![]() The supplied red dot finder will help you aim the telescope anywhere in the sky. We have a good list of eyepiece recommendations for every budget are listed in the article here. ![]() For more compact targets like globular clusters and planetary nebulae, most users will want to add at least one more eyepiece for greater magnification. I enjoyed the 25mm for sweeping the summer Milky Way as well as observing star clusters. This single-speed focuser is sufficiently smooth and precise to make fine adjustments at virtually any magnification, though a dual-speed focuser would be a nice upgrade.įor accessories, the XT8 Classic comes with a 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece providing 48x magnification. Speaking of which, this unit comes supplied with a 2” Crayford-style focuser with a 1.2”” adapter. You simply push or pull the telescope where you want it to go, using the convenient navigation knob located near the focuser. ![]() Vibrations are minimal through the solid Dobsonian base, which is intuitive to use. It does what you want every manually-driven telescope to do: it moves easily and stays where you point it without sagging. In the FieldĮven for a beginner, the XT8 Classic is a dream to use under the stars. My unit arrived with good collimation from the factory, and I never needed to adjust it more than once or twice a year.Ī collimation cap is sufficient for this purpose, though some prefer to use a laser collimator and Cheshire eyepiece for greater precision. The primary mirror is center-marked to aid the process. The XT8 Classic uses knurled bolts for tool-free collimation of the primary mirror, and hex screws for the secondary, all standard for this type of telescope. This is called collimation, and it is a source of anxiety among new telescope owners. The mirrors of a reflecting telescope must be in alignment with the optical path for it to work properly. If you have any issues with the size or weight, you can simply bring the base out first and then carry the OTA out separately. It is possible for one person to lift the assembled telescope and carry it outside, as I did dozens of times. Whichever one you get, you will want to set the scope outside in daylight to get this aligned the first time you use it, as it will make aiming the telescope much easier. Most units are supplied with a red dot finder, though some may come with a 9×50 finderscope instead. I found they worked well, and I never felt the need for any sort of counterweight. These springs serve the dual purpose of keeping the OTA from falling off the base and adding tension to keep the scope balanced while in use. This consists of a pair of springs attached to the OTA which hook onto bolts in the base. The XT8 uses a system called CorrecTension to marry these two parts together. To set up the telescope, all you do is place the OTA so that the large plastic bearings rest in the wooden cradle of the base. (Side note from Corey: My wife was SHOCKED when the thing arrived, it looks like a cannon.) The optical tube is over 45” long and appears even larger in the box. The optical tube assembly (OTA) comes fully assembled in its own box, and if you’ve never seen one of these things before, let me warn you that they are big. If you are ordering a brand new XT8, the base will come flat-packed with an Allen key for screwing together the various boards.Īs I recall, there are only five pieces to assemble, and the process is fairly easy. They provide the best price-to-performance ratio for visual use.Īs we will see in this review, the XT8 Classic is exemplary of these traits.They are straightforward and easy to use.These telescopes come highly recommended for two main reasons: Technically other optical designs can be mounted on Dobsonian bases but reflectors are by far the most common. If the same telescope is mounted on a tripod, it is not a Dobsonian. The term Dobsonian refers to a Newtonian reflecting telescope mounted on a wooden base. In this picture you can see the CorrecTension spring, eyepiece tray, 2-inch focuser, and primary mirror collimation screws.
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