How Big Of A Telescope Do You Need To See Planets?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Telescopes that have

4 or 5 inch diameters

are great for viewing solar system objects like the planets, our Moon, and Jupiter’s moons. Viewing Neptune and Uranus can be difficult with a scope this small but it’s not impossible. A telescope of this size is probably a good starting point for a complete beginner.

Contents hide

What is a good magnification for a telescope to see planets?

Experienced planetary observers use

20x to 30x per inch of aperture

to see the most planetary detail. Double-star observers go higher, up to 50x per inch (which corresponds to a 1⁄2-mm exit pupil). Beyond this, telescope magnification power and eye limitations degrade the view.

How big of a telescope do I need to see Mars?

Any telescope will work for Mars, but the bigger, the better.

A 4-inch refractor or a 6-inch reflector

are the recommended minimum. Apply high power (175× or more), and wait for a night with steady seeing, when the Martian disc is not blurred by turbulence in our atmosphere.

What size telescope is good for stargazing?

In general, a top-quality

4-inch refractor

shows deep-sky objects about as well as a 5-inch reflector or catadioptric, and might even do a bit better on the planets. Most telescopes with apertures of 80 mm or less are refractors.

What magnification do you need to see Jupiter?

Generally a magnification of

30-50x the aperture of your

telescope (in inches) works well on nights of average seeing. So if you have a 4-inch telescope, try 120x to 200x. If you have razor sharp optics and steady sky, you can get away with even more magnification.

What can you see with a 100mm telescope?

  • The maximum magnitude of a 100mm telescope is 13.6. For reference, the Moon has a magnitude of -12.74 and Mars has a magnitude of -2.6. …
  • The Moon. The Moon looks amazing in these telescopes. …
  • Mars. …
  • Venus. …
  • Jupiter. …
  • Saturn and Neptune. …
  • Pluto and Dwarf Planets. …
  • Mercury.

How good is a 70mm telescope?

With a 70mm telescope, you

will easily be able to see every planet in the Solar System

. You will also be able to take a great look at the Moon and clearly distinguish most of its recognizable features and craters. Mars will look great.

What can you see with a 90mm telescope?

A 90mm telescope will provide you with a clear view of

the Saturn

along with its rings, Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter with its Great Red Spot. You can also expect to see stars with 12 stellar magnitude with a 90mm telescope.

Is buying a telescope worth it?

Most telescopes that

cost less than $300 aren’t really worth it

. … A telescope’s most important attribute is its size, meaning the diameter of its main mirror or lens. The bigger the telescope, the more light it collects, which allows you to see dimmer objects. A popular first telescope is a Dobsonian.

How big of a telescope do you need to see Pluto?

Observing Pluto is the ultimate challenge. It is smaller than Earth’s moon and is approximately 3.3 billion miles away from us. You will need a large aperture telescope

of at least eleven inches

.

What kind of telescope do I need to see planets?


Telescopes that have 4 or 5 inch diameters

are great for viewing solar system objects like the planets, our Moon, and Jupiter’s moons. Viewing Neptune and Uranus can be difficult with a scope this small but it’s not impossible. A telescope of this size is probably a good starting point for a complete beginner.

What can I see with a beginner telescope?

  • Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) …
  • The Jewel Box (NGC 4755) …
  • The Moon. …
  • Saturn. …
  • Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104) …
  • Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372)

What do I need to know before buying a telescope?

  • Learn the Main Stars and Constellations. …
  • Learn the Layout of the Sky. …
  • Start with Binoculars. …
  • Try a Someone Else’s Telescope. …
  • Learn the Main Types of Telescopes. …
  • Study the Key Features of Telescopes. …
  • Find an Observing Location. …
  • Select a Place to Store Your Scope.

What can you see with 60x magnification?

What can you see with 60x magnification? Whilst you’ll get more magnification out of a telescope, a 60x spotting scope mounted on a tripod is good enough for entry level astronomy and will give a good view of celestial bodies like

the moon or jupiter

.

Is a 5 inch telescope good?

5-inch Telescopes offer

exceptional resolution for their size

. They can resolve double stars at . … 5′′ Optical tubes also make exceptional light gatherers by allowing an observer to see 14.3 magnitude stars!

How big of a telescope do I need to see Saturn?

The rings of Saturn should be visible in even the

smallest telescope at 25x [magnified by 25 times]

. A good 3-inch scope at 50x [magnified by 50 times] can show them as a separate structure detached on all sides from the ball of the planet. Want to see Saturn’s rings? First, you need to find Saturn in the sky.

What can I see with a 40x telescope?

At 40x you can use the scope for several astro viewing aspects:

Clusters, Open and Globular, double stars

, some nebula – M42 being the obvious. Depending on how dark your skies are some planetary nebula. And as ever in this hobby there is the moon.

What planets can I see with a 70mm telescope?

The colorful bands and

belts of Jupiter, as well

as its four major moons, and the rings of Saturn are clearly visible in a 70mm telescope. Mars, Venus and Mercury are visible in a small scope as well, but are extremely reluctant to give up any detail because of their overwhelming brightness.

What can you see with a 150mm telescope?

  • binary stars with angular separation of less than 1′′, faint stars (up to 14 stellar magnitude);
  • lunar features (2 km in diameter);
  • Clouds and dust storms on Mars;
  • 6-7 moons of Saturn, planetary disk of Titan may be observed;

What do the planets look like through a telescope?

You can observe the Solar System planets in your telescope. They won’t look as big and bright as on the pictures taken by spacecraft flying nearby. Rather, they will

look like small glowing spots

. For example, Mercury will appear as a star if you observe it with a small telescope.

What can you see with 700mm focal length telescope?

Protos 350X Advance 60700 Professional 60mm Aperture 700mm Focal Length Reflecting Telescope (Manual Tracking) The telescope is way better than expected. Though it’s cheap, it can show great

views of planets like Jupiter, Saturn and Mars

. The moon looks beautiful with it.

What can you see with a 76mm telescope?

Lots to be seen with 76mm of aperture!

Craters on the Moon

, Jupiter’s 4 main moons and maybe the main cloud belts, Saturn’s ring, quite a few of the brighter galaxies and nebula if the skies are dark enough from your location. If you are a beginner some of these things will require a little effort to find.

Is a 90x telescope good?

Thus a 90x magification on a very large (wide) telescope would let you see a

very large

number of things (if you are in an area where the sky is dark), but 90x on a small telescope would let you see a number of interesting things (the Moon, planets, some nebulae and star clusters) but not relatively faint objects.

What can you see with 80 mm telescope?

Now what will you see in a good 80mm? First Planets: all the planets and

some asteroids

. Mercury like a point, Venus with the phases, on Jupiter the cloud bands and 4 satellites, maybe not the Great red spot, on Saturn the rings and Cassini division, Uranus and Neptune like blue-green dots.

Is a 90mm refractor good?

The Orion Astroview 90mm refractor is

an ideal telescope for novice astronomers ready to invest in

their first model. There are some shortcomings, but this affordable telescope offers the laser-sharp optics that refractors are known for and is ideal for your first views of the Moon, planets, and stars.

How much does a real telescope cost?

A good telescope can cost anywhere from

$200 to $8000 US dollars

. Depending on if you are just starting out or if you are looking for a professional telescope, prices will differ.

What can I see with an 11 inch telescope?

11-inch Telescopes offer exceptional resolution for their size. They

can resolve double stars

at . 42 arcseconds and can be magnified up to 304 times the human eye. 11′′ Optical tubes also make exceptional light gatherers by allowing an observer to see 16 magnitude stars!

Is a 50 mm telescope good?

50mm (2 in) telescopes are the most basic, entry-level, budget telescopes on the market. … We

generally don’t recommend 50mm telescopes

unless you are on a very tight budget or you are looking for a gift for a 5-year-old. The minimum aperture we recommend for beginners is 70mm.

How big of a telescope do you need to see Neptune?

You’re going to need at least an

8-inch telescope with a magnification of no less than 200x

, just to turn Neptune into a tiny blue dot of light.

Are telescopes better than binoculars?


Telescopes are not inherently better

at looking into space than binoculars. Yes, astronomers’ telescopes, with their gigantic lenses and sturdy support systems, are more powerful than binoculars you can carry. But it just comes down to size. Both tools rely on the same optical principles to do the job.

How far can a regular telescope see?

If we cheat and get a little help, say with binoculars – you can see magnitude 10 – fainter stars and galaxies at more than 10 million light-years away. With a telescope you can see much, much further. A regular 8-inch telescope would let you see the brightest quasars,

more than 2 billion light years away

.

Can you see galaxies with a home telescope?

Although we can’t resolve the stars individually because they’re so far, we can see the collective glow from those billions of stars through a

telescope

. Unlike planets and bright stars, galaxies fade out as they expand. Even if a galaxy is bright, the most you might typically see is its core with a 4-inch telescope.

What is considered a good telescope?

As a rule of thumb, your telescope should have

at least 2.8 inches (70 mm) aperture

— and preferably more. … For most purposes, a telescope’s maximum useful magnification is 50 times its aperture in inches (or twice its aperture in millimeters) . So you’d need a 12-inch-wide scope to get a decent image at 600×.

What is a good brand of telescope?

  • SkyWatcher Explorer 130M. …
  • Celestron 22203 AstroFi 130 Wireless. …
  • Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ. …
  • Celestron Nexstar 8SE. …
  • Unistellar eVscope eQuinox. …
  • Bresser Taurus 90 NG telescope. …
  • Skywatcher Evostar-90 telescope. …
  • Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ.

Can I see Pluto with a telescope?

Can I See Pluto With a Telescope?

Yes

, you can see Pluto but you’ll need a large aperture telescope! Pluto resides at the very edges of our solar system and shines only at a faint magnitude of 14.4. … The dwarf planet is 3,670 million miles away from the Sun and looks just like another faint star in your telescope.

Can you see all the planets with a telescope?

With just a small or medium-sized telescope, skygazers can easily observe planets. You’ll be surprised how much of our solar system you can see! And you don’t need a dark sky to view all of our solar system’s planets; even under city lights,

Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn

can be easy to see with a telescope.

How big of a telescope do you need to see galaxies?

If you want to observe galaxies — and I mean really get something out of the time you put in at the eyepiece — you have to use a telescope with

an aperture of 8 inches or more

. Bode’s Galaxy (M81) glows brightly enough to show up through binoculars, but the larger the telescope you can point at it, the better.

Is it safe to look at stars through a telescope?

Is it safe to look at other stars through a telescope?

Besides the Sun

, it’s safe to look at other stars with a telescope. … Even though it is a star system with a star twice the mass of the Sun and one that is approximately the same size as this celestial object, it is safe to look at it through a telescope.

Is a 6-inch telescope good?

6-inch Telescopes offer

exceptional resolution for

their size. They can resolve double stars at . 76 arcseconds and can be magnified up to 304 times the human eye. 6′′ Optical tubes also make exceptional light gatherers by allowing an observer to see 14.7 magnitude stars!

What can I see with a 14 inch telescope?

14 Inch Telescopes offer exceptional resolution for their size. They

can resolve double stars

at . 33 arcseconds and can be magnified up to 712 times the human eye. 14′′ Optical tubes also make exceptional light gatherers by allowing an observer to see 16.5 magnitude stars!

What can you see with a 120x microscope?

This pocket microscope is much more than a mere magnifying glass. Using the magnifier/120x zoom and adjustable focus on this pocket-size tool, you can even see

a clear image of plant cells and observe the movement of large protists in pond water

!

What can you see with a 250x microscope?

This digital microscope attaches to any computer or smart phone, and lets you magnify items up to 250x their normal size. Perfect for

magnifying bugs, coins, dollar bills

, your fingerprints, plants, food, or really whatever else you can find around your house.

What does Mars look like through telescope?

Through a home telescope Mars will appear as

a round reddish object

. Don’t expect a bright red object. The red shade will be dull. You might get to see a white coloration at the ‘top’ or ‘bottom’ of your view, a polar cap, depending on the season or the tilt of the planet.

Charlene Dyck
Author
Charlene Dyck
Charlene is a software developer and technology expert with a degree in computer science. She has worked for major tech companies and has a keen understanding of how computers and electronics work. Sarah is also an advocate for digital privacy and security.