What Is The Best Magnification For A Telescope?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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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×. And even then, you’d need to wait for a night when the observing conditions are perfect.

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What telescope magnification is good?

Another rule of thumb… the maximum useful magnification of a telescope is

about 50x the aperture in inches

. Any higher and the image gets too dim and fuzzy to be useful. So a 4-inch scope can get you about 200x before the image gets too fuzzy and dim, a 6-inch scope gets you 300x, and so on.

What magnification telescope do I need to see planets?

To look at planets like Jupiter and Saturn, you will need a magnification of

about 180

; with that you should be able to see the planets and their moons. If you want to look at the planet alone with higher resolution, you will need a magnification of about 380.

What can you see with 100x magnification telescope?

100x – This is a great all around

view of Jupiter

, as you can see cloud detail on the planet, and see all four moons all in the same FOV. The Great Red Spot can also start being seen as well as a tiny orange colored dot on the planet (if it’s on the side facing Earth).

Is 90x magnification good for a telescope?

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.

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. … The magnitude limit of a 70mm telescope is about 11.9.

What can you see with a 25mm telescope?

25mm – 30.9mm Telescope Eyepieces: These are extended field eyepieces for longer focal length – good for

large nebula and open clusters

. For shorter focal length, they are fantastic for large objects such as the Orion nebula, views of the full lunar disc, large open clusters and more.

Can I see Jupiter with a 70mm telescope?

Even with a small aperture you can see quite a lot at moderate power. In fact, a 70mm telescope will put you in touch with a surprising number of celestial objects, including dozens of the Messier’s, all the planets out to Jupiter and Saturn, and some very pleasing images of the moon.

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

Viewing Saturn’s Rings

The rings of Saturn should be visible in even the

smallest telescope at 25x

. A good 3-inch scope at 50x can show them as a separate structure detached on all sides from the ball of the planet.

Which telescope lens is stronger 10mm or 20mm?

The larger one is normally between

20mm and 25mm

and is the lower power (lowest magnification). The smaller (higher magnification) is normally around 10mm. … A larger image to start with will allow the eyepiece to produce a larger image to view (higher magnification).

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 can I 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 a 20mm telescope good?

A 20 mm

is useful

just as a 13 mm is useful in most any telescope but I’m not sure “all purpose” is a good description. My telescopes range in focal length from under 400 mm to about 2800mm, a 20mm is not a planetary or high power or even mid-power eyepiece in any of them, it’s a low to mid power deep sky eyepiece.

What magnification do you need to see Mars?

In general, the best magnification for viewing Mars is

35x per inch of aperture

when using a telescope of up to about 7′′, and roughly 25x to 30x per inch of aperture for larger telescopes.

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 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.

What is the difference between 10mm and 20mm telescope lens?

Magnification is determined simply by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. This means that a smaller number on an eyepiece gives a higher magnification.

A 10mm eyepiece would provide twice as much magnification as a 20mm eyepiece

.

What can you see with a 80mm 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.

What can I see with a 50mm telescope?

This attractive and solidly constructed entry level telescope will let you see a great amount of detail on the Moon, view

the main division in the rings of Saturn

, the separation of the cloud belts of Jupiter as well as its primary moons, and observe countless star clusters, double stars, nebulae and more.

What can you see with a 114mm telescope?

With a 114mm telescope, and on a dark, clear night, an

experienced observer can discern point-like objects to about magnitude 13 or 14

. Here’s a link to some of the brightest quasars: List of Quasars brighter than 16 magnitude – Stellarium User Guide .

What should I look for when buying a telescope?

The key spec for any telescope is

its aperture, or the diameter of its lens or mirror

. The bigger the better because a bigger aperture can collect more light and distant objects appear brighter. But this comes at a price, and bigger telescopes are also much less portable.

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.

What does Mars look like through binoculars?

Although Mars is too small and far away for binoculars to do much more than make the planet look like a

slightly bigger orange red dot

, even a small pair of binoculars can pick out the Moon’s craters in sharp, striking detail.

How big of a telescope do I 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 telescope is best for viewing galaxies?

  • Celestron Travelscope 70. …
  • Meade Infinity 102mm Refractor Telescope. …
  • Celestron PowerSeeker 127 EQ. …
  • Celestron NexStar 127 SLT. …
  • Gskyer AZ90600 Telescope. …
  • Orion StarBlast 6 Astro Reflector Telescope. …
  • Celestron Nextar 6 SE Telescope.

Are 5X Barlow lenses any good?

In my case, this barlow lens and bundled high power eyepiece together gave about 120% of the maximum, and image quality get degraded a little. At such a bargain price, it gives 5X magnification power with

good enough image quality

. With low power bundled eyepiece attached to this lens, image quality is quite good.

Why are Barlow lenses blurry?

The Earth’s atmosphere also plays an important part in limiting the maximum magnification you can use.

Instabilities

in the atmosphere such as heat radiating from the ground and surrounding buildings, high altitude winds, and other weather conditions can cause your image to blur.

What kind of 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.

Why can’t I see planets through my telescope?

Planets are

small and far enough away that they will never fill a significant portion of your field-of-view

, even at you scope’s highest usable magnification. … Using a 5mm eyepiece instead will double the magnification compared with the 10mm eyepiece. Your scope will show a larger disk than what you are seeing now.

Is a 2x or 3x Barlow lens better?

To put it simply, Barlow lenses are a cost-effective way to increase the magnification of your eyepieces. … Their effect is to increase the magnification of any eyepiece used with them, usually 2 or 3 times. As you’d expect, a

2x Barlow doubles your eyepiece magnification

, whilst a 3x trebles it.

Is a 40mm telescope good?

Easy-to-use, this is a great value starter telescope with

quality lenses and construction

. View the moon and other stars and planets, or land based animals and scenic views comfortably with with the aid of the erecting dual eyepiece.

What does a 2x Barlow lens do?

A 2x Barlow

will double the magnification of the eyepiece it is attached to

.? For example, if you were using a 20mm eyepiece on a telescope with a 1000mm focal length, you would have 50x magnification. If you attach a 2x Barlow lens to that eyepiece you will double the effective magnification of that eyepiece to 100x.

Which is better a refractor or reflector telescope?

If you are interested in astrophotography, purchasing a

refractor

is a better option because of it’s specialized optic design that captures deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae. If you are interested in brighter celestial objects like the Moon or planets or a beginner, a reflector telescope is ideal.

Is a 5-inch telescope good?

5-inch Telescopes offer

exceptional resolution for

their size. They can resolve double stars at . 91 arcseconds and can be magnified up to 254 times the human eye. 5′′ Optical tubes also make exceptional light gatherers by allowing an observer to see 14.3 magnitude stars!

What can I see with a 8 inch Dobsonian?

You will be able to see quite a bit!

Open clusters and globular clusters

will be great, although the fainter globs won’t look like much. Some galaxies won’t be visible due to your moderate light pollution but many will.

What can you see with a 4.5-inch reflector telescope?

In addition to good

views of the moon and all eight planets

, a 4.5-inch reflector will show all of the Messier objects and hundreds more galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. That is assuming the skies are moonless, clear and you’re away from urban areas.

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.

What can you see with 8 inch telescope?

The most distant galaxies that you will be able to see with an 8′′ telescope will be about 50 to 100 million light years away e.g.

M109

with apparent magnitude 10.3 at distance 83 ± 24 million light years. You’d just about be able to resolve M49. So the answer would seem to be “at least 72 million light years”.

Are Dobsonian telescopes good for viewing planets?

Are Dobsonian telescopes good for viewing planets?

Yes

, Dobsonians are good for viewing planets. With a 6′′ Dobsonian, you’ll get to see the polar caps on Mars, the rings of Saturn, and the moons and bands of Jupiter providing you ave the right viewing conditions.

Jasmine Sibley
Author
Jasmine Sibley
Jasmine is a DIY enthusiast with a passion for crafting and design. She has written several blog posts on crafting and has been featured in various DIY websites. Jasmine's expertise in sewing, knitting, and woodworking will help you create beautiful and unique projects.