Orion XT 6" Classic

by Orion

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 34.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001DDW9UW
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #20 in Camera & Photo > Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics > Telescopes > Reflectors
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 20, 2003

Product Description

Ships to the U.S. including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope Classic entry-level scope at an amazing priceCrisp images from the craters of the moon to the edge of the galaxyBig-aperture optics + point-and-view ease of use = out-of-this-world valueWhen the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars, you'll be able to see it allOne-year limited warranty Ample light grasp...Check. Portable...Check. Stable mount...Check. Quick setup and take-down...Check. Easy to operate...Check. Affordable...Check. As you run through the checklist of attributes you've heard are important in a good beginner's telescope, you realize that the Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope meets all the criteria - in spades. Astronomy magazine called it "an excellent entry-level Dobsonian telescope for an adult." It's a telescope that opens up limitless observing possibilities. With its big 150mm diameter parabolic primary mirror the SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope collects nearly 80% more light than a 4.5" reflector, rendering brighter images and greater detail in deep-sky nebulas and star clusters. And the 1200mm focal length gives the telescope ample power to zoom in on subtle planetary and lunar features. The 45"-long enameled-steel optical tube glides wtih silky smoothness on the cabinet-quality Dobsonian wood base. You just point the telescope and view! Orion-engineered CorrecTension springs keep the tube balanced to perfection and allow the whole unit to be carried together by the handle on the base. The XT6 is outfitted with a 1.25" rack-and-pinion focuser, an EZ Finder II reflex sight, collimation cap, and a 25mm Sirius Plssl telescope eyepiece. The mirror is center-marked for precise collimation. The Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope...Check it out, today! One-year limited warranty. This item cannot be shipped internationally due to its size and weight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HUGE bang for buck, September 5, 2008

By 

black thumb (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orion XT 6" Classic (Electronics)

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.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High Performance, Low Price, December 10, 2009

By 

Apollos - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orion XT 6" Classic (Electronics)

I've had my SkyQuest XT6 for almost a month. One of the parts didn't make it with the telescope and it was a week later until it came. So I had a brand new telescope that I couldn't use for a week. I've always heard that Orion has a reputation of great customer service, and I don't doubt that. But it shouldn't have taken a week after the day my telescope arrived to get a very small part to me... small but required, to be able to turn the scope on its mount.

As to its performance, to me the XT6 is pretty amazing. I once had a Newtonian with an 8" mirror that I had custom-made to precise optics and it didn't perform as good as this "off the shelf" XT6. I live in the city so deep sky objects that are observable are few, so I haven't been able to test it on those yet. But my passion is lunar and planetary observing anyway. The craters and mountains on the Moon are absolutely razor sharp. Jupiter is also crisp and well-defined, and is a spectacular sight with its 4 largest moons. Seeing 2 moons on each side of the planet, all 4 lined up in a straight line, is an awesome sight.

The Dobsonian mount is very sturdy and stable. And that's the one thing I would put a note of caution on -- the weight of the telescope if you're a senior citizen (like me) and/or have a bad back or bad neck (like me), or bad knees or whatever. The optical tube weighs about 13 lbs and the Dobsonian mount about 20 lbs. Doesn't sound like much, but the 20 lbs all concentrated in a relatively small area... even using the handle on the mount... may be very heavy for certain people, or for a child to try to handle. But if you're strong and in good physical shape, the telescope should be no problem for you.

And last of all, the most amazing thing about the XT6 is the unbelievable quality of the optics and mount at such an incredibly low price. This has got to be the best deal on the market for a moderate size Newtonian telescope. I can't imagine anyone having a better 6" f/8 Newtonian reflector even at a higher price. The XT6 is a beautiful optical instrument that I'm extremely proud to have.

One other thing that I forgot to mention before: The telescope was almost perfectly collimated upon delivery. I had only to "tweek" it just a hair to get it centered. This is very remarkable when you consider how easy it is to get a Newtonian's optics out of alignment, and that the XT6 arrives by UPS truck. I tip my hat to Orion for that.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Weight not an issue, April 29, 2009

By 

R. Tompson "randyt5194" (720 mps from home) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orion XT 6" Classic (Electronics)

This is my first telescope, so I'll refrain from any comparisons or ratings, apart from things I know something about.

I'm having a blast with my XT6. I bought it used, but it's very easy to use. Its going to be fun learning about the heavens with it.

In retrospect, though, I should have bought the 8" one. I was scared of the weight... I'm 56 years old, and will be moving it from my suburban home to my rural getaway fairly often, and I was worried it would be too heavy for me to carry from the car into the field.

I should not have worried. The 6" scope is quite easy to transport, even with a stool and my milk crate with eyepieces, flashlight, atlas, notebook, etc. The 8" one is 7 pounds heavier, which I could easily handle. And since the optical tube easily separates from the base, breaking into 2 20 pound units, I could make multiple trips if I wanted to. But I shouldn't have really worried... 40 pounds is not a problem for me at all.

Every boat owner wants to buy a bigger boat, and I guess every astronomer wants a bigger bucket. I'm not an astronomer yet, but I do want that XT8 some day soon.

Buy the 6" and know it's a great piece of engineering... or save up another month and get more aperture.