Home > Consumer Reviews > Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic with Free Bonus Accessory Pack

This is the best scope of its size for the money. It is not only a first-rate scope for beginners but enough of an instrument to show you new things in the sky for years to come. It is sturdy and simple to operate. It has enough light-gathering power (more important than magnification) to reveal dim star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies and good enough optics to show you the surface of planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars.

Dobsonians like this one give by far the most view for the dollar, and the price on this one is superb. Affordable as this scope is, there is no reason to give so much as a glance at the numerous trashy 60mm refractors with exaggerated magnification claims that litter the market.

Some advice on selection. Dobsonians come in a range of sizes. A 114mm (4 ½") is a bit on the small side but still a fine instrument, especially if your ability to carry large objects is limited. A 150-200mm (6-8") scope like this one is in the middle of the recommended range. A 250mm (10") is on the big side, and you should buy one only if you are able-bodied.

The advantage of this scope over the competing Celestron model (also reviewed) is that it comes with two good eyepieces.

Some advice on use. Viewing through a telescope is less like playing a CD and more like playing a guitar. Finding objects takes a little bit of practice. To simplify finding, I would suggest replacing the supplied finder with Orion's superior 8x40 model and also supplementing it with a "red dot" finder; both are available on Amazon. You will also need to buy an atlas (Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas is the best available), a red flashlight to view the charts without blowing out your badly-needed night vision, and a guidebook to lead you to interesting objects. These investments will greatly add to your enjoyment.

What more can I say? This is the kind of scope that experienced observers have been trying to steer novices towards for decades. Although, I recommend that you do your homework before buying any scope--learn the sky and get to know experienced stargazers who can advise you--when it comes time to purchase, you could hardly do better than this scope.

For more advice, see my encyclopedic guide here on Amazon, "So you want to buy a telescope."

It is unbelievable to me that a scope this good can be had for this price. Six inches is a LOT of aperture. Forget those little blue rigs with the computerized pointing--you don't need a computer to find stuff, you need *aperture* so you can actually see it. Download some free planetarium software (like Stellarium), buy a sky atlas, and get a nice fat telescope like this one. You'll enjoy it more because the views will actually be good enough to linger over, and you can take pride in finding observing targets on your own. If you want a computer to do all the work, why even buy a telescope? Stay on the couch and surf for some Hubble images.

The scope is rock solid, it was in nearly perfect collimation right out of the box, and I put it together in about an hour while I watched TV. Then it was out the back door and BAM! The moon looks so good you may get stuck there for a while. Cloud belts on Jupiter are a breeze, as are the rings of Saturn. Star clusters look like diamonds scattered on black velvet. Galaxies and nebulas seduce your eyeballs until you realize that it's well past midnight and you're frozen half to death.

One warning: the best scope for you is the one you will use the most. At 35 lbs assembled this is about as much scope as I want to be moving by myself. So think about the weight. If you decide it would keep you from using this scope very often, get a smaller one. Orion's XT4.5 is this thing's little brother, it weighs half as much, and it has gotten uniformly good reviews just about everywhere.

One last thing: Dobsonians are not useful for most kinds of astrophotography but I have taken some stunning pictures of the moon just by holding my digital camera up to the eyepiece of this telescope. Give it a try--you may end up decorating your entryway with moon photos you took yourself.

I've now how had my Orion XT6 for well over a month and I must say that it has been a fantastic buy! This telescope delivers images of superb quality at an affordable price. The 6" aperture provides good light grasp and mount is simple and easy to use.

I was able to easily view the planet Saturn on my first night out. I was absolutely amazed by what I saw. The detail of the planet was superb. I could easily make out several different colored cloud regions on the orb of the planet itself. The rings were amazingly well defined and the Cassini division was easily seen. The overall image was crystal clear and I amazed several friends and family members with the view. One viewer even commented that it looked so good it had to have been fake!

I then waited later in the late night so that I could view Jupiter as it rose in the sky. Finding the planet was easy since it appears as a very bright star. I used Jupiter to dial in the finder scope with what I saw in the objective. Since I've done this, I haven't had to adjust the finder scope again and the cross hairs point directly at whatever I am looking at.

As the image came into focus, my jaw dropped once again. Jupiter was clearly visible along with its four large Galilean satellites. It was a very interesting sight as each of four moons lined up within the same plane around the large planet. Jupiter itself was a fun target to observe. The large planet was streaked with cloud bands of various colors that were easily observable. On one night, I was even able to see the great red spot within one of the cloud bands.

Over the next few nights, I decided to find some other targets to observe. The included Starry Night software was very useful for showing exactly what and where these targets were in the sky for my exact location on Earth. I also downloaded another free program called Stellarium to help find objects to view as well. It does take some practice to find some of the targets with the scope and it took me a couple of days to get better at it. Aiming the telescope was very easy with the Dobsonian mount. All you do is use the knob on the front of the telescope to slew it as needed. For deep sky targets, I also used a green laser mounted on a tripod to point in the approximate position I wanted to point the scope at. I then used the finder scope to follow the beam until it terminates.

I could see several globular clusters of stars in my scope. The included eyepieces magnify images to 48x for the 25mm and to 120x for the 10mm. I found that the 48x magnification was the best choice for finding and viewing these targets. The globular clusters appeared as a dense ball of stars and gradually tapered off in star density as you moved towards the outside of the cluster. I also saw a couple of open clusters of bright stars that were closely packed together. I enjoyed observing the different colors of the stars as well. Some are red, others white or yellow and some appear as orange or red.

Nebula were also observable with this scope. They appear as white streaks of gas within the eyepieces. They seem to have almost a 3D appearance. The skies where I live in are quite hazy with significant light pollution from San Antonio. (I live in the suburbs) I suspect that the view will be even better when I use this scope in darker and clearer skies.

After about two weeks of owning the scope, I purchased several accessories for it. I picked up a filter set so I could see more contrast on the surface of planets and I also picked up a barlow lens so I could double the magnification of my scope. When I used the barlow on the 10mm lens, I could then see with 240x magnification. Even with this high magnification, I noticed that planetary images remained crystal clear.

Observing the moon brought some of the most spectacular sights that I've seen yet. At higher powers the view is simply captivating. You can easily see lunar mountains, craters and fault lines. The detail with which they are viewed is amazing. It seems as though you could never run out of new things to see. As the earth turns the view gradually moves what you are seeing through your eyepiece. As you are viewing it almost seems as though you are orbiting the moon itself. Everyone who viewed the moon with this scope uttered "Wow!" the first time they saw it.

I also purchased a white light solar filter so that I could observe the sun during the day. This was a nice addition and I was able to clearly see a small sunspot the first day I used the filter.

The only downside with this scope I noticed was that the dust cover was very tight and difficult to put back on the front of the scope. This caused a few flecks of paint to come off and fall onto the primary mirror. This problem was pretty minor however and it may have just been a quirk with my particular unit.

Overall, I've been very impressed with this scope. The optics are great and the views are consistently good across a variety of targets. I also really loved the portability this scope has. It is quite large but it is still fairly simple to move around with the attached handle. This makes it quite manageable to move between indoors and outdoors as necessary. It should be fairly straightforward to transport in a vehicle as well. I hope to take it outside of the light polluted skies of San Antonio to a darker Texas ranch location sometime in the near future! The say the best scope is the scope you will use the most often. Since I've gotten it, I have probably used it about 20 times already and I look forward to seeing more with it. The 6" aperture gives plenty of light grasp yet remains portable. I feel that any larger of a scope would start to become cumbersome to transport and you might use it less. Do yourself a favor and get this scope!

Our local community college, which also hosts a school Astronomy club, has five of these beauties for beginning / intermediate astronomy courses and local star parties. The professor / advisor of the college totally sold me on these scopes, and indeed Orion products, with his enthusiasm, his examples of truly "stellar" equipment, and his demonstrations. He believes that these Dobonian telescopes are the best "learning / training" scopes--especially if students have been "burned" in the past by cheap departmental scopes that promised much and delivered little. Whenever the professor shows the scopes off at the school's star parties or special events, the people flock to them--highly impressed at the SkyQuests' unusual look. (When most people think about a telescope, they think of those little refractors on tripods. hahahah)

These SkyQuests are impressive to stand beside; you totally feel like you can grab a huge slice of the night sky to study. No whimpy views here! The first time I saw Saturn through one of these scopes, I was truly knocked out of my socks, and with the right eyepiece, I even had the opportunity to see the tiniest lights of some of Saturn's moons. Speaking of moon--you really can gain a great appreciation of our own moon's craters and phases with these scopes!

So, this is, indeed, a friendly, beginners' scope---much better than any "beginning" refractor that I have messed with over the years. So, I high recommend it. HOWEVER. please note the following:

1. Before you buy any telescope from any place, do some research. Learn how to match the product with your abilities and interests before laying down too much money. (Orion's own company website is actually very helpful in guiding new folks through this process.)

2. Realize that a big scope like this can be heavy to carry around, especially for adults with back trouble or for young children. (Orion actually makes a smaller version of this product for children. It's called Orion SkyQuest X4.5 Dobsonian Telescope. They also make another great little scope called the Orion StarBlast Astro Telescope Level One.)

3) Understand that no home telescope will give you Hubble views; it's virtually impossible. So, don't expect your scope to show you the same images you would see in say magazines or National Geographic or on TV. REMEMBER: when you are using your own personal scope, you are viewing live sky--you, our planet, and the celestial targets are in a sense "sharing the same (vast) space" at that moment-- each moving as its own nature / design dictates --unlike a static image in a publication. You are not just a spectator watches images; you are a participant! There's a certain thrill that goes with this! :)

4) Invest in some books that will help you locate sky objects so that you can truly enjoy your new scope. OR...you might find monthly magazines like Astronomy and Sky & Telescope very helpful, and forever current and updated--unlike books. Both of these magazines carry product reviews, which can guide consumers to the best items.

5) When you purchase your scope, read the inclosed owner's manual carefully before you begin. Many questions can be answer right then and there. For more help or advice, please visit friendly, online astronomy communities. You can purchase Slooh cards on Amazon; Slooh is a very exciting community, and they offer an online telescope, radio programs, forums, and chat.

6) If you wear glasses, consider looking at scope's eyepiece specs and eye relief discussions. Eye discomfort will reduce the likelihood of you using you scope. So, think about that before you buy. If you are interested in eye relief, let me recommend this product: Orion 17mm Stratus Wide-Field Eyepiece, 1.25"/2", which is also available from Amazon, I think. You can really see well with this generous EP, and it does not stress your eyes like cheap little "peep hole" EP's. Folk with astigmatism, be forewarned: your telescope will not automatically adjust for this condition, and in all likelihood, you will need to keep your glasses on while viewing. **For those who can afford pricey solutions, check out the Televue - Dioptrx Astigmatism Correcting Lens options. Research well though before you buy!!! Your eyes, scope, and correctors all have to be compatible! Certainly do not invest in something like before you are 250% sure that you love star-gazing and telescope viewing, especially on a regular basis. Each person must weigh benefits against costs in these instances.**

7) Find a fellow stargazer to help you navigate the skies.