Recommendations moving from refractor to?

I have always owned refractors & never thought of using anything else until recently. My current favorite is a 6" F8 Jaegers with an AP focuser that I've had for several years. I have several smaller scopes but it seems like 6" is the point where globs, open clusters, and the brighter galaxies come alive. When I use it with a chromacor it produces breathtaking views of the moon, Jupiter, Saturn & Mars.
But I find myself wanting more i.e. being able to (conditions permitting) see the Encke gap, and resolve the arms in M51 & M33.
Can somebody recommend a scope which would retain the sharpness of a refractor, be mountable on a GEM, & have the light grasp I'm looking for. thank you,
Bill

The requirement for good planetary performance would
push my recommendation to a high-end Dob like a
StarMaster or Obsession in the 14 - 18 inch size.
GEM not an option here, but can get "goto and track"
or equatorial platform.

Bill Barrett said:

Can somebody recommend a scope which would retain the sharpness of a refractor, be mountable on a GEM, & have the light grasp I'm looking for. thank you,
Bill

An SCT, natch.

8)

One possibility...

12.5 inch F/6 Newtonian on a GEM

Jon

PS: I did buy a new ladder and throw that one away. 8O

Attached Image:

Bill:

I'm a refractoraholic myself and I really don't want to be cured. However, sometimes I do drink from a top shelf Mak-Newt or Mak-Cass. Specifically, I can recommend the TEC & Intes labels. I've had lovely drams from the TEC8 (F15.5) and Intes M715 single malt Mak-Cas's. But I also regularly partake in shots from my MN86 as well. Both vintages are highly recommended. Just remember though, it's ok to drink to excess with these critters as you'll never had a headache afterwards.

Jeff

Perhaps a Starmaster V-11, Bill?
I believe they can mount on a GEM.
And the Zambuto optics would certainly please you.
I haven't tried one, but I'd like to.
Linton

Moving up from 6", you should go for at least a 10". A Newtonian of that size is difficult to mount satisfactorily on a GEM. As an alternative that would preserve tracking ability, consider either a Dob on an Equatorial platform, or an SCT. I've seen some pretty awesome views in a Celestron 11" SCT. I think that would be my recommendation for a refractor move-up.

My $ 0.02 ...

Hugh Bartlett

I just want to thank everyone for their input. Clearly I will need to make a leap in aperture and there are many excellent possibilities. Now the hard part will be letting go of the 6" refractor to help finance the next move. thank you, Bill