Upgrade telescope

[Xilman]

On 22/11/2020 at 07:49, Burns84 said:

 im aware that size really is everything in this game.

We are going to have to disagree on that one.  What is important is not how big it is but what you do with it.

Many people have discovered that it can be much harder to use a large scope than a small one and so end up rarely using it.

Other people make frequent and good use of a manageable telescope or pair of binoculars.  I know one guy who does impressive astrophotography armed only with a smart phone and somewhere stable to rest it.

[Burns84]

I wanted to hesr a comment like that to be honest its just everytime you search mostly people will say bigger equals more light better views. I guess this is true but also i believe that you can do great things with smaller scopes i mean just because they r smaller doesnt mean they are all rubbish. I will enjoy the 6" bresser i know i will.

[Nyctimene]

3 hours ago, Burns84 said:

I wanted to hesr a comment like that to be honest its just everytime you search mostly people will say bigger equals more light better views. I guess this is true but also i believe that you can do great things with smaller scopes i mean just because they r smaller doesnt mean they are all rubbish. I will enjoy the 6" bresser i know i will.

That's the correct mindset, IMO, (and many owners of 3"-5" refractors will consent). A 6" Newtonian (is it the 150/1200 "planetary" version?) will give you great views under your dark skies. It's a very capable and versatile instrument for many years of observing. Congratulations on your decision; I'm sure, you will not regret it. Enjoy your dark Lincolnshire skies (a map added)

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=9.79&lat=52.8536&lon=0.0026&layers=B0TFFFFFFFFFFTTFFF

Stephan

[Stu]

3 hours ago, Burns84 said:

I wanted to hesr a comment like that to be honest its just everytime you search mostly people will say bigger equals more light better views. I guess this is true but also i believe that you can do great things with smaller scopes i mean just because they r smaller doesnt mean they are all rubbish. I will enjoy the 6" bresser i know i will.

I’m certainly in this camp. Much better to work your way up to a bigger scope, getting the best out of the scope you have at the time. The 6” will be a very convenient size and will show you plenty. Even if you get a 10” in future I’m sure it will still get use. My most used scopes are 4” refractors, my little Heritage 150p and 8” f8 dob. Any bigger than that and I find I just don’t use them that often.

[Xilman]

On 27/11/2020 at 17:13, Burns84 said:

I wanted to hesr a comment like that to be honest its just everytime you search mostly people will say bigger equals more light better views. I guess this is true but also i believe that you can do great things with smaller scopes i mean just because they r smaller doesnt mean they are all rubbish. I will enjoy the 6" bresser i know i will.

If you want a historical example, look at William Herschel.  He built a 48-inch reflector and used it to discover Enceladus and Mimas.  Otherwise, it was an embarrassing failure and not a patch on his 18.7-inch which he used to make thousands of discoveries. The satellites would have been easily visible in the smaller telescope if he had used it at the correct time, which is when Saturn's rings were edge-on.

[Burns84]

So I bought the BRESSER MESSIER 6"DOBSONIAN  from firstlightoptics.com delivery was fast although the box smelt of sick 😆.  The scope seems to be very good quality the one thing i will say is the mount handles that you use to manoeuvre the scope are prone to jump out of alignment see they are not cliped in they just fit into froves and friction glide say north to south. Its slightly annoying because it scratches the top of the base the handles sit on guess i just have to be gentle not that im thrashing it. That aside ive used the standard eyepiece think its a 25mm Plössl eyepiece on the moon 🌙  very clean and crisp. Also used my 3x barlow lense withe the 25mm Plössl to look at mars now i know its not going to be like ud see from the Internet and more like a bright dot to be honest i was suprised how good it was id say bout the size of a pea i could see the red and orange colouring i tracked it across my eyepiece lost it a couple of times but thats the fun i think with a dobsonian. Whilst trying to find it again i came across star clusters which ignited my lust of the night sky only to be cut short by clouds. So in conclusion for what it is a 6"dobsonian its bloody worth it i paid £300 i think its now cheaper not sure but id definitely recommend it if you are looking for ur first scope or like me an upgrade 😉.

[Burns84]

Pic taken with holding Samsung s9 up to the supplied 25mm Plössl eyepiece