113mm refractor vs 8inch sct Generic equipment discussions · Clayton Ostler · ... · 4 · 171 · 0

That's a hard one because in a really good refractor in that size range views and Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the Moon can be very impressive. It will deliver these images on all but the roughest nights and so can pretty much be depended on to give a small but high contrast, easy to see view. Under good conditions an 8" aperture can give impressive views but that won't be true on most nights. I would also be careful with SCTs as these can vary a lot in quality. I've looked through some that were rather good but I've also seen more than a few that I would call "mush dogs". I think what would really work for you would be a classic 4" F/16 refractor if you can find one, or, a 6" F/8 Newtonian, another classic.

I have organized science fairs and participated in many events. Yes, people are indeed interested in seeing the planets, but that's usually because they mostly know about them. Planets are more popular than any nebula. But when you show them some nebulae, they are always amazed. Or some star clusters. Especially if you use a laser pointer to aim where the telescope is seeing, they will see nothing in the sky in B6-7 but from the telescope they can see a star cluster! That fascinates people.

It's the twist, it's the surprising fact of the knowledge that hits them the most. I'd go with the refractor because of that reason. Cause you can even only show the Galilean moons and if they stay they will even see them moving! From my experience, that is not so different than seeing Jupiter itself. There is always something to show. It's all about your presentation. Whichever you feel more comfortable presenting, you might decide on that one. I don't think one is better than the other in this case.