Possibility for Sara, Cade....

[labdude]

The 6" Star Blast is quite a deal. I believe Orion would even pay the shipping.

Telescope.com: Reflectors

[RetainerDesigner]

Those are cool...I like the Starblast...Im gonna show this to Sara tonight

[labdude]

Here's another for you Cade. A little more difficult to transport however. It's about 99.6 inches tall.

Meade 20" LX400-ACF on MAX Equatorial Mount with Alt-Azimuth Pier - Free Shipping - OPT Telescopes

[JEmirzian]

I saw that scope at NEAF last year......Meade claims it is portable!! RIGHT.........

Photo of Barlow Bob and Jose......

[labdude]

Good size comparison shot.
Got any of a 12" or so privately owned APO??

A nice 12" APO, Cade, would only set you back about 80k. Then you need to buy a mount, and maybe build a place to put it. Maybe you wouldn't have to build a place, as your wife would leave you, making space.

[Travis]

Thats massive, nice looking piece of equipment.
How would that compare to a 300.00 scope?

[labdude]

It would be way more than a beginner scope. The ability to "see" items is something to be practiced and learned over time. It has far more light grasp than a 300 dollar scope, simply because of its aperature.(size) It's a 20" mirror, as opposed to a 6" mirror you might find in a decent beginner level scope.
Aperature is king in most instances. A refractor (lens type) scope has its own special niche. That 20" is an SCT design. As shown at the site, light is altered through the incoming lens(corrector plate) and goes to the mirror(20") then back up to a secondary mirror, then back to the diagonal, and to your eye.
A refractor is a straight through from the front to the eyepiece type scope.
Jay's scope is a Dobsonian(newtonian type). A Dobsonian is basically a Newtonian type scope on a altazimuth mount.(up down,right left) Designed for the mentally challenged.

My scope (white one) is a Newtonian on a German Equatorial Mount. (GEM) My other blue one is an SCT. Mounted on top of it is a refractor, for visual and astrophotography.
300 dollar scope, usually would be a 5 or 6 inch Dobsonian(newtonian) type. Or a small refractor.
For a beginner, the larger mirror will give you way more bang for your buck as aperature(size) is generally king.
It makes it nice for a curious person to find out if they enjoy the hobby, a few times a year or so. If you go in for 300 dollars,the scope can usually be sold, just for less. Astromart is the MOST SAFE place to buy and sell scopes. You could possibly pick up a nice used scope in your area for 300 dollars, most times, people seem to ship them.

300 dollars, entry level scope. 50 k scope, retired, more dollars than sense, won the lottery, born into the right family and wants to try it out for fun, etc.

Our house is paid for, Linda doesn't understand the value that would be added to our property by putting up a little dome to house the 20" LX400 ACF. No matter the begging and crying and.....I got what I got, but, what I got right now is all I need. It's enough to keep me busy fiddling around in the shed for years.

There.....now that should be clear as mud!!
Mike.

[labdude]

The ST 80 can be had for 300 dollars. Some versions are more. But it won't grab as much light as a 6" Dob. You would see more with the 6"

Otto Piechowski's ST-80 Tune Up

[labdude]

Hey Cade!! Here's another one for Sara!!

Astromart Classifieds - Telescope - Reflectors - RC Optical Systems Carbon Truss 20 inch RC

[RetainerDesigner]

Geez..$54K!
Shhhh.... she's gonna start asking me for a raise!

Hey, when did they stop looking like telescopes, after the $10K mark?