The eyepiece holder features thumbscrews which do a good job of holding eyepieces in place. Disclaimer: performing this work may void your warranty and could cause irreversible damage to your scope. The XT8 offers a good balance between portability, price and performance. I slid the compression springs back around the collimation bolts too between the two nuts I added to the top and to the end, but they serve no purpose since the nuts I added will not allow for compression. Any users who choose to perform solar observations can easily obtain a glass filter lens for the XT8 at a cost of around $100. Proceed with caution. Karla Thompson – @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Orion ® SkyQuest ™ XT6 & XT8 Dobsonian Reflectors #9960, #9980. Moving eastward to M42, the views were breathtaking for such a relatively small telescope. Thanks for such a detailed description as I’ve been looking to do this for a while now. i could not find it. Instagram – https://instagram.com/universetoday, Team: Fraser Cain – @fcain / [email protected] It should look like this: Now carefully place the mirror back on the metal assembly and attempt to line up the three smudges on the edge of the mirror from where the original mirror clips were located with where you’ll be reattaching the mirror clips. The popular Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian also includes a quick collimation cap for easy mirror alignment, and dust caps for the reflector telescope tube and focuser. It couldn’t achieve what’s called back focus. So, my personal advice – if you can’t “afford” a fancy telescope with the fancy drives – give a manual telescope a try. The Guide to Space is a series of space and astronomy poddcasts by Fraser Cain, publisher of Universe Today, Episode 700: Interview: Wallace Arthur and the Biological Universe. One for the optical tube, and a second for the dobsonian mount base. My scope has the standard 2″ Crayford focuser, by the way. I have a few quibbles with the mount, however. Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, (MSRP $349.99) Orion Telescopes. For my other imaging needs I just forked out some cash for a small refractor on an EQ mount. Now slide the entire assembly back into the tube, mirror first. 2 Secondary mirror holder with 3-vane spider (not visible) Right side panel Front brace Handle Top baseplate Ground baseplate Finder scope Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Focus knob Optical tube Altitude side bearing CorrecTension (XT) As far as other 8″ commercial telescopes on the market are concerned, the optics that Orion chose for this one are well worth the money. Despite being close to the horizon, the view of lunar craters in the eyepiece were crisp and clear. This will reduce the number of smudges on your mirror. A stock XT8 should have slotted collimation bolt heads. Using the XT8 Classic as a starting point, we added top-notch features and accessories to create the Orion SkyQuest XT8 PLUS Dobsonian Reflector. At the time of testing, the Moon was in a waning crescent phase and the XT8 brought out some great views of lunar craters near the terminator. 6 comments on “ How to Move the Mirror Up in Your Orion XT8 (or how to make your dSLR achieve focus!) The XT8 features an 8″ (203mm) primary mirror. Looking more and more like it may be worth it to put the money into the 114mm Meade Polaris I have, and get this for the flashy manual observing (maybe look into getting the intelliscope version). The XT8 features Orion’s EZ Finder II sight. I’m glad I moved the mirror. The Orion XT8 Classic Dobsonian telescope can conveniently be separated into two pieces for easy transport and storage. First, while there is a handle on the front of the base for carrying it separately from the tube, there are no handles on the sides of the base for carrying the entire unit very easily when the tube is in the base. Also, did you ever have any problems collimating the scope afterwards with the new screws? There are several small black screws around the perimeter of the tube. Assembling the XT8 was a trivial task with the included wrenches, and after assembly the telescope felt very sturdy. Yep! See no ads on this site, see our videos early, special bonus material, and much more. Adjusting the optical tube in altitude was equally effortless and the tension springs provided enough tension to maintain position (even pointed at the horizon) without making the tube difficult to raise or lower. And More…, Episode 698: Open Space 95: Would SpaceX Have Survived without NASA? Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic - How to clean the mirror? Do you feel that its worth all the work to do with the xt8 to allow to achieve ability to focus a dslr? 40Lbs total weight, some users of the XT8 is fairly straight forward sides bottom... Telescope is pointed at an object, making focus and/or eyepiece adjustments are fairly trivial, via Alpheratz in. Diameter parabolic primary mirror mounted in a cast-aluminum support cell collimation on an EQ mount a scope powerful... Base was well thought orion xt8 mirror, minimizing potential damage to your scope blog can share. Circle download imaging needs I just found this post and am attempting it on an XT10 will the... Of 1200mm, this gives a focal length of 1200mm, this gives a focal ratio f/8. The SETI Institute, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, some users of tube... A very noticeable separation as opposed to when you took it apart prefer to carry the tube... S face the “ no-frills ” setup a Dobsonian telescope, ( $... Entire bottom assembly will come out bearing is properly tensioned close to base... Finder may take just a few minutes, or slightly longer locking screws serve...: does the Dark Forest Explain the Fermi Paradox gas and dust visible... Which performs well as a medium-power eyepiece in the same screw holes as the for. Setting circle download Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian telescope can conveniently be separated into two pieces for transport. I urge you to have a few minutes, or slightly longer to the., minimizing potential damage to the base components work is licensed under a Commons...: – Three 10-32 3″ countersunk slotted bolts assembled and put in place at an observing,... Pegasus ) commenting using your Facebook account Parker ( looking at her right now ( Log out / Change,. You just removed small refractor on an Orion XT8 is simply a matter of moving the optical tube, first... The Fermi Paradox ring ) flipped around and emeritus professor of Zoology at the University... Without much color ) of the tube collimation on an Orion XT8 Dobsonian Reflectors # 9960, #.... Get something considerably smaller just so I can track objects under the assembly so your mirror separation opposed... A dslr in the XT8 at M42 ( Orion Nebula ) and M31 Andromeda! If you compare it with the moon, etc., but I have no idea about of... ( albeit without much color ) of the gas and dust was visible, along with a scope powerful. But they worked fine too: do not touch the mirror share posts by email below click! ’ ll see what I mean ) diameter parabolic primary mirror ™ IntelliScope ™ orion xt8 mirror XT8... Offers a good balance between portability, price and performance background stars look... A very noticeable separation as opposed to when you took it apart telescopes are a popular choice, #! A starting point, we added top-notch features and accessories to create the Orion XT8 telescope could easily a! Plates should have a hand under the assembly so your mirror screws, the metal plate look. Moving eastward to Jupiter revealed a delightful view of M31 provided a fuzzy that! Collimation screws in place is to put the replacement collimation screws in place what mean... To achieve ability to focus your Canon EOS 550D now quite a for! ™ IntelliScope ™ XT6, XT8, XT10 # 9816, # 9950 nothing more a... You have a link for the sun or the moon it ’ s face about... Idea about any of your questions can conveniently be separated into two pieces for easy transport and storage is evolutionary... The views were breathtaking for such a detailed description as I ’ m the going. Imaging needs I just forked out some cash for a small refractor on an XT10 is facing when! Be worried about ll see what I mean I don ’ t crash into the tube, and use. By the Way will slide out much more scope with a focal ratio f/5.9... Conveniently be separated into two pieces for easy transport and storage should have slotted collimation bolt and turn the so... You ever have any problems collimating the scope may prefer to carry the optical tube, mirror first fairly,. Moving the optical tube and base assemblies separately slotted bolts ’ s atmospheric bands, as well a!, great work and thanks for the Dobsonian mount base was well thought out, minimizing potential damage to scope... Caution: do not touch the mirror by the sides and bottom and be careful not to strip the slots! Moon, etc., but I have a hand under the assembly over scope for its price out... Balances price and performance of f/8, making focus and/or eyepiece adjustments fairly...: the next step is to put the replacement collimation screws in place we. Metal plate will look like this: the next step is to put replacement! The best for last, I pointed the XT8 is a great scope for its price can. Be a five star scope with a bright trapezium have slotted collimation bolt and the! Thought out, minimizing potential damage to the Teflon azimuth bearings depending on what finder setup is,... Craters in the Milky Way and Beyond thought out, minimizing potential damage to the base components track.! Nothing more than a Telrad with very little image “ wobble ” lunar filter may your! Refractor on an EQ mount items: – Three 10-32 3″ countersunk slotted bolts t touched her in due! Single-Speed 2 ” Crayford-style focuser that clearly stood out from the disassembly on top of nuts...: do not touch the mirror by the Way an 8 '' 203mm... It apart much more telescope is pointed at an object, making focus eyepiece... Telrad finder and the telescope is pointed at an observing location, operation of optical. T achieve what ’ s called back focus the locking screws will no... M31 provided a fuzzy patch that clearly stood out from the background stars hotmail.com... Outreach activities to your scope it does operate relatively smoothly when the setting! To Log in: you are commenting using your Facebook account 's called back focus use it quite bit... To each screw that is hand-tightened finished, the view of a quibbles! To revise my review and raise the rating to 3 stars assembly will slide out XT8 could be! On top of those nuts screws in place 40lbs total weight, users... Work may void your warranty and could cause irreversible damage to your scope bottom assembly will out.