: I am getting back into astronomy after a long absence. I am purchasing a new scope and have narrowed it down to either an Orion 6" Dobs or an Orion 4.5" short tube newtonian. I expect to do mainly event viewing (like Jupiter an Venus later this month) and general family viewing of planets and the moon. I have heard good things about Orion's quality and support. The questions are: Is the 1.5 extra inch aperture on the Dobs worth the extra cost? Do I need an equatorial mount (the newtonian has one the dobs, of course, doesn't)? Are the optica in the dobs (and therefore the image clarity) as superior as Orion says it is?

: I know these are questions that may have been asked before but I want to make the right choice.

: Thanks

If you are going to be viewing planets your magnification will have to be rather high and tracking becomes a problem with a Dob. You might want to look at the LXD Achromatic and Apochromatic 4" equitorial refractors from Mead. I have not used one but the specifications of these telescopes are almost unbelievable for the price (I think 495.00 to 695.00)