About this product
- Deluxe upgrade of our popular XT8 Classic Dobsonian boasts multiple key feature enhancements and additional included accessories
- Eye-catching metallic blue optical tube rides on a redesigned base with adjustable altitude tension knobs
- Convenient thumbscrew-adjustable secondary mirror for easy collimation without tools
- Features a 2" dual-speed Crayford focuser with 11:1 fine-focus provides precise focus adjustments for sharp views
- Upgraded accessories include a 2" 28mm DeepView eyepiece, 1.25" 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, Shorty 2x Barlow, eyepiece rack, EZ Finder II reflex sight, collimation cap, and more
What do you do with a best-selling, fan-favorite telescope that has developed a dedicated following among amateur astronomers the world over? Here at Orion, we gave our popular XT8 Classic Dobsonian a serious makeover! Using the XT8 Classic as a starting point, we added top-notch features and accessories to create the Orion SkyQuest XT8 PLUS Dobsonian Reflector. This deluxe upgrade of our stalwart 8" reflector telescope boasts a redesigned Dobsonian base, adjustable altitude axis tension, a 2" dual-speed Crayford focuser, and a host of other upgraded features and included accessories to enhance your observing experience.
The sleek redesigned base of our SkyQuest XT8 PLUS Dobsonian not only looks great, it also features weight-reducing cutouts which help make the XT8 PLUS more portable than its XT8 Classic counterpart. The base is quite visible, even in the dark of night, thanks to its white trim. Topping the base (literally) is the big, 8"-aperture, f/5.9 reflector telescope optical tube with a unique, eye-catching metallic blue color. The XT8 PLUS features adjustable tension knobs on the altitude axis, which replace the tensioning springs found on the XT8 Classic model. These adjustable knobs make the XT8 PLUS more versatile, since you can now adjust the tension of the altitude axis of motion to allow use of heavier 2" eyepieces, Barlow lenses, multiple finder scopes, and other hefty accessories. With the altitude tension properly adjusted, using heavier accessories will not cause the optical tube to drift downwards during use.
The SkyQuest XT8 PLUS Dobsonian is built around an 8" (203mm) diameter parabolic primary mirror mounted in a sturdy, cast-aluminum support cell. The mirror collects 78% more light than a 6" mirror, so you get a significant increase in ability to observe dust lanes in nebulas, resolve the cores of prominent globular star clusters, and to reveal some of the more subtle structures in faint galaxies. The 1200mm focal length (f/5.9) XT8 mirror allows you to obtain clear and crisp views at moderate to high magnifications on clear nights with good seeing conditions. The Moon and planets of our solar system like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars shine brightly in the Orion SkyQuest XT8 PLUS, allowing you to inspect them in high-resolution detail. Enhanced-reflectivity mirror coatings boost the XT8 PLUS Dobsonian's mirror up to 94% reflectivity so as much light as possible is transmitted to the eyepiece, resulting in exceptionally bright, clear views. The point-and-view simplicity of the Dobsonian design is not as complicated as a telescope attached to an equatorial (EQ) mount and tripod.
Warranty
Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase
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Best for viewing
Brighter deep sky
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Best for imaging
Lunar & planetary
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Glass material
Low thermal expansion borosilicate glass
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Eyepieces
Sirius Plossl 10.0mm (1.25"),DeepView 28.0mm (2")
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Magnification with included eyepieces
120x, 43x
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Resolving power
0.57arc*sec
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Lowest useful magnification
29x
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Highest useful magnification
300x
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Highest theoretical magnification
406x
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Limiting stellar magnitude
14.2
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Optical quality
Diffraction limited
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Finder scope
EZ Finder II
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Focuser
2" dual-speed Crayford
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Secondary mirror obstruction
47mm
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Secondary mirror obstruction by diameter
23%
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Secondary mirror obstruction by area
5%
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Mirror coatings/over-coatings
Aluminum & Silicon Dioxide
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Astro-imaging capability
Lunar & planetary
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Computerized compatibility
Not compatible
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Bearing material
PTFE and UHMW bearings
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Length of optical tube
46.5 in.
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Weight, optical tube
20.8 lbs.
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Weight, mount/tripod
21.2 lbs.
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Weight, fully assembled
42.0 lbs.
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Additional included accessories
1.25" eyepiece adapter, Eyepiece rack, 2x Barlow 1.25", Collimation cap
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Other features
Adjustable altitude axis tension knobs, Dual-speed Crayford, Enhanced 94% reflectivity, Secondary mirror collimation thumbscrews
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