Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian


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Brand and Model:Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
Price ($USD):$479.00
Type:Newtonian
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:203mm (8.0 in)
f Ratio:5.9
Focal Length:1200mm
Finder:8x50
Electric Power:not applicable
Mount:Dobsonian
Tripod:not applicable
Weight (lbs):41.8
Dimensions (w/h/d):OTA: 44.5 inches
Description:Orion's XT8 Page
Affordable Astronomy's Reviews
Cloudy Nights' Review 1
Cloudy Nights' Review 2
Cloudy Nights' Review 3
Ed Ting's Review

Vote Highlights Vote
Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
I bought my XT-8 from Orion about a month ago. They dropped the price $50 a week later and upon my request they credited back my card the $50. Very nice of them. The scope itself is amazing. I have only had it out a few times in the last month due to a surfeit of nocturnal cloud cover, but the views I have had were nothing short of breathtaking. I slapped a Rigel Qwik-Finder on that bad boy and found M51 in about three seconds. I have never seen so many galaxies in a single night as i did last night. The mount doesn't hold up well in 20-mph winds at anything higher than about 50X, but I spent most of the niget below 40X. Stars are nearly pinpoints. The diffraction pattern is only annoying on Jupiter and Venus and nearly nonexistent on other objects. The Rigel finder is an excellent optical aid for this scope. One problem did come up...my prized 56mm 2" Meade 4000 superplossl would not come into focus with my glasses on...but with them off, it did. Very odd. Orion has listened to the recommendations made by XT8 owners and upgraded the scope nicely. It now comes with a 2" focuser, ultra-easy collimation knobs, and an open rear cell with threading to attach a 4" computer fan to the cell to eliminate air currents. The grab handle is pointless. Just grab inside the front of the scope and gently nudge it. It moves easily enough, better with each use. It is easy to bring along...the expensive optional carry bag is outstanding. This should be a no-brainer purchase if you are looking for good optics in a large aperture Newt for less than $500. Go for it!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=90484

>I bought my XT-8 from Orion about a month ago.  They dropped the price $50 a week later and upon my request they credited back my card the $50.  Very nice of them.  The scope itself is amazing.  I have only had it out a few times in the last month due to a surfeit of nocturnal cloud cover, but the views I have had were nothing short of breathtaking.  I slapped a Rigel Qwik-Finder on that bad boy and found M51 in about three seconds.  I have never seen so many galaxies in a single night as i did last night.  The mount doesn't hold up well in 20-mph winds at anything higher than about 50X, but I spent most of the niget below 40X.  Stars are nearly pinpoints.  The diffraction pattern is only annoying on Jupiter and Venus and nearly nonexistent on other objects.  The Rigel finder is an excellent optical aid for this scope.  One problem did come up...my prized 56mm 2" Meade 4000 superplossl would not come into focus with my glasses on...but with them off, it did.  Very odd.  Orion has listened to the recommendations made by XT8 owners and upgraded the scope nicely.  It now comes with a 2" focuser, ultra-easy collimation knobs, and an open rear cell with threading to attach a 4" computer fan to the cell to eliminate air currents.  The grab handle is pointless.  Just grab inside the front of the scope and gently nudge it.  It moves easily enough, better with each use.  It is easy to bring along...the expensive optional carry bag is outstanding.  This should be a no-brainer purchase if you are looking for good optics in a large aperture Newt for less than $500.  Go for it!

Wow.This sounds like a good telescope.I am getting very into astronomy with my tiny tiny 60mm refractor,and this seems like a good telescope to upgrade to from there when the time is right...or start with...

Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
I rate my xt8 a 10+. I bought it back in '99. I only collimated it twice since I've owned it! I'm really picky when it comes to mirror quality, and both mirrors are perfect on star tests. The mount keeps objects in view, even in high wind conditions. One night the wind blew the cover off the tube, yet objects stayed in view when observing.

The supplied eyepieces are OK, but not great. I recommend purchasing Orion's Lanthanum 3.8mm (315x), for planets and star clusters. I even use a 2x barlo which give 630x for moon observing. Yes, this exceeds the optical maximum, but the moon craters look awesome. I use the Orion 40mm Sirius Plossl for my lowest power. My main interest is galaxy observing, and this scope does remarkably well for 8".

The only gripe I have is, Orion didn't tell me about the padded case you can buy for the tube. I bought it last week and it is excellent. I can't get a burger for lunch without the "do you want fries with that?" When purchasing this scope Orion should say, "Do you want a padded case with that?" So, if you buy this scope, get the case with it.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 9 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=106934


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
Excellent telescope for beginners and for people that don't like having to set up for an extra 10 or 15 minutes. I happened to get a couple of great mirrors in my telescope...the views are great. Planets look great, but there are some reflections coming from the spider and the shiny screws that hold it in place. I painted these screws flat black and flocked the inside of the tube which helped increase the contrast a little. The mount is very sturdy for this OTA, but could use a little smoothing out...nothing major by any means though.

The Intelliscope features work like a charm. I waited about 6 months after I bought the scope to buy the computer. It worked flawlessly the very first time I used it. It is very user friendly! I have people using this telescope and going to objects that would normally be impossible for them to find. It is very exciting for them and also helps get them into the hobby. Objects are dead on using a 13mm Nagler. Just make sure to level the telescope correctly as noted in the manual for your initial setup and you'll never have to mess with it again.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=402048


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
I've looked through a lot of 8" scopes at star parties, and this one ranks as the best of the bunch in many ways.
It's price, it's optics, it's mount and so on.
You cannot go wrong with this scope.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:10 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=345389


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
I've had this telescope for 3 months now and the only complaint I have so far was a blemish on my secondary mirror. Orion technical support sent me a replacement without hesitation.

It has a 2" focuser and comes with two of Orion's Serius brand Plossl eyepieces - 10mm and 25mm. The 'scope's base is easy to put together. The primary cell has pre-drilled holes for a computer fan to cool the primary mirror. The correctension springs keep the OTA in "balance" and AZ movement is smooth.

After collimation I took it outside and found Jupiter right-away. It is VERY easy to use.

With the help of a star atlas I have been able to view many clusters, nebulae, planets, and doubles. I regularly see the GRS on Jupiter, the Cassini division in the rings of Saturn, galaxies on dark nights, and good detail on globular clusters.

In my opinion this is a great first telescope. I think it was a great value at $479!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:9 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=83670


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
My xt-8 is 2 years old now.I modified the primary support using foam pads, added washers under the 3 feet, added springs under the " pull screws", pitched the "push" screws (these can deform the primary cell when overtightened!)Also i loosened the secondary mirror clamp, the mirror now has 1/8 inch play, the foam backing takes up the slack.The secondary adjustment screws can easily be over-tightened and "dig-in" to the secondary cell, causing problematic and non- adjustability! Try a large metal washer under the 3 secondary screws. In light-drenched Irvine, Ca, I use a 12.5mm ultima and a Parks Barlow for crystal clear 200x views or Jupiter and saturn! My wife commented that the bands of jupiter appear "orange" and the ring around Saturn looks like a "racetrack"! High praise indeed! Next up is a 3 inch fan to blow across the primary mirror. I use this scope for Boy scout meetings, and the children and adults alike have real trouble sharing the views! I will gladly test this scope against any cat-eye scopes of equal or greater aperture, and I will NEVER sell it!
Chris Brown
tiffbrown@earthlink.net

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39415


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
This is my second telescope.
I LOVE it! It's a fantastic scope for the money, fan fricintastic!
It preforms well under a star test I mean WELL.
For 8'' aperture this telescope is overaccomplishing!
It reaches LOOW magnitude for it's class.
The mount is one of the smoothest and stablest i've seen.
If your budget is about $500 you MUST buy this scope,
whether you're beginning or you're seriously commited in astronomy.

by daSentinel

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39411


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
Fulfilled all my expectations for this scope. I didn't need to collimate and I found the images to be breathtaking. More easy to transport than the G5 I traded for it and crisper images.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39405


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
I recently purchased this scope as well as took up the hobby. I can find nothing wrong with this scope. One member of our club who is an old hand said "this is a nice little scope." He uses a 12" Dob. Right out of the box it has sharp images, star test is round and I have not had to collimate yet. I have a LaserMate when that time comes. Maybe it is just inexperence, but I wouldn't touch a thing. I may add a Telrad to help find things, but that is it.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39402


Orion SkyQuest XT8 (IntelliScope) Dobsonian
I am really thrilled with my new XT8 scope. I did make a few minor changes and am reaping the benefit of these changes.
- I added the milk jug washers to the main bolt on the cabinet, and then added furniture sliders. RESULT- much smoother rotation.
- I took out the secondary mirror and replaced it much looser in order to prevent mirror stress.
- I took out the primary mirror and added 5/8 inch foam to the base plate in order to relieve mirror stress.
- I marked the primary for use with the orion collimater.
Final Results- Slightly undercorrected, very slight astigmatism, and a decent star test. I can now see so much more over my old 3.5 in. refractor. The images are very sharp. My improvemennts really helped with astigmatism and the images are awesome. What a great buy. I couldn't be more pleased!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39396

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