Stephen Jessop wrote:
Pete, you send in some very nice pictures, I am looking to buy my first
telescope and would like to look at the planets and galaxies. You have
shown some great pictures of some galaxies using your 80mm ED telescope. I
would like to use a refractor my self so my question is what size do I need
to look at the planets and get a good view of galaxies? Do I need to go to
a 150mm size or will smaller do an if so what would be the smallest
diameter? Sorry thats 2 questions. I have been looking at telescopes for
over a year now and I am still undecided. I have even been toying with the
idea of a reflector or dobsan.


Pardon me for jumping in, Stephen, but when you say "look at" I take
that to mean visual astronomy.

Pete's results are photographic, which means the camera is integrating
many photons over a relatively long period. Since our eyes cannot do
that, the views you get looking through a scope will alway disappoint
compared to astrophotographs.

For visual use (not photographic) and as a first scope, a dobsonian of
no less than 8" aperture would be a good compromise of cost, ease of
use, transportability and optical grasp. With a larger aperture you
would see more .. so that becomes a personal choice (e.g., if you have a
fixed observatory, or are really dedicated to the hobby, you could
consider much larger scopes). But an 8" dob ala the Orion series would
be a good starting point.

If your goal is to follow in Pete's photographic footsteps, then the
answer would be very different. You would need an equatorial tracking
mount of reasonably high quality .. and could achieve very nice results
with smaller apertures, at least on some targets.

Even with all that .. following in Pete's footsteps would not be easy.
His shots of a variety of objects and with several scopes show he is a
master of the art of astrophotography.

Phil