![]() ![]() Image Credit: José Francisco Salgado, Wikimedia Sun Viewing If you can, try to get 100x to 200x magnification for planet observation. A Barlow lens will also come in handy here, and if your budget is tighter, a refractor telescope with an achromatic lens can give you a nice, sharp image. While SCT telescopes are more expensive, they’ll give you that long focal length and the best planet-viewing capacity. You’ll want a scope with a long focal length and a little more magnification. Our solar system’s planets are bright objects, as well, so try to avoid a telescope that gathers too much light. Higher magnification will deliver better distance, but the images will tend toward the blurry side. If you want sharper images, you want less magnification. Higher magnification doesn’t always mean a better telescope, though. If you want more magnification strength, a longer focal length (determined by the length of the light path) and a smaller eyepiece will get you there. If you have a 900mm focal length and a 90mm eyepiece, then you have 900/90 = 10x magnification. You can find the magnification power of the telescope by dividing the focal length by the size of the eyepiece. ![]() In a telescope, the magnification power is determined by the eyepiece and the focal length of your telescope tube, both of which are usually printed on your telescope. While they do require almost no maintenance, SCT telescopes are also much more expensive. Many SCT telescopes are computerized, as well, which gives you some great added options for astrophotography. The Celestron NexStar 127SLT is an example of a great catadioptric telescope. This makes the focal path even longer and the magnification stronger than a refractor or reflector. An SCT folds light inside the telescope tube using a combination of lenses and mirrors. Schmidt-Cassegrain (Catadioptric)A common name for a catadioptric telescope is Schmidt-Cassegrain, or SCT, after its inventors. They also require a bit more maintenance to keep them in top shape. But reflector telescopes are larger and heavier than refractors, and more expensive. These are great for deep sky viewing of subjects like galaxies and Messier objects. Instead of an objective lens, reflector telescopes are built with mirrors to bounce light through your telescope tube, elongating the focal path to give you more magnification power with a smaller tube. They won’t have enough power, however, to get a good look at deep sky objects. Refractor scopes are great for beginners, and perfect for checking out the moon or planets in our solar system. Refractors are the least expensive type of telescope, are usually lightweight, and most come with a changeable eyepiece lens to vary your magnification strength. The objective (main) lens pulls in light waves, and when they reach their focal point inside the telescope tube, the eyepiece lens absorbs them. ![]()
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