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Hi Adam, Firstly, no matter what scope you have, the planets will only be at their best from time to time when the "seeing" is really good. When the
seeing is average the detail will come and go, and you will get short bursts of great viewing.
Apart from some planetary nebulae, only a tiny number of the brightest DSOs will exhibit a hint of colour, usually green or pale pink. For most DSOs there is no substitute for a dark site to view from; makes a huge difference. Try to view objects as high in the sky as possible, so you are looking through less atmosphere. A light pollution filter can help, as can a decent nebular filter.
Better quality eyepieces will improve matters, but not hugely. Don't ditch
the barlow unless it is junk. Most people have one or two in their armoury.
Pretty useless viewing DSOs when there's much of a moon, you need all
the darkness you can get. Bigger dob you don't need at this stage, in fact
quite a few people stick with an 8". When you have learnt some of what is where up there, and have improved your seeing skills, you can decide if
you want to upsize.
raymo
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