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Old 17-10-2024, 11:08 AM
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OzEclipse (Joe Cali)
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: '34 South' Young Hilltops LGA, Australia
Posts: 1,484
HI Bob,

If you live in Perth then portability is a key issue. I have an 18" f5 with a Galaxy Optics mirror. It's very similar construction to an SDM. It is portable but not as portable as the SW20".

I live on a a rural property with Bortle 1-2 skies and the scope lives here all the time so portability is not an issue for me. .

Yes you can use big instruments from the light polluted city for planet observing. But they won't give you much advantage for observing faint details in DSO's. Doesn't matter how big the telescope is, if the object is fainter than the light pollution, you won't see it.

I have seen some amazing planetary and lunar detail through the 18" but where they really shine (no pun intended) is on deep sky objects under a really dark sky.

Some examples: - the Dumbbell nebula is a full orb, not just a dumbbell, you can see the Orion nebula fully loop and close up again and on nights of high transparency, I can see a hint of red in the brighter parts of the nebula. Look at Markarian's Chain and you'll easily see 9 galaxies. Globulars like Omega Centauri and 47 Tuc just blow apart.

If you live in Perth's LP, I would place a high premium on the portability.

cheers

Joe
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