Aperture vs compact/portability

[Aenima]

After using a SW Explorer 130p I'm looking to upgrade. I know that really aperture is the way to go if I want better views of planets and dso's but with it comes giant tubes and awkward sized set-ups to carry outside each time. This made me hold off from getting a 6-8 inch dob (i'd like to be able to see detail on mars if possible) as my back is not good, and i think i should consider a Maksutov as i hear good reviews about them. But obviously with the better design comes bigger cost.

So my question is will the quality and compact design (and i believe longer focal length) of the SW 127mak. make up for the smaller aperture compared to a 6" dob/newt?

There is more to it than that but it'd be good to hear opinions from anyone who has a better idea of these things than I do.

Many thanks.

J.

[catburglar]

I would expect the 6 inch newt to be marginally better than a 5 inch mak in terms of light grasp and resolution, but I don't think there'd be too much in it. However, I wouldn't really expect the 5 inch mak to show much more than the 5 inch newt you already have!

If I were you, I'd consider an 8 inch scope as a minimum for you to notice any significant improvement over what you've already got. It's a bit of a generalisation, and a 6 inch may be a noticeable change for you, but most of what you observe visually is close to the limit of detectability, so it always feels like just a little bit more aperture will make all the difference. I suspect that's the root cause of aperture fever.

[Dunkster]

How about a Celestron 8SE? Combines a decent aperture upgrade with manageable size and portability. Might blow the barn doors off budget wise, compared to a 127/small newt though

[Aenima]

Yeah, budget and aperture fever are unavoidable. But with a bigger scope i would probably lose the goto feature and would have to hit and miss when finding objects ( a dob 8 or 10 inch would be a good example) and also take a while to learn eq mounts so reluctant to stray from what i know, not strong enough to carry bid dobs - dont have to go far though, dont know about level ground either.

Thanks for replying btw, a bit of perspective always helps.

cheers.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The C8 OTA hits a sweet spot in terms of aperture and weight. 8" at 4.7kg in a very compact package. A typical 6" F/5 Newtonian OTA weighs in at 1 kg more, and is bulkier. The OTA can be bought by itself, or in combination with a variety of mounts. The 8SE is one of the most compact, though my old Great Polaris EQ mount is also set up easily and gives more stability (the GP is similar to the EQ5 or CG5, but mine only has an RA motor).

[Aenima]

It does sound good but its practically double my budget and the C6 would be similar to 6" of other scopes. Thats why i come down to a decent smaller scope or a dob.

And dont know much about dobs.

Thanks though, it all helps in the end.

Aenima

[rowan46]

A 5" mak will not show any more than a 5" sct or newt have a look through astro buy/sell for a c8 ota or nexstar 8se if you want portability and apparture at a more affordable price they come up fairly regularly.