Telescopes

Orion SkyQuest 4.5 Dobsonian

I bought Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 in the summer 2003 as an entry-level scope to get familiar with observing in Ithaca. It is an excellent beginner's telescope, and for the price ($199) is very hard to match. I have enjoyed it, and still enjoy, very much. Easy to set up, fast to cool and comfortable to use. Well, it is only 4.5" of aperture, but it takes almost no time to set it up and use. There are many online reviews (e.g. here or here) of Orion SkyQuest XT4.5, all of them quite enthusiastic - which I agree! There are two drawbacks: first is the aperture - it 4.5" and it is small, while the second one is its height. I am 6' 2" tall and I spend all the time with XT4.5 kneeling (or even stretching flat when pointing). The scope comes with two Sirus Plossl eyepieces 10mm and 25mm.

I bought full aperture glass solar filter for this scope and I am still using it as a solar telescope today. It is easy to move around and deploy anytime. My daughter now uses it to learn star hopping skills and enjouy entry into the amateur astronomy. It is an excellent starting scope!