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Old 16-02-2014, 12:05 AM
Wavytone
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Wavytone is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Killara, Sydney
Posts: 4,147
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amaranthus View Post
Have I missed any other factors? What do do??
Yes, you have. Basically you have ignored how the aperture influences the "richness" of the field.

Many years ago there was an analysis which showed that a 6" (150mm aperture) f/5 scope is optimal in terms of its ability to pack the maximum number of stars into a given field of view - for a visual observer.

I won't go into the details here - too complicated - but I'll try to find a link for you explaining why this is the case. It is related to:

- the frequency distribution (by magnitude across the sky of stars and nebulae;
- the number of stars that can be seen as a function of aperture - this is not linear BTW;
- the sensitivity of the eye,
- the optical tradeoffs that occur regarding the actual field of view vs magnification and exit pupil.
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