Largest effective aperture wrt seeing

[neoterryjoe]

Hi all,
Was wondering if anyone with experiences of using big scopes know what is the largest aperture you can use in Singapore taking average seeing conditions into consideration. Is this a relevant question to ask?

Thank you!

[bornfree]

i know of a 22" dob in singapore, but i am not sure if it was ever deployed in singapore soil..
i own an 8" dob which i feel is plenty fine.. and then there are those selling 12" to go maybe 16" or 18".. do take into account portability unless u own a landed property and is planning to build an observatory.

that is my 2 cents.

[Canopus Lim]

Frankly I do not think there is a limit in 'seeing' in Singapore as the 'seeing' is considered pretty good here due to the fact we are at the equator and the planet is able to rise to zenith; with my 12.5" the minimum (typical) magnification I use is 320x and on good nights depending on targets, it is possible to go 400x (Jupiter) and 600x (Saturn, Mars, Lunar) with razor sharp images and high contrast.

Also there is almost no 'cooling' required since our indoor and outdoor temperature is very similar. We do not have drastic drop in temperature from day to night and even if there is a drop it is gradual and thus enough time for large optics to reach equilibrium.
I would say the main limitation to going to larger aperture is really if you are able to bring it out to use. That is if you have car to transport it and a place to observe with it. Larger scopes are significantly more tiring to transport and handle.

[neoterryjoe]

Thanks for the replies! Canopus, its good to see you are still enjoying your 12.5!

Now with mass production even for ultra compact truss dobs, its cheaper to own large aperture scopes(for visual only) than before, plus the fact that they come with wheel barrels for eas(ier) transportation. I think one of the cheaper alternatives is the offerings from Hubble Optics. Some owners from cloudynights seem to be ok with their optics. Any owner here care to share their experiences on UC type dobs?

Thank you!

[mymoon]

Hi all,
Was wondering if anyone with experiences of using big scopes know what is the largest aperture you can use in Singapore taking average seeing conditions into consideration. Is this a relevant question to ask?

Thank you!

Correct me if I am wrong. The telescope aperture will be governed by limiting magnitude

From this table for me in KL the biggest aperture would be 12 inches

At Mersing it will be 30 inch.

For Tip of Borneo, Sabah it will be 200 inches.

Maybe some actual measurements can be taken to reconfirm the sizes. Google on how to measure limiting magnitudes using a telescope and CCDs..


Like I said I stand corrected.

My 2 sen.

Clear Skies

Aziz