Aperture Fever!

[newbie alert]

Very portable ?

 

The breakdown time of the scope,  needing a reasonable size vehicle to fit everything in without damaging anything(even with a truss). Setting up time when your at site,  re collimation of the scope at the site. Then the same when packing away and when set up at home again. I would not say 16" very portable.

For a 16inch scope yes it was highly portable, it broke down into 3 sections and the heaviest was the base that housed the main mirror but still liftable on your own and was setup and taken down very swiftly..

Its not my scope, didn't need a airfare as it was already on the island of Gran Canaria.. check out Astro tours GC if you're visiting, worth a look just for the dark skies

[Ledge1962]

Personally, I actually enjoy the setting up and tearing down the scope  

[kirkster501]

Unless you can get clear skies to make the most of the aperture you'll be largely disappointed in what a bigger scope can do on Deep sky objects vs the practicality of wheeling it out.

I have had magnificent views through the 8" Dob we had in Bortle 1/2 skies.  It was breathtaking.  I cannot even see the same objects in a 14" scope in Bortle 5 where I live.

It's like saying a bigger engine is always better.  To a point that's true.  But don't forget affordably and practicality as well.  Scope size increases HUGELY the bigger they get.  A 12" Dob is quite a beast whereas a 8" can be lost in a corner behind the rocking chair.  "But it's only 4" bigger you say.  Sure.  But physically it is MUCH bigger than that 4" increase in aperture might suggest.

Just sayin'.....

[niallk]

Yup for same f-ratio, the 'tube' volume essentially goes up by the cube of the diameter ratio. So for a 8" to 12", thats ~3.4x the volume, taking a simplistic estimate. 

[mdstuart]

I am keen on observing galaxies from a reasonable semi rural site. I have gradually increased aperture and currently have a 16 inch scope. Yes it takes effort to set up and take down but boy it's worth it.

So for me, aperture has been the key to seeing some unforgettable sights. We live in a truly extraordinary universe and I feel truly blessed to be able to see it with my own eyes.

I have just agreed to buy a 20 inch dob so my journey continues..

Mark

[fiestazetecmk2]

Lots of suggestions here.good advice as usual from lots of knowledgeable people.aperture is king ...but remember you've got carry it and set it up.I've always been more than happy with my 200p skyliner. I can carry if need be.not heavy.and I'm 61 years young.and it gives great veiws. Whatever you choose think long and hard .A telescope is for life not just for Xmas. 

[Mark at Beaufort]

9 hours ago, mdstuart said:

I have just agreed to buy a 20 inch dob so my journey continues..

Mark

Mark that sounds fantastic. I look forward to many great observing reports in the future. Are you going to keep the 16" Dob as well?

[John]

20 inches Mark ? - congratulations !

Another great step in your hunt for faint galaxies

I wish I had the space / observing circumstances for a larger aperture than 12 inches. I've toyed with the idea of moving up to 14 or 16 but my 12 is just so easy to setup and take down

[Timebandit]

On 05/05/2019 at 09:35, newbie alert said:

Very portable ?

 

The breakdown time of the scope,  needing a reasonable size vehicle to fit everything in without damaging anything(even with a truss). Setting up time when your at site,  re collimation of the scope at the site. Then the same when packing away and when set up at home again. I would not say 16" very portable.

For a 16inch scope yes it was highly portable, it broke down into 3 sections and the heaviest was the base that housed the main mirror but still liftable on your own and was setup and taken down very swiftly..

Its not my scope, didn't need a airfare as it was already on the island of Gran Canaria.. check out Astro tours GC if you're visiting, worth a look just for the dark skies

 

If its part of an astro holiday then I am sure there are numerous persons in assistance. Try the exact same holiday on your own and I think you will not find a 16" very portable

 

 

On 11/05/2019 at 21:25, Ledge1962 said:

Personally, I actually enjoy the setting up and tearing down the scope  

 

If you enjoy the setting up of the scope , and tear down ,then that's great.

Personally I prefer the relaxation of scanning the Sky's and the pleasure from that. I don't find the hassles of the set up pleasurable

 

 

 

Aperture is king , but only under the right circumstances and the right sky conditions. Otherwise all that aperture can just be wasted in light polluted conditions, and then a burden if you need to travel to dark Sky's to be able to benefit from the extra aperture.

 

 

 

[newbie alert]

If its part of an astro holiday then I am sure there are numerous persons in assistance. Try the exact same holiday on your own and I think you will not find a 16" very portable

I understand what you're saying but the hardest thing was lifting it into the van along with another 16 inch scope..if you had a estate car and 1 scope then it's quite easy even on your own.., broke down into 3 parts

[Jonk]

I also toyed with the idea of going up to a 20" or even a 22" due to those that were for sale last year. The reason I didn't was because they were large truss dobs that would have required storage space (that I didn't have at the time) and they were not easy to disassemble, transport, reassemble etc.

I have a 16" dob that I find easy to put together or pack away in about 20 minutes, but then this was the point of the design.

If there was an equivalent 20" of mine, I'd certainly be on the lookout for one.

I don't know how a larger dob would compare in contrast etc to this but I suppose I'll find out one day!

 

[MarsG76]

I'd say that a scope of 8-11" would suffice most amateur astronomers, especially if its a SCT... I have a 8" f10 SCT and a 14" f4.5 Dobsonian and the sheer size of the dob with the views I get compared to the portability of the 8" and the views I get is border line not worth it... yes the 14" shows DSO somewhat brighter than the 8", planets are brighter and very very rarely does the 14" show more fine detail than the 8".. usually its just brighter but no more detail.... and not that much brighter....

The thing is that the 8" is less susceptible to seeing and atmospheric turbulence than the 14" and the 8" get used much much more often.... those rare nights when Jupiter, Saturn or Mars happen to be high in the sky and the atmosphere is still as glass, than yes, the 14" shows more detail noticeably but thats rare.... so I dare say that if I had a f7 -f8 10" SCT, that would most likely replace both my 8" and 14" dob.... personally 10" is the ideal size enough to last a life time....but 8" f10 is keeping me happy too...

So in conclusion, the 14" is much bigger and the amount of times bigger it is than the 8" portability wise VS the views of the 8" it's not proportional under my skies..... I dare say that the 14" is too big.

[DaveS]

I think I top out (Or chicken out) at a 12" ODK. If I want anything bigger I'll log in to the NSO and use their 2 metre Liverpool Telescope on La Palma.

[SteveBz]

Mine is a 200mm Newtonian on an eq5 mount. I'm very happy with it. If I upgraded, it wouldn't be by much, maybe 259mm rc on an eq6.
I'm sure that bigger scopes give magnificent views, but they're too heavy for one person to handle.

Good luck.

Steve.

 

[Mike_S]

I’m quite new to this hobby. Have a 10 inch dob but want a 12. I don’t want to go much lower than F5. I don’t have much time to do this and don’t want to be spending over £300 on an eyepiece. Not that you would have to but I keep hearing of issues that I’m just not noticing now in my F4.7. Larger than 12 inch and F5 then the focul length is perhaps too long for some situations? I even got a 30mm eyepiece for a wider field of view. If my focul length was much longer then field of view won’t be great and I really need it as I’m struggling finding stuff being a beginner. Also I’m happy with my solid tube and don’t fancy creating more problems with a truss. 300x1500mm solid tube would be max for me.

Edited June 9, 2019 by MSammon

[mdstuart]

The purchase of the 20 inch fell through so I am staying at 16 inches for now  

If anyone has a bigger scope they would like to sell me then I am in the market.

Mark