$Celestron Omni XLT 120 Refractor — image 1$

Celestron

Celestron Omni XLT 120 Refractor

A 120mm achromat on a proper CG-4 equatorial mount, sharp, high-contrast views of the Moon, planets and doubles, with a tracking-capable mount you can grow into.

80/ 100

Polaris Score

#1 of 5 intermediate refractors

See the breakdown ↓

Aperture

120mm

Focal Length

1000mm

Focal Ratio

f/8.3

Mount Type

Equatorial

Optical Design

Refractor

Weight

13.0 kg

From$849.95

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What it's built forOpen these in the simulator →

This telescope was built for sweeping wide.

A short, fast refractor with a generous true field — the whole sword of Orion in one view, star fields that spill past the field stop. It rewards low power and dark skies far more than chasing magnification.

Widest true fieldsTack-sharp to the edge

The view people remember

The Double Cluster, side by side.

Two glittering knots of stars sharing one low-power field — a wide, effortless showpiece that rewards the biggest true field you can throw at it.

See Double Cluster through this telescope →

Where else it shines

Within reach

Orion Nebula

Stronger structure — embedded stars plus dark lanes within the core

Open view →

Easy first target

The Pleiades

Rich field — fainter members fill out the cluster

Open view →

Rewards a dark sky

Andromeda Galaxy

Definite galaxy shape — core stands out against the sky

Open view →

Also excellent on

Saturn

Recognizable disk with subtle markings under steady seeing

Open view →

✦

Tight planetary detail belongs to a longer scope. This one trades reach for a breathtaking field.

01What it's good at

What it's best at — and the trade-offs.

Best at

✓120mm at f/8.3 gives crisp, high-contrast planetary and lunar views with well-controlled colour for an achromat.

✓The CG-4 German equatorial mount tracks the sky with a slow-motion or optional motor drive.

✓XLT multi-coatings squeeze extra brightness and contrast from the optics.

✓A real intermediate instrument that rewards better eyepieces as you grow.

Trade-offs

!An achromat still shows some violet fringing on the brightest stars.

!The German equatorial mount takes learning and a rough polar alignment.

!Heavy and bulky compared with a small apo.

!A motor drive for hands-free tracking is an extra purchase.

02In plain English

What These Numbers Mean

Aperture

120 mm

Nearly five inches of unobstructed lens, which gives high-contrast planetary and lunar views and enough light grasp for the brighter deep-sky objects. Refractors of this size punch above their aperture on the Moon and planets because there is no central obstruction.

Focal length

1000 mm

A metre of focal length gives 100x with a 10 mm eyepiece and reaches 200x with a 5 mm, which suits the planetary and double-star work this scope is best at. A 32 mm eyepiece still yields a usable 31x for clusters.

Focal ratio

f/8.3

Moderately slow, which keeps colour error under control for an achromat and makes ordinary eyepieces perform well. There is still some violet fringing on the brightest objects, which is inherent to the two-element design.

Optical design

Achromatic refractor with XLT coatings

A sealed doublet lens with enhanced coatings: nothing to collimate, minimal cooling, and consistent performance session after session. An ED or apochromatic doublet would remove the residual colour, at several times the price.

Weight

13 kg complete

About 29 lb with the CG-4 mount and tripod, and the tube is long. Most people carry it out in two pieces, and the length means a solid setup surface matters.

Mount

CG-4 German equatorial

A proper equatorial with slow-motion controls that tracks with one knob once polar aligned, and accepts motor drives later. It is adequate rather than generous for a metre-long tube, so let vibrations settle before judging the view.

02The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

80/ 100

Celestron Omni XLT 120 Refractor

#1 of 5 intermediate refractors

Performance

Ease of use

Portability

Upgrade potential

Polaris weighs optical capability, how easy the scope is to live with, how portable it is, and how far it takes you before you outgrow it — not list price or brand.

03Who it's for