Is this the best beginner's telescope in 2022? Review of the Orion XT6 Dobsonian telescope!
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- Prices for the scope vary depending on when you check. Sometimes they are below $300, sometimes they are above $300. As of filming, the prices are on the high side. One tip - watch Orion’s “clearance” section for returns/scratch and dent/etc for deals.
The light gathering ability of an 8" is 78% higher than a 6" (not whatever number I said...)
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'Use what you have and eventually you'll know when you need something else'. Terrific advice for beginners Ed, thank you.
If you already know and understand what the pros and cons for each type of scope already are. Been researching for two months and I still don't understand the differences. I want to look at stars and galaxies not the moon. Which type is best? Size doesn't matter. Price must be below 250 bucks all in, as we do not know if we will still enjoy it in coming years. I watched about 15 of his videos an non point that out
Good like finding a scope under 250 that lets you look at that type of stuff. In this day and age with this market, 500 is the average for a telescope that barely lets you see even a blurry glimpse of those things
Yeah we have the same sayin in the home theater hobby... 🤣
Sunday morning coffee with Ed and a new video!My absolute favorite .
Finally, I ended up in this video which answered all my queries on choosing the right telescope and especially between 6" and 8" dobsonian.
What a great video 👍🏼 Thank you Ed!
“Use what you have, and eventually you’ll know when you need something else”
That hit deep because that’s exactly why I’m buying a new telescope. Had my Orion Observer 70mm since I was in elementary school (I’m now 22) and it’s been very loyal. It’s battered and bruised, and I’ve seen everything there is to see with it over the last 12 or so years. It’s time to move on, so I’m buying one of these for my birthday in January. Thanks for the wonderful video :)
Appreciate the advice. I owned an XT8 about 15 years ago. I sold it because it was rarely used due to size as kids were still too small to operate it and gain interest. I just ordered an XT6 Plus and I'm excited to continue the astronomy journey by restarting on a smaller scope.
In 1998 I got my first job at the age of 14 to afford a 6" Orion dobsonian. Back then it was the "Deep Space Explorer" line with sonotubes, made in California with mirrors figured by Terry Ostahowski. It had the plastic focuser too, but it's long since been replaced by a GSO crayford.
I have an XT8 too, but it's just not as sharp and consequently doesn't get used much. I think the mirror has a turned-down edge.
The 6" is crazy sharp and HEAVILY hot-rodded. Friction brake altitude bearing system, Telrad, magnetic counterweight system, cooling fan powered by a USB power bank, flocking opposite the focuser, no-tool collimation adjustments, Catseye center mark, etcetera etcetera. A few nights ago I was splitting a 1.1" double star barely above the neighbor's roof with it. It's a beast.
I'm fully intending to do the entire Herschel 400 with it.
Now this man is an expert at reviews and advice. He gives the most important details and the prices dont cost a small fortune. You are doing great keep it up!
I have a Skywatcher 6" Dobsonian and I've been looking at Orion and Pleiades for the past couple days since I got it, my next target is the Andromeda Galaxy! I can't wait to go to the mountains with this telescope and look at the night sky!
Great review. I love your comment about not rushing out to buy accessories. It’s like buying your first car, haven’t even backed it out of the driveway yet and you want to upgrade the tires.
I recommend an adjustable observing chair. Being seated at the correct height to view without craning your neck is the difference between taking a quick peek, and staying out all night to observe.
Great tip!
Any idea where I can buy one from?
I always enjoy Ed videos and my telescope of choice is a dobsonian. I can’t explain it but I love dobsonian of all sizes. Thanks Ed.
I just bought one of these. Years ago, I used them in college, but this is the first telescope Ive owned.
I hadn’t touched a scope in 20 years, and the first night we managed to see Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus. My wife had not been excited about the scope til she actually saw Saturn. Now she is hooked! My 5 year old son is ecstatic.
I’m very happy with the 6”, because Orion had a “second” in stock, we got a good discount. I cannot imagine that the 8” would be different enough to be worth the price.
Ed, nice video and informative. I just retired from 43 yrs in retail and I’m going for the XT-6 and getting into this hobby. Looking forward to using my scope at night in Hollywood Beach, Florida.
Spot on review! This morning (3am-ish) used my XT6 to see M3 and Comet Leonard in same 24Pan FOV. Nice! The night was clear so I stayed up till sunrise taking in the sights. Our house has lots of trees and I simply moved the XT6 to 4 different locations as needed. Slightly lighter XT6 over the XT8 makes a difference to me. God Bless!
Thanks. That reminds me, I need to get up early and catch that comet...
I love my Zhumell 6” dobsonian. It’s a shorter tube than the Orion, so it’s a little more portable, but still works great and well built. I got it on sale for only $249, including the eyepieces, but you can find them for under $300 pretty regularly. I put it on a sturdy tripod instead of the floor base, and have been really happy with it. Saturn’s rings are clear as a bell. Great starter scope, and now I’m hooked, looking to move up to an 8’” or 10” soon.
where did you buy it?
There a 6 I thought it was only 8 and up
They don't sell a 6 inch dobsonian...are you referring to the Z130 mini dobsonian?
@@ikedog1405 I think he's referring to the Z130 mini dobsonian. it's similar to other mini dobsonians made by Orion/Meade/Skywatcher/etc
@@JCW86 that makes sense but the z only goes to 130 and I really want to use my 6 dob but its to cold to use (-5 with real feel of -20)
That part in the begging about the best scope being the one that you use is very true.
That goes for every gear-using hobby, and simply cannot be overstated!
Good stuff, always. Thx Ed.
I really enjoy your videos thanks!
Excellent presentation Ed. Thanks for passing on all of this knowledge! Dusty. Southern California.
This is a great recommendation- Make sure you get some star charts to learn your way around. I definitely prefer a red-dot to a finder, but my favorite is a Telrad. Life changer for star hopping!
Dear Ed, I’ve been Suffering from severe telescope fever amidst money crunch for the last couple of days… ;) Your video soothed my soul! Your loving kindness gives me hope that humanity will survive…!
I'm getting a skywatcher 6" dobsonian this Friday, then my buddy and I are going to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, it's recognized as a dark sky location so there's absolutely no light pollution since it's so far away from any town or city, the views there will be amazing I'm sure!
More well grounded advice from Ed. I wish more manufacturers of quality telescopes would direct effort to producing OTA options that are a bit slower than f/4. Not everyone, including myself, is an astro-photographer, who likes fiddling around with coma correction of fast optics, or complex go-to and tracking software.
Great vid, Ed!
Thanks Ed, I love all your material! Two questions or ideas for future videos - solar telescopes and laser collimators. (Apols if you've covered either before!)
I have the skyquest xt6 classic. And I am amazed but what I have been able to see with it. I did do a primary mirror movement forward 11/16 of an inch and can now get prime focus with my xt6 with my camera. Also have to use an extension tube when I'm out visually one serving on some eyepieces but that's not too big of a deal. Most eyepieces work fine cause the xt6 seems like it has alot of outwards focus. Great review though. Thanks
Got its big brother, the XT8i. Wonderful scope. The 2” metal, dual-speed focuser makes all the difference. To your point, I use it manually most often, but the Intelliscope function is quite useful when you’ve got a lot of light pollution and it’s a particularly tough object to find.
Good job getting the XT8i!
Very good and practical guidance as always
I listen to your guidance very carefully sir
God bless you sir
Thanks for your nice comments!
Big fan sir from India 🇮🇳
I ignored the advice of 6 or 8 inch and went 10. Very happy with my decision- I use my scope every opportunity I get.
how did that go? im on exactly the same dilemma
It went well enough, I'm going to use the 10 inch for outreach (I'm a Physics teacher, this will be a fantastic teaching scope).
I also went mad and got a 12 inch collapsible goto, upgraded the focuser, got a binoviewer and it's fantastic. It wasn't cheap though.
So useful information, thank you, im a sub now :)
I enjoy my 8" Dob when I can, but I will say, the size of it is a bit of hinderance. It was first big telescope and allowed me to see the rings of Saturn for the first time in my backyard. I moved about 500 miles away and had to leave the telescope behind with family because it was just too big for my new apartment. I also hurt my back last year and when I go to visit my family, I like to get it out, but it takes some effort to get it out. Had I seen this video before, I think the 6" may have been a better fit as it is still way better than anything I had before, but almost 15 pounds less overall. I still enjoy it though, especially with big 2" eyepieces. My recommendation for those looking would be to really consider a 6" first if you are just starting out because you will likely be more apt to use it. I ended up getting a 6" Astrograph to help me get started with photography in the future, but also small enough for casual viewing. It was a little cheaper than getting a ED80, but its also bigger and little harder to move. The point is, listen to Ed. A smaller telescope will see more because it will get used more.
Unless my eyes are deceiving me, the XT6 now comes (September 2022) with a 2 inch crayford focuser. They listened to you, Ed!
Plastic focuser and inability to fully illuminate 2" EP's (in 6" size) makes the GSO/Apertura/Zhumell and other 6" F/8 dobs with 1.25" metal focusers the best beginner scopes.
The biggest advantage to the 6" is the f8 focal ratio, which has several advantages over the f6 focal ratio. They tend to do super well on planets due to the smaller secondary obstruction which increases the contrast which allows you to see low contrast features better on jupiter, saturn and mars. It is also less prone to suffer as much when the seeing is bad compared to larger apertures.
Another benefit to the slower ratio is better edge performance and less coma. Budget widefields and older versions of premium japanese made widefields like the televue wide field and the meade series 4000 super wide field, as well as original celestron axiom, and more exotic eyepieces like KK widescan II and III and UO MK70 and MK80, and all of the modern chinese clones like the UW80, Q70, superview and and SWAN types, have much better edge performance than they do at f6 and even moreso when you go f5 and faster, where the televue and its clones as well as LVW and its clones like the hyperion are needed to perform well at the edges.
The lower focal lengths are 2", so getting one with a 2" focuser is needed, otherwise younare limted to the 23 axiom, 24.5 SWA as the lowest power 67-70 degree, and the 32 plossls, 40 plossls and the awesome 35mm ultima/parks GS5 .
Back when I had a gso hardin DSH6, which had a 1.25 (but metal) focuser, I would frequently use the 23 axiom and 35 ultima as my widest field, and 13.8mm SWA, which was great on M13.
I now have an old xt6 with the plastic focuser, it works fine, but yeah it could be easily broken.
I did buy a used 24mn ES68 (i used to have the meade 5000 SWA version), specifically for that scope because 23mm axioms and 24.5SWAs don't turn up as often (i have a thing for japanese glass). I also re bought a 35mm ultima, and came across a 32mm smoothside TV plossl as well, and also have a japanese meade 4000 40mm super plossl for when I want maximum brightness in the etx90 and xt6. Also because i like to have the full set of original 5 element meade super plossls, which i have except for the 40 which is a later 4 element model.
I find the 35mm ultima to be the ideal compromise though, being a little brighter than a 32, but not as narrow apparently as the 40 which is only 44degress, vs 49 degrees whuch is close enough to the 50 degree televues and 52 degree meades. The ultima is also a similar 5 element design to the older meades, and the eye lens is huge.
I also had an 8, the first scope i bought when starting over after losing all my possessions, but ironically I lost that scope and a few others, like a 127 mak, omni 102 refractor, a vixen 60mm AZ refractor a cg5 and a nexstar GT, and a selection of eyepieces and filters, as long as a bunch of music gear, when my van was impounded and I was prevented from getting it out. Which also robbed me of the ability to cart my big scopes to a dark site and camp out there in the van for a couple/few days, as i had been doing to make the gas expenditure more worth it. When neowise was out I went 4 or 5 nights straight alternating between the wide open low horizons but not as dark 5000ft site, and the darker, but tall tree infested 8300ft famous site. I was able to, with the help of the orion carry bag, and someone else to carry the base, tote my 10" starhopper into an area with low horizons and we got a good close up view of the comet.
So I have been essentially completely screwed out of the ability to do dark sky astronomy 2 times, first by loss of all my gear, and then by loss of some of my gear, but also my vehicle, both times with no compensation of any kind.
So yeah, 6"f8 dob=good. But eventually it is nice to have an 8 and or a 10 as well, but keep the 6, since it is so easy to pick up and use in one trip, and you don't need to break the bank on eyepieces
I am getting a 6 inch Dob for Christmas. Its my first telescope. Looking forward to using it soon.
Did you get it or is it next christmas?
To me the real difference between a 6 and an 8, is that you need IMO 8 to clearly see examples of all the deep-sky objects. M13 is just barely resolvable in a 6" with direct vision, and so you tend to look at it with averted vision anyway. But in a 8, it suddenly springs to life as what it really is, with direct vision. That's a big difference. The 6 allows you to perceive, but the 8 allows you to see. A 90mm scope is perceptibly more capable than a 76mm scope, but a 105mm doesn't buy you anything over a 90mm scope. You have to go to a 127mm scope - and then a 150mm scope doesn't get you much, but a 180mm scope does. There seem to be milestones of perception - 60mm, 90mm, 127mm, 180mm, 250mm - surprise, they are separated by the square root of 2. You need to double the light gathering power to make a big perceptible difference.
@@detector2guns Ha! :)
Thanks! Super helpful
I was finally able to order a 8" Dobsonian that will be delivered within two weeks. A Skywatcher. Still, this is based on your excellent advice. Thanks for your great chanell!
Two weeks? You are a lucky man!
Funny story. I love the gso 12” dob but it’s MASSIVE. I agree with you. It’s a fun unit to use BUT having to wheel it down the driveway is a chore.
Some days, I don’t even feel like moving it.
I wondered if you have any recommendations for beginners wanting to get into astrophotography? In particular, I'm looking for something suitable for mounting a DSLR/Mirrorless camera using a T-mount adapter. I'm also looking to get a tracker for wide field/milky way shots, but that's another topic.
Thanks for all these great videos Ed.
I recently acquired a used Skywatcher 6" dobsonian. It seems to be an earlier model and I can't seem to find more information on it.
Unlike the modern day version, this one came with a 8x50 finder scope (instead of a 6x30), the focuser is all metal rack and pinion, but it has some kind of a step down tube from 2.5" to 1.25" - on Skywatcher's website, it seems that the current one comes with a 2" focuser with 1.25" adapter.
I'm quite baffled about the odd sized focuser on mine and wish someone could help me identify.
What about a 6 inch Maksutov with reducer? Use the reducer when viewing deep sky and without for planets and the moon?
I bought a Apertura AD8 8" dob, hopefully it ships and gets here by Sunday. Can't wait to look through it, upgraded from an 80mm Orion ST80. My brain gets tingly just thinking about what I can see with it!
I still get that tingly feeling 40 years later whenever a scope is coming!
Smart man!
Hi Ed. Great advice.
A side question. I bought an old deep space explorer 8 inch with an Ostahowski mirror. All the stars are doubled. Is that because the coating on the mirror is gone?
Thanks.
2 years or so late to the party, but just picked up a used one of these for a decent price (with extra eye pieces and a carrying case). The difference from the 102mm refractor (Costco Celestron Omni) and this is huge.
It’s amazing and both kids love it.
Thanks for the great content Ed! Makes this much more accessible to someone with limited experience.
Nice!
@@edting And I am blown away (again) with the image quality, even with some stock (read: cheap) eye pieces that came with this one and the old telescope. Seeing the cloud bands on Jupiter for the first time with our own eyes (and hearing the kids excitement and amazement at the sight) has been amazing. Thanks again!
@@navy004yeah, at f8, most eyepieces perform much better than they would in the f6 omni 102, also the lack of false color and the 2 inches of extra aperture, combined with the very small secondary obstruction, makes the 6" outperform the omni in all but one area, wide field sky sweeping and looking at the biggest clusters and M31 and M42 and other large objects. The omni can also take a 2" diagonal and go super wide, like down to big binoculars type fields. So hold onto it.
Even if you have a 2" focuser on your 6, the 102 has half the focal length, and hence can go twice as wide with the same eyepiece.
But super wide field observing is something that generally is more appreciated as you get more experienced, since most beginners would rather see things more magnified.
Also, that costco special has a major bottleneck, the 90deg erect image diagonal. Even replacing that with a basic mirror star diagonal, or star prism diagonal, even the most basic ones like what comes with many scopes intended for astronomy, will greatly improve the performance of that scope.
Costco specials frequently come with only an erect diagonal since their customer base can't deal with mirror reversed views during the day time, and they would rather not deal with a bunch of returns for that reason, and God forbid they include both types of diagonal to confuse people.
My first (aside from a spotting scope) telescope was the 2004 costco special celestron nexstar 80GTL, also came with a 90deg erect prism, which reduced contrast on planets, and had this annoying vertical diffraction spike on bright objects, as well as showing vignetting as soon as I bought my first better eyepiece, a 32mm plossl. A call to scopestuff and the purchase of a modest star prism diagonal was like a night and day improvement, the image was brighter, more contrast, no diffraction spike, and fully illuminated field in any eyepiece I wanted to use.
If you can afford it, spring for a 2" diagonal, and at least one 2" eyepiece, I would suggest something max field or nearly so, such as an orion 38mm Q70, or a william optics 40mm swan.
It may be a $100-200 layout, but if you ever get a nicer refractor, or a larger SCT, you can use it on them, and any larger dob in the future, you can at least use the eyepiece on that as well.
Note that if you shop around, you can find much cheaper versions of eyepieces like that, sold by the generic sellers, and brands like SVBONY that are essentially the same thing. There was this great website I found a few years ago, but my astronomy life kinda got shut down shortly after that and I can't remember the name of it, sorry. And I don't know how all the across the board industry price increases have affected those types of sellers.
When I wrote my last reply, I didn't realize you were bottle necked by that diagonal, and then I looked at the costco website and felt obligated to let you know that your omni 102 has one hand tied behind its back, and even a $20-30 star diagonal, will greatly improve the views, and bring it closer in performance to the dob, since 4" refractors do hold up pretty well to 6" reflectors, except for the false color on bright objects.
But when push comes to shove, with a few exceptions (open.clusters for example look better in refractors due to more pinpoint stars hands down), aperture wins.
Also in the daytime use your finder scope and align it with a far away object to your telescope. Like a telephone pole or tree in the distance.
Ed , enjoy your videos.
I still think the best beginners scope is a good 60 or 70mm refractor with a good finder or red dot, a simple yolk type altzimuth mount, and 3 good eyepieces (low, mediun and high - say 35X, 65X and 100X). (I am not talking about the cheap 60mm department store type scope in a cardboard box and cheap eyepieces here). Such a scope is immediately portable, can be used while sitting, is good for terrestrial viewing (learning), intuitive, will show the moon very well and the planets well if optical quality is good, and will easily show all the Messier objects from a reasonably dark site. It also will show double stars beatifully sharp. A 6" Dobsonian is a bit much for a beginner (especially a youngster) but is an excellent step up from the small refractor. Now, how does one find a good 60mm refractor as described above? That would be an interesting and informative video...Dan B., FL
Totally agree.
I have a question: I observe from my backyard in the suburb of Montreal. There is the normal light pollution to expect but I deal with it by creating a shield to hide from the worse of the stray light. I have a 8 inches dobsonian and it works well. I wonder if I would get a bigger one, say a 10 inches, would it make the light pollution even worse by its larger light gattering power?
I have the XT6 and an XT10. I use the 6” three or four times more often than the 10” due to weight, and I’m just getting older and don’t want to deal with the heft of the 10” as often. I can see most of the same objects (though not all), just not as bright. I can’t resolve as much detail in an object like M13 with the 6” like I can with the 10” but the weight trade-off justifies it for me. It was well worth it to get the 6” (I got it about 15 years after I bought he 10”) as a complimentary scope to the 10”. I find I’m observing more often again with the 6” vs the 10”. Every once in a while the 10” does end up deployed but mostly it sits in storage now.
Here is my rule of thumb - a 10" gets used half as often as an 8". A 12" gets used about 1/10th as much. Every year I get letters from people who bought a 12" Dob and never even unbox it.
@@edting wow. Though not terribly surprising. When I bought my 10” dob I definitely had aperture fever. It’s a great scope but I wish I had gone with an 8”. Now I don’t feel like I can justify an 8” since I have the 10” and the 6”. I also appreciate the slower focal ratio of the 6” vs the 10” for planets and solar system objects as well.
Thanks Ed, your videos are really great, I've watched and learnt a lot! Do you have any advice about dew protection for Dobs? I've seen dew shields, heated dew shields, heated dew straps and even fans fitted to the bottom of the scope. I live in the UK and its wet and gloomy a lot of the time! I was thinking of just starting out with a foam dew shield before buying anything else. Obviously, if I got something to supply heat I then have to consider getting a power source too. Any and all comments welcome. Thank you!
My personal "method" for dealing with dew is to ignore it until there is a problem. For example, sometimes we're obsessed with protecting the secondary/corrector plate/etc but it's often the eyepiece and finder that dews over first.
My first real telescope was a Discovery 12.5” PDHQ dobsonian. To this day, it is the best telescope I have every purchased. However, I bought an Orion xt8 on Craig’s Lists just to see what a lighter and more portable scope was like. Now, the only telescope I bring out on a clear night is the xt8. I save my big dob for special occasions and trips. The xt8 is incredible and I can’t recommend it enough!
An 8" and a 12" are a good combination to have, if you can keep both of them.
I just picked up today the Orion XT6i in gun metal gray, with the 6×30 mm viewfinder and the focus unit is made of metal, I think I got a good deal for $150. This is my first telescope and it also came with it 25 mm lens and a 10 mm lens and a 2X Barlow lens. Going to try it out tonight.
You got a great deal!!
I think they may have upgraded the focuser on the 6" in the past year (2022 or 2023 as of this writing) b/c on Orion's website it says it's a 2" Crayford focuser - doesn't say whether it's metal, but it's described in the same terms as their 8" and above models. At any rate, if I get this or any other telescope, I'm getting a custom hard Anvil case with hard cutout foam to protect the OTA during transport.
Yes, they have metal focusers now. Maybe our pleas helped!
greetings from France!
greetings from Mars
“Use what you have, and eventually you’ll know when you need something else
*bought the 127EQ*
Yep, I need something else! It's a pain to move without un-screwing the freaking mount and re-tightening, the declination and RA knobs are also a pain and get jammed, and I'm pretty sure the spherical mirror is making some of the views kinda blurry and distorted at a distance.
I just feel like I haven't used it enough to know "will I be using my telescope often enough to begin with?" Maybe I /would/ use it more often if I knew the thing was more reliable here at home.
Ed, here's a question for a future Q and A: You've stated that it is all right to keep a telescope in a cold garage. What if you live in Phoenix, Arizona, and the average temperature in the summer is around 105 with sometimes weeks of temperatures at 115. Should one leave their telescope in that kind of Hell!
I want one of these
Hi Ed. Is it possible to have a video on premium eyepieces. Im in need of a few and wonder if I should branch away from Televue. Ive been hearing great reviews on the ES 92 degree eyepieces or the Nikon Nav 102 degree ones.
You’re directly into “what YOU like” territory.
I have the full set of ES82 and have no desire to upgrade. Others may feel differently.
I tried a 100 degree 15mm Meade in a friend’s 10” f/5, that was a lot of fun but I’m not sure if I NEED it just yet.
The 2” focuser on an 8” f/6 is problematic. 30mm 82 degree shows a ton of vignetting and it would be dramatically worse on a 6” f/8. The 24mm 68* is about as wide as I’d go on either, and... it’s a 1.25” barrel eyepiece.
The Skywatcher 6” lets you mount 2” eyepieces but again, avoid actually using them unless you want to spend money to be disappointed.
A 10mm larger secondary in my own Skywatcher 8 made it into a nice wide field capable telescope but I don’t think such a mod is appropriate for all people and certainly not in a smaller scope yet.
Ed, great video and great review/outlook on other scopes too. I got this exact telescope as my 3rd scope, and it’s been fantastic so far. Besides the plastic focuser the only other issue I’ve had is collimation, maybe a quality control issue but it seems to fall out of alignment (at least for the primary mirror) very often to where I don’t trust it unless I check each time I use it. I know it’s good practice to always check but I feel like the locking screws always fall loose themselves. Do you or anyone else know if this has been an issues on recent models?
See if you can get another pair of eyes on the problem. Is there an astronomy club near you? Maybe they can help.
@@edting I would like to, I don’t know if there is but I will keep searching. Or maybe a shop of some sort.
I dislike plastic focusers as I notice they can make staying in collimation difficult if you get one that wiggles while focusing. I have one like that I have to shim the side of the tube.
One thing Ed didn't explore was the "speed" of the two telescopes. I came to an XT6 after using a shorter, faster 6" Newtonian (the Celestron XLT 150), and I found the XT6 had a frustrating narrow field of view, far more so than the XT8. For me that was reason enough not to get the XT6.
How do I make an 8” Dob motorized and connected to an app on the phone?
Geez, the weather in Ohio has been terrible this summer. Do you have a recommendation for a cloud filter? :D
Tell me about it! First the remnants of a hurricane, then nearly a month of rain, then smoke from western wildfires - this may be the record for the longest stretch where I haven't done anything.
Hey Ed. Your videos and reviews have been great. With all the price increases and scant availability of the dobsonian scopes, the 8 inch scopes have become really hard to come by. Orion finally just put out their "Skyline XT6" models with nicer Crayford focuser for $550. I wondered what your thoughts are on this? I ended up ordering one but I probably could have saved some money on the "classic" version.
The Skylines should be fine. Who would have thought 2 years ago that an XT6 variant would be $549?
@@edting Good to know. I know the components are better but the price is way up there now. That's why I went for the 6 inch. The 8 inch Skyline is $850 now.
@@hdemetri I’m in the same boat. Used 8” are going for $500-$700. But I found a 6” for $250… although to really want an 8”
@@taylor315 I've been using the 6 inch Skyline mentioned above for the last 5 months or so in Bortle 5 skies. I am very happy with it but I have never looked into an 8 inch scope. I will say that a clear advantage of the 6 inch is that I can transport it in and out of the house without having to disassemble anything. I was also unsure how far I would go with the hobby and didn't want to spend too much. I have no regrets at this point. I am finding some of the deep sky objects and getting amazing planetary views. Best of luck. You can't go wrong either way.
What do you think about the Sky-Watcher Heritage 150 Tabletop Dobsonian? With shorter length and further collapsible tube it seems to be easier to carry and store than the classic tube 6-inch.
I'm playing with one right now. Watch for a review in 1-3 weeks.
Hey Ed, Thank you so much for your videos, they are so informative! I have a question about a Noob/getting back into it question.
I found a used Orion Starblast 6i online on Craigslist for pretty cheap money and was wondering if you thought is would be a good scope to get back into the hobby? I used to be obsessed as a kid and now that I have kids, I thought it would be pretty cool! They're asking $350 for it with 2 lenses and laser finder etc.
The other option I saw was the xt8 for $375.
My main concern, though, is that I'm not going to be able to find anything in the sky! I'm such a novice that I don't want to go out and try to find Saturn or Jupiter or Andromeda and not be able to find it and get really frustrated! I was looking into the Celestron 8" StarSense Dob? Thoughts?
Deryk
No debate here, get the XT8. I have a review of the Starblast on Scopereviews.
Can I use for the sun
Hi Ed, I'm interested in correct image (right-side-up, non-reversed image) observing. As this requires a prism diagonal, I'm assuming that it wouldn't be appropriate for a Dobsonian, for example. Furthermore, from what I can understand, some prism diagonals are right side up, but are reversed from left to right. It's quite a confusing topic for me, as different telescope types create different image orientations at the focal plane, so require different solutions to get a correct image. Have you already covered this topic in a previous video, and if not, would you be willing to cover it in a future one? Many thanks...
Hi Kevin what you need is a spotting scope, and it's a little out of our realm. The needs of astronomical and terrestrial telescopes are different. For astronomy, it's all about the aperture. You need to gather lots of light. For terrestrial observing there's plenty of light, so the priorities are different. There is some overlap (Questar, etc) but not as much as you may think.
@@edting Hi Ed, thank you for your reply. I was thinking more along the lines of, if I purchased a 4-inch APO, or an 8-inch SCT, and wanted to pair them up with regular eyepieces, or a Baader or William Optics binoviewer, then would I require a standard diagonal, or a prism (erect image) diagonal, to achieve a correct image view of the night sky. The obvious solution would be to buy a pair of astronomy binoculars such as those supplied by Explore Scientific, but I'd really prefer to do my viewing through a traditional telescope, retaining the option to try out different ways to enjoy the wonders of the night sky... preferably not upside down or reversed left to right. I know there's a certain stigma about using these accessories, but surely it's about comfort and ease of use.
Red dot finders can take some effort to focus on. I have a generic one that came with an AWB Onesky that I have no problem focusing on, but I thought my Orion EZ Finder II was broken for awhile because the dot was just blurry. Turns out I just wasn't focusing my eyes on it properly. Strange.
In my experience cheap red dots are universally way too bright on the lowest setting. Give me a Telrad or an optical finder any day.
@@tjzambonischwartz They seem like they all have their drawbacks. I'd like to try all of them.
Red dots. Telrad or Rigel, the rest are subpar. I use the Telrad on anything I can mount it on and even some I can’t by way of a vixen dovetail adapter. My f/11 C90 wears a Rigel more often than not just because of overall packaging, finder is unusually close to the eyepiece.
Excellent presentation and advice ☺️☺️just one little thing eyepieces.. you know the ones that come with the scope are not all that ☺️ maybe just a little 13mm and a 24mm ☺️☺️☺️please😂😂😂
What about the Orion 90mm any opinions?
I think an 80 mm to 100 mm refractor is best for beginners and under city skies. They weigh less than 10 pounds total, whereas, the XT6 weighs more than 35 pounds with the base and because they are smaller and less bulky they are easier to carry outside than the bigger, bulkier dobsonian. The smaller refractor actually shows the moon and planets just as well as the bigger reflector, and these brighter objects are the most cmmonly viewed objects from the city. The smaller refractor does not require any cool down or collimation like the XT6 either, and it is sealed, so you never have to worry about dust or condensation ruing your view. I had a cheap 60 mm refractor set up once next to a Celestron Nexstar 8SE catadioptric telescope looking at Jupiter from the city, and the cheap refractor actually showed more detail on Jupiter, even though the disc wasn't as big as the SE8. Unless seeing is perfect, you will see as much from the city with a small 4-inch refractor as you will a 6-inch reflector like the XT6, and it will be way easier to use and handle.
I have the oringal XT 4.5 Orion dob with the metal focus tube can i swap that out with my new orion Observor 134 scope
Looking at Orion's catalog, what about the StarMax 90mm Tabletop MCT? Powerful, simple, low-maintenance, portable, storable; it'll show an absolute novice fantastic views of every object in the night sky they can see with their bare eyes. $100 cheaper than the XT6 too
Maks have unusually long focal lengths for their apertures, so the selection of the mount is crucial for these scopes. I have a friend who says when buying a Mak, shop the mount FIRST, then pick the OTA. The issue with these table top mounts (glorified display stands?) is they aren't steady enough to hold ~1200mm, and tracking can be a pain, plus you have to find something sturdy to set it on. You can buy a separate suitable mount for the OTA, but by then you've spent hundreds more when you could have just gotten the XT6 in the first place and be done with it.
Hello Mr. Ting! I’ve been having an Orion XT10i for almost a year… I find I have to exert excessive effort just to get it outside. I have it on wheels, but that just doesn’t help with rough asphalt and elevated door lips. Would an XT6 be a good backup to the XT10 when I wanna go observing but don’t wanna exert all the effort?
I wish everyone could see your message! The scope that shows you the most is the one you use the most, and 6" and 8" scopes get used more often. My rule of thumb is a 10" gets used about half as often as a 6 or an 8. Yes, a 6" is a good compliment to a 10".
Thanks for the advice. Can you still see more/further/bigger with the 8inch by putting a more magnifying eyepeace since it does collect more light ? Sorry if it is a stupid question, I am this video target audience :D
The XT6 and XT8 have the same focal length so the magnifications will be identical with the same eyepiece. The 8's image will be brighter. Many beginners care too much about magnification. It isn't about that, it's about light gathering ability. Much/most of your observing will be done at low power.
@@edting indeed, I struggle to see the difference between magnification and ability to see the deep sky. It's night time in Belgium, I m prepping for a binocular session :)
@@edting and I just understood the importance of light as opposed to magnification. It was my first binocular session and I was truly amazed, as you predicted, by the sheer amount of things you can see with binoculars. And understood that my 10x42 is a very good wildlife tool, but quite shaky and so narrow field of view that I even struggled to locate great bear while it was easily visible from the naked eye. I eventually located Hercules's amas, at least I could guess it from the blury big dot in Hercule's torso, and I guess I might have seen more with more light from a 50 (?). Same with Andromede, although I'm less confident I did see it. Tremendous experience overall, including a huge (and many other) shooting stars, thanks for all the advices
Prices have skyrocketed since this video. At least on Amazon.
I've been a beginner for several years. My first telescope was φ5cm refracter.
Couple years ago, I bought a 6" Dob. I was so amazed and recognized how the aperture was important. I could see various selestial objects' details much deeper.
However, even 6" Dob is a little heavy for me to take outside everytime, especially when I'm tired and drunk at night. I only use 6" Dob around 15 times an year.
I usually use 8x30 binoculars and 5cm refracter. They are easy to carry. I'm drunk at night. I don't want to hit the Dob's focuser to the entrance door anymore.
I think 6" Dob is great for beginners who aren't drunker. 8" Dob? I haven't use one, so I don't know.
My opinion of 6" Dob;
1. A little heavy and bulky
2. Easy to use
3. Large aperture which is great
4. Very cheap
5. Be careful of the entrance door
My family, friends and neighbors said "Wow" when they see Saturn with it. I'm happy when they tell me how they see it.
That's the first "drunk" report I've gotten, thanks! Hahaha.
I can vouch for the drunk + door frame thing
@@edting Even a drunker happens to feel like taking 6" Dob outside when he can't walk right. Why non-alcoholic wouldn't?
@@taotoo2 I did it several times. Can't help it.
get a Collimator from the get go.. cheap and will make you "feel" good about the state of the telescope and you actually need it....
Beginner question here. Actually im not even a beginner yet, I dont have a telescope. Anyway my question is about that galaxy.. Is that really what you see through this telescope? I feel like its a silly question because i feel like the answer is, yes of course thats what you see... my intuition is telling me that I need a fancy ass camera to gather the light over some period of time to then process and only then show me that galaxy. If the answer is yes then ill buy a telescope as soon as someone responds.
I know this is a 2 year old video, so I may not get a reply. Worth asking regardless.
At 64, I’m looking for my first telescope. There is an XT6 available locally, seller is asking $100, including some additional eyepieces. Mirrors appear to be okay, but the mount is pretty beat up, MDF looks to be separating. I’m tempted to offer $50 as it has been listed for a while, but I don’t have the skills or tools to DIY a new mount, and Orion isn’t any help if I’m not the original purchaser.
Curious what you might suggest as options for purchasing a replacement mount for the XT6. Thank you for any suggestions!
If the mount works and turns freely on both axes, get it, even at $100. The optical tube alone is worth $100. If the mount is inoperable, the only solution is to build another one, or buy an eq mount and adapt rings/plate to it.
Wow…thank you! It’s very tempting. Biggest hesitation is condition of the mount (I’m kind of picky about condition of my stuff). I do have a friend who is amazing at woodworking and I bet he could use the parts of the current mount for a template.
Debating between this and a couple other good used local options…an XT10 with extra accessories for $650 or a Zhumell Z8 for $380. The larger aperture may sway me, but good to have the options.
BTW, thank you for mentioning the Library Telescope program in one of your other videos. I have reached out to both Library Telescope and our local library hoping to launch the program here in the Austin, TX area.
I'm trying to decide between the orion xt6 (400$) and the celestron astromaster 130eq (300$). This would be my first telescope so the xt6 seems a bit large but it also seems like a classic! Has anyone used the astromaster 130eq?
Do not buy any Astromaster or Powerseeker "telescope". Those are junk. Get the XT6 or XT8 (or an equivalent clone).
I've seen that it comes with a 1.25 rack and pinion focuser and it's plastic. Can this be replaced with the 2 inch Clayton?
You can retrofit a Crayford focuser (I've seen it done) but be aware that you may have to bore out the existing hole in the tube and drill out 4 new mounting holes. Also (and this is important) make sure the profiles of the focusers match up (or can be made to match up). Inexpensive rack and pinion focusers like the one on the XT6 tend to have high profiles, while most Crayfords are low profile, which means you may not be able to find focus without the use of extension tubes.
@@edting sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth.
Hi Ed, is there any performance difference between the Orion XT6 and the Skywatcher Heritage 150P (with shroud)?
If given the choice, get the XT6. You don't need something to set it on, the f/8 optics are likely better, and you get a rack/pinion focuser.
@@edting Thanks Ed, I appreciate the advice! Your unbiased and objective videos have been really helpful in the search for a telescope and a first foray into astronomy with my wife and our young kids 👍🏻
you elude to the metal focuser being better but dont mention why. what differences are there?
He did mention why, its because the plastic one is prone to breaking.
Hello! I'm Bob, my question is does the price fluctuate much? to have it delivered to Alaska from Amazon is $700 free shipping! or is the $400 dollar range the same in 2023? Thanks!
Sadly, yes. Right after I posted some of these videos, prices shot up. Some stuff costs over twice as much today.
@@edting Thank you so much for answering me!! I'm looking for my first scope! and I was wondering if you've ever had time with a Apertura 8 inch dobsonian they seem nicer than the Orion's 8in dob, Thanks again!! I watch a lot of you're videos and I'm always learning from you!!! Thank you!!!
All this stuff comes from the same 2-3 places in China. They just stencil their names on it. Buy the best deal you can find, and/or the one you can find in stock.
Best aperture to tackle the Herschel 400?
Conventional wisdom says you need a 10" or 12" but I know one person who is determined to use his AP130 to get them. He says the task is "challenging".
@@edting Thank you. Really appreciate your work!
@@edting Wondering if an 8 inch dob would be sufficient in dark skies?
Is a Cheshire or laser the best for collimation?
The laser will get you close. For some people, it's close enough. The best way to collimate is on a star. If you think about it, that is what you're going to be looking at, so collimate on one. I usually use Polaris as a target because it doesn't move.
Do you think the 127EQ is a good telescope for beginners?
If it's the PowerSeeker 127, avoid avoid avoid!
@@edting ok
Struggling to decide between xt6 and xt8. 6 is $450 8 is $650 arm, can't find used anywhere :(. Do you think I would find the extra $200 worth it?
Either one will work. Just pick one!
I would say GSO gives you much better quality stuff than the rest. Better focuser, roller bearings (I know you don't like that) and clutch tensioner.
Thanks for the input!
Which sites sell GSO?
@@NikkenMagboy They are sold under Apertura at Highpoint Scientific and under the name Zhumell at their website. Both rebranded. Agena sells the OTAs but currently out of stock.
I have the XT8 with the bigger finder scope and honestly I'm going to get a red dot to swap in. I keep having this terrible feeling that the brightest star finder scope is not really the one I'm looking at with my eyes. Causes a lot of quadruple checking.
You can build one for about $100.
Remember what he says when your thinking of buying something huge as the size and weight will make it so the telescope stays stored more often
Write down in a reply
Having money leftover That's great that doesn't mean you have to spend it
I have to stop people from spending money and boy what mission that can be
I wanted to see you lift and carry it, as if you were putting it in and out of a car.
6" F/8 was always the best beginner scope regardless of 8" F/6 salesmen.
8" less forgiving of collimation, harder on eyepieces, longer cooling time, physically larger and twice as expensive. . All things that beginners don't need. Yes you can see a little more in an 8", it's only positive.
If I had to pick one between the two to be my only telescope forever it would be an 8.
Luckily, life doesn’t usually give us such ultimatums, so have fun with whatever you like.
@@BlueTrane2028 Yeah ok, but this was about BEGINNERS, not what someone long in the hobby would or should do if he had to choose only one scope. . One more thing, F/8's don't need TeleVue eyepieces to overcome short Dobsonian design shortcomings. Perhaps I shouldn't say F/6 and shorter salesmen, when it's really all about helping "Uncle Al" sell $$$ "best corrected" eyepieces that aren't needed for most other kinds of scopes. Choose only one for life? 8" OF COURSE but why come around stating the obvious? If one could only have an 8" or a 10" for life...
There is only one reason 8" F/6 started being pushed instead of 6" F/8 for beginners and that is to help Al Nagler sell his eyepieces.
@@scottmerrow7617 8” f/6 is just fine with the Plossls it comes with, but I spent many of my early beginner nights with a set of Synta Expanses in the 8”, and I’d do it again readily. Not an expensive setup at all.
If I was to give my advanced opinion it would be to get an EQ mounted C8, the Dob desire mostly went away when I got mine, although the 12” f/5 comes out for Andromeda from time to time.
@@BlueTrane2028 I'm very partial to refractors myself but a 6" F/8 Dob is still the best choice for a beginner. I don't know what more to say.
Ed, do you have an Instagram account?