Is the Orion SkyQuest XT10 Classic a good telescope? What all can I see with it?

[blackhole1027]

Do you consider a 10 inch a small or large telescope?? On a scale from 1 to 10 how would yall rate the skyquest xt10

[laurahal42]

Nice scope. Good value.

All the usual criteria apply: do not buy from anything other than a telescope store, but you tend not to find such telescopes at department stores. Hook up with local astronomers to see just what is possible, and what things actually look like through amateur scopes. I can tell you what I see in my 8" SCT and 12" Dob, but only you can decide if it's right for you.

[Jack T]

Hmmm... I would say 8. Quite small.

[pluraldon]

The SkyQuest XT10 is a very nice telescope for visual observing. The 10 inch aperture is considered medium to large for amateur astronomy. The rating of this scope really depends on what you want to do with it. If you are looking for a deep sky visual scope that will show planets, nebula, clusters, and bright galaxies then this scope should do the trick if the sky is dark enough. (Remember, if you live in the city with bright skies then your ability to see faint objects is reduced). Plus, this scope is pretty portable to get to better skies.

If your goal is to try astrophotography then this is not the choice for you - except, if you want to use a webcam for pictures of the moon and the planets.

Many observers give this scope a 8-10 out of 10 for the optics. Be sure to not cheap out on the eyepieces - they make a big difference in your observing.

If you are new to astronomy be aware that the deep sky objects like galaxies will not look like the photos you see in books and magazines. They are faint but viewable. However, the moon and the planets will blow you away with this scope.

See my source below for ratings and reviews. Enjoy!!

[Larry454]

Hello Blackhole -

The 10 inch is an excellent choice, with which you will be able to see the following from a reasonably dark site:

1. All of the planets (maybe not Pluto - I have an 11 inch Celestron and I've never bothered to try), the rings and a few moons of Saturn, storm belts and 4 moons of Jupiter, the crescent shape of Venus (when it is on our side of the sun).
2. Great terrain features on the moon.
3. All of the Messier objects (ghostlike nebulae, beautiful star clusters, distant galaxies) - that's 106 deep sky objects.
4. Many deep sky objects that were not seen by Messier - like the Veil Nebula and NGC4565 - a famous edge-on galaxy with a striking dust lane across the nucleus.

I think this a great scope, with the understanding that astrophotography, as mentioned above, is not really an option. Also, be aware that without a clock drive, you will have to continuously move the scope manually to keep objects centered in the field of view (due to the rotation of the earth). So if you are planning on doing classroom demos, you may want to consider a catadioptric or a reflector with an equatorial mount and a clock drive.

Also, if you decide to go bigger, you may have trouble lugging it around and setting it up. So, all in all, I think you are making an excellent choice. Good Luck and Clear Skies!

[EVERYTHING]

I'm seeing many people say that the XT10 is the best telescope! And 10" is big! I'm guessing by looking the others good comments about the XT10, I could guess a rating of 8 for the XT10.