Combining huge light-gathering power with remarkable portability, the Orion 8" XLT Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical Tube (SCT) is a true hobbyist's telescope.

It features the vaunted 8"-diameter, hand-figured Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system manufactured in the U.S.A. by Celestron. The optics are coated with StarBright XLT high-performance multi-coatings. With a long focal length of 2032mm, this f/10.0 system packs plenty of power should your interest lie in high-magnification study of lunar and planetary surfaces, and big aperture for visual and photographic forays to faint nebulas and galaxies. (An f/6.3 Reducer-Corrector lens accessory, #5120, is also available for wider-field viewing and astrophotography.)

The aluminum optical tube comes equipped with a large helical focus knob on the rear cell and a dovetail mounting rail that fits the Orion SkyView Pro and Atlas mounts and Celestron's CG-5 mount. Also included are a front dust cap and 1.25" visual back, but no other accessories. There are pretapped holes on the top of the tube for an Orion Dovetail Finder Scope Base (#7215), which is compatible with all Orion finder scopes and the EZ Finder II reflex sight.

Two-year limited warranty.

The StarBright XLT System — What Makes It Different Makes It Better
Celestron is proud to introduce a revolutionary coating system that outperforms any other coating in the commercial telescope market. All Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes sold by Orion include this premium-quality optical coating.

There are three major components that make up Celestron's StarBright XLT high transmission optical system design:

1. Unique enhanced multi-layer mirror coatings
The mirror coatings are made from precise layers of Aluminum (Al), SiO₂ (quartz), TiO₂ (Titanium Dioxide), and Si0₂. Reflectivity is fairly flat across the spectrum, optimizing it for both CCD imaging and visual use.

2. Multi-layer anti-reflective coatings
Made from precise layers of MgF₂ (Magnesium Fluoride), and HfO₂ (Hafnium Dioxide). A rare element costing nearly $2,000 per kilogram, Hafnium gives us a wider band pass than Titanium, which is used in competing coatings.

3. High Transmission Water White glass
Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain optical systems with StarBright XLT coatings use Water White glass instead of Soda Lime glass for the corrector lens. Water White glass transmits about 90.5% without anti-reflective coatings. That is 3.5% better transmission than uncoated Soda Lime glass. When Water White glass is used in conjunction with StarBright XLT's anti-reflective coatings, the average transmission reaches 97.4% — an 8% improvement!

These three components of StarBright XLT coatings result in one of the finest coatings available. The peak transmission for the systems is 89% at 520 nm. The overall system transmission is 83.5% averaged over the spectrum from 400 to 750 nm.

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

Need Instructions?
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