Orion 8944 SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

Preamble:When conditions are right, which is rather rare in the UK, I use 10 x 50 binoculars for the night sky, but this is my first proper telescope. I’ve waited months before reviewing it.A six-inch Newtonian is considered – or used to be considered - the minimum aperture for a starter scope with which one may observe all the Messier objects. A larger scope was (and is) tempting but I was cautious that any telescope might be something of a white elephant due to the fact that most of the time thick clouds cover British skies. Any telescope, however large and sophisticated, is fairly pointless in a country where the night sky is so rarely visible. Nevertheless, my experience over the year is now enough to write a fair review of the XT6.The telescope and accessories:The telescope was delivered five days after ordering. Without a powered screwdriver assembly took me just over an hour. All required tools - with the exception of a Phillips screwdriver - are included. The following video by an Orion employee is step-by-step guide to assembling the XT8 but the method is identical to the XT6. It is very easy to follow – you can’t go wrong - and I found it preferable to the instructions that are enclosed in the box containing the scope.[...]The finder-scope is a flimsy plastic effort with hard-to-access dials but once calibrated it works well enough. As a separate item, however, the EZ Finder II has abysmal reviews as most seem to pack up after several months due to poor electrical contacts, probably aggravated by dew. After four months the red dot on my model sometimes comes on and sometimes it doesn’t. Mostly is doesn’t. Everything else seems very well-made, and the sturdy Dobsonian mount securely cradles the reflector tube. The base is made from wood with a tough Teflon laminate. The tube is made from steel. The whole is heavy and the weight and size might well be too much for some people to easily move around. No longer in the prime of youth I certainly have some difficulty in hauling it up my treacherous garden steps. The weight of the scope is claimed as 13.5 lbs and that of the base as 20.9 lbs making a total of 34.4 lbs to be lifted by one hand. The parts may, however, be transported separately.Moving the reflector around the base to point as objects is both very easy and very secure – even on slight slopes - and I can observe at any angle from the comfort of a chair. The altitude bearings are a different matter. The ‘correct tension’ springs are too stiff resulting in relatively large jerky movements. This makes it extremely difficult to keep a target in view, such as a planet, when using higher magnifications. It is easier to control the scope by removing one of the tension springs – but remember to replace it before moving the telescope.The XT6 comes with a collimation cap. Mirrors, for a number of reasons, can become misaligned. The cap which slots into the drawtube (just like an eyepiece) allows you to judge the result of fine adjustments to the mirrors. My secondary mirror has always been centred in the drawtube. The primary mirror, however, has required slight adjustment. Despite the optical technicalities the actual operation is no more technical than turning one or two of the three thumbscrews until the centre ring sticker on the primary mirror is a bullseye. Collimation is often cited as drawback to owning a Newtonian, but it’s very quick and easy to do on the XT6. The manual explains the process for both mirrors and there are loads of tips and tricks from the internet.Also coming with the XT6 is a download code for a copy of Starry Night software which works well on Windows 8. Once installed you select your country and town or nearest town for astronomical events that may be observed in your area. The software may interface with robotic scopes. The simulation is like having a planetarium on your computer and is informative and interesting. If for example you wish to view Saturn then, if it is visible, an orbit with times of observation is drawn across a background of constellations. You can zoom in and out and the compass tells you the direction to face. On the other hand anyone can download the much acclaimed Stellarium for free.The 25 mm eyepiece that comes with the scope is very good for the larger and brighter DSOs. You can just make out the bands of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn using it. However for planetary use higher magnification is required. So, as well as the 25 mm eyepiece provided I also bought 15 mm, 10 mm and 4 mm eyepieces, a Barlow lens for doubling the focal length of the scope to 2400 mm and a set of filters. Viable magnification under perfect conditions is limited by mirror size using the general rule of +2 per millimetre (the manual says +2.4 per millimetre). With a primary mirror size of 150 mm the probable maximum magnification for the XT6 is therefore 300x. Since 1200/300=4 a 4 mm eyepiece is probably the limit under perfect but rare viewing conditions. Using the 4 mm eyepiece I can see, with perfect clarity, volcanic domes on the moon.What can be seen using the XT6:You can check light pollution in your locality from several internet sites. It’s reasonably dark where I live so most – if not all - the Messier objects are visible. Provided your expectations are realistic (don’t expect to see anything like the glossy coloured photographs taken by experts with large telescopes) then you will not be disappointed. You’ll need dark skies, some familiarity with the constellations, a finderscope or binoculars, a good guide book and lots of patience. The satisfaction of locating and viewing a target is immense – something that is lost with a robotic scope – but it does take time. Initially I spent many hours trying, without success, to find a single DSO. Like most amateurs the first object I found was M13 followed quickly by M31 – both relatively easy targets. After that objects came thick and fast with night after night being clear for a change and my staying up until the dawn. Objects also become brighter with each viewing as well as being easier to find. There must be at least a dozen objects I can now place the red dot on target– when it works - for more or less instant viewing without star-hopping.If atmospheric conditions are right then you will be treated to crisp views of the brighter planets at higher magnification but you will have to constantly adjust the scope as the target moves out of the line of vision very quickly. Mars, although bright, is very small but you can make out detail such as Syrtis Major and the Polar regions. Jupiter and Saturn are both easy targets and detail on the former is excellent with good ‘seeing’.The moon is a rich and varied target. If atmospheric conditions are right then at 300x you can easily see targets such as Kies Pi. I have included some pictures of well-known craters taken at varied magnifications using just an iPhone 4 attached to the eyepiece using a commercial adaptor. The short video clips were then converted to AVI format using PIPP and the best frames stacked into an image using Autostakkert. I’m not sure if downloading these files reduces their size and quality but if not then you have an idea of the detail you can expect to see with the XT6 at higher magnifications, 240x to 300x on a waning moon with perfect viewing conditions. Also attached are iPhone 5 images of the nebula in Orion and the Double Cluster in Perseus. Although the XT6 is a visual telescope you can still obtain reasonable deep space images with the most modest equipment.Conclusion:Other than too much tension in the altitude springs and the red-dot finder the XT6 is an excellent first scope. It requires very little maintenance and because of its simplicity is easy to use. My model offers sharp focussing with no comatic aberration, but because it is a reflector, diffraction spikes from the spider vane are visible with small bright targets. Some star clusters, both open and globular are quite spectacular, especially when the latter are viewed at higher magnification. Clusters NGC869 and NGC884 by themselves justify getting this scope. Higher magnification with all galaxies and some nebulae, however, is pointless. What is required here is not more magnification but more light which means more aperture and a larger telescope. If you can handle and house the bulkier XT8 then you will get 78% more light, a superior focuser, a 2-inch eyepiece and a wider field of view. The XT10 is better still … and so on. Being hooked as securely as a salmon on the line I know that this will not be my first and only scope.

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.

Arrived in two boxes, one for the telescope and one for the base/stand. It was very easy to assemble, and I had a lot of fun with it. Need to purchase an additional eyepiece for further zoom though, as the standard isn’t quite what I’m after.Would highly recommend though

Awesome! But huge! Didn't expect it to be that huge!

Great starter telescope