Purchasing the first space telescope can be a tricky job. There are a number of things you need to take into account when purchasing a telescope, and there are very many telescopes available in the market. What would be a good telescope for a beginner or amateur? How much it would cost? What should I take into account when purchasing a telescope? What can I see with it? Which one is the best for less than $1000? Are these the questions you have already asked yourself?

As mentioned above, there are a lot of telescopes in the market, and it is difficult to choose the right one. This article does not provide you instructions for purchasing a telescope, but it recommends you one very good telescope. It is a popular amateur telescope with which many people are very satisfied. How do I know this? I have discussed with people in forums for many years, I have read hundreds of astronomy magazines, I have crawled through thousands of websites and I have fellow amateur astronomers with whom I have discussed about telescope. Based on my readings, discussions and experience, I recommend Orion SkyQuest Intelliscope for those who are
1. beginners or amateurs
2. are interested in observing the deep space
3. are willing to spend $500-$1500
4. are looking for a bit higher quality

What makes Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope so good? Let’s find out!

Dim objects, so called deep space objects, have always been difficult for beginners to find. Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope provides a very solution to this problem. Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope telescopes are equiped with computer aided directing. Orion SkyQuest does not use a motor in finding the object. Instead the telescope’s LED panel tells you how to turn the telescope so that you can see the object. You simply select the object from a list of 14.000 objects in the remote control, or you write it by yourself and press Enter. Next the remote control system tells you how to turn the telescope so that the object will be seen. You can also use this feature in reverse order. Turn the telescope towards an object and ask what it is. If the object is in the list of 14.000 objects, the remote control systems tells you the nake of the object. You can also add new objects to the list by yourself.

The hunt is dim objects requires a strong ability to gather light. It is said that a minimum diameter of the main mirror in telescopes is 200 mm. for deep space observations. A mirror of this size mean that the telescope itself is rather big in size. Such a big telescope is difficult to mount to a tripod, and therefore Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope comes with a Dobson type pedestal (see the picture).

Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope is delivered in pieces, so you need to build it before you can use it. Building the telescope is easy and the instructions are easy to follow. When you are done, the next thing to do is to calibrate the computer of the telescope. First you turn the telescope to a well-known star and press Enter. If the star is correct one, the system says “Thank You”. Next you turn the telescope to another well-known star and press Enter. If the star is the right one, the computer is calibrated and your Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope is ready to use. If the stars are not what they should be, such as Sirius, the cimputer recognizes it and asks you to redirect the telescope.

Usage of the telescope is very straightforward. You simply write the name of the object you are interested to observe, press Enter, and the system gives you the instructions for directing the telescope. Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope knows Messier, NGC and IC deep space objects. In addition you can use a search feature to find the object you are interested in. Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope provides also the interesting objects of the month, possibility to add own objects and various testing features.

Orion SkyQuest is a very good telescope for those who already know something about the space and objects in there. It is also a good telescope for those who have recently got interested in astronomy and are seriously looking for a good telescope that can be used several years.

There are four different models of Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope, all based on the size of the mirror.
XT6 - mirror 150 mm.
XT8 - mirror 203 mm.
XT10 - mirror 254 mm.
XT12 - mirror 305 mm.

All Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope models include some free ad-ons, such as Plössl oculars 25 mm. and 10 mm. Because this depends on the shop selling the telescopes, I recomend you to discuss with your shop.

You can also purchase some ad-ons to your Orion SkyQuest telescope. Again, I recommend checking the details of ad-ons as well as prices from webshops.

All these models of Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope are available in Amazon with pretty low prices. Check out the telescopes and prices by clicking the links below. It takes you to Amazon webshop from where you can easily order the telescope if you are interested in purchasing one.