|
I've got a 10" GSO dob and a 12" dob with a premium quality hand figured mirror (by one of the best optical craftsmen out here). I've noticed tiny low-contrast details on Jupiter are much finer with the 12". And I've seen stars close to 16th mag with the 12" from my outer suburban backyard, and galaxies down to nearly 15th mag, I have also seen 3 of Uranus' moons. I've also noted detail in NGC 3918 (the Blue Planetary) which appears on Hubble Space Telescope images... at over 700x with this mirror - whereas with the 10" GSO these details have eluded me.
Now, the 10" GSO has very nice optics, but I always get that "edge" with the hand figured 12" mirror.
if it's within your means, don't hesitate to get your mirror refigured.
Infact, I am planning on putting this mirror into a premium dob structure, as the existing one is quite inadequete for serious observation.
Last edited by pgc hunter; 22-01-2010 at 10:12 AM.
|