Now everyone with a curiosity for space can explore its wonders to their hearts’ content. With an Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian reflector 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 our 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 Teflon/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 our other critically acclaimed SkyQuest Classic Dobsonian reflector telescopes, the XT4.5 sports our 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. That’s a big plus! 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: a 25mm for wider-field views at 36x power magnification, and a 10mm for getting in close at 91x power.

Don’t discourage a budding interest in astronomy with a flimsy department store telescope. The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian is a real telescope, not a toy. It’s a quality astronomical telescope capable of delivering high-resolution images of astronomical objects; which is why Mom, Dad, and the rest of the gang will enjoy using it, too. Hey, the line forms at the eyepiece!

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

• Best for viewing

  Brighter deep sky
• Best for imaging

  Lunar & planetary
  
• User Level

  Beginner
  
• Optical Desing

  Reflector
• Optical Diameter
  

  Optical diameter

  

  The optical diameter (also known as aperture), is the size of the telescope's main light collecting lens or mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. As the diameter increases, more light is collected and the resolution increases.

  114mm
• Focal Length
  

  Focal length

  

  The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

  900mm
• Focal Ratio
  

  Focal ratio

  

  The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

  f/7.9
• Eyepieces

  Sirius Plossl 25.0mm (1.25")
• Magnification with included eyepieces

  48x
• Resolving Power
  

  Resolving power

  

  The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

  0.57arc*sec
• Lowest Magnification
  

  Lowest useful magnification

  

  Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

  17x
• Highest Magnification
  

  Highest useful magnification

  

  The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification. But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

  228x
• Highest theoretical magnification

  228x
•  Limiting Magnitude
  

  Limiting stellar magnitude

  

  The limiting stellar magnitude is a measure of the faintest star you can see through the telescope.

  12.9
• Finder scope

  6x26 Correct-image
• Focuser

  1.25" Rack-and-pinion
• Secondary mirror obstruction

  47mm
• Secondary mirror obstruction by diameter

  28mm
• Secondary mirror obstruction by area

  6%
• Mirror coatings/over-coatings

  Aluminum & Silicon Dioxide
• Mount type

  Dobsonian
• Astro-imaging Capability
  

  Astro-imaging capability

  

  The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

  Lunar & planetary
• Bearing material

  Teflon and UHMW bearings
• Tube material

  Steel
• Tripod material

  Wood
• Weight, fully assembled

  17.6 lbs.
• Other features

  CorrecTension system, Navigation knob, Integral carry handle
• Warranty

  One year