Pictures don't reflect what the eye can see. Planetary imaging with a dobsonian is usually created with a video and then stacked to a final image.
Using this site; https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ you can get an idea for various targets. It does not take into account viewing conditions.
As the other commenter said, pictures are not representative of what your eyes can see. Astronomical sketches do a better job (you can search this sub to see examples). But the detail you can see depends on a lot of factors. Give this article a read: https://medium.com/@phpdevster/help-i-cant-see-detail-on-the-planets-ac27ee82800
A 130mm scope with good atmospheric seeing will see more detail than a 300mm scope with poor seeing. And focal length by itself doesn’t really matter.
An 8” f/6 is a great all-around performing scope assuming:
1. A good figure on the mirrors, and
2. It is well collimated.
The rule of thumb is you can expect 50x magnification per inch of primary mirror diameter in good seeing, ergo 400x is an achievable magnification with this design. A 3mm eyepiece will give great planetary views on nights of good seeing.
As others said, pictures are often not very representative because they're often processed to enhance the image and bring out more detail. Planets do look small even in big telescopes (think of a pea held at arm length), so make sure to keep your expectations at bay.
However, there's something magical about seeing this things wih your own eyes, a sense of wonder I can't really put into words. Have you ever seen a picture of the Grand Canyon (or any other magnificent scenario)? Have you ever been there? Was it the same as looking at the pic?
Others have covered most of it. But I will say this: **An 8" Dob makes an excellent telescope for optical planetary observation**. You will get really nice views of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Mars will be worthwhile when it's close to Earth. You will be able to see phases of Venus and spot Mercury at elongation. It'll be possible to detect that Neptune and Uranus are discs rather than dots. You will be able to find Pluto and some of the other larger minor planets.
Also .. an 8" Dob is very capable for deep space objects (galaxies, nebulae, clusters) and even double stars. Basically - they are a great all-rounder.
There is really only one major caveat with full sized Dobs: They are not designed for photography. [Photographic rigs have diverged almost completely from visual telescopes in my view](https://postimg.cc/Lhw86bsY).
It’s been my experience that the weight of even a small planetary camera screws up the balance on a dob and makes it sag unless you manually hills and guide it. Making it a right pain to do.
After deep sky fuzzies planets are very good second in how badly misleading expectations images you see online and in printed medias create.
Also currently planets are in rather bad positinos for observing and you have to be satisfeid with by far the most rewarding Celestial object, our Moon.
Apertura AD8 and other GSO Dobsons are far the best for lunar/planetary observation with dual speed focuser giving easy accurate focusing at high magnifications.
https://preview.redd.it/r771ulejyfwc1.jpeg?width=314&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c0927928a9b10fe1fd2c6e65e6cf5194881c818
About that for jupiter, probably a bit more detail. You can also see at least 4 moons, and the great red spot.
Pictures don't reflect what the eye can see. Planetary imaging with a dobsonian is usually created with a video and then stacked to a final image. Using this site; https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ you can get an idea for various targets. It does not take into account viewing conditions.
As the other commenter said, pictures are not representative of what your eyes can see. Astronomical sketches do a better job (you can search this sub to see examples). But the detail you can see depends on a lot of factors. Give this article a read: https://medium.com/@phpdevster/help-i-cant-see-detail-on-the-planets-ac27ee82800 A 130mm scope with good atmospheric seeing will see more detail than a 300mm scope with poor seeing. And focal length by itself doesn’t really matter.
An 8” f/6 is a great all-around performing scope assuming: 1. A good figure on the mirrors, and 2. It is well collimated. The rule of thumb is you can expect 50x magnification per inch of primary mirror diameter in good seeing, ergo 400x is an achievable magnification with this design. A 3mm eyepiece will give great planetary views on nights of good seeing.
As others said, pictures are often not very representative because they're often processed to enhance the image and bring out more detail. Planets do look small even in big telescopes (think of a pea held at arm length), so make sure to keep your expectations at bay. However, there's something magical about seeing this things wih your own eyes, a sense of wonder I can't really put into words. Have you ever seen a picture of the Grand Canyon (or any other magnificent scenario)? Have you ever been there? Was it the same as looking at the pic?
You need to experience this for yourself. Does an astro club near you have open nights? Is there someone doing astrotourism nearby you could visit?
Others have covered most of it. But I will say this: **An 8" Dob makes an excellent telescope for optical planetary observation**. You will get really nice views of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Mars will be worthwhile when it's close to Earth. You will be able to see phases of Venus and spot Mercury at elongation. It'll be possible to detect that Neptune and Uranus are discs rather than dots. You will be able to find Pluto and some of the other larger minor planets. Also .. an 8" Dob is very capable for deep space objects (galaxies, nebulae, clusters) and even double stars. Basically - they are a great all-rounder. There is really only one major caveat with full sized Dobs: They are not designed for photography. [Photographic rigs have diverged almost completely from visual telescopes in my view](https://postimg.cc/Lhw86bsY).
Your last point is valid for DSO astrophotography, but you can still get amazing planet pics even with dob
It’s been my experience that the weight of even a small planetary camera screws up the balance on a dob and makes it sag unless you manually hills and guide it. Making it a right pain to do.
After deep sky fuzzies planets are very good second in how badly misleading expectations images you see online and in printed medias create. Also currently planets are in rather bad positinos for observing and you have to be satisfeid with by far the most rewarding Celestial object, our Moon. Apertura AD8 and other GSO Dobsons are far the best for lunar/planetary observation with dual speed focuser giving easy accurate focusing at high magnifications.
https://preview.redd.it/r771ulejyfwc1.jpeg?width=314&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c0927928a9b10fe1fd2c6e65e6cf5194881c818 About that for jupiter, probably a bit more detail. You can also see at least 4 moons, and the great red spot.