Is the extra £80 worth it? (sw heritage 130p and 150p)

[Chris]

I thought I'd seen a good priced Heritage recently, I've tracked it down just in case your interested:)

http://www.scopesnskies.com/bargain-zone.html

I'll have a look for a good priced 150p as well just so your not just swayed by the good price:D

[Moonshane]

I know that others will have a different viewpoint but I completely disagree that you should consider light pollution when considering aperture of scopes. I live a few miles from Manchester and Stockport so LP is not far from as bad as it gets. The difference in the views of my 16" scope and my 6" scope is incredible. in the worst conditions (and more often than not for planets, moon and doubles) I mask off my big scope to 170mm and this creates superb planetary images.

I am not suggesting you get a 16" scope obviously but for me at least aperture is the key factor for most visual observing no matter where you are or what LP conditions are like. secondary to aperture (obviously budget is an over-rider) are what you can move, store and reach at the eyepiece. also consider that faster scopes are (only a very little) trickier to collimate and require slightly better eyepieces or a coma corrector (assuming you are using a newtonian).

for me two great all rounders are a 6" f8 and a 8" f6 dob. you'll be delighted with either. dark skies make much more difference than most if not all things and despite what I say above, they make any scope a far better and apparently bigger insrument compared with LP skies.

[todd8137]

Hi there ditch both of those and do one of two things,save for a 200p ,or get on e bay for a 200p have seen them go for that you have ,check the second hand market.

[kevrees]

Would love a 200p dob but storage space is limited for me and having to carry a big scope like that up and down a narrow flight of stairs and me being the clumsy fool i am would end up giving the scope a battering when taking it outside, lol.

Wish these dobs had a longer focal length cos planetary observing is going to be my main interest when i get a scope cos if im honest the only deep sky stuff that id be interesting in observing are the 'prettier' looking things like horsehead and eagle nebula and things that as far as i know (and i dont really know a great deal) would need a scope that is way out of my price range, and probably beyond my abilities to locate.

Would have had something like the mercury 707 or capricorn 70 by now but been convinced that aperture is king regardless of what one likes to observe

[John]

Would love a 200p dob but storage space is limited for me and having to carry a big scope like that up and down a narrow flight of stairs and me being the clumsy fool i am would end up giving the scope a battering when taking it outside, lol.

Wish these dobs had a longer focal length cos planetary observing is going to be my main interest when i get a scope cos if im honest the only deep sky stuff that id be interesting in observing are the 'prettier' looking things like horsehead and eagle nebula and things that as far as i know (and i dont really know a great deal) would need a scope that is way out of my price range, and probably beyond my abilities to locate.

Would have had something like the mercury 707 or capricorn 70 by now but been convinced that aperture is king regardless of what one likes to observe

The Skyliner 200P dobsonian is an F/6 and has a focal length of 1200mm - it's excellent for planetary observing as is it's smaller brother the 150P which is an F/8. Some of the best planetary drawings I've seen on here were done by a member using a 200P dobsonian.

Unfortunately the Horsehead and Eagle nebulae are rather challenging even with large telescopes.

Do bear in mind that the visual views of objects won't match the photographs you see - for a more accurate assessment of what can be seen through a scope have a look at the sketches section.

[rfdesigner]

I'll second the photography / visual comment. I have a 12" and a darkish sky.. I've never managed to pick out the horsehead visually, perhaps my deep red vision isn't that great, I don't know, but it is the reason I'm way more interested in astro-photography. There are however an array of deep sky targets that a 6" will pick out.

Derek