Orion 8946 SkyQuest XT10 Classic Dobsonian Telescope review

Welcome to the Big Dob!

The Orion SkyQuest XT10 Classic Dobsonian telescope provides high quality optics and performance within a package that may seem big at the beginning but you’ll get accustomed to with time. Created for serious amateurs with a true passion for astronomy, this scope is among the most affordable, high quality instruments on the market right now. So, the Orion XT10 is not just for the passionate beginner wishing to decipher the mysteries of the deeper universe, it’s also a telescope that can be used by people who already have experience in this field and are looking to upgrade their tools.

The price is absolutely fantastic for the power and performance it brings! So, for around $630 you can buy a telescope that delivers fantastic clarity and brilliant intensity to offer amazing images of celestial objects like galaxies, clusters of stars, and nebulae. The intense illumination is made possible by the huge 254 mm diameter aperture on the Orion XT10, and nothing demonstrates this better than observations of closer objects such as the Moon in such high detail that you will need a filter to reduce the intensity! The Orion 8946 SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian Telescope is large in size, having a 10 inch aperture but it compensates by being easy to install and use as it provides a point and view system without any other complex settings.

Orion XT10 Mounting Base

The Orion 8946 SkyQuest XT10 Classic Dobsonian Telescope has a stable base and utilises the Orion Correct Tension friction adjustment system to make sure your tube is perfectly balanced regardless of the position. The standard package is equipped with one Crayford focusing eyepiece (2 inches) for precision, 1 x 25mm Plossl eyepiece, caps to keep the dust away, one collimation cap, one EZ sight finder, and the Star Night software. The parabolic reflecting mirrors and internal optics that make up this precision telescope are housed within the impressive enameled steel optical tube to ensure the protection of the valuables inside.

The Orion 8946 SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian Telescope is recommended to be used near home because it’s not the easiest telescope in terms of transportation. Otherwise, the mounting doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to set up and the system is extremely stable allowing deep sky observation. Another amazing activity that this telescope supports is astrophotography. You will need to upgrade it a bit by purchasing a T-ring and a universal adapter for a DSLR camera but you will manage to take a few amazing pictures of the sky due to its capacity to gather light and offer clear images. The only problem with the XT10 when it comes to astrophotography is that it doesn’t have the necessary motors for tracking and planets will drift away from your eyepiece.

Still, you will be able to take a few good pictures if you’re quick.

The Orion XT10 will exceed your expectations!

The Orion 8946 SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian Telescope has a fantastic reputation for exceeding users expectations, and in spite of being a large device, we consider it to be the best telescope beginners as well as more experienced astronomers. The aperture and brilliant optical components deliver clear images of distant objects and amazing details for closer ones. Thus, using an XT10, the Moon will reveal all its secrets and galaxies and nebulae won’t seem so far away.

The Orion 8946 SkyQuest XT10 Classic Dobsonian Telescope leaves plenty of space for upgrading so, if you want something more advanced, you could consider purchasing an upgraded eyepiece. Still, the standard package is a more than ample telescope, with amazing optics and fantastic clear images!

We recommend you click here to look at the Orion XT10 at the Amazon store.