dweller25

Looks great John and I’m sure it’s going to be a very good scope - but I have to question that review - he/she must have been using some bad scopes when Jupiter was very high in the sky.

Good advice from Ricochet

What - Being a ‘member’ of Mikes local observing group ?

White

This is the latest review i can find.... astromart.com/reviews-and-articles/reviews/telescopes/cats/show/gso-8-inch-true-cassegrainian

@PhoTenix Hello and welcome to SGL. Having read through this thread and considering your situation I would point you towards the already mentioned Skywatcher 130mm Dobsonian, as long as you can view from the side of the telescope..... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html Here’s a review.... http://telescopes-for-sale.co.uk/reviews/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope-review/ It is very light and compact, easy to move but will show you the major bands on Jupiter, the great red spot and 4 of Jupiters moons. Saturn and it’s rings will also be visible. Next year you will be able to catch Mars - some surface detail may be seen along with a polar ice cap. The Moon will reveal a lot of detail. The Orion nebula and the great Andromeda galaxy will also be visible in this scope. And that’s just for starters..... It’s within your budget too - New Also as already mentioned - download Stellarium - a free planetarium. “Turn left at Orion” is a very good book that may interest you. Good luck with your choices.

Personally I think I would prefer the DC/DF over the DZ as they are a little lighter. On the other hand the DZ sliding dew shield makes it a little easier to transport. Don’t think there is much in it though either way ?

Rutger Hauer - Bladerunner

@Ags You have summed it up nicely. I would add that I wrapped my C6 with 2 layers of reflectix, the views are now much more stable and the corrector takes significantly longer to dew up.

Found - thank you Mods - please close this thread.

I think it’s great that imaging has grown, I really enjoy seeing the results. I started off purely visual then moved to planetary imaging but after a while felt a bit detached so moved back to visual but tried to draw what I saw.....

** Withdrawn ** Mods - please close this thread - thank you

My precioussss

Hello Karen and welcome to SGL If you can find one of these they are very good all rounders..... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html Or you could just pop along to your local astronomy club ? Binoculars are good too

I have also found the Baader T2 Zeiss prism gives me the best views