Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes have enjoyed tremendous popularity among amateur astronomers ever since they came into commercial production back in the mid to late 1960s. It's not hard to understand why. Their large-aperture optics gather a tremendous amount of light, rendering high-resolution images of solar system and deep-space subjects. Their long focal lengths give them serious magnifying power. Their compact tubes don't require gigantic telescope mounts to support them and are wonderfully portable. They excel for both visual astronomy and astrophotography. And not least in importance, they've always been affordably priced.

For almost as many years — since 1975 — Orion's popularity has grown, too. Our brand has come to represent solid value backed by the best customer service and satisfaction in the business, hands down. So we thought it was time to offer Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes customized with Orion mounts and accessories, to make it even easier for you to own a telescope that will provide a lifetime of enjoyment under the stars.

Orion SkyView Pro 9.25 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope Schmidt-Cassegrain features the vaunted 9.25" hand-figured Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system manufactured in the U.S.A. by Celestron. The optics are coated with the very best high-performance multi-coatings: StarBright XLT (read more about XLT below). The 9.25" optics gather 34% more light than 8" optics, giving this telescope more capability for detecting and discerning structure in deep-sky objects.

With a long focal length of 2350mm, this f/10.0 system packs plenty of power should your interest lie in high-magnification study of lunar and planetary surfaces, and plenty of aperture for visual and photographic forays to faint nebulas and galaxies.

The aluminum optical tube is paired with the sturdy Orion SkyView Pro equatorial mount, which has a steel-leg tripod with a cast metal spreader bar/accessory tray. The tube couples to the mount quickly via the dovetail rail on the underside of the tube assembly. The telescope mount comes with manual slow-motion controls and accepts optional TrueTrack single- or dual-axis electronic drives for automatic tracking and guiding. The all-metal equatorial head features enclosed 360° worm gears plus large, 86mm-diameter setting circles for easy object location by celestial coordinates. An optional polar-alignment scope is available for precise polar alignment. Azimuth fine adjustment and a latitude scale facilitate the polar alignment process.

Two-year limited warranty.

The StarBright XLT System — What Makes It Different Makes It Better
Revolutionary coating system outperforms any other coating in the commercial telescope market. All Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes sold by Orion include this premium-quality optical coating system.

There are three major components that make up the 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.