If you are on the market for a fantastic Dobsonian telescope, then you’ve come to the right place. In this buying guide, we’re taking a look at the Orion 8944 SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope and the Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope. By the time you are finished reading this guide, you will know which telescope is right for you.
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What Does The Orion 8944 SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope Offer?
The Orion 8944 SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is the first Dobsonian telescope we’re going to be looking at. When you take this telescope out of the box, you’ll notice that it has a simple, clean, and comfortable design. Setting this telescope up isn’t too difficult, but it certainly helps to have some familiarity with telescopes. Right after you’ve set it up, though, you won’t have any problems figuring out how to use it and what it does.

One nice thing this telescope has is a good manual. By reading this manual, you won’t have any issues figuring out what does what, with regards to how to set up and use the telescope. That way, if you aren’t too familiar with telescopes, then you can just read the manual and you’ll be able to figure out what needs to be done.
Right after you’ve set up this Dobsonian telescope, you can begin to use it. While using it, you’ll be relying on its excellent six-inch aperture. By having this aperture, it’s extremely easy for you to see the moon and the other planets in the solar system. For gazing deep into the stars, this six-inch aperture is also very useful. But, it isn’t ideal for especially deep star-gazing, since the aperture isn’t designed for that purpose.

Finding the different stars and planets that you want to see, using this telescope, is far from a challenge. Much of this convenience comes from the fact that this telescope doesn’t require a polar alignment. Because of that, even though certain features are a little complicated, you aren’t going to have any problems using this telescope to find the celestial bodies that you would like to view.
The entirety of this telescope is attached to a very stable Dobsonian base. Due to this base’s stability, the image that you will see through the telescope is vibration-free. Even if you’re looking at a celestial body with as much focus as you can, the image will be crisp and clear. Plus, the motions this telescope offers are nice and smooth, allowing you to track celestial bodies with complete ease.
In the end, the Orion 8944 SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is a fantastic Dobsonian telescope! It has a wonderful design that allows for an easy, but elaborate, star-gazing experience. If that is what you need, then this is an excellent telescope to purchase.
What Does The Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope Offer?
The Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope offers much of what the Orion 8944 offers. In fact, if you take a look at this telescope, it’s unlikely that, at first glance, you’ll notice much of a difference. But, with that being said, there are a few differences that must be mentioned.

Unlike the Orion 8944, which had a six-inch aperture, this Dobsonian telescope has an eight-inch aperture. That may not sound like a significant difference – and, in many ways, it isn’t – but it does change the celestial bodies that you can view. If you would like to view celestial bodies that are further away and harder to perceive, then having this eight-inch aperture is extremely useful, as it makes it easier for you to do that.
Since this Dobsonian telescope has an eight-inch aperture, rather than a six-inch aperture, it’s a bit larger than the Orion 8944. Because of this, it isn’t as easy to move this telescope around. But, it’s still small enough that it doesn’t take up too much space.

To go along with those changes, this telescope comes with a Crayford focuser, a Sirius-Plossl eyepiece, and an EZ Finder II reflex cap. Each of these components is useful in its own way.
Beyond those minor differences, this Dobsonian telescope embraces the conventions of Orion’s Dobsonian telescope design. And that’s a good thing, considering this telescope is very durable, relatively easy-to-use, and quite powerful.
If you loved what the Orion 8944 had to offer, but need a Dobsonian telescope with a larger aperture, then the Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope will be a fantastic purchase!

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