Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 17-228x114 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, 900mm f/7.9 Focal Length, 1.02 arc sec Resolving Power, 1.25" Rack-and-Pinion Focuser

With an Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 17-228x114 Classic Dobsonian Telescope stargazing is easy and fun for the whole family. Its portable size, innovative design and point-and-view simplicity make it an extremely user-friendly telescope for beginners and intermediate stargazers alike.

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian's Newtonian reflector tube assembly features a big 4.5" (114mm) diameter light-gathering mirror housed in an enameled steel tube. This spherical primary mirror pulls in 260% more starlight than the lens of a 60mm refractor (the classic beginner telescope), which means this telescope can provide you and your family with views of hundreds of more objects. The 4.5" Classic Dobsonian is a great telescope for surveying the Moon's many craters, valleys and mountains. It's relatively long focal length and f/8 focal ratio provides well-defined views of Jupiter's cloud band stripes and nearby Galilean moons, not to mention Saturn and its awe-inspiring rings. This telescope is not limited to only view objects in solar system. The SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian is a great telescope to use while star-hopping among the Milky Way's diverse star clusters and nebulas.

The Orion SkyQuest 4.5 Classic Dobsonian telescope has been designed with ease-of-use in mind. It's a true "Dobsonian" telescope, having all the great features and value that make the Dobsonian reflector design so popular. Intuitive up-down, left-right altazimuth maneuverability makes it a cinch for everyone in the family to use the XT4.5 reflector telescope. As with other Orion Classic Dobsonian telescopes, you don't have to worry about lock knobs or other balancing adjustments. The SkyQuest XT4.5's wooden Dobsonian base provides sturdy support of the reflector optical tube and it features non-stick PTFE/Nylon bearing pads so the scope glides smoothly with just a gentle nudge of the navigation knob on the front of the telescope. The Dobsonian base provides far greater stability than the tripods included with most beginner scopes, so your views will always be steady and free of frustrating vibrations and shakes.

Like other critically acclaimed SkyQuest Classic Dobsonian reflector telescopes, the XT4.5 sports exclusive CorrecTension Friction Optimization system for superior optical tube balance and motion control. The CorrecTension springs also keep the tube securely fastened to the Dobsonian base, so the whole telescope can be carried as a single unit by the handle installed on the tube. There's literally no setting up or dismantling needed each time the telescope is used. The entire telescope weighs just 17.6 lbs. (tube 9 lbs., base 8.6 lbs.), so it's easy for almost anyone in the family to take to your favorite observing site, whether it's just a few steps out the back door, or off in the dark skies of nearby hills.

The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Dobsonian Telescope comes complete with great accessories so you'll be ready for stargazing action as soon as you open the box. Instead of a small 5x finder scope or reflex sight like you get with most beginner scopes, you get a 6x26 achromatic correct-image finder scope which makes it easier to aim the telescope at celestial objects of interest. The previously mentioned navigation knob attached to the front of the reflector optical tube enables easy slewing, or re-positioning, of the Dobsonian reflector telescope. You also get two fully coated 1.25" Sirius Plossl telescope eyepieces are 25mm for wider-field views at 36x power magnification and a 10mm for getting in close at 91x power.