myself

If it's any help these are a couple of the models that I'm considering: Apertura DT8 or Explore Scientific 127mm mak

it's not so much the weight as it is the bulk. I know that I would be able to physically move it, I'm just worried that it will be annoying to set up and use to the point that I won't use it very much. I've never seen one in person and I don't have a club to go to, so that is why I'm hesitant to go with it. Generally I'm looking at either an 8" dob or a 5" mak.

I am looking for a telescope for general use, both planets and dso's. Generally, I would be observing at home but would like to take it somewhere else as needed. If I do any photography, it would probably be really basic, but I'm not really planning on that for now.

The problem is that I have read a lot if things, and I understand how telescopes work in general, but not which attributes I need to look for in the one that I eventually end up getting.

As stated in the other thread that I started, I am a relative beginner looking to find a telescope. This would not be the first telescope that I have owned, I got a 114mm reflector for Christmas at around 7 and I currently have a small refractor that I got for free, but it will be the first time that I have actually researched and chosen the telescope that I will be getting. The issue is that I have no idea where to begin looking for what I need. I do know that a larger aperture equates to more light gathering, and by that alone I have been looking for an 8" Dobsonian within my budget of around $550. However, I am wondering of something that bulky* will be annoying enough to move around and store that I won't be as likely to get it out and use it. The problem is that I don't understand anything about telescopes except for the aperture thing and that there are refractors, reflectors, and catadioptrics, and that they all work in different ways. I have looked at some smaller options than the Dobsonian, but I don't really even understand how relatively better or worse they are than the dob. This is leading to confusion that is making any decision about which one to get very difficult. If anyone could give me guidance as to what I need to do to understand all of the choices that I have and what recommendations you could make then I would really appreciate it. *I have never seen a Dobsonian in real life, but from pictures they look quite bulky. Also there is no astronomy club in my town so I don't really have the opportunity to see one or to try out any kind of telescope really.

As stated in the other thread that I started, I am a relative beginner looking to find a telescope. This would not be the first telescope that I have owned, I got a 114mm reflector for Christmas at around 7 and I currently have a small refractor that I got for free, but it will be the first time that I have actually researched and chosen the telescope that I will be getting. The issue is that I have no idea where to begin looking for what I need. I do know that a larger aperture equates to more light gathering, and by that alone I have been looking for an 8" Dobsonian within my budget of around $550. However, I am wondering of something that bulky* will be annoying enough to move around and store that I won't be as likely to get it out and use it. The problem is that I don't understand anything about telescopes except for the aperture thing and that there are refractors, reflectors, and catadioptrics, and that they all work in different ways. I have looked at some smaller options than the Dobsonian, but I don't really even understand how relatively better or worse they are than the dob. This is leading to confusion that is making any decision about which one to get very difficult. If anyone could give me guidance as to what I need to do to understand all of the choices that I have and what recommendations you could make then I would really appreciate it. *I have never seen a Dobsonian in real life, but from pictures they look quite bulky. Also there is no astronomy club in my town so I don't really have the opportunity to see one or to try out any kind of telescope really.

I think that my main interest will probably be split between planets and moon and dso's. Have you ever tried your 127 on anything outside of the solar system? While I find the planets and Moon really interesting, I think that it would be good for variety's sake to have the capability to focus on other targets as well, maybe I'm just inexperienced. I am asking about the 127mm because I recently found a Celestron starsense 127mm SCT that is within the top end of my price range and I am wondering how well it would perform.

I am trying to choose my next telescope. As a young child I had a Celestron 114mm newtonian, and now I have a small refractor that I got for free. I am wanting something more capable than this and I am looking at three models at the moment: the Orion Skyquest XT6, a skywatcher Heritage 150 p, and an explore scientific 127mm mak. I am looking for something a little portable that can be used for planetary and deep sky viewing. My price range is around $500 or less. What is your advice? Are these good models to look at, or do you have any different suggestions?