At what ??X magnification using home telescope some one can see the moon surface is 125X is OK?

Answer 1

I've seen surface detailon the moon, the crescent phase of Venus, the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, red and green markings on Mars, and (barely) the rings of Saturn with a 2.4" diameter refractor at 35X.

I was pushing it with the rings of Saturn. They appeared as stubs on either side of the planet. Anyone seeing it like that and not knowing they were rings wouldn't know what to make of them!

Per the responder who said use at least a 6" aperture telescope for 125X: I know that 125X is too high for my little 2.4" scope, that's for sure. The image can't be focused and it's very hard to hold the telescope stable. In addition, the proper motion of objects in the sky as they move from east to west looks so fast at high magnification that they move out of the view before you can see what's going on. To solve that problem you need a telescope with an "equatorial mount and drive". This drives the telescope so it tracks objects as they move across the sky.

If you want to spend money on a 6" telescope, go for a reflector, not a refractor. With the larger apertures, you get more bang for the buck with reflectors. Just remember to get one with a motorized equatorial mount. The scope should have instructions on how to align the mount properly; or, you can access any of a number of websites to see how it's done.

If you really want to splurge, there are computerized equatorial mounts that guide you as you align the telescope mount, then move the telescope to view an object whose coordinates you type into a keypad. That way you don't have to "hunt" for anything.

Check out the sites below. They provide links to other sites with additional information on telescopes. I included one of the more popular vendors. NOTE: I do NOT work for Orion. It's just there for example only.

Good luck,
Big Al Mintaka

Answer 2

You can see the surface of the moon with your naked eye. That said, the magnification you use depends on the telescope you're trying to use it with. If you try to use a magnification which goes beyond the telescope's reasonable magnifying ability you will get a blurry image. Most telescopes, even the worst ones, can handle 125x ok though. The best magnification to view the moon at is whichever one you decide it looks best in.

Answer 3

Eyepieces determine your telescope's magnification. To calculate the magnification of an eyepiece in your telescope, divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece:

Magnification = telescope focal length ÷ eyepiece focal length

For example:
If we take a 4" refractor telescope with a focal length of 900mm and use a 20mm eyepiece, the resultant magnfication is 45X. At this power, a very nice wide view of the moon will present surface detail including mare, mountains, and large craters.

Using the same telescope but with an eyepiece of 7mm FL, the resultant magnification would be 128X. With this combination, you will be able to see fine detail on the surface of the moon such as small craters with diameters of around 1-2 miles.

Another factor that influences your ability to see detail on the moon's surface is a stable atmosphere. If the earths atmosphere is turbulent, magnifications above 100X maybe not be practical.

Answer 4

Yes. you can see all large features of the moons surface as long as they aren't covered by anything like a boulder under a boulder. The size of the object you can see depends on the size of the telscope. In each telescope there is a large mirror in the bottom of it that catches WAY more light than one can see with the naked eye and focuses it to a very small point. A microscope in the eyepeice is then used to focus it into your eye. The bigger the telescope, the bigger the mirror, the better the magnification.

Answer 5

No, the Moon is huge. 60X is enough, and looks better. But I just like sharpness. Your taste may vary.

Try them out, there's no *right* or *wrong* magnification. Try all the eyepieces and use what you like, starting with low power.

Note: The blurriness varies from night to night and hour to hour, so magnification that's too high one time may be good another time.

Also, there's this diffraction-limited thing where you shouldn't magnify more than 25 or 50 times the aperture in inches. If your telecsope is small then it's not worth it to use 125X, no matter how still the air.

Answer 6

125x is a good start. You will certainly see more detail than you can with binoculars. The moon is also a good place to look because it's big. Finding other things, like planets, could be hard unless it has a smaller sighting scope attached. You might be able to see the disks of Mars and Jupiter and the crescent of Venus, very small.

What you will notice most is how fast everything is moving. If your field (width) is small, you will see your craters marching quickly from one side of your view to the other and you will have to keep readjusting your settings to follow any one thing. A reflector telescope usually has a much wider field than a refractor (straight lensed) scope, but they get expensive.

Answer 7

125X should be fine to view the surface. But the question is how close do you want to see. If you just want to see the craters on it, just like spots, then it should be fine.

The theory is that if you want to see the U.S flag on the moon, you need a telescope as big as a football field, with a large focal length and to collect sufficient light.

Answer 8

Just have a binocular or a terrestrial telescope ....they serve better for moon vision...

i have only used my telescope for viewing helix nebula....only!
Even orion nebula can be well viewed with terrestrial one....even betelguese and rigel!

If u really want to indulge in damn tough cosmology....join me in bautforum.com...