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Oo-ps! I broke it, but what to do next?


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Let me start by saying I am a newbie. I bought a three month old Orion Optics VX8 in January, my first scope. Upgraded optics, synscan EQ5, I love it.

Last Saturday evening I was setting up on a gorgeously clear, very cold evening when the whole lot went down, first hitting the mirror cell end and the bouncing onto the focuser. Summary: a right-off!

Barry from Orion Optics was brilliant and wrote an accurate summary of the damage and the Insurance company have been fantastic, money will be in the bank for a replacement very soon.

I am itching to order a new one and hope to collect it next weekend, if it could be built that quickly. My only hesitation is that the list price increase for a VX10 is only £185. Aperture envy is kicking in and I have also seen some results of what this tube is capable of, which are tempting me.

My questions: is the extra aperture worth the uplift cost? Would I really see and image that much more with the extra 2"? Am I better off saying my money for some other inevitable spend?

I appreciate all comments and opinions.

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From what I heard - 2" of aperture won't make a big difference. You would need to upgrade by 2-3" to see it clearly. Obviously, it will be there, but it might be much less then what you're expecting.

It might still be worth it depending on your circumstances. If you can handle a bigger, heavier OTA - why not. But then again - a 10" newtonian is a beast. I'm currently thinking of replacing my 8" newtonian with a 8" SCT just because taking it out is a huge logistics operation and I believe it causes me to go out stargazing less and less ( unfortunately I live in a flat ).

So, to sum up - be sure the extra weigth, price etc. are worth it, as I personally think you won't see much difference between 8 and 10" or aperture.

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That's a good point you make about the size of it. I had struggled with the size of the VX8 on a couple of occasions.

I would need to go for the HEQ5 as a minimum but I think this is needed anyway as the 8 was a little too big for the EQ5, especially when plugging a SLR in.

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Personally I think any increase in aperture is worth having as long as the optical quality is kept as well. The Orion Optics tubes are quite a bit lighter than the Skywatcher or GSO equivilents. My 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics tube weighs around the same as the Skywatcher 10" F/4.7 does.

However, I agree that the EQ5 would be overwhelmed by an OO 10" and is probably marginal with an 8". Also, I would always buy Orion Optics scopes from the used market simply because they depreciate so much. I know you are not buying it as an investment but your money would extend to a 12" or even larger on the used market.

Mind you, that would need an even larger mount upgrade !.

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I'd suggest a 10" would need an EQ6 - even with OOS lighter tubes its still a sail of a telescope.  Theres a big difference in overall size between a 10" and an 8"

take a look here to give you some sense of scale http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/89362-look-at-the-size-of-that-thing/?_sm_au_=iMH4MLrDjKfFVn0Q

Thats between Skywatcher tubes but I cant see the overall dimensioning being that much different with OO.  I found the 10" even on the EQ6 was too much of a beast and wobbled badly in the lightest breeze which is why it was sold off in the end.

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I forgot to mention that a super stead mount is worth an inch of aperture.  To really appreciate how much a solid mount contributes (and few of us I suspect really do have a super solid mount) try seriously over mounting a scope.  When I put the TAL on the HEQ5 its a wonder how much better it performs.

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You will always get an increase in resolution when you up the diameter of an objective. Ignore the diameter,  

The important thing is the extra area an extra 2" of diameter offers.

An 8"  Area is 50.2 Square Inches.

A 10" has an area of 78.5 square inches.

Quite an additional light collecting area.

Ron.

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Thank you all, some very good points made. Particular thanks to Astro_Baby, seeing the difference in size is very useful, its not just the extra diameter but a substantial increase in length and of course weight; I suspect the VX10 on HEQ5 would be fine for observing but would struggle for imaging in the same way that the VX8 was with the EQ5.

I take your point John about the second hand value but they are fairly scarce and I may still end up paying out for a bigger mount if I went upsize.

A bad case of aperture envy maybe? Not so much a cure as temporary reprieve: I have decided to go for a shiny new VX8 with 1/10pv optics but with the HEQ5 for stability.

Thanks for your help.

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YOu might find that OO scopes with their lighter tubes might not cause such a headache but I found a 10" on even an EQ6 a nightmare.  It wouldn't be so bad in an obs where it could be left alone and sheltered to some extent from wind but I found out in the dark on a hillside it was a complete mare to work with.

Personally I would have an EQ6 to mount my 8" on but for the fact the EQ6 is too heavy for me to lug about and the HEQ5 is just that bit easier to cope with.

As you are into imaging I would say the steadiest mount is the best option so perhaps best to stay at 8" unless you have an obs to work from and you would definitely need the EQ6 to handle a 10" tube.

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