Orion SkyQuest XT10 Intelliscope with Object Locator REVIEW

This is a consumer review for the latest model of the Orion SkyQuest XT10 Intelliscope with Object Locator. This review is targeted to first time buyers of telescopes or for people who are looking to upgrade to the next level. If you have already shopped for a new telescope, you probably noticed that there are many choices out in the market place. There are several telescopes in the $400-$450 range that have the full “GoTo” technology for star navigation and tracking. The problem is the typical aperture for these scopes ranges from 4” to 5” wide. Celestron and Meade both have very nice telescopes that fall into this range. As we all learn when shopping for a new telescope, aperture is the most important aspect to a scope as it is all about the light gathering capability then followed by optics and magnification. As many have seen, refractor telescopes tend to be too expensive for first time buyers. Then there are the Dobsonian mounted Reflector versions that by far give the consumer the most aperture for the buck – by far! The SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian telescope sells for about $670 with the “Object Locator”. That is more than double the aperture for only a couple hundred dollars more. If you are serious about viewing deep space objects, then the larger aperture is a must!

The SkyQuest XT10 has a nice 10” “light bucket” aperture with an equally impressive 47” focal length. The Focal Ratio is 4.7 which is great to see objects as dim as 13 to 14 magnitude. This telescope comes with parabolic optics which includes a primary and secondary mirror as well as two Sirius Possl 25mm and 10mm eye pieces. This telescope also includes a large view finder scope and new 2” Crayford focuser. Then you have the option to purchase the telescope with the “Object Locator” which advertises the capability to track 14,000 celestial objects with push button ease. Orion included a new base and mount design that appears to have addressed previous balancing and jerking problems (per older reviews).

I purchased the SkyQuest XT10 with the object locator. I ordered online from Telescope.com and my telescope as well as several accessories shipped the next day Fedex ground. In less than a week two boxes carrying the telescope arrived at my front door. Orion packages the telescopes very well and everything was in good shape upon delivery.

You do have to assemble the base of the Dobsonian mount which includes some small circuit boards for the altitude and azimuth encoders (important for the object locator). I am one of those people that do not excel at assembling things like desks, furniture, etc. I always seem to screw it up and in many cases assemble it wrong. Fortunately, in this case, I took my time and re-read the instructions as I slowly assembled the telescope. I find that I am a visual person so the directions could have had more pictures through the step by step process – never the less, if you take your time and carefully read the instructions, you should have no problems assembling this scope. If I can do it, you can do it. The telescope tube assembly with the mirrors, view finder and eyepiece holder is already assembled and ready to go!

There is a hidden feature on the Object Locator controller that allows you to conduct several tests to see that the encoders are working properly. I would suggest running those tests as they help in confirming that you assembled everything correctly. Also, collimating the telescope proved challenging at first but once I played with it, eventually I got the hang of calibrating the mirrors to the eyepiece. I found the Collimation cap that was included with the telescope to be more helpful than the laser collimator that I bought separately.

I first played with the telescope during the day, calibrating the view finder to the eyepiece and in general just reading through the entire instruction manual. On my maiden voyage in the dark, I struggled at first finding the correct bright stars to use for the two star alignment procedure which will calibrate the object locator and scope with the night sky. I strongly suggest you learn the constellations and alpha stars (brightest stars) so that you can easily use Orion’s included calibration star maps with ease. If you are not familiar with the night sky, you will have some difficulty finding the correct stars to make a successful alignment. Once I did align my new scope to two bright starts of my choice, I was impressed with the accuracy of the alignment. I could punch in M31 and the scope would direct me to the field of view for that Messier object. Infact, using the 25mm eyepiece first, I found that objects where in or on the edge of the field of view of the eyepiece. It was too easy!. I have read in other reviews that people had trouble with alignment and calibrating the object locator and scope to the night sky. Clearly you need to assemble the scope correctly and make sure the encoders are working correctly. The scope needs to be in collimation and you need to center the CORRECT stars in the field of view using the 10mm eyepiece. Then, only then will you enjoy almost pin point accuracy.

I found that the Starry Night software that is included is helpful indoors but too cumbersome outside. The object locator is really all you need. Though you can track the night sky also using your lab top and Starry Night, it appears they did not include a night vision filter so your eyes will be blinded by the bright interface. Other versions of Starry Night appear to have more bells and whistles and the Orion version that comes with your telescope is a bare bones version. It is still helpful for printing star maps to take outside and or learning more about what is in the sky above. It is still worth exploring but needs to be upgraded for better use ($225.00 upgrade!)

For the value of this scope, coupled with its impressive aperture and object locator, I am more than satisfied with my purchase. Last night I viewed a handful of Messier objects with ease. As with anything, it takes some getting used to for optimal operation, but once you spend a few hours successfully navigating and viewing the heavens above, the SkyQuest XT10 telescope quickly pays for itself. I strongly recommend this telescope to anyone just getting into observational astronomy or looking to upgrade to a better telescope without breaking the bank.

Expectations

I currently live in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago. I actually live much closer to the Wisconsin border than the Chicago downtown area putting my vantage point about 45 miles NW from the Michigan lakefront and less than 20 miles south of the WI state line. With the exception of small villages and towns, I live in farm country which means the overall light pollution is minimal. Excluding a couple annoying street lights, my neighborhood is relatively dark at night – a plus for observational astronomy.

My expectations are many though simple in nature: I am interested in avidly pursuing amateur observational astronomy from my backyard and on camping trips on a regular basis. From my backyard, I have about a ½ acre of grass with various views that will give me close to a 360 degree vantage point to the heavens above. Younger trees will give way to accessible horizons and dark nights should give way to better views of space and time.

I am awaiting a new Orion SkyQuest XT10 IntelliScope with Object Locator. With a 250mm aperture and a focal length of 1200mm, I should be able to enjoy deep space objects up to 14.7 stellar magnitude. Though I am very interested in navigating the constellations to find objects on my own accord, I am happy to have a semi automated computer software assisted object locator to help when it becomes difficult to find a specific object. Using software from Starry Night Pro and my Dell laptop, I will have access to over 14,000 celestial objects.

I look forward to the hobby of searching out and cataloging objects from the NGC, IC and Messier catalogs as well as other essential viewing items like local planets and binary star systems. I look forward to attempting to map out portions of our moon and tracking the satellites of Jupiter. Using sketch books and colored pencils, I will sketch the images I find noting the time, place and tools used to observe a particular object. When appropriate, I will photograph, using short exposures, celestial objects like the lunar surface, planets and other objects if possible. Though I will be keeping a separate written journal of my observations, I intend to update this blog when possible with pertinent and noteworthy information.

Introduction

As a young child, I was always interested and even enthralled in Astronomy. My childhood room was decorated with rocket ships and space shuttle models, pictures and books of the celestial heavens above. As a young teenager, I owned my first telescope: I believe it was an inexpensive refractor with maybe a 3” aperture; really only good to view the moon and a few planets. Yet, never disappointed, I pointed that little telescope all over the heavens looking for shooting stars, satellites and distinctions in star color.

In college, I took courses in Astronomy including Beginning Astronomy, Advanced Astronomy and also an Observational Astronomy lab all of which continued to fuel my appetite. Later in college I began experimenting with primitive astrophotography, taking short exposures of planets, the moon and an occasional lunar eclipse.

Now, in the present, after marriage and child, my love for Astronomy has been rekindled. It took a recent camping trip up in central Wisconsin to bring my interest back full circle. One of our camping companions hauled his impressive 10” homemade telescope to the campsite. Despite a rather hazy and overcast couple of nights, the views of Jupiter were amazing. We looked at a binary star system and peeked in at the Pleiades Star Cluster. I was hooked again.

For really no ones pleasure but mine, I introduce The Celestial Chronicle; An Amateur Observational Astronomy Journal. My goal is to begin slowly cataloging the many amazing objects that reveal themselves in the night sky including celestial bodies to deep space objects.