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Scope size comparison


John

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As it's pouring with rain this evening I thought I'd post this snap of 3 scopes to show their relative sizes. From left to right, SkyWatcher Evostar 150mm F/8, Skywatcher ED120, Orion Optics 250mm F/4.8. As you can see a 6" refractor is a bit of a beast :hello2:

In terms of weight, the 150mm F/8 is around 20lbs, the ED120, 14lbs and the 250mm Newt around 21lbs.

post-12764-133877783457_thumb.jpg

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T.... You tend to think that a six inch refractor would be smaller than they are. I was once deluded and thought maybe I could get one past the wife. :)

Yep - no way could you "sneak one in" :hello2:

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John, just a question. When you're deciding what scope to use for a given evening's observation what are you deciding upon as you choose the given OTA? I ask because in the future (around Christmas, I imagine) I'm thinking of purchasing another scope and not sure if to up the aperture with an 8" Newtonian or a 6" refractor I'm also wondering if there really would be a significant difference in viewing potential between the 6" refractor and an 8" Newtonian, because from my own limited experience I haven't seen much difference in what the Tal 4" can do and what a 6" Newt comes up with.

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I've just posted in another thread on that topic:

http://stargazerslounge.com/showthread.php?p=2326245#post2326245

As the 6" refractor is new to me and still being fine tuned to work with the Chromacor CA corrector, I'm not sure where it will feature in my "fleet" as yet.

Aperture will always show deep sky objects better, noticeably better if there is 2" or more difference so I'd probably recommend an 8" newtonian for your next purchase.

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Hmmm that is interesting John. I can't help but think I would be reaching for the OO each time. Almost the same length and weight but near twice the light grasp of the 6". I do like the pin point views through a frak but the brighter views offered by the 10" would save a lot of searching for detail on the fainter stuff.

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I don't see the 6" refractor as a replacement for the 10" OO. I've always hankered after a 6" ED and the achro / Chromacor combo is the most affordable way to achieve that, by a long way. The last 6" ED doublet that went up for sale was around £2K used - I've invested a heck of a lot less than that :hello2:

That said, my garden is not great for DSO observing having trees, houses and street lights around it so often I find a refractor very satisfying despite it's aperture limitations.

As I've said in other threads, over the years I've consistently enjoyed using refractors more than any other scope type :)

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Refractors do seem to get monsterous as the aperture increases beyond around 5 inches. I came across this photo of a binoscope made from two 10" apos :hello2:

post-12764-133877783699_thumb.jpg

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I went to our local astroshop for some solarfoil yesterday and saw one of these 6" refractors in the flesh (or plastic). I guess I can forget about fitting one of these on an eq5

I've used a 150mm F/8 on the Celestron CG5 mount and it was usable enough for visual observing. The CG5 has a heavier duty tripod than the EQ5 though.

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I've used a 150mm F/8 on the Celestron CG5 mount and it was usable enough for visual observing. The CG5 has a heavier duty tripod than the EQ5 though.

Really?

I've seen some of these 150 evostars (achro's) around 400 euro in Germany but thought the cost of mounting it would be too high. This is really interesting.

Regards,

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I don't think I'd pay as much as that for one - the last one I bought and sold was in the £150 region for the bare optical tube I recall. I found the CG5 OK for it because I had dual axis drives fitted and used anti-vibration pads. Without those the vibrations might have been more intrusive.

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Out of curiosity John, do you get away without using counterbalance on your giro type mount with your bigger scopes? I'm guessing the 150 would be way too much for the AZ4 to handle. I have never seen a 6" refractor in the flesh so to speak but that pic really puts the size into perspective! Looking forward to your first light report with that beastie!

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I use a counterweight when I want to smooth the axis motions out - they offer just a little friction without it. In terms of balance though, it's not going to topple over without a counterweight - my Ambermille alt-az with the 2" steel CG5 tripod is a pretty heavy mount, heavier again with the 16" pillar extension. The scope is well within the the tripod tips too.

A counterweight is more or less mandatory when I have my 10" newtonian on the same mount though because the C of G of the scope is further away from the mount hub.

As for 1st light - it's been pretty cloudy since I got the Moonlite up an running again (replacement bearing) so I've not really had more than a few glimpses with the scope. The collimation has to be really spot on for the Chromacor to function effectively so thats my priority at the moment. Luckily I like tinkering with refractors :smiley:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Refractors do seem to get monsterous as the aperture increases beyond around 5 inches. I came across this photo of a binoscope made from two 10" apos :icon_eek:

Incredible!! That might be the coolest telescope set up I have ever seen.

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