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Which is better, a 80mm refractor or a 114mm reflector telescope?


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I am new to astronomy. I want a telescope to view deep sky objects.

I am looking for a telescope under $185. I am confused between a 80mm (f400) refractor and a 114mm (f900) reflector, because it's almost similar priced.

Edited by Navixc
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Oops! I'll get the popcorn....😉😄

May I ask which 80mm frac and which 114mm reflector? Also, what sort of targets are you looking to view? Any preferences?

Edit: just read it again....DSOs.

Edited by cajen2
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Take a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9AjNOCv-4I

This guy know what he' doing. Not surprisingly, he gave the best scores for a small, long refractor; more precise the Celestron Astromaster LT60 f/12. FLO has it in stock for 129£.  With a scope of that aperture you will not see much of DSO's anyway, it's more important that the scope gives crisp and sharp images of the stars, planets and moons. The higher f-ratio, the more forgiving optics. I have a 80mm f/5 refractor myself, hardly never use it. To much color distortion and to little magnification.

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The Svbony 48P 90mm, f5.5 refractor for $350 C., you get a lot for that price incl great views of everything the nite skize have to offer. I have a 114mm, f4 reflector, there is no comparison. Good Luck and Clear Skies to you !

Edited by LDW1
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I would personally go for the refractor in this case. I bought a Celestron Starsense LT70 which is only 70mm. I bought it solely for to cannibalize the Starsense unit to put on my dobsonian. I was pleasantly surprised by the views that it provided. Also you don’t have the trouble with collimation of the 114mm reflector.

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Given similar quality telescopes, the 114mm reflector should be better for DSO's due to the larger aperture, the 80mm refractor, if a reasonably long focal length, should give tighter star images and better lunar and planetary performance.  It all depends on which "better" suits you.    🙂 

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Is it really worth even bringing up aperture factor for DSO's when talking about a 114mm? yes it's better on paper than an 80 but really? once the central obstruction is counted 

theres no point bringing up the extra aperture.

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1 minute ago, Sunshine said:

Is it really worth even bringing up aperture factor for DSO's when talking about a 114mm? yes it's better on paper than an 80 but really? once the central obstruction is counted 

theres no point bringing up the extra aperture.

Central obstruction and mirror reflectivity don't make as much difference as could be thought at first.

If we take 25% CO and 91% per mirror we get about 100mm of clear aperture from 114mm.

That is still 56% more light gathering than 80mm refractor.

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16 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Is it really worth even bringing up aperture factor for DSO's when talking about a 114mm? yes it's better on paper than an 80 but really? once the central obstruction is counted 

theres no point bringing up the extra aperture.

Well said.

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16 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Central obstruction and mirror reflectivity don't make as much difference as could be thought at first.

If we take 25% CO and 91% per mirror we get about 100mm of clear aperture from 114mm.

That is still 56% more light gathering than 80mm refractor.

How about the the quality of what you see, does that count ie pinpoint vs seagulls etc. ?  My 114 is pretty good quality and I see them most times with top end eps.

Edited by LDW1
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A good 114mm reflector should be the better choice for deep sky, as it has grater light gathering ability. And even when it comes to the Moon and planets, the 114 if it has good optics should beat the 80mm refractor. I love refractors very much, but some years ago I was privileged to play with a 4.5" F11 Newtonian, generally thought of as a toy by many, but it left a superb 4" Vixen Fluorite apochromat lagging obviously behind when viewing Saturn. You're never too long in the tooth to be taught a lesson or be caught off guard in this hobby. 

Edited by mikeDnight
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2 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

How about the the quality of what you see, does that count ie pinpoint vs seagulls etc. ?  My 114 is pretty good quality and I see them most times with top end eps.

Depends on actual models, but if we compare say 80mm F/11.25 refractor like SW 80 / 900 and SW 114 / 900, although later has spherical mirror - I think that you'll find very little difference in terms of sharpness of the views between the two.

 

 

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I wouldn't dismiss aperture. The difference my 50mm guidescope resolves compared to my 30mm is night and day all other things being equal, and that's only 20mm difference.

As mentioned need to know which scopes they are exactly. Cheap and good don't necessarily go hand in hand unless you know what you're looking for.

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7 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

My 90mm Svbony, f5.5 is pretty pinpoint even compared to my f5.4 Televue NP101, on the great seeing nites in my Bortle 4 backyard.

How are you find the svbony, you seem to get a lot of scope at a very reasonable price. Dual speed focuser is great for the price. 

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Unfortunately we may have left the OP confused as happens too often when we start rambling about the minutiae, short answer is the 114 will gather more light than an 80mm. Though expectations should be adjusted when 

using a 114mm for DSO's, most objects save for the brighter ones will be underwhelming. This is not intended to discourage the OP but to adjust expectations so as to avoid being disappointed as many beginners are when 

expecting far too much from a scope.

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1 hour ago, vlaiv said:

Depends on actual models, but if we compare say 80mm F/11.25 refractor like SW 80 / 900 and SW 114 / 900, although later has spherical mirror - I think that you'll find very little difference in terms of sharpness of the views between the two.

 

 

The SW Virtuoso that I linked to before has a parabolic mirror and 500mm f/l. If it's anything like its baby brother, the 100p, it'll be excellent optically.

Edited by cajen2
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