A 16-inch telescope is one of the largest telescopes for amateurs and hobbyist sky gazers. The large aperture can gather a large amount of light, making the views of planets and other night sky objects sharp. Serious astronomers also prefer this scope for the amazing views and optical performance. The magnification allows them to research the details of distant galaxies and star clusters.
What is a 16-inch telescope?
A 16-inch telescope refers to a telescope having an aperture (the diameter of the objective lens) of 16-inch (406mm). The light-gathering power is 4 times the 8-inch telescope and 16 times the 4-inch telescope. This is the best portable telescope for astrophotography used by novice astronomers. A 16-inch telescope is considered to be in the category of large telescopes.
What can you see with a 16-inch telescope?
- The Moon with clear details like craters
- Galaxies like M82 or the Cigar Galaxy with its dust lane.
- The phases of Venus.
- The moons of Jupiter
- The polar ice caps on Mars.
- The rings of Saturn.
- Uranus and Neptune with their bluish color
- Orion with blue and purple color and details.
- Star Clusters like M13 and the Hercules Globular Cluster
Types & Technical Specifications of 16-inch Telescopes
Types
- Modified Schmidt Cassegrain: Example: Meade 16 LX 600 ACF f/ 8
- Ritchey-Chretien Astrograph Telescope: Example: Ioptron 16 iOptron Truss Tube
- Truss Tube Dobsonian: Example: Hubble Optics Ultra Lite
Common Technical Specifications
Aperture: 406 mm (16″)
Camera/Eyepiece Connection: 2″ nosepiece
Focal Length: 1800mm (Sky-Watcher 16″) -4064mm (Meade LX200-ACF 16″)
Focal ratio: f/10- f/4.43
Tube Weight: 67lb-92.6 lbs
Magnification: 810x -960x
Light Gathering Power: 3364x- 4318x
Images taken with 16-inch telescopes
Examples of 16-inch telescopes
- Sky-Watcher 16″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope
- TPO 16″ Truss Tube f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope
- Meade LX200-ACF 16″ UHTC OTA
- Meade LX600 16″ F/8 ACF Optical Tube Assembly
- Explore Scientific 16″ Truss Tube Dobsonian- F/4.5
- iOptron 16-Inch f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope
- TPO 16″ Truss Tube f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope
How does a 16-inch telescope compare to other size telescopes
16-inch vs 17-inch telescopes
The only 17-inch telescope is the most commercial PlaneWave 17″ CDK Telescope with Fused Silica Mirror. On average 16-inch telescopes vary in focal length from 1800-4064mm and focal ratio from f/10-f/4.43, while 17-inch telescopes have a focal length of 2939mm and a focal ratio of 2939 mm. Besides, 16-inch telescopes cannot remove off-axis astigmatism and field curvature whereas 17-inch telescopes can eliminate them completely.
| 16-inch telescope | 17-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 16-inch (406 mm) | 17-inch (432 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/10- f/4.43 | f/6.8 |
| Focal Length | 1800-4064 mm | 2939 mm |
| Image Quality | No coma, but cannot eliminate off-axis astigmatism and field· curvature. | No coma, no off-axis astigmatism, and field curvature. |
| Price | 4,500-11,000$ | 22,500$ |
16-inch vs 18-inch telescopes
16-inch telescopes vary in focal ratio from f/10-f/4.43 and focal lengths from 1800mm -4064mm whereas an 18-inch scope has a 1900mm focal length with f/4.2 focal ratio. Besides, the price of the 18-inch scope is more than double the price of the 16-inch scope. The highest magnification of an 18-inch scope is 914x which can vary in a 16-inch telescope from 810x-960x.
| 16-inch telescopes | 18-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 16-inch (406 mm) | 18-inch (457.2 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/10- f/4.43 | f/4.2 |
| Focal Length | 1800-4064 mm | 1900 mm |
| Highest Magnification | 810-960x | 914x |
| Price | 4,500$-11,000$ | 22,500$ |
16-inch vs 20-inch telescopes
20-inch telescope has 100mm more aperture than the 16-inch scope, which means it has more light gathering power than the 16-inch. Besides, the 20-inch scope has a focal length of 1826 mm (f/3.6) whereas 16-inch telescopes vary in focal length from 1800-4064mm (f/10- f/4.43). But amazingly, the price range is similar. The highest magnification of a 20-inch scope is 1,000x which can vary in a 16-inch telescope from 810x-960x.
| 16-inch telescope | 20-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 16-inch (406 mm) | 20-inch (508 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/10- f/4.43 | f/3.6 |
| Focal Length | 1800-4064 mm | 1826 mm |
| Highest Magnification | 810-960x | 1,000x |
| Price | 4,500-11,000$ | 10,000$ |
16-inch vs 22-inch telescopes
22-inch telescope provide far better quality images of night sky objects than the 16-inch ones. But amazingly you can have a 22-inch scope at the same price range of an expensive 16-inch telescope and get great views. Besides, the 22-inch scope has a focal length of 2337 mm (f/4.2) whereas 16-inch telescopes vary in focal length from 1800-4064mm (f/10- f/4.43).
| 16-inch telescope | 22-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 16-inch (406 mm) | 22-inch (558.8 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/10- f/4.43 | f/4.2 |
| Focal Length | 1800-4064 mm | 2337 mm |
| Price | 4,500-11,000$ | 11,500$ |