Additional scope for DSO

[A McEwan]

Hi all.

I have my Tak FC100DF as a general all-round scope which I use for lunar, planetary, bright nebulae etc. I love it - it performs great on those objects and "brighter" Messier and NGC objects, but 100mm is still only 100mm and I'm thinking about getting an additional scope for DSO.

My situation really means that I'm limited to 6" Newts (ideally f5 or f6) or 6" aperture Mak or 5" refractor.

In my thinking, I've narrowed down a GSO 6" f6 Newt as one option, which I would mount on my AZ4.

BUT... I'm wondering if that will be enough of an aperture boost to start to get the kind of views I want, over the 100mm Tak. I know what 6" aperture can show, but it's several years since I owned a 6" Newt so can't really remember the sort of difference to expect. I used to own an 8" Dob, and I know that would be a worthwhile step up in aperture, but I don't have the space at the moment to store an 8" Dob.

My mounts are Vixen GP, AZ4, AZ3 and AZ-GTi, so nothing particularly "heavy duty" though they are all tweaked and I use Berlebach UNI-18 tripod and steel extension, so it is super stable in the tripod department. I guess what I'm looking for i something in the "medium aperture but lightweight" department that will offer enough of an advantage on DSO to be worth getting, while being manageable on the mounts I own! Or, it may be that this is not obtainable at the moment...

[jetstream]

If it were me I'd go bigger than 5" or 6" aperture over your 100mm Tak. 8" minimum, 10" is better IMHO. Many have great luck with Celestron C8's, narrow FOV but nice aperture in a small package.

One thing is for sure- taking a 5" refractor over an obstructed 6" Mak or newt is the way to go on DSO... my reference point is from my current scopes 90mm thru 120mm fracs, 8" through to 24" dobs.

From my perspective a 10" f4.7 newt really starts to open up DSO, such as my VX10. Just my thoughts of course.

[A McEwan]

1 hour ago, jetstream said:

If it were me I'd go bigger than 5" or 6" aperture over your 100mm Tak. 8" minimum, 10" is better IMHO. Many have great luck with Celestron C8's, narrow FOV but nice aperture in a small package.

One thing is for sure- taking a 5" refractor over an obstructed 6" Mak or newt is the way to go on DSO... my reference point is from my current scopes 90mm thru 120mm fracs, 8" through to 24" dobs.

From my perspective a 10" f4.7 newt really starts to open up DSO, such as my VX10. Just my thoughts of course.

I realise that 8", 10" 12" and up are where DSO observing becomes meaningful / rewarding, but unfortunately I don't have storage for a Dob at the moment, and suspect the AZ4 wouldn't take an 8" OTA. I may be wrong on that though - if anyone can correct me?

 

[ollypenrice]

I don't think it would be worth it. The high contrast of the Tak will probably make up for a great deal of its sub 6 inch aperture.

Olly