[g__day (Matthew)]

Hey folks,

I am thinking of buying a refractor this year - and would appreciate pointers as what to buy or avoid. This will be my fifth scope, but only my second refractor (I have a old 80mm Williams Optics Megrez I quite like).

I am planning to give away an old 127 MAK and mount this new scope side by side with my C9.25 in suburban Sydney in a permanent pier in an astro lab. So I will most likely use my Vixen Atlux mount and side by side (Losmandy) mount the C9.25 and this new (or used) scope. My site has fairly evident light pollution and only reasonable viewing most nights.

My budget is anywhere between $2K to $5K. No idea if I eventually wish to do imaging with it or use it mainly for visual (in seeing challenged skies). I haven't looked through many refractors at all - but I do like how tac sharp the WO is compared to an SCT - it just doesn't have much light grasp for visual in Sydney skies.

So I'd been thinking a 120mm - 130mm APO of moderate to high quality. Happy to add after market focuser or flatteners or coma corrector later if I decide to do astro photography with it.

So I am probably not talking a TEC, Televue, Tak or Astro-Physics quality "Ortho-apochromatic" quality scope (to borrow Tak's lovely terminology). I do like the idea of carbon fibre (works brilliantly on the SCT) but I hear conflicting views about whether it helps or hinders maintaining focus on a Refractor (I wonder if it varies depending if is a doublet, triplet or quad or more lens design).

So that leads in to the next question - I don't feel like getting a simple Skywatcher ED quality scope - I want to purchase above this level. Long-Pern and GSO have impressed me with their finder scopes in the past. But I am pondering if a quality Doublet, Triplet or Qaud lens design should be on my must buy feature list.

Too I ponder whether for my needs a 110, 115, 127 or 130mm aperature scope really matters. I see a nice second hand WO refractor in the IIS for sale at the moment - and that's worth considering definitely.

So given this will probably be a scope for 70% - 80% visual initially - and say impressing friends that drop in with sharper views of Saturn, Mars or Jupiter (and whatever else); what advice will folk give me (beyond attend star parties and look through many different scopes.

Many thanks everyone who can help, ask any qualifying questions you recommend for me to better reveal my intentions or choice set limits and I will try an give considered answers!

Matthew