8-inch telescopes are basically for amateur astronomers. Overall, they provide 800-2415 mm focal lengths, and a range of focal ratios from f/4-f/11.5. They offer twice the light-gathering power of a 4″ telescope. 8-inch telescopes allow magnification up to 300-480x. You can get 8-inch telescopes from different brands in the price range of 570-5,000$.
What is an 8-inch telescope?
An 8-inch telescope refers to a telescope having an aperture (the diameter of the objective lens) of 8-inch (203 mm). An 8-inch telescope is considered to be in the category of a medium telescope.
What can you see with an 8-inch telescope?
- The Moon and its craters
- Jupiter with its cloud belts, and the Great Red Spot. Jupiter’s moons in ruddy orange-yellow color.
- Saturn and its bands, the Cassini Division, and its largest moon-Titan.
- Uranus and Neptune are as an azure disk
- Galaxies like M74 and M83, Whirlpool Galaxy, M51 B/NGC 5195, M81 and M82 in Ursa Major
- The Virgo Cluster
- Globular star clusters like M2, M3, M5, M13, M15, and M92.
- Nebulae like the Ring and Dumbbell, the Blinking Planetary Nebula, and NGC 7027 in Cygnus.
Types and Technical Specifications of 8-inch telescopes
Types (Optical Design)
Newtonian: Example: Meade 8″ f/4 LX85 Astrograph Reflector Optical Tube, Meade 8″ f/4 LX85 Astrograph Reflector Telescope, Starfield f/4 Imaging Newtonian – 8″, Celestron Starsense Explorer 8″ Dobsonian Smartphone Telescope, Orion 8″ f/4 Newtonian Reflector Astrograph, TPO 8″ f/4 Newtonian Reflecting OTA Telescope.
Cassegrain: Example: Meade 8″ f/10 LX85 ACF Telescope with Mount and Tripod, Meade 8″ f/10 LX85 ACF Optical Tube Assembly.
RASA: Example: Celestron RASA 8″ Telescope w/ AVX Mount Bundle – CE-12032, Celestron CGX 8-Inch RASA Telescope Package, Celestron RASA 8″ Telescope w/ Computerized CGEM-II Mount Bundle – CE-12020, Celestron RASA 8″ f/2 OTA.
Modified SCT: Example:Meade LX200-ACF 8″ f/10 Telescope – without Tripod, Celestron CGX 800 EdgeHD Telescope Bundle – CE-12055, Celestron NexStar Evolution 8″ EdgeHD with StarSense, Celestron 8″ EdgeHD Advanced VX Telescope Bundle – CE-12031, Meade 8″ LX200-ACF f/10 OTA Only w/ UHTC, Meade 8″ ACF LX90 Telescope, Celestron CPC Deluxe 800 EdgeHD Telescope.
Ritchey Chretien: Example: Orion 8″ f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope, TPO 8″ f/8 Ritchey Chretien Steel Astrograph with TPO 2″ Focuser, iOptron Photron 200 RC OTA,TPO 8″ Carbon Fiber f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope.
Dobsonian: Example: Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope Kit, Sky-Watcher Classic 200P f/5.9 Dobsonian Telescope, Sky-Watcher Flextube 200P f/5.9 8″ Dobsonian, Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope.
SCT: Example: Celestron CGEM II· 800 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope – CE- 12010, Celestron CGX 800 Computerized Telescope, Celestron Advanced VX 8″ Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope Bundle – CE-12026, Celestron CPC 800 GPS (XLT) Computerized Telescope Bundle – CE-11073-XLT, Celestron C· 8 -A XLT CGE Optical Tube Assembly, Celestron NexStar Evolution 8″ Computerized Telescope, Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope.
Dall Kirkham: Example: Takahashi Mewlon-210 f/11.5 Dall Kirkham Reflecting OTA Telescope.
Technical Specifications
Aperture: 8-inch (203 mm)
Focal Length: 800-2415 mm
Focal ratio: f/4-f/11.5
Highest Magnification: 300-480
Light Gathering Power: 816-900x
Price: 570-5,000$
Images taken with 8-inch telescopes
Examples of 8-inch telescopes
- Meade 8″ f/4 LX85 Astrograph Reflector Optical Tube
- Meade 8″ f/10 LX85 ACF Telescope with Mount and Tripod
- Meade 8″ f/4 LX85 Astrograph Reflector Telescope
- Starfield f/4 Imaging Newtonian – 8″
- Celestron RASA 8″ Telescope w/ AVX Mount Bundle – CE-12032
- Celestron CGX 8-Inch RASA Telescope Package
- Celestron RASA 8″ f/2 OTA
- Meade LX200-ACF 8″ f/10 Telescope – without Tripod
- Orion 8″ f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope
- Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope Kit
- Celestron CGEM-II 800 EdgeHD Telescope – CE-12017
- Celestron CGEM II· 800 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope – CE- 12010
- Celestron CGX 800 Computerized Telescope
- Celestron CGX 800 EdgeHD Telescope Bundle – CE-12055
- Celestron NexStar Evolution 8″ EdgeHD with StarSense
- Sky-Watcher Classic 200P f/5.9 Dobsonian Telescope
- TPO 8″ f/8 Ritchey Chretien Steel Astrograph with TPO 2″ Focuser
- Celestron 8″ EdgeHD Advanced VX Telescope Bundle – CE-12031
- Celestron Advanced VX 8″ Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope Bundle – CE-12026
- Sky-Watcher Flextube 200P f/5.9 8″ Dobsonian Telescope
- SKU : SW-S11700
- Celestron CPC 800 GPS (XLT) Computerized Telescope Bundle – CE-11073-XLT
- Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
- Meade 8″ f/10 LX85 ACF Optical Tube Assembly
- Celestron Starsense Explorer 8″ Dobsonian Smartphone Telescope
- Orion 8″ f/4 Newtonian Reflector Astrograph
- iOptron Photron 200 RC OTA
- Sky-Watcher 8″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope
- TPO 8″ Carbon Fiber f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope
- Takahashi Mewlon-210 f/11.5 Dall Kirkham Reflecting OTA Telescope
- Celestron C· 8 -A XLT CGE Optical Tube Assembly
- Meade 8″ LX200-ACF f/10 OTA Only w/ UHTC
- TPO 8″ f/4 Newtonian Reflecting OTA Telescope
- Meade 8″ ACF LX90 Telescope
- Celestron CPC Deluxe 800 EdgeHD Telescope
- Celestron NexStar Evolution 8″ Computerized Telescope
- Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope
How do 8-inch telescopes compare to other size telescopes
8-inch vs 9.25-inch telescope
8-inch telescopes provide a focal length of 800-2415 mm with a focal ratio of f/4-f/11.5. In contrast, 9.25-inch telescopes vary from 2350-2500 mm in focal length with a focal ratio of f/10. However, the price of the 9.25-inch scope is three times that of the 8-inch scope. Moreover, 9.25-inch telescopes provide 406-555x highest magnification, which is 300-480x in the case of 8-inch telescopes.
| 8-inch telescope | 9.25-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 8-inch (203 mm) | 9.25-inch (235 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/4-f/11.5 | f/10 |
| Focal Length | 800-2415 mm | 2350-2500 mm |
| Highest Magnification | 300-480x | 406-555x |
| Price | 570-5,000$ | 1,899-8,320$ |
8-inch vs 10-inch telescope
8-inch telescopes have less aperture than the 10-inch telescopes. They offer a focal ratio of f/3.9-f/10 whereas the 8-inch telescopes provide f/4-f/11.5. Besides, 8-inch telescopes offer a focal length of 800-2415 mm whereas the 10-inch telescopes vary from 1000-2500 mm in focal lengths.
| 8-inch telescope | 10-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 8-inch (203 mm) | 10-inch (254 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/4-f/11.5 | f/3.9-f/10 |
| Focal Length | 800-2415 mm | 1000-2500 mm |
| Highest Magnification | 300-480x | 500-600x |
| Price | 570-5,000$ | 630-10,000$ |
8-inch vs 11-inch telescopes
8-inch telescope has less aperture than the 11-inch telescopes. They offer a focal ratio of f/4-f/11.5 whereas the 11-inch telescopes vary from f/2.2-f/10. Besides, 11-inch telescopes offer a focal length of 620-2800 mm whereas the 8-inch telescopes start from 800 mm to 2415 mm mm in focal lengths. Moreover, 8-inch telescopes provide 300-480x the highest magnification, whereas 11-inch telescopes can magnify up to 558-558.8x..
| 8-inch telescope | 11-inch telescopes | |
| Aperture | 8-inch (203 mm) | 11-inch (279 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/4-f/11.5 | f/2.2-f/10 |
| Focal Length | 800-2415 mm | 620-2800 mm |
| Highest Magnification | 300-480x | 558-558.8x |
| Price | 570-5,000$ | 2,400-6,500$ |
8-inch vs 12-inch telescope
8-inch telescopes provide focal lengths of 800-2415 mm (f/4-f/11.5), while 12-inch telescopes vary in focal lengths from 1200-1525 mm (f/3.93- f/5). 8-inch telescopes provide the highest magnification of 300-480x, whereas 12-inch telescopes can magnify 600x.
| 8-inch telescope | 12-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 8-inch (203 mm) | 12-inch (305 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/4-f/11.5 | f/3.93- f/5 |
| Focal Length | 800-2415 mm | 1200-1525 mm |
| Highest Magnification | 300-480x | 600x |
| Price | 570-5,000$ | 1,200-2,550$ |