As I soon came to realise, a classical refractor, with it's high magnification and ravishing good looks, was not going to give me the best views of deep space objects - my avowed passion at the time. Aperture became king. To rationalise a new purchase, I soaked up glossy adds in S&T for the relatively new (in amateur circles at least) Schmidt-Cassegrain design. Not only did it have aperture, but it was compact - an important feature since I lived in an apartment at the time. I needed portability. I could easily set one up on my balcony three storeys up! It was decided then. I would trade in my Unitron and buy an 8" Celestron for a mere $AU850!