What power telescope do you need to view Jupiter? What site do you recommend I buy from?

Answer 1

Galileo saw it with seven power. What power you use will depend on the clearness and stillness of the sky. 150 power is usually good and don't buy a cheap scope that advertises 275x. Expect to spend $300 for a bottom end scope. Orion telescope is pretty good.

Answer 2

Magnification (power) is not as important as aperture, the size of the main lens or mirror. To get really satisfying views of the details of Jupiter's cloud belts, you need at least a 6" aperture and 200x magnification. Smaller scopes and lower magnifications will show you Jupiter's moons and its two main cloud belts, but that's about it. I strongly recommend buying from a site which specializes in telescopes, NOT eBay etc. The best online dealers are Orion, Astronomics, Hands On Optics, OPT, and Anacortes. Even with a 6" scope, you will need to train your eye to see the finer details.

Answer 3

I can see Jupiter using my 4.5" f/6 reflector, however I can only just barely make out the cloud bands with it at about 60x magnification.

A telescopes magnification is given by magnification = (telescope focal length)/(eyepiece focal length)

This doesn't mean you can put a super high powered eyepiece in a telescope and get a wonderful up close image though. The highest practical magnification you can get can be estimated by 50 * (telescope apertue in inches).

This value is usually lowered due to atmospheric conditions. In my 4.5" I should theoretically be able to use around 200x magnification without exceeding the telescope's resolving abilities but in reality, due to the atmosphere, I've never reached that value in this telescope. Though I have in a larger telescope.

I recommend you get a telescope with at leat 4.5" of aperture with a longer focal length than not if it's your goal to get nice views of the planets.

I recommend you check out http://www.oriontelescopes.com and http://www.telescopes.com

Also http://http://members.aol.com/siriusbc/telescopes.htm to learn about them.

Answer 4

You can see Jupiter with the naked eye. After venus, Jupiter is the brightest object (other than the moon and sun) in the sky, as we see it. A good pair of binoculars will reveal 4 of Jupiter's moons, and even a small telescope should show Jupiter as a disc, unlike the stars that always appear as 'dots'. Jupiter is visible in the morning hours these days.
Binoculars are the best instrument for beginners and even experts use them often. If one is serious about a first time telescope for astronomy only, a reflector (Newtonian) is the best buy. For terrestrial viewing, a small refractor or better yet, a compound (SCT or MCT) is best.

Answer 5

go for it ! email [e-mail]

I got some neat stuff to look at planets and I got a great telescope! I bought 2 telescopes and well the salesman said they were good but i was dissapointed. so I saw the asktheastronomer site online and emailed him and to be honest as what telescope is the best for finding everything in the sky and wow it's a great telescope !!

I was glad I emailed asktheastronomer!

VERY HELPFULL !!

Answer 6

hey email asktheastronomer !
the astronomer helped me get mine ! and the astrononomer knows exactly what is needed for jupiter !!
I wanted to see it too. Jupiter is amazing to look at. I was told what lenspieces are needed / good to view jupiter .

Really nice and awesome !

[e-mail]

www.asktheastronomer.blogspot.
com/

Answer 7

Tsk! You can see Jupiter with the naked eye, without any telescope. You didn't say whether you hoped to see moons of Jupiter along with the planet. Some can be seen with the naked eye too, depending on the weather.

You can just buy binoculars and look at Jupiter through them to get some view of the planet.

But you are asking, of course, hoping to see a big picture with its big red spot and swirls of dust storms or whatever.

Try reading this amateur astronomers' site, with all those pics they took of Jupiter and other planets, and you will see their telescopes listed and you might like to pick one of those to buy.

http://www.delscope.demon.co.uk/society/gallery02.htm

Answer 8

wow ! I was going to tell you
about ' asktheastronomer' and two have beat me!!

He told me what eyeieces to get for looking at all the planets .. last year I had one lens and it was crap (came with my scope) and now I can view any !!

Now he is helping me find some nebula's i couldn't find I found 4 out of 15 nebula's on my list just last night!!

asktheastronomer rocks!!

I think it's hillarious how I was going t tell you about it and others beat me to it LOL !!

you won't be dissapointed!