Hi all,
I've been lurking for a while, soaking up the vast amounts of information provided by you guys and gals, and naked star gazing for some time, as I'm about to embark upon a hobby that I've been wanting to pursue for a while, but delayed until other financial priorities were sorted - thats taken about 19 years!
Anyway, I'm in the fortunate position of having nice sum to spend on equipment, and I'm torn between a 10-12" SCT and a 127mm Skywatcher Black Diamond APO on a Goto EM. Now, I am a beginner, but a very patient one that wants to take time to learn the sky and learn how to use a scope properly as a visual observer, but potential AP later - more importantly, I don't want to buy another telescope in the future because my initial choice was wrong. On the mobility side, I would be observing in the back yard, and sometimes travelling by car with the scope, and I'm hoping to use the kit every 2nd-3rd weekend (conditions permitting) for 2-4 hours per weekend night.
My understanding is that the refractor will cool down quicker, provide better contrast but lower resolution than the SCT, and be a bit more transportable.
So my question is, which would better serve me in the longer term?
Thanks
Luke
PS: If I wear clothes when I'm star-gazing without a scope, is that naked star-gazing? Just clarifying the lingo.