Examining the Labeling and Features of the Orion SkyQuest Series
Orion Telescopes, known for their SkyQuest Dobsonian line, ceased operations in mid-2024 due to various challenges such as light pollution, supply chain issues, increased competition, and financial strain following their 2021 acquisition of Meade Instruments [1].
Despite the closure and the Orion website going offline, some SkyQuest Dobsonian telescopes, including the popular XT6 and XT8 models, remain available in the market as of mid-2025 [2][3]. These may be from remaining stock or third-party sellers.
The SkyQuest Dobsonian line consisted of solid-tube Newtonian and truss design Newtonian optical tubes, available in manual, PushTo, and GoTo models [1]. The XT series, which includes the Intelliscope and GoTo series, featured the same optical tubes within size, with differences lying in the mount and accessory packages [4].
The Orion SkyQuest XT Intelliscope series, for instance, was based on the same Dobsonian mount as the non-Intelliscope series, but with the addition of encoders, wiring, and a handset [4]. This series also featured computer-assisted mounts, also known as PushTo or digital setting circle mounts [4]. The base in this series did not incorporate motors, requiring the user to "PushTo" the target with computer guidance [4].
One of the standout models in the XT Intelliscope series was the XT8, owned by the astronomy club's member [5]. The XX12i, featuring a truss tube design, was another model from this series [4].
The SkyQuest XT GoTo series, on the other hand, included models like the XT8G, XT10G, XT12G, XX12G, XX14G, and XX16G [4]. In this series, motors had been added to the mount, allowing the user to enter a target into the hand control, hit the GoTo button, and have the mount move the optical tube to the target and track it as it moved through the sky [4].
However, new production of Orion SkyQuest Dobsonian telescopes appears to have stopped post-2024. Meade's website remains operational, but there is no indication that Meade has continued or integrated Orion's SkyQuest Dobsonian manual, PushTo, or GoTo lines into its own offerings after the acquisition, nor that these product lines have been continued under Meade branding [1].
This means for users interested in Orion SkyQuest Dobsonians, options now primarily involve secondary market purchases or remaining retail stock, rather than new releases post-2024.
[1] Orion Telescopes & Binoculars Official Website
[2] Telescope.com
[3] Amazon
[4] Cloudynights.com
[5] Astronomy Club
- Some third-party sellers and remaining retail stock still offer manual, PushTo, and GoTo models from the Orion SkyQuest Dobsonian line, such as the XT6 and XT8, as of mid-2025.
- The Orion SkyQuest XT Intelliscope series, like the XT8, used a Dobsonian mount with computer-assisted guidance, while the XT GoTo series, including the XT8G, XT10G, XT12G, and so on, featured motorized mounts for automatic movement and tracking of telescopes.
- As Orion Telescopes ceased operations in mid-2024, new production of Orion SkyQuest Dobsonian telescopes has stopped, and neither Meade Instruments nor its website indicate a continuation of Orion's SkyQuest Dobsonian manual, PushTo, or GoTo lines post-acquisition.
