I thought so too Marc. I've had far far worse stars than Carlton's.
Yes a focal reducer will help with not only star size but also you can track longer with it and also capture more light in a given amount of time because of the reduced F ratio..... All sounds perfect yeah ? But spend the time to understand why this is the case. This is where AP get technical. A focal reducer reduces the f ratio which also widens the effective field of view so and given object becomes smaller on the sensor. A smaller object means it's harder to resolve minor detail. Understand that SCTs are the focal length they are for a reason. As soon as you put a focal reducer on, you then become comparative to short Newts. Also as focal length reduces, coma on the edge of the image increases unless it's corrected. This is the difference between cheap reducers and ones that are designed for your size OTA . I know it all sounds like a lot to absorb and you're right it is. But learn as you go. Don't feel the need to go out and get everything NOW ! Going slowly will help you understand much better what's going on rather than buying something because Timmy has one and you like his pics
