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which telescope to choose?

aser hisham

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aser hisham

aser hisham

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hello guys , I've been looking for a good telescope for a while , I previously had a 3 inch reflector but it was frustrating , I ended up with through choices and I really need your help .

I found a 6 inch reflector , a 6 inch refractor and a 6 inch  maksutov cassegrain but it's a price problem , the maksutov is triple the price of the reflector , and around 1.5 the price of the refractor , so i wanna know is the maksutov worth it ? and if not should i buy the rreflector or the refractor ? bearing in mind that the refractor is double the price of the reflector . thank you very much , your help is appreciated . i also looked around and pictures compared sizes andsaid that the image of an 80 mm refractor =that of a 150 mm reflector is that true ?

 

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dweller25

dweller25

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Hello what kind of observing will you be doing ?

Generally speaking.....

The Maksutov is a strong lunar and planatery scope.

The reflector will be a good for the Moon, Planets and deep sky

The refractor - assuming it's an Achromat will be best for low power wide field views.

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elliot

elliot

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Hi Aser (and welcome),

What did you find frustrating about the 3"? As @dweller25 says it definitely depends on what you're observing? For visual observing I'd think the 6" reflector is going to give you the best cost benefit.  Also, a 6" refractor?  That's quite a beast of a telescope!

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aser hisham

aser hisham

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my 3 inch scope didn't show me any details when observing jupiter and the same with saturn no matter how much i adjusted the sharpness and i also want to make a good decision because chances are the telescope I'll get will stay with me for 5 years or so

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domstar

domstar

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I nearly bought a 6 inch refractor and the problem is that I still haven't seen one in the flesh. Photographs never show how big it actually is. In the end I found a youtube video of a man using it and as @Elliot says- it's an absolute monster. So beautiful but way to big for me. 

So, sorry I can't give you any advice on what to get but make sure you see a 6 inch refractor before you buy one or at least see a picture of one next to a user.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVxbErQv5Dk

On the other hand- wow.

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elliot

elliot

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Just watched the start of that video.  "I don't want to faff about looking for things I'll just get bored".  Hmm.  Lovely lovely scope...but him and me would be very different astronomers.

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domstar

domstar

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Errm I'm not really the guy to ask, but according to what I've read here consistently, the big frac will not be the best for moon and planets because of chromatic aberration. Somebody will surely be along later to recommend an 8 inch dobsonian reflector. The experts here will catch up with you eventually. Just wait around a while.

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ronin

ronin

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For all I like refractors if the 6" you are contemplating is the 150 f/5 then I suggest something else. I would put something like a Bresser 127 f/8 achro as a better option. Simply f/5 in an achro will deliver poor views.

Why is the Mak so costly?

Do not consider the old idea of is an 80mm refractor = 6" reflector, the answer is simply that the bigger scope collects more light so only another 6" collects the same light as a 6" reflector. Basically 6 = 6. As above I like refractors but equally I know my 80mm does not collect the light that a friends 6" reflector does. If you argue that the reflector has a blockage by the scecondary my answer is that each lens surface loses light in a reflector and you have 4 surfaces. The losses are somewhat similar.

Main question is do you have to transport the scope? If so then how far.  I have a Bresser 102S f/6 I think, and it is fairly good on the delivered views but is nice and easy to transport. It is no use getting a scope that you will not use. Bressr do a 102L which is about f/9, longer but about the same weight.

Additionally what is the future expected usage? Many say planets + Moon, well there are about 3 of those. So you have to consider DSO's. But the big question is Astrophotography? If there is the idea of trying that out then the requirements alter. For AP you need to go towards a bigger mount and a smaller scope. Literally abandon the 6" thoughts and consider an 80mm but get an equitorial mount that is in effect one step bigger.

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JOC

JOC

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I got an 8" Dobsonian Reflector, I've not been disappointed.  You will even have enough for a couple of decent Ep's.  It's portable, storable and big enough to give a decent view of a good number of objects.

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alacant

alacant

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1 hour ago, ronin said:

Simply f/5 in an achro will deliver poor views.

In the early days of affordable telescopes, yes. Not now however: e.g. the Bresser 152s and 127s are f5 Petzvals with an edge to edge flat field and a well corrected f10 doublet. You can stare at Sagittarius for hours!

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Nyctimene

Nyctimene

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Take yourself time, a LOT of time, before you spend 500$ on a scope.

There are so many unanswered questions. Why did your 3" deliver disappointing views - collimation or cooling down issues? - seeing problems, when viewing in town due to air currents from up-heated buildings - poor eyepieces or a bad mirror (which telescope brand?)? Did it perform well on the moon? Perhaps you had expectations, that were too high (have a look at the thread here by Qualia: "What can I expect to see?", in the "Getting started with Observing" section)). Maybe your problems could be sorted quite easily with some advice from here (e.g. eyepiece replacement).

Have you had some looks at and through other scopes? If not, try to get to an amateur astronomer's association and try out as many scopes as you can. Nothing beats the "hands on" - experience, especially on size and handling of different scope types.Many other questions have already be addressed , let me add storage, cooling down time, collimation, budget for eyepieces.......

Take yourself time; the stars will be there for your whole life; build up your knowledge, and, after six months, or a year, make an informed decision, that you will not regret.

Keep asking questions here; and finally a warm welcome!

Stephan

 

 

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aser hisham

aser hisham

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@ronin my main objectives are the  planets and the moon , though i do want to begin astrophotography after some time but it wont be easy for me to go to places with low light pollution ,  where i live is relatively good for using telescopes , there isn't alot of light pollution but my main focus is observing not astrophotography and i really wont have to transport the telescope alot  and if i have to transport it a 6 inch wont be that big of a problem , my main point is the image i will see , really appreciate your help

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