cajen2

Ah, ok, got you. I'd go initially for something like the 5mm for planets, the Moon, double stars, etc. Then perhaps a mid-range one, say a 15mil for medium- sized targets. I would urge you, though to consider a low mag, widefield EP: something like a StellaLyra 30mm UFF. I realise this is a lot more money but it's dual function: for stuff like the Pleiades and Andromeda Galaxy, plus it acts as a great finder EP - makes finding a target and star hopping much easier. Cheaper 30-40mm EPs are available but have much narrower fields of view, so not much improvement on your 25.

Absolutely. I paid full price for mine (don't ask!) but it's worth every penny. Last night, I looked at the Trapezium through it, set at 3mm (238x mag), which is way over the theoretical limit of my scope, plus in poorish seeing, but it showed stars sharp and clear. If only it had a 100° FOV....😛 It'd be worth £500 of anyone's money then.

As usual, the answer lies in how much you're looking to spend....or you'll get people recommending TV Ethos at £6-800 a pop! BSTs are certainly excellent value for money but spending more gets you better views....😈

That's very bad planning!😛

A 12" truss dob AND living in Co. Wicklow? Does it get any better than that? Also envious of @Captain Scarlet who's on the West Coast.

I'll be there: pitch 26 as usual. I've got a friend, @Richard N ,coming for the first time so let's hope we get at least one good night!

Let's put it this way: I'm convinced that any EP in that range would outperform the ones that came with the scope. Like everything else, it all depends how much you're willing to pay for them.

One, the 30mil, has an excellent reputation both for its views and value for money. I have its equivalent under a different name: the Celestron Ultima Edge and I think it's superb. The others in the range don't have quite the same reputation but I'm reluctant to comment as I haven't used them.

If asked my hobbies, I always answer 'astronomy' because that's what I think I do. However, I've never once described myself as an astronomer.....that suggests someone who knows what he's doing.....😂

@ApprenticeTo be honest, I rarely use the AZGTiX any more. I bought a Sightron Japan manual mount just for grab & go and I'm so impressed by it that it stays on permanently. No go-to but nice manual slo-mo controls.

I like the way people keep saying, "You can always sell it on." I've been trying to sell my Heritage 150p and innumerable EPs for ages and nobody's interested (and it isn't the price, which is lower than most!). Fewest regrets: my Starfield 102ED - beautiful scope. My Sightron Japan mount - bought it just for grab & go but it has become my main mount, with its good payload and slo-mo controls. Most regrets: buying "budget" EPs at first and then realising I can do so much better with a few more £. The budget ones aren't worth reselling. Buying an 8" SL dob. Great, well-equipped scope giving beautiful views but awkward to get out of the door and down steps. I found myself not wanting to go out on clear nights.... Not living in a country which has decent astro weather is the biggest problem! 🤣

That's a very good EP - supposed to be the best of the Morphs (not that there's a bad one!).

In my case, it was the 8mm Delos v. the 9 and 6.5mm Morphs. I've found Morphs will forgive slightly off-axis eye angles better than the Delos.

I think a Morph compares extremely well with some "top range" EPs. I recently bought myself a TV Delos and it's as good an image as my Morphs, but no better, despite being £160+ more. The Morphs are more forgiving on eye placement too. You can do better on price too: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-morpheus-76-degree-wide-field-eyepieces.html £229.

A Hyperion is a good EP but less so in shorter f/l scopes. I think the Morpheus range is so much better that people go for those and pay a bit extra. I adore all my Morpheus and have no wish to 'upgrade' them.

The ironic thing is that I used to have exactly that dob.....and I sold it. 😆 I found myself not going out some nights because the scope was heavy and awkward, and I'm not, shall we say, in my first flush of youth....😉

You have 12 daughters? 😱

They are really quite different scopes with very different strengths and weaknesses. The Mak has a long focal length and is thus easy to use at high magnifications, so it's great on the planets, Moon, etc. The issues are with its narrow field of view which means larger deep sky objects are difficult, plus finding stuff in the first place can be hard. It can also suffer with dew problems and long cool-down times. The 130PS will give you a wider FOV and thus may be better for the DSOs. It will not be as good on planets unless you invest in some small focal length eyepieces or a good quality Barlow. Its cool- down time is better and is a little less likely to dew up quickly. IMHO, the 130 is your best bet for a scope that can do most things well enough. If the planetary stuff is your priority, go for the Mak. No scope is good at everything....

That looks a nice little scope, E. Wouldn't mind one of those myself!

Not in his view. There is no substitute for aperture in his universe. His 16" will gather in far more light than the 101, making distant galaxies visible which no hobbiest frac could detect. It's a reasonable view if that's what you want from your scope.

I have this argument with a friend on a daily basis. He owns two dobs: a 10" and a 16". He likes making out faint fuzzies. Good luck to him....I can't do it because of light pollution, both in the sky and nearby street lights, etc. So I spend most of my time on planets, the Moon and double/multiple stars. I've had two dobs (6" and 8") and now use a Starfield 102ED frac. I love the SF for what it can do for me. It'd be useless to my mate with his fuzzies but excels on stars, clusters, doubles and does a good job on the planets. He's just bought a similar frac to mine (Astrotech) but doesn't like or use it much because he's not into planets, doubles etc. It's a waste of my time saying how beautiful the views are through a frac - it doesn't do what he wants as well as his giant dobs. Horses for courses.

Nice write up. And you're right - the scope really does look the business! I would really like to buy one but not enough money or room to store it....😥

All those scopes would give you very good views: there's not much difference in the quality of mirrors in all those brands. I always hesitate to recommend any scope which I haven't owned but of those, I'd probably go for the Bresser. The ones with 'normal' focusers are easier to use than the Heritage's helical one. With your budget, I'd avoid a tripod-mounted reflector. You'd need a very solid mount, which can cost more than the scope.

Look at our sponsors' website, First Light Optics, for a huge range of scopes in your budget. Check out the 6" dobs available from the likes of Bresser and Ursa Major, especially the tabletop versions. When you've posted enough, you'll get access to the classifieds on here. That'll widen your choice if you're willing to wait.

As for my experience of refractors, I should let others answer this as I've only owned one, a Starfield 102 ED, though I've used a huge variety of different ones at star parties. The SF is superb. What I will say is that cheaper ones may suffer from colour problems as above. This annoys some people more than others. More expensive ED scopes have glass which can lower or eliminate this.