Quote:
Originally Posted by raymo
Pete, I would try your damnedest to avoid the dreaded aperture fever,
and let logic and reason guide your purchase. No matter what size scope
you get, there is always the chance that you will get to look through a bigger/better one, and be envious of it's owner.
Rule no.1 The best scope is the one that gets used. I used to teach a
basic adult astronomy course, and several of my keener students bought
scopes ranging from 12" to 16". One year later all had been sold.
Large/heavy scopes demand commitment. You can pop outside easily
any time with an 8" and, if you are reasonably strong, a 10" also.
12" to 16" can start to become a chore, and anything larger than that,
depending on it's type of construction, can become a labour of Hercules.
In short [a bit late for that], an 8" is a great compromise scope which should keep you happy until or if you decide to go larger.
Sorry about the verbal diarrhoea.
raymo
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Thank you raymo,
I'm sure I will be blown away by just seeing faint smudges, I can always look at the planets,also.
Or even the moon, I have been tasked by an elderly neighbour to find her acre she bought from "the big cheese"? I know I will not get that close but within the vicinity.
It's all fun to me, I woke up like a kid with a Christmas scope like many years ago, This will have to be a bit better, surely?Than a 20 mm -40mm early 1970's refractor?
Though my folks went to the best sellers back then, in Chatswood Sydney.
That gave me heaps of fun, climbing up a ladder onto the carport roof and setting up, tracking Jupiter and Saturn, the moon and a few pin dot stars.
I need this hobby, already without yet observing it has been a journey giving me hope,
A life saving hope. And a thrill, so to see the stars better will be a joy...
And I hope to compare notes if Graeme gets a GOTO- I will have to find things manually (or cheat with my SkyEye app)
Sorry Barx1963 I will try charts too- its all good!