Hi all,
thought it was time to introduce myself as I have been lurking in the forum since january
, picking up lots of good advice.
Have been interested in astronomy since a boy (a long time ago) when my uncle took me to watch Skylab on it's final orbit + scouring some star groups (probably the Plaeides) with his ex WW2 binoculars.
Fast forward to this January, and I am now the proud owner of a Skywatcher 8" dob (thnx to the advice here).
I live in a semi-rural location and the skies are reasonably dark, managed to find the sombrero galaxy on my first night ! I was sold ! (even if it was quite faint)
So, I am now considering a larger scope (I dare to dream). As I am primarily interested in visual astronomy I am considering a move to either a Lightbridge 16" or possibly the new range goto skywatchers ( I understand they are releasing a fully goto 14"). Here's a link to a UK review site discussing their 12" model:
http://stargazerslounge.com/equipmen...ob-review.html
So I am busily saving cash for an upgrade that will allow me to se more DSOs, however I am torn between the aperture of the Lightbridge (at 16"), and the features and convenience of the 14" Skywatcher Synscan.
So (eventually) here's my question: Is the extra 2" aperture worth the trade-off of the goto functionality ?
Is there a similar 'goto' system I could apply to a Lightbridge that I should start researching ? (is this what Argo Navis does?)
Sorry for the long post, and thanks for you advice past, and hopefully, future,
cheers,
Ray