Large aperture vs. small for nebular viewing.

[natic...@nrlabs.dec]

I AM INTERESTED IN BUILDING A 13 TO 14 IN REFLECTING TELESCOPE FOR
DEEP SKY VIEWING OF NEBULARS. I HAVE A 4.25" F/10 NEWTONIAN THAT I USE NOW
FROM 35X TO 200X BUT WOULD LIKE A WIDER FIELD OF VIEW AND A BRIGHTER IMAGE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPANIES THAT SELL LIGHTWEIGHT 1/8 WAVE MIRRORS
AT F/4.5 TO F/6 AND THEY CLAIM THIS IS WHAT I WANT. I AM HOPING TO KEEP
THE COST OF THE SYSTEM BOTH IN TIME AND MONEY MINIMAL BUT STILL HAVE A GOOD
VIEW. THE SHORT FOCUS NEWTONIAN SEEMS TO BE THE WAY TO GO BUT I HAVE BEEN
READING THAT A SMALLER MORE ACCURATE MIRROR WITH A LONGER F RATIO IS BETTER.

IS THERE A TRADE OFF POINT IN SIZE, ACCURACY, AND F RATIO?

I WOULD LIKE ANY RECOMENDATION ON WHAT OTHERS HAVE USED AND WHY?

IS THERE ANY GOOD REFERENCES I COULD USE?

ANY DATA OR FORMULAS WOULD ALSO BE APPRECATED.

THANKYOU FOR YOUR HELP
STEVEN M. NATICCHIONI
DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORP.
NRO5/F2
30 FORBES ROAD
NORTHBORO, MA 01532
(617) 351-4862
P.S. "A LITTLE EXPERIENCE REPLACES A LOT OF THEORY!"

NRLABS::NATICCHIONI