I had the good fortune to have a local retailer lend out the 10″ Atlas to me so I could write this review. When I saw this Orion telescope for the first time I leapt for joy, finally here was the scope I had hoped would one day be built. I was looking at a 10″ Dobsonian sitting on an equatorial mount with built-in dual drives. All my Christmases had come at once.

This is an amazing Orion telescope to look at, the image above does not do it justice. Other than it being extremely large you know before you even touch it that this is a serious Orion telescope. The mount has 2″ diameter steel tube legs which is understandable when you see what it has to hold up. The large 10″ optical tube is in gun metal grey which makes it look very formidable and I know this scope is going to cause a stir when it starts showing up at star parties.

My first problem was getting this scope in the car, my second problem was setting it up. This Orion telescope optical tube assembly weighs 30 lbs and all set up without weights is around 54lbs. But that was not about to faze me as I anticipated the coming night.

And it was worth it as I pointed it straight at Jupiter. My favorite planet looked excellent, 4 cloud bands with a great amount of detail and color in the swirling clouds. I watched as Io moved across the face of Jupiter. Next was Saturn, looking like a flying saucer the Cassini division in Saturn’s rings is easily seen as is Titan and two other moons of Saturn. Then came Mars, I could see the polar caps and dark shades of the valleys and mountains.

But this Orion telescope was built for deep space so on I went to view Horsehead Nebula, Trifid Nebula-NGC 6514, the Ring Nebula-NGC 6720, M51, M81, M82, M104, and the Pinwheel Galaxy all were stunning. With its high quality resolution the views were sharp with good definition.

It is hard to believe that you can buy this whole package for only $1,299. Orion has taken their telescopes to a new level and we are the winners. The Orion telescope is for the serious amateur enthusiast. It is heavy, but if you can handle that then you are going to love this great Orion telescope.

If you love photography you will be pleased to know that the optical design on this Orion telescope allows prime-focus astrophotography with a 35mm camera. The aluminum primary mirror cell has been designed to maximize ventilation for efficient cooling of the mirror, making cool down time around 20 to 30 minutes.

Product Description

• Orion telescope aperture – 254mm (10″)
• Parabolic mirror made from premium Pyrex low-expansion glass
• Focal length of 1200mm (f/4.7)
• Center-marked for precise collimation plus a quick-collimation cap included
• 2″ focuser designed for easy collimation (with 1.25″ adapter)
• Extra-large, spring-loaded collimation thumbscrews
• Rolled steel tube is finished in metallic gunmetal gray enamel
• Large 9×50 achromatic crosshair finder scope
• Eyepieces – 2 Sirius Plossl 25mm (48x) and 10mm (120x) focal lengths
• Heavy-duty Atlas equatorial mount with 2″-diameter stainless steel tubular legs
• Integrated electronic stepper motor drives on both axes
• External pushbutton hand controller offering slewing speeds of 2x, 8x, and 16x sidereal rate
• Northern/Southern Hemisphere setting as well as labeled RA and Dec buttons and RA and Dec reverse switches
• Weight of mount/tripod without counterweights: 54 lbs
• Weight of optical tube assembly: 30 lbs
• Orion telescope has a one-year limited warranty

Recommendation

This Orion telescope takes deep sky observing to a whole new level. This scope is designed for the serious enthusiast. And when you consider how much telescope you are getting for so little money I know you are going to love this scope.

I highly recommend this Orion telescope to anyone who loves astronomy. You will find this great Orion telescope at CatalogCity. But you may have to be prepared for the waiting list.