What planetary distance can you see with a 660x telescope?

Question

There is a sale near my house for a 660 telescope and my kid wants one but wants to actually see something, so is this worth getting and what planetary distance does it have?

Thanking you all in advance!

Answer 1

That magnification quote means absolutely nothing! What matters is aperture diameter, Cheap scopes claim high magnification numbers to lure suckers who don't know better. Chances are, if you buy it, the results will be so disappointing that neither of you will ever be interested in astronomy again. Save the money toward a 4 or 6-inch Newtonian reflector from Celestron or Meade, much better investment than a 2-inch plastic lens on a pathetically-wobbly mount.

Feel free to email me for advice, I'm in the act of shopping for my third telescope.

Answer 2

660 power is a powerful telescope. BUT--
Telescopes are not usually rated that way.
The value of a telescope has to do mostly with its ability to gather light. Power has to do with making things bigger. Which is important, but more important for shooting deer than looking at stars, since you can't really enlarge a star. You can enlarge Saturn, though with the right telescope.

If you are near a city, call the local planetarium or the local college or university. Ask to speak with a teaching assistant or a professor in the astronomy department and ask for a recommendation. Maybe you could swing an invitation to see the campus for your kid and some friends.

If not look at the web links below and get some ideas. A telescope that is "on sale" is rarely the best idea.

Don't buy a cheap (80-200 dollar telescope) if you are interested in looking at the stars and galaxies and nebulae.

If you want to see the moon, a pair of field glasses are a good start. (like binoculars)

look at this site

"science.howstuffworks.com/telescope.htm"

to get an idea about telescopes.
Let the "Kid" look with you. You could probably find someone at work or church or school or in science class who has one and will let you share it with them for a night of viewing. You might make a new friend and you can judge if he/she is interested in learning more before buying a scope.

The last link has more stuff than you can know what to do with.

Answer 3

Magnification is not an accurate way to judge the quality of a telescope. What really matters is the scope's aperture, which tells you how much light it will gather. The larger the aperture, the better. As you magnify the image, you also magnify atmospheric distortions and imperfections in the optics. This scope probably isn't one that you should get, as most scopes that really advertise their magnifications are of poor quality.

Telescopes aren't characterized by the distance to which they allow you to see. Again, with good telescopes, aperture is the most important optical aspect.

There are some great recommendations in other answers for a first scope. Good luck!

Answer 4

660 mm is probably the focal length. With a 10 mm ocular lens, you will get 66 x maginfication.

The aperture is more important for seeing dim night-sky objects.

Some manufacturers make better lenses, which will give you a sharper image at a higher price. For example, a 660x50 by Celestron sells of $2800; a 660x60 by Tasco sells for $70. You get what you pay for.

Answer 5

You can see the Andromeda Galaxy 2.5 million light away with the naked eye, but you won't see much of anything with this scope at 660x. That is an unrealistically high power provided for advertizing purposes. To use that kind of power, you need a large aperture and a very steady mount. I'd guess this scope has neither. You also need unusually steady skies.

Keep the power down to 50x to 100x and you can see the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, craters and mountains on the Moon, and lots of star clusters and other deep space stuff - assuming you know where to look.

Answer 6

I agree with #2. While you will probably be able to see the moon and Jupiter and Saturn with it, you'll be pretty limited. Although, if its not too expensive it might be worth picking up to get them into astronomy and see if its worth spending more on a larger telescope that will provide better viewing of the planets, nebulae, etc.

Answer 7

He'll well be able to see the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter... if he's good with aiming, the Orion nebula, the crab nebula, and the Andromeda galaxy can also be seen - along with an amazing view of Venus & the moon.

My first scope was 100 power, and I loved it. Here's a tip - don't start looking at things at 660X - work up to it. It helps with tracking objects, and really "seeing" what they are.

Answer 8

Listen to Gary H.