Dobsonian telescope

[vemarstar]

Hi,

Iam thinking of a telescope up grade i have a tal reflector 6 inch, which i have observed with for 3 years, thinking of buying a 10 inch dob could anyone tell me if that will be a good move .

Also what models do you recommend.

Regards ian

[Casus belli]

I have the 10" lightbridge and I love it to bits. With its light gathering abilities you feel that the universe is your oyster. Its easy to set up and coliminate (it takes me 5 minutes tops) It is awkward the first few times you use it but with practice it soon becomes a doddle. Pitfalls I encountered included were assembling the top part on the bottom the wrong way around and not seating a truss rod correctly. Silly mistakes but they're easily rectified

Its light enough for one person to carry and assemble and if you need to move location you can in a matter of minutes. With no go-to to set up you are observing in minutes and importantly you can move from target to target without having to wait for a computer to slowly slew your scope from one part of the sky to another. Without the go-to I really feel I'm learning the sky.

Of course the major downside is no photography. If you live in a badly light polluted area perhaps you wouldn't be able to star hop, these are important points to consider.

I bought a shroud for the lightbridge and if you go for a truss scope I'd suggest you either invest or make one. It really helps cut down stray light and helps cut down dew build up.

I feel I have a good all rounder. Its excellent for deep space objects. The moon looks like you're hovering over it and Saturn is a treat. Mars was a difficult target and the scope needs to be coliminated well before detail becomes apparent. I bought a laser coliminator which while expensive, paid for itself, helping a newbie (Me) get the best out of his scope.

I'd tell you to pm me but I'm off to sea for a month tomorrow. No scope no beer and no internet for a month!

[Sam]

Nice write up. My dream scope is the lightbridge 16".

Sam