Re: OK GUYS 9.25 WINS OVER THE REFRACTOR

Mark,

I think you made a good choice with the 9.25. I wish my wife would let me get one! But I can't part with my other scopes, yet!

Personally, either material would be ok, but the carbon fiber has the advantage of thermal stablility. Here's what Celestron says on their website (or used to!)--

"Carbon Fiber Tube — 1/4 the thermal expansion of aluminum which creates a more stable focus. The Carbon Fiber tube is 4 times more resistant to temperature changes than aluminum tubes, thus minimizing your need to re-focus."

Mark:

Given the questions you are asking, it is apparent you are new to astronomy and observing. I highly recommend that before you buy a scope, you spend $30 and go to your local bookstore and buy a copy of "The Backyard Astronomers Guide" by Terence Dickenson and Al Dyer. This is easily one of the best books for beginners to read. I gaurantee you will have alot better understanding of the properties and functions of different scopes before you buy.
The book will help you answer alot of questions that weigh heavily on the success of your scope purchase. It will cost you so little and take only a few days to read it thoroughly. In the end, it will make the descision of which scope to buy alot easier and contribute to the likelihood of getting the right scope for you.

I can't emphasize this enough as you may not get the right scope for your observing style because you haven't defined it yet. The book will help alot in this regard.

Sorry to be a downer but I hope this helps - Rob