TRG – Telescope Review Guide

Yes, it’s only July but it’s not too early to start thinking about what to buy for that astronomer on your Christmas list! But what would be the best telescope to get? The choices are almost endless! Here then is a short list. You can’t go wrong with any of these:

Orion Skyquest XT4.5

Celestron CGEM 800

Orion Skyview Pro 127

Orion SpaceProbe 130

Orion SkyQuest XT8

Keep checking back as I’ll be continuing my research into great Christmas telescopes and publishing my findings here!

Orion’s Skyquest XT4.5 is the smallest in their Dobsonian line of telescopes that includes the XT6 , XT8 , and XT10. Newcomers to the hobby are always surprised at how large amateur telescopes are, but to experienced observers, this XT4.5 is considered a very small scope. Tiny, in fact (It’s so small, astronomers are buying them just because they think they’re so cute). Make no mistake, though–the XT4.5 is a full-fledged telescope, and is a serious observing tool that could last you for years.

Your money buys you a lot in this case. Included are a good-quality 4.5″ f/8 primary mirror, two eyepieces, a finder, and a CD-ROM with a stripped-down version of The Sky, a software guide to the sky. The scope comes in two cartons. One contains the optical tube, and the other is a flat-packed box containing the base, which you assemble yourself. Orion includes all the hardware and tools you need, and the instructions are well written. Allocate about 30 minutes to assemble and align everything.

There are a couple of cost-cutting measures. The primary mirror is spherical, not parabolic (this is not likely to affect the views, however). Also, the focuser is plastic. Plastic focusers are naturally less robust than metal ones. Finally (and this may be the most serious concern of all), the scope is a little short for an adult. The eyepiece is only 3 feet off the ground, which may force you to stoop over (hint: try sitting on a short chair or stool while observing). On the other hand, the height is ideal for a child, making this a great telescope for kids.

Under the stars, the XT4.5 exhibits excellent performance. Once properly collimated (aligned), the optics give clear, sharp, contrasty views.  Jupiter’s cloud band and four moons are no problem to see, nor are Saturn’s rings. The Orion Nebula is a glowing fan of green gas, with a quartet of tiny stars at its core. Under dark skies (and with some diligence) the XT4.5 can even pull in some of the fainter deep sky objects, like the brighter galaxies in the Virgo Cluster.

As recently as a few years ago, the old adage regarding telescopes was that you must spend at least $300 to avoid buying junk. While this is still mostly true, Orion’s little XT4.5 breaks the price barrier in a big way. As long as you can deal with the short eyepiece height, it’s a great starter scope.

We have yet another new comet coming into view! Jointly discovered by amateur astronomers in South Korea and the United States, this comet is named Yi-SWAN; for the South Korean amateur astronomer who found it March 26 and the SWAN instrument aboard NASA’s solar satellite SOHO. It is not yet known whether Yi-SWAN will be a recurring comet or if it’s one and done.

Cassiopeia

Where can you find Yi-SWAN? Right now it’s flying through Cassiopeia. It’s still small and dim but you should be able to spot it with a backyard telescope such as the Orion SkyQuest XT8.

Orion SkyQuest XT8

It should appear as a small fuzzy green ball. It has not been observed to have a tail but that should change as the wanderer nears the Sun. After April 20, look for Yi-SWAN to be in Perseus. Yi-SWAN should be visible until mid-May when it will be too close to the sun to be seen by most observers.

The Orion SkyQuest XT8 is a marvel of simplicity. It makes for a great first ’scope for beginners, it was in fact MY first ’scope, as well as an advanced ’scope for more experienced star gazers. What makes this such a wonderful telescope?

The Mirror

The  Orion SkyQuest XT8 has a huge 8″ mirror. This gives it 73% more light gathering ability than a 6″ mirror. More light means the more objects you can view, you can view more distant objects, and you can see finer detail in near space objects. You haven’t lived until you’ve actually seen the rings of Saturn on the Great Red Spot of Jupiter first hand!

The Base

The  Orion SkyQuest XT8 comes with a Dobsonian base with Orion’s CorrecTension spring system. What this means is you don’t waste any time setting up and aligning your telescope. You set the base on the ground and set the optical tube assembly on the base, hook up the CorrecTension spring system and you’re ready to begin viewing! Just point the telescope in the direction you wish to view and start viewing. When you wish to look somewhere else, the telescope is easily re-aimed by pushing or pulling the tube to point at the new object. The CorrecTension spring system provides just enough tension to keep your telescope oriented where you want it yet doesn’t require a lot of force to move the telescope in a new direction.

Lightweight

The  Orion SkyQuest XT8 is fairly light weight, weighing in at 42 pounds for the tube and the base combined. This is important because if a telescope is too heavy then you aren’t going to use it very much.

Versatility

The  Orion SkyQuest XT8comes in two models – the classic, which is the one I have, and the IntelliScope. The Intelliscope comes with a computerized object locator with over 14,000 sky objects to help you find and identify objects.