Yes, the flag is still on the moon, but you can't see it using a telescope. I found some statistics on the size of lunar equipment in a Press Kit for the Apollo 16 mission. The flag is 125 cm (4 feet) long, and you would need an optical wavelength telescope around 200 meters (~650 feet) in diameter to see it.
Telescopes do make objects look larger. Telescopes show a small area. Binoculars, with their wider field of view, let you scan the sky for targets. And binoculars give you a much better appreciation for how objects relate to one another.
The Best Telescopes To Get Started in Stargazing
- Great All Around. Celestron NexStar 6SE. amazon.com. $1,231.26.
- Best Budget. Astronomers Without Borders OneSky. shop.astronomerswithoutborders.org. $199.99.
- Entry-Level Refractor. Celestron Inspire 100AZ. bhphotovideo.com. $289.95.
- Big Aperture. Orion SkyQuest XT8. amazon.com. Buy Now.
- For Astrophotography. Orion ED80T CF. amazon.com.
If you want to observe galaxies — and I mean really get something out of the time you put in at the eyepiece — you have to use a telescope with an aperture of 8 inches or more. Bode's Galaxy (M81) glows brightly enough to show up through binoculars, but the larger the telescope you can point at it, the better.
This number describes how much 'light grasp' a telescope has, by which we mean how many photons it can collect. A bigger aperture delivers brighter views, which leads to better contrast and more detail. The amount of light a telescope can gather is directly proportional to the area of its aperture.
Best Telescopes 2020
- Orion 09007 SpaceProbe 130ST Equatorial Reflector Telescope Black.
- Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope.
- Celestron 31036 AstroMaster LT 76AZ Breathtaking Views Astronomical Telescope.
- Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope.
- Meade Instruments Infinity 102mm AZ Refractor Telescope.
Sky & Telescope listed seven important qualities for choosing a telescope: "(1) eyepiece shows a sharp image from edge to edge; (2) smooth focuser with 'precise' feel; (3) mount moves smoothly on both axes; (4) mount is sturdy and stable; (5) tube stops shaking quickly after being touched; (6) eyepiece is at a
Most telescopes that cost less than $300 aren't really worth it. A telescope's most important attribute is its size, meaning the diameter of its main mirror or lens. The bigger the telescope, the more light it collects, which allows you to see dimmer objects. A popular first telescope is a Dobsonian.
However, a 70 mm refractor (which collects 36% more light than a 60mm telescope) is considered by many amateur astronomers to be the minimum size for a good quality beginner refractor telescope. It is acceptable for observing bright objects like lunar details, planets, star clusters, and bright double stars.
The rings of Saturn should be visible in even the smallest telescope at 25x [magnified by 25 times]. A good 3-inch scope at 50x [magnified by 50 times] can show them as a separate structure detached on all sides from the ball of the planet.
Best Telescope for Deep Space Galaxies and Nebulae
- Budget Option. Orion SkyQuest XT6. Today's Price. Full Review.
- Most Popular. Celestron NexStar 8SE. Today's Price. Full Review.
- Huge Dob. Orion XT10g. Today's Price. Full Review.
- Perfection? Celestron CPC1100. Today's Price. Full Review.
Five of the Best Telescopes to See Planets
- Celestron 21037 PowerSeeker 70EQ.
- Orion AstroView 90mm Refractor.
- Celestron NexStar 4 SE Maksutov-Cassegrain.
- Sky-Watcher ProED 100mm Doublet APO Refractor (tube only)
- Meade LX200 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain.
The larger the diameter, the more light the telescope collects, allowing you to see fainter objects and more detail on nearby, bright objects like the Moon. Telescopes that have 4 or 5 inch diameters are great for viewing solar system objects like the planets, our Moon, and Jupiter's moons.
To look at planets like Jupiter and Saturn, you will need a magnification of about 180; with that you should be able to see the planets and their moons. If you want to look at the planet alone with higher resolution, you will need a magnification of about 380.
A good telescope can cost anywhere from $200 to $8000 US dollars. Depending on if you are just starting out or if you are looking for a professional telescope, prices will differ.
It is safe to observe anything during the day, as long as you don't point the telescope close to the Sun. E.g. Mercury is pretty hard to observe at other times than during the day (or dusk), and yet astronomers have been observing it for a very long time.
Using both eyes adds perspective and depth perception to the view, while a telescope presents a very “flat” view. These are truly the world's most powerful binoculars, however, 45-50 miles is very distant, and the curvature of the earth over that distance will come into play.
For moon and sun, double stars, deep sky within reach, and casual looks at planets (especially Saturn) an 80mm can do well. The 1.5 arc-second resolution of 80mm scope is respectable, and the doubling of light grasp compared to 60mm is obvious.
Considering all the stars visible in all directions around Earth, the upper end on the estimates seems to be about 10,000 visible stars. Other estimates place the number of stars visible to the eye alone – surrounding the entire Earth – at more like 5,000. At any given time, half of Earth is in daylight.
Even giant Jupiter is a small disk in the eyepiece, so for planets the lowest useful magnification is 100x or so, and the maximum is whatever the atmosphere and your telescope will allow. Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus are all bright enough that you can push the power fairly high without the image becoming too dim.
60mm (2.3in) to 70mm (2.8in) aperture or equivalentWith telescopes of this aperture size, you'll be able to see the moon and her craters, as well as some of the bigger planets. This is Jupiter with a 130mm aperture.
Pluto as seen with a 12″ S/C telescope (14.3 mag.) Pluto, on the other hand, is 1,600 times dimmer than the faintest star visible to the unaided eye. But Jupiter can help you find – or at least envision – Pluto this year.
25mm – 30.9mm Telescope Eyepieces: These are extended field eyepieces for longer focal length – good for large nebula and open clusters. For shorter focal length, they are fantastic for large objects such as the Orion nebula, views of the full lunar disc, large open clusters and more.
You could try using AstroPlanner to sort by the Mag limit on your scope, I got this simple list from the Messier Catalogue:
- M31 Andromeda Galaxy.
- M110 Satellite Of Andromeda Galaxy.
- M94 Croc's Eye Galaxy.
- M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, Question Mark Galaxy.
- M33 Triangulum Galaxy, Pinwheel Galaxy.
- M81 Bode's Galaxy.
There are tons of amazing, fantastic and beautiful things you can observe in a telescope.
- The Moon. The Moon is the Earth's only satellite and a wonderful object for observation.
- The Sun.
- Planets.
- Galaxies.
- Star clusters.
- Binary stars.
- Nebulae.
- Comets.
Granted, with small telescopes, it won't look like this Hubble Space Telescope image, but The Great Nebula is even visible with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere, and looks pretty impressive in small telescope, too.
You will get to see the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and its rings, cloudy nebulas, and the clusters of the many bright stars. The benefit of using a 90mm telescope is that you will be able to view the details of the planets quite clearly, plus you will get to see dim objects like galaxies too.
The planets Jupiter and Saturn are the most spectacular of the planets to observe through a telescope. Jupiter is a very good and easy target for a first telescope. It is large, bright and shows some colour even when using a small telescope.
