Quote:
Originally Posted by mbaddah
Hello
I've been doing bit of research lately on the obsession telescope, and they claim that their mirrors is the equivalent of gaining 2" extra of aperature (i.e. 12" obsession is equivalent of 14" general dob).
Has anyone been able to verify if this is true or not? Do views in 12" Obsession excel those in standard 12" dob given same atmospheric conditions, eyepieces etc.. Thanks!
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Gary Kopff from Wildcard Innovations here.
First a disclaimer. Obsession Telescopes is a customer of Wildcard Innovations
and these days a very high percentage of their telescopes would ship with
one of our telescope computers.
Having had the opportunity to
use many telescopes, I wanted to take the
opportunity to attempt to answer your question.
In the above statement, I used the expression "use" rather than "look
through". I have "looked through" more scopes than I have "used".
Please allow me to explain. The difference between a generic Dob and
a premium Dob, such as an Obsession, in
using it is chalk and cheese.
Looking trough it is just one, albeit important part, of using it.
Let me draw a quick analogy. Perhaps you have been lucky enough to
own or drive a high performance sports car. Superficially, when comparing
the performance car to the commodity family sedan, both may have
four wheels and six cylinders, but when you get behind the wheel
and put the foot down on the accelerator or steer it or brake, the
similarity ends there.
Scopes such a the Obsession purposely come with thin mirrors so they
cool down quickly. These are then augmented with a well engineered
mirror cell and sling arrangement to keep the mirror from flexing.
Premium Dobs are designed with good engineering principles in mind
and in that regard, usually perform better that the generics. For example,
its low centre of gravity, buttery smooth movement and options such as
FeatherTouch focuser make the Obsession a joy to use, rather like
getting behind the wheel of a really nice car. On some makes
of scopes, if you push them and their movement is stiff, or if their mirrors
are so thick they take all night to cool down, then these add distractions
from observing.
Observing is not all about what is happening optically, The brain plays
an incredibly important part in the visual system. Distracted by a scope
that does not perform beacuse it overshoots the target when you nudge
it or it doesn't move at all, or still has not cooled down is as distracting
as what it would be like trying to race in a F1 Grand Prix when your car
is made in China and the gears stick. The generic sedan may get be good enough
to get you to work, or to the shops, or take you on holidays, but it will never
be an F1 winner.
My suggestion is to try and get to a start party such as the forthcoming
South Pacific Star Party and compare for yourself.
For example, there are many that suggest that a scope fitted with a ServoCAT
slew and track system is like adding a couple of inches of aperture.
I tend to agree. On those nights when the seeing is good and the power is
cranked up, observing the detail on Jupiter or the structure of a galaxy
is made all the easier when the brain is not distracted by having to
keep nudging the scope.
Highly recommend Dave Kriege's book, the Dobsonian Telescope.
One quickly sees that a good scope is something that is engineered.
Like a high performance car, you get what you pay for.,
In the blockbuster movie, Apocalypse Now, Willard replies
to Kurtz with regard his methods, "I don't see any method at all".
Sometimes I look at the design of some generic scopes out there and those
words pop into my head.
Hope the above helps.
Best Regards
Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au