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Reflector vs Refractors


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Hi all,Β 

So as many of you know, I have a new Reflector skywalker heritage 150p which I love and is great. And I get the larger aperture rules because it let's let's in more light etc. And they are generally cheaper. But what are the big differences really of why people buy a Reflector over a refractor and vice verser. What are the real benefits of each.Β 

I ask because many I see have refractors and just wondering why πŸ˜ŠπŸ‘

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2 minutes ago, Timebandit said:

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The old refractor v reflector debate again , these can get very interesting. I will get my popcorn😁🍿

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I have never had the debate, for me it's all new πŸ˜πŸ‘

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Here's my 3p's worth... (0.01p per bullet point)...

  • cleaner/clearer views on brighter objects, ie no chromatic abberationΒ as with 'some' refractors
  • cheaper to make and sell, rather thanΒ grindingΒ two or more elements of matching glass for lenses of the same size
  • lighter OTA
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I think the debate is far less contentious than it used to be, quality reflectors are so affordable these days that price has to be a major factor. I like both especially when mirrors and lenses are mixed like the Cat designs..

Alan

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I use refractors when I want to observe as close as a "perfect" image that the aperture can produce as possible.

I use reflectors when I want lots of light grasp and resolution and to see things that a refractor (that I can afford) cannot show me.

The largest refractor that I can afford and handle is around 150mm in aperture. The largest reflector that I can afford and handle is around 300mm so 4x the light grasp and twice the resolution.

They are all proper telescopes and all have strengths and weaknesses. To become a devotee of a single design is a mistake in my opinion. You miss out on stuff :smiley:

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9 minutes ago, John said:

They are all proper telescopes and all have strengths and weaknesses. To become a devotee of a single design is a mistake in my opinion. You miss out on stuff

Very wise words from John.

For me a telescope is a tool,Β and as in any discipline you need different tools for different tasks.

Β 

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no where near as experienced as many here but like John I have both, my previous remark was jest of course :)

I have a 4-inch refractor on EQ5 goto (tal100RS) which is a lovely scope and I've had nice views of Jupiter and Saturn last year as well as the moon. The reflectors (130, 114, 80 and 76) are nice enough and likewise give very good views tho if I had to thin out the group the 130 and 76 could go. The others are also TAL and I do quite like the rock solid build of them. CA is the only thing the TAL refractor shows compared to the reflectors but its quite acceptible (to me) and if I ever get around to buying a DSLR it'll be a lot easier to use to grab images I think, given the focus travel available.

Yet to see/try the other designs (SCT etc) tho may be tempted to one day...

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Darn everyone's so nice. I forgot this isn't the 'other place'. 😁  As John rightly stated, different scopes for different jobs. 

Let's not leave out Cassegrains! Technically reflectors but wonderful to use & different enough to be considered separately.

The biggest telescope I've looked through is a 14" SCT and was blown away. The smallest is my own 4" Maksutov. The image is so sharp and diffraction rings so perfect, it's a fantastic instrument in a very compact package.

Β 

Edited by ScouseSpaceCadet
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This is so good. I was told this is a ncie place and what you guys have said and shared is so helpful 😁

SoΒ hypothetically speaking, if a newbie wanted a refractor as well, what would you recommend. Asking for a friend πŸ˜‰

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Reflectors can offer good resolution and light grasp at a price that's within the grasp of any serious observer, especially if you want to do serious deep sky study. Reflectors also make great lunar and planetary scopes, and because of the greater resolution of a relatively large aperture, they can reveal great detail. The down side is that they need regular colimation adjustments, suffer from spider diffraction which is every bit as damaging to definition and contrast as CA, and they suffer from coma. Larger apertures can take a long time to attain thermal stability and they can be cumbersom.

Refractors can often provide higher definition, higher magnificationΒ  (100X per inch and more) and wider field views than the equivalent aperture reflector. In fact it has long been acknowledged that a smaller aperture refractor of high quality can often outperform a reflector of significantly greater aperture. For instance, I have on many occasions witnessed a 4" refractor outperform an 8" reflector, and a 5" refractor a 10" reflector. On top of that, a refractor can work at optimum in just a few minutes after being taken from a warm house into a cold winter night. The hardly ever have colimation issues and have piercingly sharp star images with no diffraction spikes. The old CA issues are all but gone in a modern ED or Apo refractor, but there's nothing you can do to eliminate the destructive effects of spider diffraction unless you use an optical window or Maksutov corrector, and even then the reflector user has to contend with central obstruction which subtracts light from the Airy disc and adds it to the diffraction rings.

Just incase you're in any doubt, I like reflectors, but I love refractors!Β :icon_cyclops_ani:

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5a97f5d84ca19_2017-03-1820_24_15.jpg.c643b310359613598a294d299bb0d592.jpg

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8 minutes ago, Dannomiss said:

This is so good. I was told this is a ncie place and what you guys have said and shared is so helpful 😁

SoΒ hypothetically speaking, if a newbie wanted a refractor as well, what would you recommend. Asking for a friend πŸ˜‰

A little ED 66 or 72mm frac would go nicely on the heritage's mount and give great widefield views under dark skies. Would need to raise the mount up onto a tall table or something though!Β 

Edited by CraigT82
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really depends what you want to see with it, or if you want to do imaging or both, constraints on weight/size and of course, budget...

I went for the TAL as it had good comments by some experienced folk and I've not been disappointed. Harder to find tho as not made in a while tho they do come up used and can be at a good price if prepared to travel. It is long tho at 1M so a slow scope at F11 not that it doesn't perform, Β means its easier on eyepiece choice too.

I think once you get above 120 to 150 they get real heavy tho so need more solid mount etc and that gets expensive.

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1 minute ago, andrew s said:

For some applications a mixture is ideal as in planetary Maksutov or at the other extreem a fast astrograph like the Takahashi Epsilons.

Regards AndrewΒ 

For ultimate cuteness you can go for a 90 mm QuestarΒ :)

Alan

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12 minutes ago, Dannomiss said:

This is so good. I was told this is a ncie place and what you guys have said and shared is so helpful 😁

SoΒ hypothetically speaking, if a newbie wanted a refractor as well, what would you recommend. Asking for a friend πŸ˜‰

I have both a 10" dob and a small Evostar 72 refractor. They compliment each other nicely but I really love the small refractor for its portability. My refractor NEVER beats the dob especially on deep sky but I would rather have a quick grab and go setup available that doesn't show just as much but still plenty since you will quickly realize due to weather and life in general that you don't always have as much time to enjoy the hobby as you'd like.

EDIT: Also, you can never pack a dob of decent size to fit in an airplane whereas a small frac can be easy to store to satisfy the astronomy itch while on vacation;)

Edited by Victor Boesen
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4 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

... and even then the reflector user has to contend with central obstruction which subtracts light from the Airy disc and adds it to the diffraction rings.

Just incase you're in any doubt, I like reflectors, but I love refractors!Β :icon_cyclops_ani:

However, you could get a reflector with anΒ aperture that would put its Airy disk and first ring completelyΒ inside the Airy disk of a refractor for less money.

Regards AndrewΒ 

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12 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

little ED 66 or 72mm frac

Very nice. I like that. πŸ‘Œ

I didn't realise until the other day that the heritage actually came off the dobsonian base πŸ˜‚ doh

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12 minutes ago, andrew s said:

However, you could get a reflector with anΒ aperture that would put its Airy disk and first ring completelyΒ inside the Airy disk of a refractor for less money.

Regards AndrewΒ 

But would its mirror make your mouth water and your heart skip a beat? Looking at the lens below, don't you feel the need to lick it, or am I just weird?

54867520_2020-03-0914_07_27.png.660106f91d250ca0c47b88a23203e7fc.png

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1 hour ago, Dannomiss said:

why people buy a Reflector over a refractor and vice verser. What are the real benefits of each.Β 

I ask because many I see have refractors and just wondering why πŸ˜ŠπŸ‘

I bought a reflector (15") for deep space objects - aperture rules.Β  Works great on planetary and lunar too - but gotta plan for cooling it down wellΒ :)I've a little 50mm solar refractorΒ for dedicated H-alpha observing as well.Β  They both bringΒ great enjoyment.

I wouldn't say no to a 120ED either if i saw a 2nd hand one at a good price ;) I've never actually looked through a (non-solar) frac!

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2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

But would its mirror make your mouth water and your heart skip a beat? Looking at the lens below, don't you feel the need to lick it, or am I just weird?

54867520_2020-03-0914_07_27.png.660106f91d250ca0c47b88a23203e7fc.png

I would be paranoid to even touch the dew-shield not to place a mark on that lens! I really hope you don't lick itπŸ˜…

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