Murray – I am not deeply into astronomy but a friend who is once told me years ago that it was best if contemplating a reflector / mirrored type for hobby use to go for one of minimum 7" diameter. Maybe the more knowledgeable “gazers” around here can offer more up to date tips.

Rik

If photography and GOTO is not on the agenda and you have reasonable dark skies, the Skyliner is a superb scope that will let you see very deep. I have looked through one at a reasonably dark site and the views were great, it benefits from eyepiece upgrades.

To put those dobs on a GOTO mount will be problematic – you can buy goto dobs, but they come as a package. You would also need a mount costing much more than the scope to take the weight.

How about this:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/sky-watcher-star-discovery-150p.html

or this:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130p-supatrak-auto.html

Shorter focal length will give just as bright views and perhaps a better viewing experience but these will still be good for planets with a Barlow that multiplies the lens power. There is alifetime of viewing in objects you will see with a 130mm scope, and you can get amazing photos for up to 30-60s exposure with the alt/az tracking mounts.

I have a 130P-DS which is a version of the 130P optimised for photography and it gives excellent views (on the one time I looked through it properly!).

Posted by Muzzer on 14/12/2017 12:32:54.

It's looking as if she may eventually become a professional stargazer, as she is currently on course to start a masters in astrophysics next year, once she's finished her current combined masters in mech eng for which she has already managed to get a first. No idea where she got that from!

Murray

One of the nice things about astrophysics is that many people whose professional work is desk based are also amateur observers.

A humble webcam would open a whole new area of study, start with the moon (easy to find) then move on to the brighter planets.
A webcam and free Registax software can capture stunning planetary detail.
A dslr on a Dob would require a counterweight.
There are adapters available to hold a phone to the eyepiece for reasonable photos.

Loads of free planetaria programmes around for all the common platforms.
I'm a bit of a dinosaur and still use HNsky, but Sky Safari is versatile and runs on a phone.
Stellarium is another well known planetarium.