11 inch Celestron/Meade SGT or larger DOB?

Hi all, I'm getting back into the hobby after many years away. I bought the Meade LS 6 inch last year but it is just too small a scope and I have a limited open sky view which makes the LS features a waste. I plan to sell it on this site and buy a good, used larger scope. (Will of course cost more than I get for the LS 6!) I will be observing and not doing astro photography. For the same money, I can get a good used 11 inch Nexstar type scope or maybe a 14 inch DOB. Any thoughts or comments by any of you with greater experience with both types of scopes? I'm nervous about tracking planets with the DOB at moderate magnifications, say 100 X.

Thanks!

Allan

Allan Staib said:

Hi all, I'm getting back into the hobby after many years away. I bought the Meade LS 6 inch last year but it is just too small a scope and I have a limited open sky view which makes the LS features a waste. I plan to sell it on this site and buy a good, used larger scope. (Will of course cost more than I get for the LS 6!) I will be observing and not doing astro photography. For the same money, I can get a good used 11 inch Nexstar type scope or maybe a 14 inch DOB. Any thoughts or comments by any of you with greater experience with both types of scopes? I'm nervous about tracking planets with the DOB at moderate magnifications, say 100 X.

Thanks!

Allan

Allan:

If you can, I would try to hook up with your local astronomy club or find some way to see some scopes in action. I find that the SCT versus Dobsonian preference is very personal, if you like gizmos and gadgets, black boxes that sealed then an SCT is probably a better choice. If Keep It Simple Stupid is generally your choice, then a Dob may suit you better.

As far as tracking at 100x, I find anyone can learn to track at up to about 200x within a few minutes.

Also, there are advantages to larger scopes but there are also disadvantages. Depending on your situation, you might find a 10 or 12 inch Dobsonian better suited to your needs. A 10 inch represents a major step up over a 6 inch and will be more manageable than the larger scopes, more likely to get used.

Jon

Allan Staib said:

Hi all, I'm getting back into the hobby after many years away. I bought the Meade LS 6 inch last year but it is just too small a scope and I have a limited open sky view which makes the LS features a waste. I plan to sell it on this site and buy a good, used larger scope. (Will of course cost more than I get for the LS 6!) I will be observing and not doing astro photography. For the same money, I can get a good used 11 inch Nexstar type scope or maybe a 14 inch DOB. Any thoughts or comments by any of you with greater experience with both types of scopes? I'm nervous about tracking planets with the DOB at moderate magnifications, say 100 X.

Thanks!

Allan

It's really quite simple:

If you are SURE all you will ever want to do is visual observing, mostly of the deep sky, get the Dob. If you think you might want to do something else eventually, get the SCT.

The planets? If your interest is high power planetary observation, get the SCT--or some other scope with a drive. I have tracked the planets at crazy high power with my Dob with great success--and I mean 700 - 1000x, but I am mostly a casual planetary guy.