where to from here?

[monoxide]

thought i'd ask peoples opinions about an upgrade from my 6" dob.
i'd like to stick to observing, mainly because of the cost involved with taking detailed photos. (id just want to photograph dso's, plus i can look at all the fancy pictures on the internet without spending big :P)

the main candidates ive been looking at are the GSO deluxe 8 and 10" dobs. What improvements visually will i see? i've read that x size scope gathers x times more light than the other but what exactly does that translate to when looking through the eyepiece (with and without filters)

I have a couple filters on the way being the Baader UHC-S and O-III, before you comment about the use of these filters on the 6" (particularly the O-III) these were purchased more for my next scope whatever that may end up being.

i'm particularly interested in people with 8 - 10" dobs (mabee even with the same filters) posting some of the details of what detail they can make out through the eyepiece be it planetary/dso.

all in all, i'm really leaning towards the 10" GSO deluxe (i nearly had one but it got away..) , if anyone can recommend something that is better in the same price range i wont stop you :)


Tj

[Lee]

I have an 8" GSO Dob - I like it, although I really wish I'd gone for a 10 or even 12" though. I don't think the difference in size between the 8 and 10 is enough to justify the 8 on compactness grounds.
As you are already leaning that way, I'd get the 10.....

.....and if you aren't planning on lugging it around too much, seriously think about a 12, as you know you'll want more aperture very soon anyway! :D

[ving]

hmm...
i have a 8" too. if you wanted to later go down the astropic road getting a mount for a 8" is cheaper than getting one for a 10" becuase of the weight difference....

that said, the 10 grabs a substantial bit more light than the 10". the 8" is a bit more transportable (due to weight and dimentions).

if you can afford the 10" go for that, i would!

[monoxide]

thanks for the replies.
the reason i got the 6" was so that when i upgraded to a bigger dob i could eq mount it (the 6") without having to spend a whole lot on the mount, even then going by some of the things ive read about photography a f/7 might be too slow? anyway im not worried about that right now.


the 10" seems like the way to go, i guess the question i have now is not what can you see through a 10" but how well can you see it? :)

[mickoking]

Contrary to accepted logic an OIII filter will work fine with a 150mm (6") newt. I use mine with a 120mm refractor and it does a great job.

BTW go the 10".

[monoxide]

i've seen people say the same thing on a few other forums and in reviews but as its so widely accepted that they are 'big boys toys' i didnt want to stir the pot, especially since i havent recieved it yet. (note the mention of the OIII in brackets) hehe

[rmcpb]

Mono,

I would keep saving and go for a 12" if I were you. Your 6" will keep you well and truely entertained in the meantime and your plan to eq mount it is very sound.

Keep saving for the 12".

[monoxide]

hm, i guess those emails i keep getting are true regarding a couple extra inches.

i wasnt looking to buy right away, i figured the filters would give my dob a new lease on life and keep me going for a while longer yet. I figured i should start gathering as much information as i could on the direction i wanted to go, there doesnt seem to be much of a resource for observers compared to imagers where what you see is what you get if that makes sense. going along to an astro night seems like a good idea till you realise that your pretty much seeing the scope under ideal conditions if your at a dark site which isnt really representitive of the run of the mill backyard, not that its a bad thing to know what your instrument is capable of, just that my observing will be carried out from my back yard alone.

right at the moment id say the best thing i could buy would be a bb gun to sort out the neighbours light that appears to have a telescope sensor. i swear as soon as im about to sit down to observe they turn it on...

[stephenmcnelley]

monoxide if you are on speaking terms with the said neighborly culprits invite them over to look at something cool, if their lights are on or you demonstrate what stray light scatter does they might get the message. Well it has worked for me anyways and my neighbors keep an eye out for my erections (light shields).
If however the neighbors seem to be staunch boguns then its going to be tough..
We all feel your pain:(

[mill]

Hi monoxide i have the 10" scope and it is great.
Made a small trolley for it with 4 castor wheels. and put slideglides on it from bunnings.
Moves smooth as silk now.
The downside is the 2" 26mm lens you get with it (abberation on the outsides"

[monoxide]

ahh i could have a more intelligent conversation with my telescope than my neighbours (hes one of the people that sees you have a telescope and thinks that the joke about perving on people with it is hilarious no matter how many times he says it) i honestly think if i mentioned it hampered what i was doing they would make a habit of leaving it on. it doesnt hamper my observing too noticably its just a pain in the ass getting dark adapted then just as your about to sit down to start a session you get a light shining right in your face

[monoxide]

thanks for the reply, can i ask what your typical observing session would focus on and the level of detail you can resolve?

[mill]

looks like you need light pollution glasses :rofl:

[mill]

I mostly look at galaxies and nebulea , don't know much about the level and detail because i just started observing properly.
I had a meade 2114ats before this scope and it was a piece of (fill in any word here).
So i really started observing since last week friday after i picked the scope up from bintel.
Sorry i cant help you with the level of detail.
The only thing i can tell you is that the scope will perform really well.

[Ric]

Hi Monoxide,
I know exactly how you feel with your neighbours, my neighbour thinks that Uranus jokes are hilarious :doh:. Then he is constantly in and out of his garage all evening. God knows what he does in there but its lights on and off every 15-20 minutes :confuse3:, then there is his yappy slipper of a dog that barks everytime I move or adjust time scope (no offence to owners of small fluffy dogs).

Back onto the topic, I would also suggest to keep saving and go for a 12". I have had mine for nearly 7 months and absolutely love it. I do not class it as portable but intend for it to go in to a permanent setup hopefully in about 18 months. Prior to this I had a 8" for 30 years and it now used at our holiday house down on the coast for portability I find the 8" perfect and still look forward to using it as well. :astron:

cheers:D

[monoxide]

ahh yes, neighbours are fun. it seems the more they see the more confused they get... i dont quite think mine has figured out how a laptop has anything to do with a telescope although i do catch them trying to see exactly what it is that im doing some nights, ive half been expecting the police to show up from someone watching the jackal too many times lol.

[Harb]

He probably thinks your scope is a cannon and is worried you are going to fire his dog out of it........:P
Acually that may be a good comeback to his uranus jokes:lol:

[Ric]

Good point Harb :thumbsup:
There are times I would like to fire it off into space.
I shouldn't blame the pooch though, the little fellow just wasn't trained properly in the beginning.

cheers

[monoxide]

wow, i suck..
took me ages to work out what glob i was just looking at...
turns out to be M28, looks very dim though can barely make it out without averted vision
even still, what a crappy night, unusually high light pollution + the wind
larger scope sure would help :P