While I am not sure I want to go with math and logic like Matt :), I'll pipe up once more. (:rolleyes:)
If your weapon of choice for dark nights was/is a G11 mounted C14, IMO Matthew has a pretty good point. What you'll gain in a 15 inch dob is a wider FOV, simplicity, and... well... franky little else. You already KNOW what the views are through a 14 inch telescope. So the views through a 15 inch will be 'about' the same.
IMO, and take it for what you paid for it, a C14/G11 is as hard, if not harder to set up than my 18 inch Litebox whose heaviest component is a 44 pound mirror/cell/case combination. And it does not need to be hefted up above my waist but simply laided down on the ground to have the mirror box attached to it. Then I lift it 2 feet to place it in a rocker box.
http://www.litebox-telescopes.com/
FWIW I think my 18 inch dob is every bit as easy to setup or transport as any C14 resplendent with G11. So if you mustered the gumption for a C14/G11 on dark sky nights, you can easily do the same with a Plettstone 18. And you'll rarely regret the extra aperture.
I am not trying to talk you out of a 15. But consider where you are, and where you want to go.
Best wishes,
---------------------------------------
Jeffrey D. Gortatowsky
Fullerton, California
"Madam, there's no such thing as a tough child -- if you parboil them first for seven hours, they always come out tender. " - W.C. Fields
"What wretched scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?" - W.C. Fields
----- Original Message ----
From: Matthew Buynoski <buynoski@No-Spam>
To: The Astronomy Connection <sf-bay-tac@No-Spam>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 6:46:32 PM
Subject: Re: [TAC] Recomendations on a BIG dob
Given he already has a C14, a 15" is too small a jump. To get
1 magnitude more depth, you need roughly 2.5X the mirror
area (assuming equal light reflection losses, and all that stuff),
or roughly 1.6X the diameter, meaning 22" or so. With that size,
portability will need to be carefully considered, and the trailer
idea mentioned in an earlier post sounds wise.
O
-- What TAC Is About. http://www.observers.org/Join.shtml Webcam, DSLR, CCD Imaging use NorCal AI. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/norcal_ai/ Designing and improving TAC's website. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/tac-ops/ Sub-scribe or Unsub-scribe from TAC http://seds.org/mailman/listinfo/sf-bay-tacReceived on Tue Nov 28 21:39:29 2006