Is there a club associated with the observatory?

 

I know that the standard goto (heh heh) recommendation to a beginner is to buy an 8" dob. I see it all the time on all the boards. But I disagree with it, and here's why.

For four significant segments of the population, an 8" dob is impractical:
1. The newly retired, who have always had an astronomy itch, and now want to scratch it. Although an 8" dob is only about 40 pounds, and breaks down into two 20 pound segments, that can prove unwieldy for a senior citizen.

2. The newly interested; i.e., kids. Again, for a kid who is say, between the ages of 8 to 13 or so, an 8" dob will simply be too big to use without help. Yes, a lot of kids this age will be out observing with their parents, but there are kids - I was one of them - who want to go out without their parents.

3. Apartment dwellers - like myself. We can't just take the scope out into the backyard, or down the block to a park, again, because of the size and weight. Many city dwellers also don't have cars to be able to take the scope anywhere. I observe off of the rooftop of my apartment building - I'd have to drag a heavy dob up stairs to get it up there. That's one reason why I didn't buy one.

4. Those people whose spouses don't appreciate having something the look and size of a small water heater in their house. This is pretty self-explanatory.

Additionally, I like to say that the dob isn't ideal because there are nights when you won't use it. Let’s say you’ve been socked in with clouds for the past two-three weeks. You’d love to get out there and do some observing. The weather forecast finally declares it’s going to be clear tonight. But you get home from a long hard day at work or school, you look over at that huge, heavy water heater sized scope in the corner, and just sigh. Instead of going out observing, you just ease back in your recliner in front of the TV, beer in hand. Ah, well; another night lost.

The best scope is the one you use. Not the biggest, not the fanciest, but the one that gets you out under the night sky, observing. That’s the “grab-and-go” scope - no trouble to take out, set up, and start using. And that's why my goto recommendation is the Meade Infinity 102, a nice little 4-inch refractor. At $229, it's about half the price of the 8-inch dob. It's light, portable, and easy to set up. Because it's a refractor, it has minimal cool-down time and is ready to go and give its best images almost immediately. This particular one comes with 3 eyepieces and a Barlow for a range of magnifications from 23x to 190x, just about the full range of the scope. Because it's an f/5.9, it gives wonderful widefield views at those low powers.

Now, yes, absolutely, the 8" dob is right for a lot of beginners. Just like you said, it will show you a lot; it could very well be a lifetime telescope. But please realize that it's not right for everyone, and shouldn't be the default response to the inevitable question, "Which telescope should I buy first?" Before making the dob recommendation, ask some questions first, such as:

1. Do you have problems carrying 20 pounds over the distance from where you'd keep the scope to where you'd be observing from?
2. Do you have a spouse who wouldn't appreciate the looks of a water-heater-like object on display?
3. Is your budget less than the $399 cost of an 8-inch dob, or more likely, the $450-475 cost of a dob with a couple/three eyepieces?

Just some food for thought.

 

There are many valid points to both sides of this coin. Telescopes are like vehicles, in that there are a bunch of needs and a bunch of vehicles.... Right? Is a 8" DOB or a 4" refractor a good scope to start with? Depends on the OPTICS!!! LOL..

 

The 8" Dob is a very good instrument for both novice and experienced observers, and a good deal that packs a lot of performance for very little cash. Is it right for everybody? Of course not, and even Tony mentioned it in his last sentence, giving advice to go to a star party and get whatever suits you.

I now only own one Dob, a 10" Skywatcher collapsible strut tube. This thing is actually easier for me to handle in two pieces than the 6" Dobs I had were to handle in one piece, and they were easy. But, my most used scopes are my smaller refractors on Alt-Az mounts. That's what works for me and gets me out under the stars.

Ed D