Well, I thought I was going to have many ??'s

[Dingo (Karl)]

Being new to astronomy , I really thought I'd be bugging this forum with alot of questions but after having a good look around I found most of my answers fairly quickly and for that I must say Thank you IIS and well bloody done. :-)

I have noticed on my journey thru IIS, that many of you own all sorts of wonderful telescopes and devices ( side note: I am so jealous ). I would like to ask.
Do you use the different types of telescopes ( dobs, reflectors, refractors, new-cass) to view different objects ?? Is one better for planets, a different type for nebulas, comets , deep space etc.

Thank you for reading
Dingo

[Chromed (Greg)]

I'll give a go at answering this question, though feel free for anyone to correct me seeing as I'm still a newbie

A dobsonian is a reflector but built with a custom mount, therefore they are essentially the same.
Difference between a dob/reflector and a refractor is that (I could be wrong) a refractor gives you a larger contrast with viewing.

[Jen]

Hi there Dingo
I think having lots of different scopes just comes down to an obsession that we have and want to have all the cool scopes but can never give up the old ones

[Jeff]

Hi Dingo ... checkout the following links in the "Projects & Articles" section too:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-260-0-0-1-0.html

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-261-0-0-1-0.html

You might pick a few things up from there.

Often people start with a reflector on a Dobsonian mount because they are very easy to use for visual astronomy, and provide good bang for the buck.

Refractors on GEMs (German Equatorial Mounts) with tracking motors are great for wide field astrophotography of deep sky objects (open clusters, globular clusters, nebulae, etc). Although there's usually quite a few $$ involved, so many people start with visual astronomy using a Dob first.

SCTs are seen by some as good all rounders when mounted on a GEM ... can use on many DSOs (visual or astrophotography) with a focal reducer, while also having plenty of light capture and focal length use on small targets such as planets and galaxies.

People who specialise in planetary photography use all sorts of setups ... often a large reflector or SCT on a heavy duty GEM. It can be quite tricky to get good results at this ... not for the faint hearted.

Various "goto" scopes help to find lots of stuff in the sky (good for those without the time or patience to find stuff the old fashion way). Digital setting circles (push-to) are another option for locating lots stuff, especially from light polluted suburban skies.

Hope this gets you rolling.

Cheers,
Jeff

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Originally Posted by Dingo

Being new to astronomy , I really thought I'd be bugging this forum with alot of questions but after having a good look around I found most of my answers fairly quickly and for that I must say Thank you IIS and well bloody done. :-)

I have noticed on my journey thru IIS, that many of you own all sorts of wonderful telescopes and devices ( side note: I am so jealous ). I would like to ask.
Do you use the different types of telescopes ( dobs, reflectors, refractors, new-cass) to view different objects ?? Is one better for planets, a different type for nebulas, comets , deep space etc.

Thank you for reading
Dingo

Different types of telescopes do have some traits that make them more appropriate (in my opinion) for some objects than other types...Having said that, a telescope that you will use often will in my estimation often overcome whatever differences there might be between them.

[charsiubau]

I'm with Jen. Seriously though, we upgraded from a small telescope to a dob (10 inch newtonian reflector) to get bigger aperture for not much money. Then we got a refractor for its tack sharp, high contrast, beautiful views that only refractors can give. Refractors don't come in large apertures (at least not affordably) but they are portable so the refractor is our most used scope. Then we got a 9.25 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain on an equatorial mount for the tracking, goto and ability to break up into smaller pieces for portability. With a focal ratio of f/5 the dob has a wider field of view than the SCT so it's good for larger deep sky objects. The SCT is f/10 and does better than the dob on planets. It's also better to have a tracking mount for viewing planets at high powers.

[Dingo (Karl)]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Hi Dingo ... checkout the following links in the "Projects & Articles" section too:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-260-0-0-1-0.html

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-261-0-0-1-0.html

You might pick a few things up from there.

Often people start with a reflector on a Dobsonian mount because they are very easy to use for visual astronomy, and provide good bang for the buck.

Refractors on GEMs (German Equatorial Mounts) with tracking motors are great for wide field astrophotography of deep sky objects (open clusters, globular clusters, nebulae, etc). Although there's usually quite a few $$ involved, so many people start with visual astronomy using a Dob first.

SCTs are seen by some as good all rounders when mounted on a GEM ... can use on many DSOs (visual or astrophotography) with a focal reducer, while also having plenty of light capture and focal length use on small targets such as planets and galaxies.

People who specialise in planetary photography use all sorts of setups ... often a large reflector or SCT on a heavy duty GEM. It can be quite tricky to get good results at this ... not for the faint hearted.

Various "goto" scopes help to find lots of stuff in the sky (good for those without the time or patience to find stuff the old fashion way). Digital setting circles (push-to) are another option for locating lots stuff, especially from light polluted suburban skies.

Hope this gets you rolling.

Cheers,
Jeff

Thanks Jeff, that did help me. :-) The only thing i have to get use to is the lingo and what they all refer to. For example I am fairly confident LP means Light Pollution?? but I still could be wrong :-)
I am in the Dob range because of the very reasons you said. Nicely priced and I am so surprised at what I can see using it. I also see why people get bigger and better ones because it's just so beautiful out there , you just need to see more.

Thanks for reply Jeff

[Dingo (Karl)]

Originally Posted by wavelandscott

Different types of telescopes do have some traits that make them more appropriate (in my opinion) for some objects than other types...Having said that, a telescope that you will use often will in my estimation often overcome whatever differences there might be between them.

Thank you for reply. I can see your point. :-)

[Dingo (Karl)]

Originally Posted by Jen

Hi there Dingo
I think having lots of different scopes just comes down to an obsession that we have and want to have all the cool scopes but can never give up the old ones

LOL...... Good point. Sometimes it's the obvious reasons that are the best :-)

[Dingo (Karl)]

Originally Posted by charsiubau

I'm with Jen. Seriously though, we upgraded from a small telescope to a dob (10 inch newtonian reflector) to get bigger aperture for not much money. Then we got a refractor for its tack sharp, high contrast, beautiful views that only refractors can give. Refractors don't come in large apertures (at least not affordably) but they are portable so the refractor is our most used scope. Then we got a 9.25 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain on an equatorial mount for the tracking, goto and ability to break up into smaller pieces for portability. With a focal ratio of f/5 the dob has a wider field of view than the SCT so it's good for larger deep sky objects. The SCT is f/10 and does better than the dob on planets. It's also better to have a tracking mount for viewing planets at high powers.

Thank you for replying. :-)
1 of each good stuff. Home with the Dob or Refractor or out with the Schmit either way you are ready to star gaze :-)

Dingo