Overheard at the observatory that mirrors bigger than 8 inches are basically useless in the city

I was standing near the 16-inch at Griffith last Saturday and this guy goes, "if you live in LA, that scope is just collecting light pollution." He wasn't wrong. I've been fighting with my 10-inch Dob for two years trying to see nebula detail, but all I get is a gray blob. Anyone here run a smaller scope in a bright city and actually see things better?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessicamiller11d ago

Yeah, hold up. I run a 6-inch in downtown Chicago and I see way more than a gray blob on most nights. Half the battle is just picking the right target, not the biggest mirror. People get obsessed with aperture like it's the only thing that matters, but a big scope in bad skies just magnifies the crud. That guy at Griffith probably spends more time gatekeeping than actually looking through his finder.

faith_lopez4811d ago

Yeah, @jessicamiller, totally agree on that "big scope in bad skies just magnifies the crud" part. I'd add that people forget how much light pollution kills contrast on faint stuff like galaxies, so a smaller scope with good filters can actually pull out more detail. Maybe it's just me, but I think a lot of the gatekeeping comes from folks who've never had to fight with streetlights and glow to get a decent view.