More Information  · Supplied Accessories Price $279.95 Shipping $59.95 Highest Useful Magnification 240x Visual Limiting Magnitude 13.4 Focal Length 1200mm Focal Ratio f/8 Resolution 0.77 arc seconds Aperture 6" Net Weight 34.5 lbs. Heaviest Single Component 20.9 lbs. Warranty 1 year

The relatively long focal ratio and small diagonal mirror obstruction of the Orion XT6 gives it the high contrast you need for exceptionally detailed views within the solar system. Its 6” aperture gives you the good light-gathering (over 450 times greater than the human eye) that you need for capturing faint deep space wonders. Binary stars, open and globular star clusters, faint nebulas and galaxies – all are revealed in exceptional and subtle detail, even through mildly light-polluted suburban skies.

The Orion SkyQuest is human powered. You move the scope manually – which is faster, quieter, and much less expensive than a motorized system. With only two major components to assemble (tube and base), and a heaviest single component weight of under 21 pounds, the scope takes only a minute or two to set up and is easily carried by any fit individual. It can be used in your back yard or at a distant dark sky site (the preferred observing location if you want to get the utmost out of its faint object observing capabilities). Its good optical quality and very reasonable price make it an excellent buy for the beginner or more advanced astronomer alike.

This Telescope’s Optical System . . .

Newtonian reflector optical tube: 6” (150mm) aperture classical Newtonian optics, 1200mm focal length, f/8 focal ratio. The durable 45.5” long x 7.25” diameter rolled steel optical tube is finished in gleaming black enamel. It weighs only 13.5 pounds, so it is easy to transport. A “navigation knob” at the top of the tube provides a convenient grip and makes it easy for you to aim the scope at different parts of the skies.

Fully coated optics: The 6” soda-lime plate glass parabolic primary mirror is coated with highly reflective aluminum, then overcoated with a protective layer of silicon dioxide (quartz) for long life.

Primary mirror cell: The die cast aluminum cell has push-pull locking collimation screw pairs that help to hold the correct collimation longer.

Diagonal mirror: The 1.36” m.a. soda-lime plate glass diagonal is also coated with aluminum and overcoated with quartz. It is mounted in a fully-collimatable mirror holder on a thin four-vane spider for minimum diffraction and higher contrast.

Finderscope: The EZ Finder II non-magnifying illuminated red dot finder projects a small dot of red light on a clear viewing window. The dot is focused at infinity to show you precisely where your scope is pointed. Simply move the scope until the red dot on the 10° wide viewing window lines up with an object you want to see and your scope eyepiece will automatically be centered on that object. You see the sky through the EZ Finder II viewing window the way it appears on star charts, making it easy to orient yourself on the sky. There’s no confusing mirror image or upside down view such as the one you see in a conventional magnifying finder. The brightness of the red dot is adjustable to suit your preference. Thumbwheels allow fine positioning of the dot horizontally and vertically for precise alignment with the main telescope.

Focuser: 1.25” rack and pinion type.

Eyepiece: A multicoated 25mm 1.25” Sirius Plössl is standard equipment. The 25mm eyepiece provides 48x, with a 1.08° field, more than twice the diameter of the full Moon, for expansive deep space views.

Collimating tool: A pinhole-type collimating cap that fits into the focuser drawtube allows quick alignment of the primary and diagonal mirrors. If more precise alignment is desired, an optional battery-powered LaserMate laser collimator is available. The primary mirror is center-marked for easier collimation.

Software: Included is a special edition CD-ROM of Starry Night software. This is a very capable basic first step into exploring the night sky on your PC or Mac computer. You can use it to plan your observing sessions and print out star charts on your computer to take out with your telescope to explore with your own eyes the objects the program shows you.

This Telescope’s Mount . . .

Dobsonian mount: The particle board Dobsonian altazimuth mount base has a triangular ground board (rather than circular) to reduce the weight of the base to only 20.9 lbs. The base is shipped disassembled and needs to be assembled only once, unless you disassemble it to save space for long-term storage. The assembly process takes about 30 minutes and requires no special tools. The total weight of the scope is under 34.5 pounds. It’s light enough to allow many people to pick up the scope with one hand and carry it in and out of the house using the attached handle, without having to disassemble it!

Altitude and azimuth bearings: The altitude bearings rest in ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene pads for smooth vertical motion. The azimuth bearing uses Teflon bearing pads for equally smooth “stiction-free” horizontal motion.

CorrecTension balance system: The dual spring tension system applies the correct level of tension to the altitude bearings to balance the weight of different eyepieces. With the CorrecTension system, you can change eyepieces or add a Barlow lens without having to hold the tube in place in altitude by hand or tediously adjust the telescope’s balance with counterweights as you do with other Dobsonians when the eyepiece weight changes.

What can you see though the Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic? A surprising amount! Thanks to its relatively long f/8 focal ratio, its contrast on lunar and planetary details is astonishing. Since it is a reflector, it has none of the spurious color that masks faint planetary details in achromatic refractors. The rings of Saturn are routinely visible through the standard 25mm Plössl eyepiece at 48x, as are lunar mountain ranges and craters by the hundreds. With optional higher power eyepieces, Cassini’s Division in Saturn’s rings is routinely resolved, and the ring system itself is a magnificent sight.

While the 6” is exceptional within the solar system, deep space observing is not slighted. Binary stars and clusters are well resolved because of the scope’s high contrast. The Trapezium in Orion is easily seen, wreathed in glowing nebulosity. An optional 40mm eyepiece on the 6” provides a 5mm exit pupil. This gives virtually the same performance on faint objects as a 6” rich field reflector, but with better contrast that helps galaxies and nebulas stand out against a darker sky.

The standard equipment supplied with the SkyQuest XT6 makes it a complete working telescope for a visual astronomer – whether it’s your first scope or a step-up from a smaller scope. You can set it up and start observing almost as soon as it arrives. Photography is not possible with this manually-operated Dobsonian telescope. The 6” Orion SkyQuest XT6 is designed for visual observing only – to show you as much of the night skies as possible. It does it very well indeed, at a surprisingly affordable pri