Stellalyra 8 or 10 Dobsonian?

[maddog]

Hi

With the telescopes shortly due to be in stock I'm having second thoughts about the 8" and going straight to the 10" for my first real telescope.

Will be transported, but only a short distance and I'm in good health, so lifting isn't an issue.

Is it worth swapping at this stage or stick with the 8"?

[cajen2]

If you think you'll be quite happy carting it about, the 10" will have an even better light-gathering capacity. But be warned, the initial enthusiasm soon wears off when faced with a sub-zero winter's night! Just saying...😉

I used to have the 8" and it's a great scope. 

Edited April 15, 2023 by cajen2

[Mr Spock]

One of the things to consider is the 8" is f6 and the 10" f5. That means the tubes are nearly the same length - 60mm difference, and the base is only 40mm bigger all round. With the extra capability of the 10", I'd go for that.

I have a 12" stored in a shed next to a patio - it's huge! Even with a bad back I manage to move it that short distance.

This image does the rounds as a comparison, but you don't have a real sense of size until you see them in person. The 12" in this image looks a little slim to me 

[bosun21]

If you are fit enough to move it the short distance to where you observe from, then go for the 10”. But I echo what has been said previously, the difference is noticeable but not massive. I also have the 12” and it’s one big fat fella for sure. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Pixies]

 

[maddog]

Thank you 

I can store a 10 but probably not a 12.

[Coco]

If you have the funds and the space get a 10,  if it's pushing the budget and you haven't started collection eyepieces ( Good ones) get the 8, and an 8 with excellent eyepieces will be more satisfying than a 10 with mediocre ones.

I have a 12" solid tube dob, it's massive and the base makes moving about in our garage where it has to live a pain, I built barrow handles with wheels at each end, and moving it into the garden is no problem however it's just the space it occupies when not being used when you open the garage door immediately the proverbial Elephants in the room, my wife hates it 😁

[scarp15]

Should this become your 'all rounder' telescope then as much as you may enjoy the 8", ought you choose that, there would develop based upon your inquiry a niggle as to "what if I had instead got the 10". Therefore get the 10" and be done.   

[Guest]

I started with a 10, love that scope, my only regret is.... I should have gone to a 12.  

Yes dobs are big.... sort of.  When broken down into two pieces they area awkward, not really heavy.  Get a sack trolley to move it around and you are good to go. 

Be adviced no matter what you end up with, you will eventually wish that you had gone bigger 

[Pixies]

Yep - I started with an 8" (Bresser) dob. I always wondered how things would have been with a 10" - but now the increase from 8 to 10 would probably not amount to a lot of difference visually.  So probably advisable to start as big as you can afford/store/carry. The trouble is, you won't really know until you've had to live with them for a while.

Whatever you get, though. It'll be a nice scope.

Sorry - not much help!

[Spile]

The 8” is the right choice for me. I’ll take dark skies over aperture any night of the week.

[John]

I found that moving to a 10 inch dob gave me a "looking deep with a generous aperture" feeling noticeably more than when I used to use an 8 inch. Not sure why but that is how I found it. The 10 inchers tend to be more fussy about eyepiece choice though. 

Moving to 12 inches delivered even more of course but, for me, 10 inches of aperture seemed to be a step over watershed into something which might last me a lifetimes observing.

Others will have different experiences, of course 🙂

 

 

[Nyctimene]

In line with most answers given, I'd go for the 10". It will show you targets that are 0.5 mag fainter, than the 8" does. Tube weight of 16 kg and base weight of 13 kg are acceptable, especially if  you observe from home and can store the dob (preferably at ambient temperature). Still transportable in a car. A lifetime scope; no need to upgrade (but to save for good eyepieces). All else you'll need will be a nice 3" to 4" grab-and-go frac and a decent pair of binoculars....

Stephan

[Guest]

On 15/04/2023 at 16:48, John said:

I found that moving to a 10 inch dob gave me a "looking deep with a generous aperture" feeling noticeably more than when I used to use an 8 inch. Not sure why but that is how I found it. The 10 inchers tend to be more fussy about eyepiece choice though. 

Moving to 12 inches delivered even more of course but, for me, 10 inches of aperture seemed to be a step over watershed into something which might last me a lifetimes observing.

Others will have different experiences, of course 🙂

 

 

Try going from a 10 to a 16 inch... Talk about a jump lol

[John]

On 28/04/2023 at 11:32, Mike Q said:

Try going from a 10 to a 16 inch... Talk about a jump lol

I operate my society 18 inch from time to time .

I have observed with a 20 inch a few times over the years at star parties - memorable experiences !

In medium apertures it is said that an increase of 4 inches is generally needed to get a really noticeable consistent improvement in the views. 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, John said:

I operate my society 18 inch from time to time .

I have observed with a 20 inch a few times over the years at star parties - memorable experiences !

In medium apertures it is said that an increase of 4 inches is generally needed to get a really noticeable consistent improvement in the views. 

I would tend to agree with that. 2 inches doesn't gain a lot, 4 inches you can definitely tell.  A couple times a year i pop over to The Warren Rupp Observatory and look through the 36 inch.  Talk about a oh wow moment 

[Piero]

Between the two, I would choose the 10". I have an 8" in another country and a 12" here. There is a substantial difference between the two and I can imagine that something in between would offer a nice all-around telescope.

Having said that, I would choose the Bresser Messier dobson over the stellalyra. The mechanics look much better. Just look at the altitude bearings to see what I mean...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-messier-10-dobsonian-telescope.html

Edited May 1, 2023 by Piero

[Piero]

Make sure you get a collimator as well, regardless of the aperture you choose.

 

[bosun21]

On 15/04/2023 at 21:26, Spile said:

The 8” is the right choice for me. I’ll take dark skies over aperture any night of the week.

Dark skies with the aperture. That’s what I’ll be happy with.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Dark skies with the aperture. That’s what I’ll be happy with.

I would be happy with clear skies on a night i can actually take advantage of.