Hi - I was hoping for some help regarding my first refractor, I have a 20" Starspitter Dob but I am looking for a quicker setup and some very nice wide field views as well as Lunar/Planetary work - I have been thinking of 3 scopes - the Williams Optics 80 ZSFD and the Orion ED 80 & 100 is there alot of difference between them?
Help on a first Refractor
Started by ASAT, 05/09/2006 08:09PM
Posted 05/09/2006 08:09PM
Opening Post
Posted 05/09/2006 08:35PM
#1
Louis Griffin said:
Hi - I was hoping for some help regarding my first refractor, I have a 20" Starspitter Dob but I am looking for a quicker setup and some very nice wide field views as well as Lunar/Planetary work - I have been thinking of 3 scopes - the Williams Optics 80 ZSFD and the Orion ED 80 & 100 is there alot of difference between them?
If you want to use it for lunar and planetary work, then you would be better off with the larger aperture. I think small refractors really shine in about the 90 to 100mm range, where they have short enough focal lengths for wide fields, and enough aperture to do a respectable job on the Moon and planets.
Clear skies, Alan
Posted 05/10/2006 01:52PM
#2
Hello:
Have you considered a Takahashi Sky90? I have one and really enjoy using it. It has good aperture for a refractor, and is quite short and thus very portable. Due to it's short focal length, I can get a 5 degree field of view with it, so there's no need for a finder. I can get the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in the same field of view, but it also has enough aperture to easily show the North America Nebula and the nearby Pelican Nebula with a filter. Naturally, it's diffraction limited and color-free. One interesting "test" we did was a galaxy count between the Sky90 and a C11. With the same eyepiece, we could see about the same number of galaxies in the Virgo cluster with both scopes. The C11's added light gathering power balanced with the Sky90's wider field of view. Although there are very good scopes out there for less money, the Sky90 is a very nice scope to have.
Cheers
Mike Connelley
Have you considered a Takahashi Sky90? I have one and really enjoy using it. It has good aperture for a refractor, and is quite short and thus very portable. Due to it's short focal length, I can get a 5 degree field of view with it, so there's no need for a finder. I can get the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in the same field of view, but it also has enough aperture to easily show the North America Nebula and the nearby Pelican Nebula with a filter. Naturally, it's diffraction limited and color-free. One interesting "test" we did was a galaxy count between the Sky90 and a C11. With the same eyepiece, we could see about the same number of galaxies in the Virgo cluster with both scopes. The C11's added light gathering power balanced with the Sky90's wider field of view. Although there are very good scopes out there for less money, the Sky90 is a very nice scope to have.
Cheers
Mike Connelley
Funding Member
