Review on Explore The Night Skies With The Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope by Jonathan Waritani

I have always been interested in astronomy since I was young and my parents bought me one of those department store scopes. It was pretty horrible, couldn't even make out the moon. Recently I have regained interest and after doing several days of research, all the sources pointed to this scope. I live in Northern Las Vegas so light pollution, smog, and the hot air currents degrade visibility a lot. I was hesitant but an hour drive will get you to the middle of the desert where it is pitch black.Packing was pretty simple, two boxes, one with the scope (a bit overwhelmingly large) and one with the base. I was able to assemble it in about 1 and a half hours. Construction feels pretty solid and precise. It's size is impressive to those who do not know much about telescopes and I have got a few "wow's" so far. My friends have assumed it was in the $3000 range. One little nit pick, the manual mentions there is supposed to be an eye piece holder included but it is not. I called and Orion said it is only for the XT6 model.Since this is my first scope, I got the 2x Barlow lens and the 13% moon filter. They work very well but I do not recommend buying them separate. Instead, just get the accessories kit that already includes them. Trying to get an exchange on them now. I would also recommend getting the carrying case for protection. This is a pretty large scope and begs to get hit in a door way at some point. The base has a carrying handle but I do not trust it. It feels too low to the center of gravity and feels very awkward.I have not been able to actually take the scope out far, but I did set it up on the 3rd floor balcony of my apartment over looking North Las Vegas towards the West. Even with all of the pollution from smog, light, and the hot air rising, this scope reveals MANY more stars in the sky than the naked eye can see! I was absolutely amazed at the number of stars I could see. As of 9 April, Venus and Jupiter are visible from my balcony. I used the Reflex scope to quickly find them. With the stock eye piece, Venus shows up very bright. I tried the moon filter and Barlow lens just to see what it would look like. It looked very brilliant! Jupiter was even more impressive. Noting the pollution and a night that was quite cloudy, I was able to clearly see 4 of the moons and the gas bands on the planet. Just for fun, I then pointed the scope on Mt. Charleston and found what appears to be a radar station and several towers(Not the ski resort for sure) After that, I pointed it towards the strip and was able to clearly read the neon signs and billboards from about 11-12 miles away, without the Barlows! (Note that terrestrial viewing will be inverted) All of the images were bright enough to hold my phone up to as a poormans astro-photography device.For the price, I am very pleased with this scope. I would recommend it to anyone who is new and serious about astronomy.