Dark skies VS Aperture???

I am happily retired and live in Oxford, CT, where I study galaxies using my 12 inch Meade LX90.

Oxford, CT is only 16 miles from New Haven, CT. On the Clear Sky Alarm Clock it is in the orange zone or Bortle Scale 5.

The Catskill Mtns. of NY state are only 2 to 2.5 miles by car from here. Yet they are in the green zone or Bortle Scale 4.0.

One option I have is to simply move to the Catskills with my current 12 inch scope.

The other option would be to buy eg an 8 inch Meade ETX-LS and drive to the Catskills to observe.

On the one hand, images in the 12 inch here in CT are 2.25 times brighter than they would be in an 8 inch.

On the other hand, the Catskills are Bortle Scale 4.0, whereas Oxford, CT is at best 5.0.

My question is this:

In your opinion would I be able to see more galaxy details using an 8 inch in the Catskills Mtn VS using my 12 inch from my current home in CT???

A lot more???

Thank you for your advice.

Keep lookin up.....Mike

In the last couple of months, I read (Astronomy Technology Today, or Astrophoto Insight--or maybe just off the web) that an eight inch under dark skies matches a thirteen under brighter skies. And this was an actual test, with formulae and calculations, and all that.

I should say that I have forgotten the details. The part I remember for sure is that dark skies win. Easily.

Alex

An 8" will do very well under the darker sky.
In truth the 12" will do significantly better there. Though I realize that wasn't the question.

I often bring an 8" out to rural sky. The more remote the place the better the results of course.
When there with the 8" I frequently wish I'd brought my 13".

So for what it's worth, I'd bring the 12" to the Catskills.

Mike:

First... You say the Catskills are 2.5 miles, did you mean 2.5 hours by car??

This is the way I look at it:

For observing details in galaxies one needs both dark skies and relatively large aperture. One can see galaxies with an 8 inch but even under Bortle 3 skies, I would not think it particularly satisfying. A large, easily transported scope is your best bet if galaxies are your goal... There are lots of nice advantages to an SCT but for seeing detail in galaxies and just observing galaxies in general, more aperture is so helpful that it is at least worth considering.

I was looking at your sky chart, I did not realize the one could access the local dark sky map... My favorite sites are on this map of the region around Tuba City, Az which is on the Navajo Reservation. It is a drive of about 600 miles but worth it.



Enough of my drooling.

IMHO, if you want to buy something, buy a larger DOB, 16 inches or more. Otherwise stick with your 12 inch and make the drive. IF you do buy a larger scope, I will show you more from both your backyard and the Catskills.

Jon

From what I've seen of your city skies, I'd have to say "8-inch SCT" from the Catskills (I might think long and hard about selecting the LS to BE that SCT unless/until Meade gets the last of the bugs out of its LightSwitch software, though).

Mike, have you considered a non-standard alternative--astro video?

With an astro video tool, I can punch through LP or haze, effectively at least triple my aperture, see color, reach where my EPs and eyes cannot go, and ease the physical challenges with longer observation periods. When I want to stay with optical solutions also, I make the choices like you do...when to use my lighter or heavier equipment. But I have found that I gravitate more to more portable equipment now that I can enjoy it but add the astro video advantage when I need more reach or punch through less than ideal conditions or limited aperture.