Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope for Adults - High Powered Beginner Astronomy Telescope for Moon, Planets & Deep-sky Objects

As a complete novice, I went with the XT 6" because it seemed to be a reasonably priced telescope --- not too big, not too small --- and powerful enough to provide good crisp views of the moon (which is all I was really interested in 'exploring').First, the product is easy to put together -- maybe half an hour of simple assembly. In fact, all you are doing is constructing the swivel stand -- there is no assembly required for the scope itself.Next, the 6" is a bit large -- not something you're going to cart around much (as an aside, its impressive size makes for a very cool conversation piece when not in use. I keep mine in our media room and it always draws questions from visitors. It may sound trivial, but it's a good-looking, visually alluring item!Now the really good part: this machine puts you on the moon! I finished putting my baby together by early evening and couldn't wait to try it out, so I carried it into the yard and pointed it at the sky. Mind you, it was still a very bright sky -- the sun had set and the full moon was sitting in a sea of light-blue dusk. With no difficulty I located my target and I'm sure my neighbors heard my startled gasp as I took my first look at the lunar surface. It was so crisp, so full with detail that I pulled my head back from the lens and let fly an expletive. I was knocked out by what I was seeing! My joy increased ten fold when I attached the Orion Shorty 1.25 2x Barrow magnifier lens that I purchased at the same time (highly recommended) -- the detail was stunning. And this is smack in the middle of a city with plenty of sunlight still in the sky.This all occurred in April 2011. Time passed, and being not much more than a hobbyist, I spent the summer occasionally pulling out the scope when the urge struck to pass a few hours studying the lunar surface. My kids, their friends, family, and others were treated to their first real look at our heavenly neighbor -- "you wanna see something amazing?" is the line I always use before blowing someone's mind -- and then something even more amazing happened:The other night, Oct. 20th, I was out in the yard letting the dog do her thing when I noticed a very large, bright "star". More seasoned sky-watchers may roll their eyes but I had no idea what I was looking at, so I thought to pull out the Orion and give it a look. I had to patiently locate the object because the battery had worn down on the laser scope/finder, but once I had zeroed in on the 'star' and turned the focus knob I gave a repeat performance of the first time I had 'found' the moon: it was JUPITER!And I mean, it really was Jupiter! I could see the familiar streaks of the planet's surface and it took me a few seconds to realize that the four tiny "stars" surrounding the sphere were Jupiters MOONS! I was stunned! I ran into the house yelling "Jupiter...I see Jupiter!"As luck would have it, my kids both had a few friends over and everyone was treated to their first real look at another planet. Gasps and hushed exclamations were plentiful, "Oh...my..God!" as my wife put it. It was a great and memorable experience.All of this may sound corny -- especially to anyone who really knows astronomy and has more experience viewing heavenly objects -- but I need to express how mind-blowing all of this is to someone who has only ever "seen" our solar system in pictures and illustrations. To really see something like Jupiter or the canals and craters of the moon is a profound experience.Get this scope if you're at all interested in such things. This is a great item. Remember to get some magnification via an add-on lens. They really do enhance the experience. I intend to get even more magnification because if there's only one negative it's that I crave more detail. Maybe that's something an 8" or larger would automatically provide, but I'm content with the 6" as a matter of practicality and price.

Great telescope for the beginner or novice!Assembly: Assembly was a breeze but definitely helps when you have a pair of helping hands. It states the assembled weight is roughly 35lbs. Moving and transporting the scope and mount assembly is a little nerve wrecking at first because the mount seems to be made of simulated wood instead of the real thing, and only has a single handle on the front mounting panel. I personally am an avid weight lifter so I don't personally have a problem moving this around, however, if you don't think you can handle the weight of the assembled product, you might want to look into something a little smaller.Quality: Aside from the mount, which although seems sturdy, I have to somewhat question how durable this is through frequent and time tested usage. Simply put, I can't let it lose a star because it hasn't yet been a problem. You're already moving a quite sensitive piece of equipment, so you already know to be gentle and take care!Lining up the view finder with the scope: It was simple. I preferred to use multiple objects at mid length range like smoke stacks on a building, a stop sign about a 1/4 mile out, and smaller objects as well in the DAYLIGHT to adjust the view finder properly. It really isn't difficult at all and once aligned, it is a BREEZE to go ahead and locate just about any object. I planned to originally use the moon, however, considering the moon moves relatively quickly across the sky, I opted for stationary targets.The scope comes with a 25mm lens, and that's about it. Decent for viewing the moon in full and easily, wider range views, and seeing SOME minor planetary features. I saw the rings of Saturn, and even FAINTLY saw cloud belts on jupiter and three of its moons. A slightly higher magnification lens will definitely be added to my arsenal in the near future, as well as a barlow. A Moon filter will be vital for looking at the moon for any length of time in its brighter phases as it can easily distort your vision and appears VERY bright. I do not have the best viewing conditions where I am located, but so far, I have been about as pleased as I could be with this purchase, without any additional accessories. My first night out was partly cloudy and I live within 50 miles of chicago and the city I live in is also quite bright and populated. I still found Saturn in decent viewing, Jupiter and its moons, our moon, mars, etc.Versatility: Versatility is ok for what it is, considering its tremendous size. The bolt on the bottom that allows you to move the scope on its azimuth can be adjusted easily to modify how easily or difficult it is to move it. I actually over-tightened it at first and it was difficult to move it without turning the entire assembly. On the flip side, under tightening it will allow it to move too freely which is probably even worse for alignment purposes. I wound up building a small table to mount the scope on. I am 5'11 and found that when viewing objects low on the horizon I had to bend a bit too much and it gave me a lower backache. My table was built to a height of 12.5" and it solved this problem. I even added a shelf for storage of my future lenses and the lens caps!In comparison/closing: This is a fantastic scope for it's value! Years ago, I purchased a tripod Celestron 70AZ scope and the mounting system was very unstable and horrible to keep aligned as the scope always dropped off of whatever I was viewing. I returned it that same week as defective as no matter how hard I tightened the thumbscrews it was never enough. If you have the extra money, you may want to consider the XT8, but then again, if you had that extra money you'd probably be considering the XT10 or larger. I definitely recommend a good barlow, some filters and also some various sized lenses, as much like a camera, the lens makes a huge difference!