View Single Post
  #5  
Old 05-08-2015, 09:07 PM
Somnium's Avatar
Somnium (Aidan)
Aidan

Somnium is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,669
a couple of thoughts

The dob

pros
  • large aperture, good light gathering capability.
  • really simple to set up
  • straight forward to point for visual astronomy
  • good all round scope
cons,
  • you will have to collimate the mirror on occasions, after transportation etc.
  • you wont be able to do any Deep sky imaging with this set up

the refractor

pros
  • the scope requires 0 maintenance, you can set up and observe without any issues each time
  • the EQ mount does make it easier to track objects in the sky once you have found it
  • can be used for terrestrial viewing (but the mount is not ideal for this

cons
  • EQ mounts can take time to set up properly, i.e. polar alignment
  • this mount is not driven by a motor so you cant use this for photography either
  • less aperture than the Dob means you will see less detail in nebulae and galaxies
  • you will get chromatic aberration on bright objects

ultimately it is about what you are wanting to do. most people will recommend a Dob for a beginner, it helps you learn the sky and you get a lot of bang for your buck, i started out with a bit more of an investment and got a motorised EQ mount and a Newtonian because i knew that i wanted to do astrophotography

the scope that you enjoy most and use often is the best one for you
Reply With Quote