what can i expect?

[rpmiller78]

so, as i said before, i am saving to buy an orion 8" dobsonian. i have seen pictures of planets through these. how well do they see deep sky objects? will i be able to see the cloud formations of nebula's, or see galaxys well? should i get an eye piece/plantary filter set along with it to see these things better?

[Qualia]

This site maybe of help: http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fov.htm Just tweek in the information and it should 'show' what you may be able to see. Don't expect glossy Hubble shots, probably just beautiful whites and grays and blacks and blues :-)

[John]

What you can see with your eye is much, much, much more subtle than the photo's you see and mostly in shades of grey.

The planets will look much smaller than you think they should but that is how they appear, visually.

You can see some structure in the brightest nebulae like the Orion Nebulae but most galaxies will appear as faint patches of light, some right on the edge of visibility.

What you can see also depends a lot on the seeing conditions which vary night to night, sometimes hour to hour.

An experienced observer will see more subtle details than a newcomer as it's an art that needs practice to perfect.

[Nexus 6]

An 8" dob will show a great many objects due to its relatively large aperture, if you take the scope to some dark skies the views will be spectacular. I started with a telescope that had a 6" mirror and was suitably impressed with what I was able to see using it.

I would get the scope and see how it performs before deciding exactly what additional equipment to purchase for it.

Enjoy the views

[perrin6]

How's your light pollution ? Can you see many stars with naked eye ? This affects how much faint stuff you can see but doesn't make planetary detail any worse generally.