Quote:
Originally Posted by astr0
I have just started looking at getting a telescope, and have so far decided a dobsonion mounted telescope is properly going to be the best for a first time beginner
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Great choice. Clearly the best way to go for someone who wants a visual telescope as opposed to an imaging instrument
Quote:
Originally Posted by astr0
At the moment I am lookint at a $500 limit but am open minded and am willing to look at spending more
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I think a 10" is a better choice than an 8" if storage and transport aren't a major concern. The 10" is the same length as the 8" but a bit heavier with a larger footprint. The 10" is still easily handled by one adult. As David said the 10" collects 50% more light than the 8" and this is a very worthwhile and noticeable gain, particularly if you are observing under anything less than pristine black skies. In a 10" scope most of the bigger brighter globular clusters are bright and sparkling and resolve nicely. In an 8" scope they can be somewhat lacklustre. An 8" scope is the largest of the small telescopes, a 10" scope is the smallest of the large telescopes and the aperture at which DSO viewing starts to happen on most targets. There is a lifetime of viewing with a 10" telescope. If you went with an 8" you would want something bigger in a very short time.
$400 will get you a solid tube 8" GSO dob from Andrews and $600 will get you a solid tube 10" GSO dob from Andrews. These work well and generally have very good optics for mass produced telescopes
If you can stretch the budget I would look at the 10" Collapsible tube dob from Skywatcher.
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/dobsonian...e-10-inch.html
It's $849 and if you hunt around you can probably get it for a bit less than this.
Cheers,
John B