The Celestron Nexstar 8 SE – The Lazy Astronomer’s Guide To The Skies

If the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE doesn’t give you the biggest aperture for the dollar, nor the best platform for astrophotography, why are people forking out over a grand for this scope and still raving about it?

Well being a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (SCT), the Nexstar 8 SE is incredibly small and light for an 8-inch scope.

It provides some excellent views and the computerized GoTo tracking system lets you see more than 40,000 celestial bodies at the press of a button.

So in short it’s an automated telescope that’s easy to use, easy to handle and portable. Perfect for the lazy astronomer.

What's The Picture Quality Like?

Let’s face it. Picture quality is the most important feature of a telescope.

You can have the smallest, most portable rock-solid pen-sized telescope that hovers in front of your eye and listens to voice commands. But it’s useless if you look through it and you can’t tell the difference between the moon and a nimbus cloud.

With my Celestron Nexstar 8 SE, I can tease out dust lanes in nebulae and I haven’t yet had the chance to take this baby out into the starlit wilderness. I live in a moderately light polluted city and I’m impressed with what I’ve seen.

Lunar Viewing…

With a focal length of 2032mm you can get some huge magnifications on this scope for lunar and planetary viewing.

Despite hazy seeing conditions, extreme magnification reveals rich detail and subtle color variations, with jagged jet-black voids of shadows cast across countless crater floors.

Here's one of my favorite mosaics created with the Nexstar 8 SE. I've actually got this one framed on my bedroom wall.

A beautiful mosaic of the moon captured with my Celestron Nexstar 8 SE

Here's one of my earlier close-ups. Not perfectly focused as you can see, as I was having some backlash issues with the focuser at the time.

The Clavius Crater on the moon. Minor focusing issues, but an excellent shot nonetheless

Planetary Viewing…

I managed to get some very crisp clear views of Jupiter, with its red spot easy to see. On clearer nights Saturn's rings were exquisitely detailed, with a pleasant view of the Cassini Division and the planet's subtle atmospheric bands were made clear.

Below is a comparison I made between the Nexstar 130 SLT and the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE. As you can see the 8 SE gives you a much sharper view of Jupiter. Such is the advantage of having an 8 inch aperture scope.

Jupiter with the Nexstar 130 SLT	Jupiter through the eyes of my Nexstar 8 SE

Deep Space Objects – Galaxies, Nebulae and the lot

Deep space objects are my passion. If the Nexstar 8 SE couldn't resolve globular clusters, start to tease out the structure of galaxies and reveal the fascinating colors of nebulae, I'd toss it or get a refund. To my satisfaction, it did all that and more.

The Nexstar 8 SE demonstrated an impressive light gathering capacity. I was able to see, buried within the clouds, the individual stars of the Trapezium Cluster, along with its delicate inner wisps and outer streaks. I also managed to get some breathtaking views of the M42 nebula. Here's a pic…

The M42 Nebula as seen through my Nexstar 8SE

All in all despite the poor seeing conditions of a metropolitan city, I was impressed with the sharply detailed, high contrast, bright and stable images of the Nexstar 8 SE.

SkyAlign and the GoTo Tracking System – The Lazy Stargazer's Dream

Some amateur astronomers enjoy the thrill of locating celestial bodies manually by hand. There's added satisfaction in finally locating that elusive galaxy or star cluster all by yourself and peering down that eye piece to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Unfortunately many of us just don't have the patience and would prefer to enjoy the breathtaking views without the added effort. That's where computerized GoTo tracking comes in.

GoTo Tracking

With a GoTo system installed, you don't need to know squat about astronomy to get started.

What is GoTo Tracking?

GoTo is a computerized locating and tracking system that makes locating celestial bodies as easy as selecting from several lists in a 40,000 object database. You simply pick up the hand controller and browse through the different lists, which include Messier objects, NGC objects and solar system objects.

Once you've selected what you want to see, the fork arm will point the telescope to it within a few seconds, and you simply peer down the eyepiece to take a look and enjoy.

If you don't know what you want to see, or want to know more about your options, you can select the tour feature, on the hand controller, which will go through some of the more popular space objects you can look at. There's also the added educational benefit of clicking the 'information' button, which gives you a bit of background on what you're looking at.

How Accurate Is It?

Although the GoTo tracking in the Nexstar 8 SE has no problem locating your target object, it doesn't always bring it smack bam in the centre, especially when you're using lower magnifications.

It's usually close enough to the centre of your field of view, and you only need to adjust it with the directional buttons on the controller.

As an avid astronomer I'm sure you know that objects in space are always moving around. Once the GoTo system locates the object, it then begins to track it. Tracking is moderately accurate, being able to accurately track solar system objects such as Jupiter for hours.

SkyAlign – What Is It And How Long does It Take?

SkyAlign is what lets your telescope know exactly where it is so it can locate and track the over 40,000 space objects in its database.

You simply enter in your location and your current date and time. Then you manually locate up to 3 easy-to-find objects in the sky – you can even use the moon if you like. You don't have to know what the objects are, just center them in your field of view one at a time and the GoTo system will tell you what they are. It then 'thinks' for a few seconds and you're ready to go!

It only takes a few minutes for a beginner to perform SkyAlign. Plus there's an option for a Two-Star Alignment and even a One-Star Alignment if you're really lazy. But if you want to locate small, faint far away deep-sky objects I advise you stick to two or three star alignment.

Quality of Construction…

If you're investing big bucks in something you don't just want to know that it performs good – you also want to know that the parts are rock-solid and feel unbreakable in your hands.

Although I wouldn't advise dropping the optical tube to see if it's unbreakable, it definitely has a sturdy build. All of the components feel like they're part of the same unit, mostly composed of solid metals with very little plastic to be found.

Is The Celestron Nexstar 8 SE Suitable For Astrophotography?

The Nexstar 8 SE is excellent when it comes to giving you crystal clear views, being portable and making it as easy as possible to locate those hidden beauties that only the experts were meant to find. Many astronomers love the fact that it performs so well AND is so portable. But the portability comes with a price!

There are two important features that make this telescope light and portable but at the same time make it unsuitable for the hard-core astrophotographer. 

Portability Feature #1: Alt-Azimuth Mount

Alt-azimuth mounts are much lighter than the traditional equatorial mount. They're also cheaper, easier to use and very well suited to the novice astronomer.

However with an alt-azimuth mount you can't track deep space objects for long enough to get those long exposures you need for astrophotography.

Portability Feature #2: Single Fork-Arm

I'm sure you've noticed in the picture that there's just one arm holding the optical tube in place. This not only makes it lighter and more portable, but it also makes the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE easier and quicker to set up.

However with just a single fork-arm you run into the problem of prolonged vibration. With the Nexstar 8SE the slightest touch can cause it to vibrate, giving you a blurry view for up to 10 seconds at higher magnifications. This poses a problem for prolonged exposure astrophotography, as a slight breeze or nearby movement can set it into vibration.

And yes, this does cause some frustrations with normal viewing, more-so at very high magnifications when you're trying to focus the dam thing. So you may consider getting yourself a set of anti-vibration pads or motorfocuser later on.

So What's The Verdict On Astrophotography?

You can get some excellent shots of the moon and planets, as I've shown you with my pictures above. This is because planetary astrophotography doesn't require very long and accurate tracking.

Deep space astrophotography on the other hand, is a problem, and I can't recommend this telescope for that purpose.

So you're going to have to choose between the portability and ease of use of a single fork-arm alt-azimuth mount such as this, and a much heavier and complicated equatorial mount for deep space astrophotography.

How Long Does The Initial Set-Up Take? Is It Difficult?

Initial out-of-the-box set-up will take the rank newbie up to an hour at most. You don't have to be a skilled mechanic, and all the equipment you need is provided.

Here's a quick video where the guy puts the whole thing together and gets it working in just a couple of minutes.

It's a high quality video, so you'll also get a feel of how the telescope looks in real life. Go on, press the play button.

 

Portability: Is This A Grab'n Go Telescope?

For an 8 inch aperture telescope, the Nexstar 8SE is tiny, thanks to its Schmidt Cassegrain optics. In terms of moving around it's the closest thing to a grab and go telescope of this high aperture and light-gathering range. But there's one hitch.

If you want optimal viewing with any Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope, you aught to allow at least one hour for thermal equilibrium to occur. This is where your telescope 'settles in' with the environment you've taken it into for viewing.

Without achieving thermal equilibrium, you can get air currents inside the optical tube that can greatly affect your image quality.

So grab, acclimate and go rather than grab'n go.

Is There A Warranty?

Yes, there's a 2-year limited manufacturer's warranty, which covers defective parts.

How Much Should You Pay For This Telescope?

I've seen the price of the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE vary wildly from $1,199 all the way up to $1,599. It definitely pays to know where you can get the best deals. I consistently found that Amazon has the best prices, especially when combined with shipping costs. Click here to go take a look over at Amazon.

Now Let's Dive Into Some Extra Features…

The specifications from the manufacturer's website are listed in the table below. Some of the more important features we haven't yet discussed in much detail are written in bold and I'll be going through them with you below.

Recommended Usage	Astrophotography , Viewing Galaxies/Star Clusters , Viewing Nebulae , Viewing the Moon , Viewing the Planets
Warranty	2-Year Limited
Features	Alt-Az Mount , GoTo
Brand	Celestron
Weight Complete	33 lbs
Finderscope	StarPointer
Lens Coating	StarBright XLT
GPS	No
GoTo	Yes
Good for Astrophotography	Yes
Telescopes Series	Celestron NexStar SE Telescopes
Optical Design	Schmidt-Cassegrain
Aperture	203mm
Focal Length	2032mm
Focal Ratio	f/10
Mount Design	Single Fork Arm-Altazimuth
Eyepiece 1	25mm E-Lux Plossl (1.25") (81.28x magnification)
Highest Useful Magnification	480x
Limiting Magnitude	14
Resolution	.68 Arc Seconds
Resolving Power	.57 Arc Seconds
Star Diagonal	1.25 Inch
Power Supply	8-AA batteries

203mm (8 inch) Aperture…

Aperture refers to the diameter of a telescope's primary lens or mirror. This is the first lens or mirror that light comes into contact with when it enters your telescope.

A telescope's aperture is one of the most important features to look for, as it decides the telescope's ability to gather light. The bigger the aperture the more light it gathers. The more light it gathers, the clearer and sharper your image. And yes, aperture is more important than the magnification or power of the telescope.

Standard aperture sizes for amateur astronomy range from 4.5 to 8 inches (although you can go all the way up to 16 inches). The Celestron Nexstar 8 SE is at the higher aperture range at 8 inches, giving it an excellent light-gathering capacity, so you can get those crisp clear views of deep space objects.

2032mm Focal Length…

Focal length of a telescope is the length that light travels from the reflecting primary mirror to the point where it's focused. The higher the focal length, the higher the magnification you can get on your telescope.

A typical focal length for an amateur telescope is around 1000mm, and most are below 2000mm. The Celestron Nexstar 8 SE boasts a whooping 2032mm focal length, giving it huge scope for magnification, so you're only limited by your viewing conditions.

But 2032mm is longer than the telescope, how can this be? Well then let me tell you about the Nexstar 8 SE's Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical System…

The Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical Design…

The Nexstar 8 SE is a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, which means that it's a type of telescope that uses both mirrors and lenses to modify the path of light, so you can fit a long focal length in a much smaller tube. You also get to have a huge aperture in a smaller scope.

A Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope achieves the best of both worlds by sporting the long focal length of a refractor telescope, which makes it better for astrophotography and gives it better scope for magnification. It also has the cost-effectiveness of a reflector and is the most compact type of telescope.

For the above reasons and more, this is the most popular type of telescope on the market today. The only disadvantage worth noting is that the Schmidt-Cassegrain design is more expensive than the standard newtonian reflector of equal aperture.

The StarPointer Finderscope

You don't really need a finder scope much when you have a GoTo system to do all your finding for you. You only really need one for the SkyAlign process.

The StarPointer Finderscope is one of those red-dot finders that don't magnify. It works by pointing a brightness adjustable red light at your target.

The good thing about having no extra magnification than the naked eye is that you get a bigger field of view. Unlike with the traditional finder scope, you also don't get an upside-down image, which can make things that much easier.

A lot of amateur astronomers are actually ditching their old finder scopes to get a red dot finder. However some do complain that the red dot is a tad too bright for the further, smaller deep sky objects. So at the end of the day it's down to personal preference. See how you like it.

Power Supply…

In all its glory the Celestran Nexstar 8 SE takes a bit of a kick to the ribs when it comes to power supply. It takes 8-AA batteries. I put in 8 brand-new solid Duracell batteries and they lasted me little more than two hours. Even though I was maxing out on the GoTo system, who wouldn't prefer to go on longer?

Unfortunately it doesn't come with its own DC power adaptor. I suppose the good news is you can purchase one, or a portable power tank, which is something I did right away.

The Pros & Cons Laid Out For You Bare

Pros

• An all-round excellent telescope, definitely a winner in my eyes.
• Outstanding optical performance for both planetary AND deep space viewing, with high contrast, sharp optics, and better than expected light gathering capacity.
• Perfect platform for visual observing
• Very portable – both the optical tube and the mount are designed to be small and light-weight for easy transport.
• Easy to set up and tear down.
• Easy to use – you don't need to know squat about astronomy to get started, you can learn as you go.
• Solid construction and build.

Cons

• Not the best telescope for deep space astrophotography, due to tracking problems associated with having such a light-weight and portable mount
• Having a single fork-arm is convenient when it comes to portability and a speedy set-up, but you then have to deal with the side-effect of prolonged vibrations. This can make viewing lunar and planetary surfaces at high magnifications a bit of a pain.
• As with all Schmidt Cassegrain Telescopes, a cool-down period of at least 1 hour is recommended for peak optical performance.

Recommended Accessories

1. A portable power supply is top of the list! Relying on AA batteries is too expensive on the long-run, not to mention frustrating.
2. Anti-vibration pads. I find these very useful on my Celestron Nexstar 8 SE. By halving the vibration time, it makes high magnification viewing that much easier.
3. Motor focus. Due to vibrations at high magnification, focusing can be a pain too. Hands-free focusing with a motor focus unit can be very convenient.
4. Eye piece kit. Since you only get one eyepiece with the Nexstar 8 SE, it makes sense to get a set of different eyepeices so you can experiment at different magnifications.

Summary

If you're looking for a telescope that is simple enough to operate, good in quality, easy to carry around and which you can use to view galaxies/star clusters, nebulae, planets and more with breathtaking detail, then the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE will suit your needs just fine.

A number of changes such as the single fork-arm and alt-azimuth mount make the Nexstar 8 SE the most portable 8 inch telescope around. But these changes come with a price.

Deep space tracking issues with an alt-azimuth mount make this telescope less than ideal for deep space astrophotography. Although you can take some excellent photos with this telescope, an equatorial mount would be more suitable. But this would make the 8 SE less portable and more expensive.

So you're left with a choice between the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE's elegant portability and deep space astrophotography. You choose.

Where's The Best Place To Buy This From?

I've found that the best prices for the Nexstar 8 SE are always on Amazon. I guess they sell more units than any other dealer, so they can afford to lower the price. Click here to take a look at some customer reviews and see the best deals on Amazon.

.

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, Ted's Review

To avoid giving you my own biased opinion, I asked my fellow stargazers at the local astronomy club what they thought of the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope.

Aside from a couple of complaints (which I'll go into later), it seems to be a hit with both newbies and advanced users alike. Even the guys that have gone on to buy bigger telescopes, still keep their little SkyQuest xt4.5 inch Dobsonian handy for that spur of the moment viewing.

They just pick the little scope up and put it down for a quick'n easy viewing. On that bed or table by the window, the garden table or park bench. Nobody wants to hurl around and assemble a huge scope for just a 20-minute viewing, and then have to take it apart again for storage.

Another common theme was how easy this telescope is for kids to use. Thanks to its small size they don't have to get on a step-ladder or stool to take a look. Some had bought this telescope for their kids as a birthday or Christmas present, others had passed it on to their kids when they'd gone on to buy a bigger one.

The bottom line is I didn't meet a single member who regretted not buying a bigger first telescope.

Sure, a bigger scope will give better deep space views, but if you're on a tight budget, want a portable scope or something simple and rugged as a first telescope, this could be just what you need.

With the SkyQuest XT4.5, you just grab the handle and go!

Is The SkyQuest XT4.5 A Good Beginner Telescope?

A lot of happy customers are saying it's the best beginner telescope, but It really depends on what you're looking for. If you're a die-hard enthusiast and care only about getting the best views with no regard for portability, convenience or ease of use, AND have more money to spend then you aught to try something bigger.

But if you want to ease into astronomy with a simple, small and convenient scope with excellent views that will keep you spellbound for a good number of years, then I strongly recommend the orion skyquest xt4.5 dobsonian reflector telescope.

It's also great if you're on a budget.

The old adage that you have to spend at least $300 to get those breathtaking views of space is still true in most cases, but not here.

This telescope will give you professional views that are worthy of a telescope twice its price.

How Much Detail Can I See With This Telescope?

The XT4.5 Dobsonian's 4.5 inch mirror pulls in 260% more light than a 60mm refractor, the classic beginner telescope. Its image quality will sweep the floor with all those department store telescopes that try to fool you with their top magnification figures.

Buying tip: Magnification alone tells you very little about how good a telescope is at doing its job. If you keep reading you'll learn about the more important features of a telescope, such as aperture and focal length.

You can get some great views of the moon, our neighboring planets, the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.

You also get some good deep space views. The bright nebulae show up nicely. These include the Orion, Dumbell and Lagoon Nebulae. You can also see star clusters, including the M13 Hurcules cluster, M45 – Pleaides, M44 – Beehive and many more.

The Messier catalogue is a list of 110 star clusters, nebulae and galaxies that can be seen with a standard 4 inch telescope. Over a span of a year I located all of these with my XT4.5 Dobsonian telescope, and they all show up very well.

Just remember that the views you get won't be as clear as the pictures you see on the internet. Those are taken by telescopes in space and don't have to contend with the earth's atmosphere. But the thrill of having your own telescope is you can see all those things in real-time, and there's nothing more mesmerizing.

What Sets The SkyQuest XT4.5 Apart From The Others?

This particular Dobsonian is different because it provides excellent views at a budget price.

Few telescopes offer such good views at this price range. The SkyQuest XT4.5 Dobsonian telescope makes this possible with its Dobsonian base and a modification to its primary lens.

The Dobsonian base is a relatively new and simplified mount compared to the old equatorial mount. Due to its simple design and stable and sturdy hold, it's able to hold larger optics at much cheaper prices.

Another strong cost-cutting measure that preserves image quality includes the use of a spherical primary mirror.

A spherical mirror in a telescope any bigger than the SkyQuest XT4.5 would not be able to focus all of the incoming light at the same point. This effect reduces image quality and detail. They call it "spherical aberration."

Spherical aberration in action. See how the light from the edges doesn't focus at the same point as light from the center?

Larger telescopes require a 'parabolic' primary mirror, which has a deeper curve and is much more expensive to manufacture. Here's how it looks:

All incoming light is perfectly focussed. But this mirror is bloody expensive!

So being just the right size to use a cheaper mirror, the SkyQuest XT4.5 is able to provide good views at bargain prices.

Is This Telescope Difficult To Set Up?

My wife got me the SkyQuest XT4.5 as a gift, and she put it together herself. That's saying a lot. It doesn't take much in the way of mechanical skills, I just hope she isn't reading this review.

It takes about 30 minutes to put together. You don't need any special skills or tools, everything you need is provided, and it comes with an instruction manual with clear step-by-step instructions on how to set it up.

Here's what you get straight out of the box:

What you get out of the box

The optics all come pre-installed in the tube, so you only have to put together the base and then attach the tube to it.

Can You Use This Telescope If You Live In The City?

If you live in the city, the brighter celestial bodies are not a problem. You can see the lunar surface, the neighboring planets, Jupiter and Saturn's moons and some of the brighter deep space objects.

But it is a small scope so the clarity on the deep space views will be limited if those city lights are really bright. But being small, you can always shove it in the trunk or even back seat of your car and take it somewhere dark. You'll be amazed at the difference a dark sky will make.

Weighing in at only 17.6 lb, I can mount the thing on my car bonnet without causing a dent.

What Kind Of Prices Should You Expect To Pay For This Telescope?

I've had a good look around on the internet, and the prices for this Dobsonian vary from roughly $230 to $275. I found the best deal on Amazon, where you get the cheapest shipping costs. In my own experience the shipping was very fast and reliable from Amazon, and the customer reviews there are all excellent.

Click here to check what price this is going for on Amazon right now.

What Are Some Of The Complaints?

The main complaint from my fellow astronomers was that the eyepiece is set kind of low, so an adult would have to stoop to take a look.

But this is easily solved in two ways. Astronomers either mount the scope on a table, chair or even a milk-crate. Or, they sit in a low chair to observe. One of my friends mentioned how she likes to just lay out a blanket and sit on the lawn and observe at night.

Some even see the low-lying eyepiece as an advantage because it's easy for their kids to use.

Another common complaint is that the focuser is made of plastic. We all prefer the feel of something solid, metallic and a little on the heavy side. The good news is I've never heard of one breaking, so it's solid enough to last. And more importantly, it does the job.

Is There A Warranty?

Yes, there's a 1 year limited manufacturer's warranty. If any part of the telescope is defective, then Orion will either repair or replace it for you, but you have to tell them within a year after purchase.

It's not a license to trash it around though, because the warranty doesn't cover parts that have been abused, mishandled or modified.

Delving Into All The Optical Details And Telescope Jargon…

As I've mentioned to you before, magnification is just one piece of the puzzle when you're looking for the right telescope. You should be looking at details like the aperture, focal length and the size of the eyepiece also.

114mm or 4.5 inch Aperture…

Many telescopes are named by their aperture size, such as with the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, where the '4.5' refers to the aperture size in inches. But what is the aperture and how does it effect your telescope's performance?

The aperture is the diameter of your telescope's primary mirror (or lens in the case of a refractor telescope). This is the first mirror that light has contact with as it enters your telescope.

The bigger the aperture size, the more light is gathered, and so the clearer and more detailed your image. Large aperture sizes allow for better deep space views, and better views in the city where there's lots of light pollution.

But as the aperture size increases, so does the size and weight of the telescope.

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Dobsonian weighs in at just 17.6 lb, whereas the same telescope with an 8 inch aperture weighs 41 lb. So as you double the aperture, you more than double the weight. There's also a notable increase in cost.

Standard aperture sizes for reflector telescopes range from 4.5 to 8 inches (although you can go all the way up to 16 inches). What size aperture you get depends on what you're looking for and how much you're willing to pay.

But keep in mind that a big telescope that is rarely used because it is heavy and unwieldy is not a good buy!

A 910mm Focal Length…

Focal length is the distance from the primary mirror to the point where the light is focused after being reflected by the mirror as shown in the diagram:

A telescope's focal length is important in determining its magnification. The longer the focal length the higher the magnifications possible.

A typical focal length is around 1000mm. The SkyQuest XT4.5 being a relatively small telescope, has a focal length of 910mm.

"But why not have a longer focal length so you can get more magnification?"

Well as the focal length and magnification increase, the image also gets dimmer. Just like what happens with the image formed by a slide projector as you take it further away from the screen.

To account for the dimness you have to have a larger aperture. So a small telescope with a small aperture can only have a focal length so long.

Now For What You've Been Waiting For – Magnification!

Yeh, you'd probably stop reading my review if I told you I wasn't going to discuss magnification.

To calculate magnification, all you do is divide the focal length of the eyepiece into the focal length of the primary lens (which we know to be 910mm in this telescope).

Eye piece focal lengths range from 6mm to 50mm. The highest you can get with the XT4.5 Dobsonian, is roughly 152x magnification, using a 6mm eye piece (910 divided by 6).

If you can get some really clear skies for viewing, you can even push that up to 200x magnification using a Barlow lens.

TWO 1.25" Sirius Plossl Eyepieces – One For Deep Space, One For Moons & Planets

Yes, quite the treat. You get a 25mm eyepiece and a 10mm eyepiece. The 25mm gives you 36x magnification for deep space views, and the 10mm eyepiece gives you 91x magnification for getting stunning close-up views of the lunar surfaces and letting you easily discern Saturn's rings and the Cassini Division.

What does 'Sirius Plossl' mean? They're a particular type of eyepiece that give crisp, clear views and are a good all-round performer, excellent for beginners. Most people love them, a few experts say they're average, but nobody thinks they're crap. A the end of the day it's down to personal preference, but everyone agrees that Sirius Plossl is a good eyepiece to start with.

To Sum It All Up…

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is praised for being the budget telescope that gives you excellent views to rival a telescope twice its price.

It's exceptionally small and portable so you can use it in the spur of the moment – whenever and wherever you like, but big enough to begin showing you those breathtaking views of deep space objects such as galaxies, nebulae and star clusters.

Many go on to buy a bigger telescope later on but almost always keep their little SkyQuest XT4.5 handy for its ease of use, simplicity and portability.

Yes, some would consider this the best beginner telescope, but at the end of the day it boils down to your personal preferences. If you're on a budget or you want to dip your feet into astronomy without anything too expensive, this is your ticket. 

If you want something simple that doesn't get in the way and is easy to set up and move around, this is your ticket. If you want a telescope for your child, or one you can hand down to your child incase you later decide to get a bigger one, this is your ticket.

Where's The Best Place To Buy This Telescope?

I suggest you get this Telescope from Amazon, as they have the cheapest prices. Shipping is also cheap and delivery is fast. Click here to review the prices on Amazon.

You may also want to take a look at the customer reviews to see what other people have to say about the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope.

Good luck and happy observing.

 

Ted Thane

P.S.: If you're looking for your second telescope, or you have more to spend, you may want to consider the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope. Click the link for a review.

.

The Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, Ted’s Review

So what’s the big deal? Everyone seems to know how “great” the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is, but is it really?

If you’re going to fork out over $300, then you aught to know the truth. 

“Is The Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian A Good Telescope For Beginners?”

If you’re new to astronomy, the SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian will only be right for you if you’re likely to get carried away with the wonders of deep space, eventually going beyond the moon and planets, to explore galaxies, constellations, nebulae and so on.

The SkyQuest XT8 can give you an excellent view of all the planets, but with its light-gathering abilities this telescope can show you much more.

So if the planets are all you’re interested in and you’re not likely to explore any further, you may want to consider something cheaper.

What Sets This Telescope Apart From The Others?

The Dobsonian’s secret lies in its mount. The mount is sturdier than the traditional equatorial mount, and can hold much larger mirrors at bargain prices. So the powerful optics of this orion xt8 telescope is a steal at less than $400.

The XT8 model in particular, has just the right balance between ease of use for beginners, portability and powerful optics to take you from novice to expert. Go one level higher with the XT10, and it gets too big for the average person to move around. One level lower with the XT6, and the optics will take a hit, leaving you searching for a more powerful scope  a few years down the line.

Is This Telescope Hard To Set Up?

Thankfully the optics come pre-installed in the tube, so all you have to do is assemble the base and attach the tube to it. This takes about 30 minutes and doesn’t require any mechanical expertise. Here’s a picture of what you get straight out of the box.

"Is It Easy To Use? I'd Hate To Have To Read A Book Before I Can Get Started!"

No books. Once you have it set up, using it is a breeze. All you do is point, focus and look. The SkyQuest XT8 comes with an EZ red dot finder scope, which has a wide field of view and makes it easy to locate your viewing targets. 

Focusing is also made easy by the Crayford style focuser, which is more precise and easier to use than the traditional rack & pinion focuser (more about this later).

“Do I Need To Worry About Collimation?”

Collimation (aligning the mirrors) is done for you at the factory, so you don’t have to worry about this unless you handle your telescope roughly.

If you find that you need to adjust your mirrors, this Dobsonian comes with a quick-collimation cap and a modified centre-marked primary lens that makes the job much easier than with other telescopes.

“I Live In The City. Can I Use This Telescope With Lots Of Light Pollution? Is It Portable, Can I Take It Out Of The House?”

Thanks to the 8 inch aperture, the SkyQuest XT8 has an excellent light-gathering ability, so you’ll be able to see plenty under city-lights. But as with all telescopes, you’ll be able to see much more in darker areas. That’s where its portability comes in.

This telescopes has a net weight of 41 pounds and is small enough to fit in the trunk of your car. There’s nothing stopping you from picking it up by the handle, putting it in the car and driving off into the darkness where you can pull it out and mount it on any flat surface.

Does It Come With A Warranty?

Yes, there’s a limited 1 year manufacturer’s warranty.

"What Kind Of Prices Should I Be Looking At?"

Prices for the Orion SkyQuest XT8 range from $330 to $370. I've kept an eye on this one and it seems that Amazon usually has the best deals. At times the prices on Amazon are the same as on the manufacturer's site, but the shipping is always far cheaper on Amazon. Click here to take a look at the latest prices on Amazon.

Ok, Let's Get Into The Gory Details…

Seeing Is Believing – Good Optics Are The #1 Thing To Look For In A Telescope

When you’re looking to buy a telescope, the first thing you hear about is its ‘aperture’ and ‘focal length'. In case you haven’t done your research, it’s quite simple…

Aperture

The aperture is the diameter of the primary lens/mirror. The bigger the aperture the more light is gathered and the more detail you can see. Big apertures allow for better exploration of faint, deep space objects.

An aperture of 6 inches is a good starting point for most amateurs, but the SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian has an aperture of 8 inches (203mm), which will keep you going far beyond your novice days.

Here’s an interesting fact from the manufacturer’s website: 

“The mirror (of the SkyQuest XT8) pulls in 73% more light than a 6", enough to tease out dust lanes in nebulas, resolve the cores of prominent globular clusters, and reveal subtle structure in elusive galaxies”

So there’s a huge difference between the XT6 and XT8 Dobsonians. If you can fork out the few extra dollars, do it. The XT8 will keep you enthralled for much longer.

Focal Length

The focal length is the distance light travels from the telescope’s primary lens or mirror to the point where the light is focussed. Here, I’ve drawn a diagram for you.

The longer the focal length, the larger the image and the higher the magnification of the telescope. Sort of like a slide projector – the further you take it from the screen, the larger the image gets. But the image also gets dimmer, and unfortunately the same applies to your telescope.

So long focal lengths are handy for viewing smaller and brighter celestial bodies, including the sun, moon and our neighbouring planets.

A typical focal length is 1000mm. The SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian has a focal length of 1200mm, which gives it good scope for magnification.

Magnification

It’s important not to get carried away with the magnification, also known as the power of a telescope. 

Back when I was 14 years old I bought a refractor that boasted a 525x magnification – much higher than all those other expensive telescopes. I thought I got a bargain, until I actually tried to use the darn thing – I couldn’t tell the lunar surface from my bedroom wall!  

With higher magnifications the earth’s atmosphere gets in the way, so it clouds your view. It’s quite rare for the earth’s atmosphere to be stable enough for you to go beyond 120x magnification.

Magnifications of up to 100x is recommended for viewing planets, and lower magnifications for deep space objects such as galaxies. 

What’s the magnification on the SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian? You calculate this by dividing the focal length of the primary lens as discussed with the focal length of the eyepiece.

This Dobsonian usually comes with a 25mm eyepiece, giving a magnification of 48x (1200 divided by 25), which is a good place to start. You can get eyepieces as small as 6mm, giving a maximum magnification of 200x for this telescope, and even higher magnifications using a Barlow lens, but I won’t go into that here.

More Dobsonian Optics – The Crayford Focuser, Is It Anything Special?

A good focuser can really make it so much easier to use a telescope. You don’t want to position your telescope on the rings of Saturn and then have to fight against backlash and the stiffness of a standard rack and pinion focuser to get a descent image.

What’s backlash?

Backlash is when there’s a bit of lag in the focuser due to looseness or “play” in the focusing gears. 

It’s what causes those moments when you just know you’re a tiny fraction of a millimetre away from getting perfect focus, but you keep moving the focuser and nothing happens, until suddenly there’s a huge change and you go way past the focus point.

Plain annoying.

You end up wasting precious time and energy tweaking the damn thing while you could be enjoying the breathtaking view.

The SkyQuest XT8 comes with a Crayford style focuser, a relatively new invention which doesn’t use any gears and so eliminates backlash. It gives a smooth greased-like motion that allows more precise focusing – so you get better images with less work and less hassle.

25mm, 1.25” Sirius Plossl eyepiece 

Yeh, sounds like a character from Harry Potter.  Sirius Plossl eyepieces are a good all around performer, and are arguably the best for amateur telescopes. 

They offer crisp, clear views with good contrast and definition, and also give a wide field of view. The only disadvantage is a short eye relief – the distance you have to hold your eye from the eyepiece to see the image.

Some will rave about the Sirius Plossls, some will prefer other eyepieces. At the end of the day it’s down to personal preference, but you’ll find comfort in knowing that it’s generally seen as one of the better eye pieces out there.

What do the numbers mean?

The 25mm refers to the focal length of the eyepiece. A short focal length of an eyepiece allows for a larger magnification. Telescope eyepieces come with focal lengths ranging from 6mm to 50mm, so with the SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian you get something in the middle, which is just right for beginners.

The 1.25” refers to the diameter of the eyepiece, also known as the ‘barrel diameter.’ The larger the barrel diameter the bigger the field of view.

There are 3 standard barrel diameters for telescopes:

• 0.965 inch – These barrel diameters are found in toy store telescopes. Need I say more?

• 1.25 inch – This is the most popular barrel diameter and is excellent for lunar and planetary details. Why? Because it works well with shorter eyepiece focal lengths (ideally below 32mm), which as explained earlier provide greater magnification.

• 2 inch – This size eyepiece is the most expensive and suited for wider angle views for low magnification deep space exploration. 

Despite the 2-inch barrel diameter being more expensive, the 1.25 inch is preferred for beginners. The good news is the 2” Crayford style focuser on the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope accepts both 1.25” and 2” eyepieces, so you can always purchase a separate 2” eyepiece later.

A Finder Scope That Makes Things Easier For A Change…

The SkyQuest XT8 Comes With The EZ Finder II Reflex Sight, a new type of finder scope that doesn’t actually have any magnification, so it doesn’t give you a confusing upside-down image. So unlike with other finder scopes you don’t have to move your telescope in the opposite direction to where you think it’s supposed to go.

The EZ Finder II Reflex Sight comes with a tiny LED-powered red dot which focuses on the sky and shows you where your telescope is pointed. 

A lot of people are actually ditching their old finder scopes to attach the EZ Finder scope on their telescopes, simply because it’s so much easier to use and they can spend more time looking at what they want to see. 

 

The drawback is that it requires its own 3-volt lithium battery (which is included), but it lasts for a good number of years, even if you occasionally forget to turn it off. And some complain the adjustable red light doesn’t get quite as dim as they’d like it to.

 

What Disadvantages Do You Need To Worry About With The SkyQuest XT8?

The Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is not suitable for astrophotography. Being a purely manual machine, it doesn’t track objects across the sky, so can’t give you the long exposures you need for deep space photos.

This telescope is designed for visual observing only, which is a hobby and sport in itself, and it gives you this with great finesse.

To Sum It All Up…

The Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is praised for its remarkable balance between powerful optics, size/portability, ease of use and price. For this reason many observers would argue that it’s the all-rounder best beginner telescope for amateur astronomers.

It’s big enough to provide an optical quality that will take you from amateur to expert, yet not so big that you can’t set it up for that spur of the moment observation for half an hour or so. 

You can set it up in your back yard to get great views even under city lights, thanks to its powerful light-gathering abilities. And you also have the option of sticking it in the trunk of your car and taking it somewhere dark under gorgeous starry skies.

A long focal length combined with a big 8” aperture means you can get top magnification for viewing those planets, AND have the light-gathering ability to reveal subtle structure in elusive galaxies and other breathtaking deep space phenomena.

Where Can I Get The Best Price?

I’ve bought many telescopes over the years and find that the cheapest prices tend to be on Amazon. Standard shipping charges are also very cheap on Amazon compared to other stores. So click here to review the SkyQuest XT8 and get the best prices on Amazon.

.