Can you tell a big difference in the night sky between a 10inch & 12inch telescope? The Orion Skyquest scopes

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/GoTo-Computerized-Telescopes/Orion-SkyQuest-XT10g-Computerized-GoTo-Dobsonian-Telescope/pc/-1/c/1/sc/15/p/8949.uts


I dont know if I should get the 10 inch or the 12 inch. If I cant see much more through the 12 inch should I pay extra for 2 inches??? I love looking at the moon, planets and deep sky objects, pretty much everything...

I've done most of my observing in the last 5 years with 10-, 11-, and 12-inch telescopes. To be perfectly honest, I can't detect much difference between them. If you go to a 14- or 16-inch, you'll notice a difference, but going up one "size" doesn't affect things much. If fact, I found the significantly larger weight and bulk of a 12-inch caused me to observe less often than I had with my 11-inch.

I have solar filters for most of my telescopes, and use them regularly. But, if you can afford it, a hydrogen-alpha scope like the Coronado PST is even better.

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Between the two, go with the 12" truss tube. Even though there are more parts, the overall size is smaller to mange for storage and transport than with the 10" solid tube.

The other factor is main mirror cool down time. The solid tube designs do take longer for the glass to cool, since the solid tube limits just were the air can circulate. The truss system almost eliminates that problem.

The 12 would gather half again as much light and increase the resolution. It's well worth the money.




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You are going to want Quality eyepieces too, which are expensive.

I have the regular XT10 and get great views. I am never disappointed.