41° 17' 16" N  -  84° 22' 26" W

Bigger MUST be Better!

Having first used an 80mm (~3 inch) diameter Refractor, and then moving up to an 8" Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain,  I was ready for something BIGGER and BETTER!  Since astrophotography involves capturing faint light energy from objects which, for the most part, can't be seen with the naked eye,  it only made sense that more aperature (diameter) would have to mean better, brighter images.  Although in theory this is true, there are several other factors that can make as much if not more impact on the final result.  Since my house had a second story walk out balcony, I decided to purchase a Meade 16 inch "Starfinder" Newtonian Reflector.  This scope was literally as big as a 40-gallon water heater!  The tube was made of  rigid cardboard to keep the weight down, but it really took two people to carry it outside.  After several outings, I soon realized several things:

1. If the scope is too large or heavy to be easily moved, assembled, and disassembled, it won't get as much use.

2. For astrophotography, no matter how big the telescope is, the MOUNT is more important than the scope itself.

3. It is absolutely necessary to "guide" the scope either manually or automatically to ensure pinpoint star images and prevent loss of detail on exposures longer than 30 seconds.

80mm Refractor

The Meade 16" Starfinder