Telescope power questions

[mtb]

<p>What is the best telescope power for viewing mountains on the Moon? </p><p>What is the best telescope power for viewing the Rings of Saturn?</p><p>What is the best telescope (for the money) that's easy for kids to view and operate?</p><p>My 2 grade school boys are really getting interested in astronomy.</p><p>Thanks in advance! </p><p>Matt </p>

 

[brandbll]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>What is the best telescope power for viewing mountains on the Moon? What is the best telescope power for viewing the Rings of Saturn?What is the best telescope (for the money) that's easy for kids to view and operate?My 2 grade school boys are really getting interested in astronomy.Thanks in advance! Matt <br />Posted by mtb</DIV><br /><br />You want to post this in the "Ask the Astronomer" forum... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="3">You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard!</font></p> </div>

 

[kyle_baron]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>What is the best telescope power for viewing mountains on the Moon? What is the best telescope power for viewing the Rings of Saturn?What is the best telescope (for the money) that's easy for kids to view and operate?My 2 grade school boys are really getting interested in astronomy.Thanks in advance! Matt <br />Posted by mtb</DIV></p><p><strong>A 6 or 8" Dobson.</strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="4"><strong></strong></font></p> </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

<p>Hi Matt,</p><p>&nbsp;Please don't be lured by department/toy store telescopes!</p><p>I would *never* buy any telescope that advertised its "power".&nbsp; The question is more about Apeture - and Kyle_Baron has excellent suggestions there.&nbsp; Please have a peek here:</p><p>&nbsp;http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=08942</p><p>Notice that it doesn't mention its "power" but rather the size of its mirror.&nbsp; And size DOES matter. &nbsp; This is the perfect starter-scope.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[crazyeddie]

<span style="border-collapse:collapse;font-size:12px" class="Apple-style-span"><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">What is the best telescope power for viewing mountains on the Moon?</span></span></p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">What is the best telescope power for viewing the Rings of Saturn?</span></span></p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">What is the best telescope (for the money) that's easy for kids to view and operate?</span></span></p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">My 2 grade school boys are really getting interested in astronomy.</span></span></p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">Thanks in advance!</span></span></p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-weight:bold" class="Apple-style-span">Matt</span></span></p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px">&nbsp;</p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px">Next time, post in the "Ask the Astronomer" forum, but here's my answer:</p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px">For viewing the moon and planets, start with the lowest power eyepiece, then work your way up to the highest power that continues to reveal more detail. &nbsp;Once it starts getting blurry or indistinct, you've gone too high. &nbsp;What this magnification is depends on your telescope, your particular eyepieces, and the state of the atmosphere.</p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px">Here are two scopes I would recommend for kids:</p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px"><span style="color:#551a8b;text-decoration:underline" class="Apple-style-span">http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09964<br /></span></p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px">http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09804</p><p style="outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:11px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:11px;margin-left:0px">&nbsp;</p></span> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[astro_anthro]

<p>What kyle_baron, andrenalynn and crazyeddie said. Depending upon your kids age I would also consider this scope, also from Orion:&nbsp;http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=bestholidayscopes/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09814</p><p>http://www.telescope.com/control/pr...copes/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09814 Its a great little scope and easy for the sub-thirteen set to use and maintain. I don't own one but I have used them at star parties and younger kids there seem to have an easier time with them than the bigger dobs.&nbsp;Ease of use and fun are, in some ways, as important as quality of optics when it comes to kids. And like was said above, don't think that you need high powers to see interesting things, particularly on the moon. I spend most of my time observing at medium rather than high powers. When you ramp up the "power,"&nbsp;your field of view is correspondingly reduced, and&nbsp;observing becomes much more difficult. High power viewing comes later, when you are familiar with how to handle the scope, find and maintain track on objects, and stuff like that. Get a good lunar map, or other star charts too. I would also suggest the free astronomy program Stellarium, which you can download from Stellarium.org. Good luck and clear skies! Tom&nbsp;</p>

 

[adrenalynn]

<p>If you're under light-polluted skies (like in cities and their suburbs, high-power viewing may _never_ come.&nbsp; "Seeing" is critical - if there's a lot of light pollution or the atmosphere is disturbed, the maximum magnification is drastically reduced.</p><p>&nbsp;All the "good stuff" is wide-field anyway. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>