Are the advancements is glass and coating enough to justify upgrading a 12 year old SCT?

[CravenB]

I have a Celestron 8"SCT, but its old.  It works fine,  I'm just wondering about the advancements in tech in that time, and if they've created a better instrument?

[dweller25]

12 years is not old 😀

A new one maybe SLIGHTLY brighter but if yours works ok then maybe just keep using it 👍

[John]

I agree with David.

I used to have a Celestron C8 that was probably 20 years or more old. It performed really well. A couple of my current scopes are 14 and 20 years old respectively now but perform as well as the one I bought brand new 4 years ago.

If you are happy with it, I'd stick with it.

 

[globular]

If you want to get something new maybe go for a different type of telescope that excels in an area different to your SCT?  And keep the SCT too!
You'll then have two complementary scopes which will probably give you a much more noticeable improvement than getting a spanking new like for like replacement.

[Ceramus]

I have a 20 yr old Mead 8" SCT. Optically still quite good, just the tracking a bit iffy. Instead of upgrading I went for a SW 12" GoTo flextube to complement, as I'm mainly a visual observer.