I have been thinking what my next telescope would be for some time now and have been warming (after taking everything into consideration) to the idea of an SCT either 8" or more probably 9.25". Whichever I choose it will probably be way into the future due to lack of money/job.
However, someone I know may be selling their Celestron 6se at a price which would make a good choice for a Christmas present from my wife.
I currently have the Heritage 130p and an 80mm x 900 cheapish refractor. The 6se is in great nick and I would defiantly 'want' it, and as my first choices would be so far into the future I'm wondering how much improvement I'd see over my current scopes.
If you had both scopes side by side for a comparison, both at the same magnification, I doubt you would see much difference. The light gathering capacity of each is actually close to the same, especially with the C6's central obstruction. Where the C6 will have a substantial edge over your refractor is with high magnification. It will leave it for dead.
However, high magnification is not all that astro is about. How high in magnification you can go also is dependent on the atmosphere. As a rule of thumb, I use the ratio of 50X per inch of aperture. So the C6 will be able to go to 300X before the image quality begins to degrade. But the 300X is dependent on the atmosphere... Typical conditions allow 120X. Good conditions around 200X. Great conditions 300X+ . Your refractor would be able to give close to 300X too, but being an inexpensive refractor the image at high mag. would have chromatic aberrations. The SCT not.
I say this as if the only significant difference is the magnification capability, this is not enough to warrant the swap over.
Now, there is a difference going to an 8" SCT. The aperture gain is nearly 2.5X . Now the differences are significant. Not just magnification capacity (the 8" SCT can go to 400X, weather dependent), but the light gathering too.
While the 6SE is a good scope, just because the price is attractive, I don't think the differences are just significant enough to make it a great purchase.
Now, if money is a concern, and rightly so, you may like to consider a less automated 8" SCT. An SCT that does not have go-to, but just a clock drive, will be just as good optically and save you a bundle. These are often listed in the classifieds here in IIS. You might also consider putting an ad in the Wanted section asking for one. Go-to is not the be all and end all. While convenient, it is not critical.
I hope this insight goes some way to help you make a good decision.
Cheers Alex, pretty much what I thought. I think I was just suffering from a bout of "I Want Syndrome", guess I'll just have to be patient.
The 130p plays nicely at 162.5x with a 4mm EP, but when I use a 6mm and a 2x barlow to give the equivalent power of a 3mm EP at 216x you really see the atmospheric deterioration of the view. I only really went that high to see if I could, not because I needed it, so it really doesn't warrant the buying of a 6".
I agree with mental about the light grasp, but the mount itself is worth a few hundred $. It's a philosophical difference, goto or push yourself I "upgraded" my setup with a C8 and there's a noticeable difference between the C6 and the C8.
The 130p will give you the wider FOV for sure, the C6 will just give you a little bit more depth with its larger mirror. I still use mine occasionally as it's so small and light/portable.
Yes, unfortunately the difference between the 6" and our scope is not big. I was considering it too because I think it could be used from the balcony, while the 8" is really huge, but I think I would be a bit disappointed...
I "upgraded" my setup with a C8 and there's a noticeable difference between the C6 and the C8.
