What is Reddit's opinion of
Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
25 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
I live in Finland and I use Amazon. I would compare the Skywatcher 200 with this one https://www.amazon.de/-/en/8945/dp/B001DDW9V6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Orion+xt8&qid=1602096919&quartzVehicle=36-1268&replacementKeywords=xt8&sr=8-2 and Amazon Germany has free shipping to Finland, I guess Sweden as well so it might be a better deal.
You and others should look into buying a telescope and driving out to some dark skies to do some of your own observing. An 8" dobsonian like an Orion XT8 is affordable and allows you to see a lot of cool stuff. Join a local astronomy club too.
Orion 8974 SkyQuest XT8 PLUS Dobsonian Reflector Telescope is what I have. It is average in price but a large size. Gives me visibility that other smaller ones couldn't. I splurged a bit considering I didn't want to half-ass my enthusiast tendencies. It's a great scope, just a bit rough to transport to better skies if you don't have the cargo space to fit a large hollow tube. TBH, I kinda wish I picked the XT10 with a 2 inch larger aperture, but this one does that job amicably for half the price, so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Check out Orion's 8 inch dobsonian reflector telescope. Its on wheels so you can roll it in and out of your home easily and they have a sale every year before xmas for around 3-400 bucks. I have their astro 90mm refractor and love it for its price and portability. One day ill grab that dobsonian too.
Edit: link for the telescope
I have not the least idea. I decided I wanted something nice, so I got this one, which barely fits in my car and feels a bit silly to lug around.
/r/telescopes seems to field these questions pretty in depth.
you can get some decent stuff for 300-400. for beginners you could look into dobsonian types because they're easy to use.
this is a pretty good one for beginners: http://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6
A lot of the money spent is actually in the eye-pieces. You can spend hundreds on just the eye-pieces alone. A good eye-piece makes a big difference in image quality.
You won't get amazing views without some serious hardware, but you'll still be able to see the red-spot on Jupiter (if it was still there..) as well as some of its moons. Saturn will look pretty as well, even with a small scope like this
Its and Orion XT8 and I used this variable transmission filter to bring the light down to about 10%. But it was so ridiculously bright that I would have gotten a better pic and more details getting it closer to 5%,
There are many good telescopes on Amazon but your question is vague. Here's one.
So this 3d printed version cost about $300 dollars if you buy the full kit on his site. https://kissner-optik.netlify.app/?
So half the price is about $600, you have lots of options in that price range depending on if you want a Dobsonian or a reflector. You get what you pay for in Optics.
https://explorescientificusa.com/products/fl-n114500eq3?_pos=6&_sid=e8603cbe6&_ss=r
>Orion xt8
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6
Is this the telescope that you purchased?
Well depending on how much they want for that telescope, you won’t want for much - it’s a nice piece of equipment with intense magnification capabilities; your planetary view will be insane with the right eye pieces. If the other sub you’re referring to is r/astrophotography, they’re probably right - I haven’t looked too deep into AP on their level quite yet.
That being said, you don’t need an incredibly expensive telescope to get started, and astrophotography can be done on many levels. If you want to be able look at the Orion Nebula, but maybe be able to photograph Jupiter with a cell phone mounted to the eyepiece (after enjoying laying your own eyes on it, of course), this can be done for much less.
Hope that helps; reflectors are “cheap” (because they’re easy to make), if you aren’t sure about spending that much money to start out I definitely recommend going that rout - either a dobsonian: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DDW9V6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xf5wCbC5CSXBS
Or if you’d rather the computerized “GoTo” scene (which requires calibration by “marking” 2 or 3 stars in the sky so the scope knows where you are): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZY9KOTE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0i5wCb6HWP53C
Both of those were just examples, obviously you can spend what you want on what you will. I don’t disagree with other people on buying “anywhere but amazon”, but I can’t be a hypocrite ;I got my $100 special (celestron astromaster 70AZ refractor... which I love lol) and it’s great for searching what’s out there. Unfortunately they also tend to have the best price.
This is the one I bought earlier this year and so far, no complaints. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DDW9V6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
XT8
Here's the XT8 plus (come's with better focuser and some extra things.
This is the Apertura AD8. It's pretty much the most recommended if you can afford it. It's the right size between being able to handle/portability (it's still huge though) and being able to see things. It's the one I wound up getting for my son/me. It comes with all the bells and whistles except some upgraded eyepieces, which you should get with any telescope you buy. I didn't want to put myself in the position of every time I pull out my telescope I would think "What if I had gotten the AD8..."
https://www.highpointscientific.com/apertura-ad8-8inch-dobsonian-telescope-ad8
If you get the 6" in a light-polluted area, you'll wonder "What would this look like under some really dark skies??" If you get the 6" in a really dark sky area, you'll wonder "what would this look like with an 8"??"
Is orion xt8 similar to z8? The prices are almost identical.
This is taken from my Samsung Galaxy S6 camera through an Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
Lol, thanks. Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DDW9V6/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_NFkWwb9EXHGMR is probably what you want if you are just looking to observe and get some cool views
That's great!
You could get an 8inch dobsonian with a few high quality eyepieces for under £500. The scope like that would be highly useful for many years to come. Unless you want to do astrophotography, a dobsonian like this is a way to go! Good starter stuff!
http://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6/
http://www.amazon.com/Baader-Planetarium-Hyperion-Eyepiece-HYP-8/dp/B0045J39GE/
Clear skies!
Non-mobile: skywuest xt8
^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?
Thanks for the detailed response! Your other posts on this subreddit have been super helpful for me with researching and starting out! :)
> How much for each? Where are you from? No local offers?
It's 600$ for the XT8 and 630$ for the SkyWatcher, so around 200$ in shipping for each. I'm from Lebanon and sadly there's no local offers. The only scopes sold here are Celestrons, and they're priced quite high mostly due to their electronics.
Another poster mentioned that the SkyWatcher is pretty much the same as the AD8, does it have the same optics, construction, etc?
> About the mirror review: Got a link? That sounds odd.
The 'fatal flaw' comes from the 4th paragraph of 1st review on the amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6
I did some searching on Cloudy Nights, but there doesn't seem to be anything on it. The reviewer might be mistaken.
As for astigmatism, I don't mind having to take my glasses off and on. However, I think I read about people who have certain diopter values (unsure of mine and almost have no knowledge of eyepieces, exit pupil, etc.) who can't really see well through eyepieces without glasses.
I'm not really concerned about myself when it comes to observing with or without glasses as I'll probably be fine, but I'd like my mom to look through this scope as well. She has worst astigmatism than me, so I'd rather err on the side of caution and go with at least some eye relief if possible.
You mentioned high magnification helps for viewing without glasses, so wouldn't a barlow be worth it in that case? The only thing I know about them comes from this video from the stickied post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpF1_Q5yPsk&list=PLLM5fRxAaC_cx-7xgBfGHGAi9d144AoRZ&index=5
He mentions they're a worthwhile investment since they can essentially double the amount of eyepieces you own. Also, would they offer good eye relief?
>Else, you'd have to try if you can live with ~13-15mm eye-relief (e.g. the $20-$40 gold-line, HR Planetary clones) or if you need eyepieces with 20mm ($80-$130+++) eye-relief.
13-15mm eye relief doesn't sound bad for those prices. Do you recommend any specific ones for planetary viewing, as well as clusters and some DSOs in case I get the SkyWatcher?
>Finder's included, but a Telrad is great for DSO if you have a dark sky and can see enough stars.
I'm in a Bortle 7 zone and will be doing most if not all my observing there so the sky isn't very dark. From what I've read, the SkyWatcher's finder is serviceable. Do you have any experience with it?
Yeah, the timings slightly unfortunate since I'm getting this scope for my mom as well, and she'd really like to see the planets. So I'll probably start with the moon and move on to clusters, etc.!
The 'fatal flaw' comes from the 4th paragraph of 1st review on the amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6
I did some searching on Cloudy Nights, but there doesn't seem to be anything on it. The reviewer might be mistaken.
Also, I wasn't aware the SkyWatcher was the same as the AD8. The stickied post mentions it has the same OTA as the XT8, but is there any source linking it with the AD8 as well?
Popular alternatives to Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Cla...
Celestron - PowerSeeker 127EQ Telescope - Manual German Equatorial Telescope for Beginners - Compact and Portable - Bonus Astronomy Software Package - 127mm Aperture
