sturdy, and I like the solid feel of it and the way it rotates 360 degrees. There's a handle mounted on the base for "ease" of transport, although there's no easy way to lug a 35 pound telescope. No matter, I set up a low table on our front deck and took the telescope outside to test it the first night. Several tips - if you're going to view the stars on a cold night, take the telescope outdoors 20-30 minutes beforehand so it won't be fogged up when you use it. Also, for most average sized people, you'll need a LOW table or stepstool to set it on. A regular sized table will put the eyepiece about 6 feet in the air. Also - and this will make experienced star gazers laugh - take the lens cap off. It's on the end where the eyepiece is, not the other end. And be sure the lens end is pointed at the stars, not the other end. (blush) Rookie issues aside, I was blown away by the view of the moon! The craters and lines and colors are so close and clear, it's amazing! I haven't had time and clear nights yet to find Orion's belt or Saturn and admire them, but I can't wait! I had the telescope set up last night, in preparation for the lunar eclipse, but it ended up too cloudy to see anything. I highly recommend this telescope for anyone who wants a "real" telescope. Maybe the XT8 is better but this is a great size and magnification and price for a hobby type wanna-be astronomer. Definitely not a child's toy, this is a toy for adults. Although my kids have loved seeing the moon with me. Edited 4/15/11: I'm still very pleased with this telescope, but I wanted to add a note about some extras that make it even better. I bought a 3x Barlow lens (about $50) to add to the standard eyepiece - it triples the magnification of the basic lens and allows the user to see our closer planets in greater detail. I also bought a moon filter (about $30) to take some of the brightness out of the moon. That allows me to see the study the surface of the moon without being blinded by the light. It seems that there is an endless list of small extras that add to the viewing experience, but I've been happy with these two extra purchases.

I have to say, with this being my first telescope since I was a child and my dad bought me a little cheapy tasco, I am hugely impressed by this telescope. It, unfortunately arrived on the worst possible weeks, clouds for the next week at least locally, so, other than seeing a bit this evening, I won't be able to speak to what you can and can't see. A couple of things for the fellow reviewers while you are looking around. 1. Assembly was fairly simple, I didn't have the issues that I've read on this telescope of others having. I made one small mistake that was easily corrected, mainly because I wasn't paying attention when I put the front panel on the back side of the base. 2. Construction of the Telescope is pretty substantial. I have to say, I honestly thought I was going to get a somewhat cheaply made product (never purchased a telescope, so I had nothing to compare my expectations to). 3. It seems as though the 25mm eyepiece will be enough for the first night or two of viewing, but I have purchased the Premium Telescope Accessory kit, knowing that I will want and need to add a couple of eyepieces and a barlow to my kit, this was handy and came with all I will need for years to come. 4. I am 6'1" and 39 years old, and I can handle the telescope VERY easily. Anyone should be able to handle this telescope with relative ease, it's light enough to pick up and go. I will be transporting it to my very dark site in a Mustang and it will fit in the car easily. 5. The Starry Night software is pretty good, I didn't expect much from it, but it exceeded my expectations too. 6. The telescope came collimated already, I checked it and it was perfect. There is a very nice video Orion has that explains how to collimate if you need to. 7. The finderscope looks decent to me, and useable, I tested it on objects about 1 mile away, and it sited right in. Overall, VERY pleased with this purchase, and will (hopefully) be moving to a 10" next year so that I have one for myself and my wife to use. I definitely recommend for those who need something light and portable, or for beginners like myself. ****UPDATE**** I have now had this telescope for a little over 2 months, and still love it. Still easy to handle, and my wife even helps carry it occasionally. I have seen several clusters, a few galaxies are visible if you have patience, but several oohh's and aaahh's from neighbors and family members that used it. Mars caps can be seen, but barely, they are a white dot on a red ball, Jupiters bands are visible as are several of it's moons, and you can easily see the rings around Saturn. I still haven't had to collimate it, as I have checked it occasionally, and the finder works wonderfully. Again, would recommend this for beginners, but would have chosen a 8" (or even 10" if I had the money at the time of purchase) if I had it all to do over again.

Well, first of all, assembling it was no easy feat but if you follow the printed assembly instruction, it is pretty step by step assembly. Building the base was a little confusing but just follow it step by step and don't be in a hurry. The assembled telescope is heavy - not easily carried around. I also had to build a 12 inch base for it. Anything taller and you will need a step up to see the sky. The first 3 weeks with the telescope was very frustrating that I wanted to return it, serious enough that I requested a return to Amazon. Returning it would have a burden mainly because the boxes were huge and had to carry them back to a UPS store. Anyway, I decided to keep it and I was glad that I did. In the process, I read everything about using a Dobsonian telescope and what lenses and other information needed to make the experience more positive than it has been. My wife and I tried to see the moon and using the 25mm lens and the 2X barlow was good but it was hard to find the moon let alone focus on it. The problem was, the red dot finder was out of alignment. Once I got that lined up, it was a breathtaking experience after another! We were able to see the moon with craters and sharp mountains with clarity. With the 6 inch aperture for the XT6, it was great to see the details on the moon. I wanted to see more so I ordered an Orion E-series 7-21mm zoom eyepiece and an Orion Telescope kit. The kit duplicated the eyepiece but I wanted the filters. Those purchases were a game changer! We looked at Jupiter and Saturn as they came close together and unfortunately for us, the night of December 21st was cloudy for us in Texas and could not use the telescope. However, the night before, we were able to see the planets in their glory. Seeing Saturn's rings for the first time gave me goose bumps! Same thing with seeing Jupiter's moons. While it's wonderful to see the moon and the planets, focusing on them was quite a chore. Not only that, the moon and the planets move so quickly that you have to keep adjusting the telescope just to follow them. That is the only disadvantage that I found so far. The red dot finder is a great tool because it really helps with finding the target but a programmed tracking device would be welcome. That is why my next purchase will probably be a Maksutov-Cassegrain 150mm starseeker IV from Orion with an auto tracker controller. Lastly, I'm so glad that I did not return this telescope. Yes, it was frustrating to use the first 3 weeks but I persevered and learned how to navigate and use it. It's clunky, heavy and hard to use but the reward is worth it! To see the moon and the planets and cluster of stars is so breath taking, and a religious experience. It's as magical as looking at printed photographs of the moon and the planets except that you are looking at them live and with your own eyes!

Good scope but bulky. Everyone recommends a 6-10 inch dobsonian. Honestly if you are new to astronomy and want to see a very wide variety of objects, this is the way to go. The biggest challenge with this type of scope is the weight and mass. It’s heavier to move around and awkward to take in and out of your door depending on if you have sliding doors leading out to a deck or patio. The weight of this “6 isn’t difficult to lift but it’s not like picking up a refractor or a smaller Maksutov. So if you want to get outside quickly and easily without it being a real pain to lug in and out, you may want to spend more for something less awkward like a Schmidt, Cassegrain. They can have some weight also but more compact making it easier to maneuver through doors. If you don’t care to much about fainter deep space objects you can look at a refractor or something like the celestron C 90MAK. It is very affordable and portable. You will not be able to see some of the fainter objects unless you go to an area that has really dark skies and great conditions, but you will be able to see planets and brighter DSO’s‘s. This is a fantastic little stash for the money, and it comes with its own backpack, which makes it a great grab and go and very quick to set up without having to worry about collimation the mounting options are pretty easy as well. It will except a DSLR camera as long as you have the correct adapters and you can also use it for regular terrestrial viewing . Are used to scope most of the time just because of the simplicity and being able to grab it quickly to catch an hour of viewing I will be purchasing a 90° diagonal since it only comes with a 45 as a lot of people use it for a spotting scope as well. Anyway, I hope this helps anyone in making a decision to get a dobsonian telescope, or to try something different. The 6 inch dobsonian from Orion is a good quality telescope. If this is what you want I just wanted to try to inform people of some things I didn’t realize before purchasing. That said, I think if you take care of it this telescope will give you years of enjoyment and will allow you to see a lot of objects in the night sky.

I spent hours deciding which scope to buy. I wanted a scope that wasnt cheap and gives a great view of the planets. I also did not want a very expensive scope either. I never owed a scope before but wow the views are amazing! I also did not want a heavy scope, I was going to choose the 8' one but decided to go on this one because I seen this one on sale and I had to jump right on it. I was looking into a reflector and refractor scope. If you want a Dobsonian scope that is not so heavy I would go with 4.5', according to reviews it still gives amazing views! Let me tell you from being a novice on these two cause none of the reviews explain which is better. Refractor is better! This is a Dobsonian Refractor scope. So enough said, you dont need anymore explanation. Also this is not so heavy but it is a little heavy if you have to take it up and down the stairs like I do living in two story apartment. Anyways, I have to explain something else for being a novice and alot of people on reviews did not explain. I figured out, the scope have aditional eye pieces you can purchase. I have noticed the smallest MM gives you a closer view than higher MM. For example, a 5MM will give you a closer look than a 17MM. Just keep that in mind. Also you have barlows lens which is also sold seperately. I found in amazon they sell from Orion 2x the barlow up to 5x the barlow. I am going to buy the 5x the barlow soon. If you have the money I would recommend buying Orion 08889 1.25-Inch Telescope Accessory Kit (silver). There is another one that will give you more eye pieces. Reason I recommend buying one like I did, is because each one of these pieces sell for $30 and up each! It also inclused 2x barlow which in itself sells for $60. With the kit you pay for 4-6 pieces plus filters for $100-$150. Well worth it, plus free shipping from amazon! Now these eye pieces are great, but if you do not want to buy the accessory kid, I would recommend buying a wide field of view eyepiece. I bought Orion 8245 17mm Stratus Wide-Field Eyepiece. They are $150 a piece but man your eyes will not strain from seeing the planets. I have seen Mars, Venus, Jupiter and it's four moons, and other stars with amazing views! Im waiting for Saturn to show up so I cant wait for that. Just a reminder to get a filter for watching Venus and the Moon cause it is bright! This scope is about 4-5' foot tall btw. Hope this review helped you in deciding! I highly recommend this scope.

An amazing telescope. The first one I own. I bought it for the whole family. Breathtaking views of the moon and stars.

Great experience all around! product was shipped on time, was easy to assemble and the first time we used it we saw great views. This is the first telescope that we have owned and we love it.

Absolutely perfect. It came well packaged, with the base coming separately. Very easy to put together and once set up, very easy to use. The images are crystal clear. Very impressed. Be careful as the photos are a little misleading, this telescope is massive. It stands at about 5ft tall.

Ha llegado en buen estado, lo compré para un regalo, y ha sido encantado de su calidad. La verdad cumple con las expectativas. Contenta

Tutto bene, istruzioni di montaggio in inglese, potrebbero essere un problema per chi non lo legge bene. Il telescopio è bello e funziona bene. Visto la prima sera Saturno con gli anelli e Giove con le sue lune. Bellissima la visione della Luna con il filtro apposito acquistato separatamente che consiglio assolutamente. Non ho dato 5 stelle solo perché appena prendi un telescopio, per quanto bello sia, ne vorresti subito uno più potente. Intendo acquistare altri obbiettivi per ingrandire ulteriormente e divertirmi ancora di più.