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You can see some planets with less than 100x magnification. However, the general rule is to use 200x magnification or up to 250x magnification under good seeing conditions. Anything above that will give you bigger but blurry images.
The planets appear as tiny objects in the night sky. For this reason, you need a higher magnification telescope that enlarges them as much as possible so that you can see them well and explore their interesting details.
Too low a telescope magnification and you will not see most details, but too high a magnification and everything becomes blurry.
So, how much magnification do you need to see our solar system’s planets? This article will answer this question.
We’ll also reveal tips for the best image quality when using high magnification and the best telescopes for seeing the planets.
What magnification is needed for viewing planets?
A magnification of 30x to 50x per inch of aperture is sufficient for planetary observation. However, the magnification needed to view the planets depends on the specific planet. The distance of the planet from Earth, its size, and surface features all affect the necessary magnification.
But it is important to note that high magnification alone does not guarantee good views; stable atmospheric conditions and appropriate telescope optics are also crucial factors for obtaining clear and detailed views of planets
What magnification do you need to see Jupiter?
Jupiter is best to view at 200x magnification or less. It is a very low-contrast planet, and high magnification results in less contrast. Going over 200x magnification will make the viewing experience bad, as the image becomes big and blurry.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, so you can get away with lower magnification to enjoy cloud bands or the big red spot.
Jupiter is a favorite target for amateur astronomers. Besides its relatively big size, Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the night sky. Jupiter’s brightness is only exceeded by the sun, the moon, and Venus. It is bright enough to be visible even in skies with heavy light pollution.
Given Jupiter’s brightness, its visible face reveals many interesting features when you view the planet, even with a small telescope.
Some interesting features for amateur astronomers viewing Jupiter are the moons orbiting the planet. Even with a small telescope and about 200x magnification, you can make out Jupiter’s moons, especially the bright Galilean moons (Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto).
It’s fun to watch and track the movement of these four moons. Though it may not be apparent which one is closest to Jupiter’s disc. Lo orbits is closest to the Gas giant.
Read also: Best Telescopes to See Jupiter (Planet, Red Spot, and Moons)
Viewing Jupiter with 200x magnification
What magnification do you need to see Saturn?
Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system, so it is also easy to see even with smaller telescopes. You can use 200x magnification and maybe 250x magnification if the seeing conditions allow that.
Thanks to its rings, Saturn is the most beautiful planet to look at. Seeing it for the first time in your scope’s eyepiece will blow your mind. In fact, many amateur astronomers confess that the ringed planet turned them to astronomy.
The fascinating Saturn’s rings are visible even with small telescopes with 25x magnification. The rings come alive with higher magnification.
For example, a 25x magnification will show a band around the ball. But with a 100x magnification, you will discern at least one division in the band, revealing it is not a single ring but a ring system.
To see more details on the Saturn rings, you can push the magnification even higher to over 250x.
There are also Saturn’s moons. Even a small low-power telescope will show Titan – Saturn’s biggest moon. With a high-power telescope at over 250x magnification, you can view about a half dozen Saturn moons.
What magnification do you need to see Mars?
Mars is pretty small in the sky, so the best practice is using the telescope’s most useful magnification. You can use 200x magnification or even more based on your seeing conditions.
Because Mars is a small planet, when viewing it through a telescope, the goal is to make it bigger to enable you to see many surface details. While Mars is visible with low magnification, below 100x, it appears as a bright rusty orb.
With over 100x magnification, you’ll begin to make out the dark features on the Martian surface. With 200x magnification or more, you’ll see more details, including the polar ice caps, Martian cloud, etc.
Learn more in this article: What Telescope Size Do I Need to See Mars?
What about the rest of the Solar System?
The general rule is to use about 200x magnification. Up to 250x magnification may be suitable under good seeing conditions to help you see more details in some objects. However, anything beyond that will result in a bigger but blurry image.
Unlike deep sky objects that are big in the sky, our solar system objects are generally small objects to look at. Therefore, when looking at our solar system objects through a telescope, you need the maximum magnification that your telescope can handle to see the most details.
Let’s look at the planets individually:
Venus
Venus is a planet that you can view with low magnification as it is very bright. It is the brightest planet in our solar system, second only to the moon as the brightest object in the night sky. However, you may also view Venus with 200x magnification or more because there are no surface details to explore.
Venus is a beautiful planet to view through a telescope. Observing the crescent phases changing while it is orbiting the Sun can be very exciting.
Mercury
Mercury is also a very bright planet, meaning you can see it with a low magnification of 100x – 150x. However, a magnification of 200x – 250x is recommended to see details of Mercury’s surface.
With 100x magnification, you can see the crescent phases of Mercury, which is very beautiful to watch.
A 150x magnification will allow you to see all phases of the planet. But when you reach 200 – 250x magnification, the planet comes alive, and you can see its surface details better.
For the best results when viewing Mercury, you should use an orange or red filter. The #25 Red Astromania 2” telescope filter is excellent for observing Mercury. It provides high contrast to make surface features clearer.
The other planets
The rest of the planets (like Uranus, Neptune, and the demoted Pluto) are not extremely exciting in the eyepiece, even with extra high magnifications.
They are too far away to see any details. So, they always appear as small dots when you view them using a telescope.
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What is the highest useful magnification for a telescope?
The highest useful magnification is the magnification limit beyond which everything becomes a blurry mess. The highest useful magnification of any telescope is two times its aperture in millimeters.
Theoretically, a telescope is capable of unlimited magnification. However, as you magnify the image, it gets to a point where the image becomes too blurry and useless. It is the same effect as zooming an image.
Every telescope has a magnification limit that is called the highest useful magnification. This highest magnification limit is calculated using the aperture of the telescope.
The telescope’s aperture is basically the diameter of the primary mirror in a Newtonian reflector or the diameter of the lens in a refractor telescope.
The easiest way to calculate your telescope’s maximum useful magnification is to take your aperture in millimeters and multiply it by 2x (or take your aperture in inches and multiply it by 50).
Here is a table to help you determine the highest useful magnification of your telescope.
| Aperture | Highest useful magnification |
| 2″(50mm) | 100x |
| 2.7″(70mm) | 140x |
| 4″(100mm) | 200x |
| 4.5″(114mm) | 228x |
| 5″(130mm) | 260x |
| 6″(150mm) | 300x |
| 8″(200mm) | 400x |
| 10″(250mm) | 500x |
| 12″(300mm) | 600x |
| 14″(350mm) | 700x |
| 16″(400mm) | 800x |
As you can see, even with a small telescope, the highest useful magnification is pretty high to reach the limits of the seeing conditions. For example, a small 4” telescope will give you 200x useful maximum magnification.
In perfect conditions, you can use more than 200x magnification, but those situations are rare.
So what is the point in buying a big aperture when you shouldn’t go over 200x most of the time? Well, the aperture’s size is also the telescope’s resolving power.
The planets will have more details with a 16″ telescope using 200x magnification than with a 4″ telescope using the same 200x magnification.
And if you plan to image planets, you can go well over the 200x limit because the process of imaging planets is called lucky imaging, where the software uses only the best frames and stacks them together.
Read also: How do telescope lenses work? (Explained!)
Factors that determine the magnification of a telescope
A telescope’s magnification depends on its focal length and the focal length of the eyepiece. Here is a detailed explanation of these factors:
Focal length of the objective lens or primary mirror
The focal length of a telescope determines the magnification of the scope because a longer focal length will give you more magnification with a given eyepiece.
The focal length of a telescope is the distance between the primary lens/ mirror and the point where the image is in focus.
To determine the magnification of a telescope for a given eyepiece, all you have to do is divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece.
Thus, consider using an eyepiece with a 10mm focal length. When paired with a telescope with a focal length of 1000 mm, the magnification will be 100x.
But when paired with a scope whose focal length is 1,500 mm, the magnification will be 150x.
To learn more about magnification, read also: How to Increase the Magnification of a Telescope.
Focal length of the eyepiece
The eyepiece’s focal length also determines the magnification. A shorter focal length eyepiece increases magnification, while a longer focal length eyepiece reduces magnification.
You can quickly swap your telescope’s eyepiece to affect its magnification.
For example, when using a 1,000 mm focal length telescope, a 10 mm eyepiece will give a 100x magnification, while a 25 mm eyepiece will give a 40x magnification.
You may also like: 10mm vs 25mm Eyepiece: Which One is Better for Your Telescope?
Tips for best image quality with high magnification
You can view planets in low magnification and enjoy them. But to get the best image with the highest useful magnification, here are a few tips:
View planets when in opposition
A planet is in opposition when it appears opposite the sun in the night sky.
When a planet is in opposition, it is closest to Earth; therefore, it is the biggest and brightest it can be in the sky. Thus, in opposition, a planet reveals its most prominent features when viewed through a telescope from Earth.
Check this Planet Calendar for dates when the planets are in opposition.
Collimate your telescope before viewing
All telescopes will need collimation at one point in time, as handling (especially transporting, setting up, etc.) can knock the mirror/ lens out of alignment.
Collimation is the alignment of a telescope’s optics, and without it, the image will be blurry in the eyepiece.
Most people complaining about their telescopes say the image quality is poor even when using small magnification, but the problem is that their scopes are out of collimation.
When using a Newtonian reflector telescope or any other design that uses mirrors to produce the image, you need perfect collimation.
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Ensure thermal equilibrium before viewing planets
Ensuring thermal equilibrium means ensuring that the temperature of your telescope reaches that of the ambient temperature outside. If thermal equilibrium is not reached, you will see a lot of distortion and turbulence through the eyepiece.
When your telescope has not reached the ambient temperature outside, the hot air from the telescope itself distorts the image.
Many people experience poor-quality images because of thermal equilibrium issues. The telescope is collimated, and the weather is stable and perfect for viewing, yet they see a lot of distortion and turbulence through the eyepiece.
To solve this problem, don’t start viewing immediately after you set up your telescope. Take your telescope out in advance to acclimatize to ambient temperature. How long it takes depends on the aperture of the telescope. The bigger the aperture, the longer it takes to acclimatize.
What are the best seeing conditions for high magnification?
The ideal seeing conditions for high magnification include clear skies and steady air, which minimize atmospheric turbulence and result in sharper, more detailed views through telescopes.
Clear skies plus little or no atmospheric turbulence create the perfect seeing conditions.
One important thing to know about magnification is that a telescope’s usable magnification depends on the seeing conditions at a given time.
In fact, atmospheric conditions are responsible for 50% of success for image quality in your eyepiece. So, it is essential to plan your observing session based on that.
The first thing to look for is clear skies. This means having your observing sessions when there is no cloud cover and reduced dust. Regarding seeing conditions, the other thing to look out for is atmospheric turbulence.
The atmosphere is the layers of gases enveloping the earth that protect us from the sun’s harmful radiation. With the atmosphere in place, you’ll look through several layers during planetary observations. Any disturbance in these layers creates atmospheric turbulence to distort the view.
Atmospheric turbulence is small-scale, irregular air motions in the atmosphere. The effect of looking at the sky during atmospheric turbulence is the same as looking through the water.
Given how atmospheric turbulence affects seeing conditions, the best time to observe the planets is when there’s steady air. In this regard, look for high-pressure systems in your area and avoid jet streams.
Why a high-pressure area is associated with good seeing?
Winds blow outward from high-pressure areas. As the air leaves the area, the remaining air sinks downwards to take its place. This makes clouds scarce because clouds depend on rising air (clouds form when rising air condenses).
Thus, high-pressure areas usually have clearer skies and more settled weather.
There are different online resources to know when the pressure is rising in your area for clearer conditions to enable you to see the planets. An example is the iPhone app Barometer Plus.
Why jet streams are associated with bad seeing
The effect of atmospheric turbulence means jet streams are among the biggest enemies of astronomical observations. A jet stream is a core of strong winds above the Earth’s surface. On a weather map, the jet streams indicate the location of the strongest winds.
If you see a jet stream over your area, don’t bother to take out your telescope unless you have a minimal number of clear nights during the year.
There are different online resources to check for a jet stream. An example is Jet Stream Live Map.
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What are the best telescopes to see planets?
If we take everything we learned in this article, we need a telescope with a big aperture because this assures good resolving power to see the most details. The second criterion is to have a long focal length to reach high magnifications easily with the eyepiece.
We highly recommend the following three:
Celestron NexStar Evolution 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
The Celestron NexStar Evolution 8″ Schmidt-Cassegrain has an 8″(200mm) aperture, giving it a useful magnification of 400x. The telescope’s focal length is 2032mm, which makes it easy to reach high magnifications.
It is mounted on a computerized mount. This is an important fact as it helps to automatically keep the target in the field of view. Know that manually keeping the planet in the eyepiece’s field of view using high magnifications is tricky.
Even the slightest touch or movement of the telescope will cause a planet to disappear from the field of view. This telescope will do it for you because it can track the object in the sky and keep it in the eyepiece for hours.
You may also like: 10 Top Celestron Telescopes to See Planets (Ranked!)
Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
The Orion 8945 SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian features an 8-inch aperture and a 1200mm focal-length parabolic mirror (with a focal ratio of f/5.9). These enable it to produce sharp and detailed images.
Its Dobsonian mount allows for easy pointing and tracking of celestial objects.
The Orion 8945 is designed for amateur astronomers who want a large aperture telescope at an affordable price. Its easy-to-use Dobsonian mount makes it an excellent first telescope.
Celestron NexStar 127SLT Computerized Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
While this Celestron telescope is also catadioptric, it has the Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design.
The Celestron NexStar 127SLT computerized Mak succeeded the vastly popular NexStar 114SLT. However, it boasts 20% more light-gathering ability, with a 127 mm (5”) aperture. Its 127mm aperture means it can reach 250x useful magnification, allowing you to see the best of the solar system with clarity.
Being a star-locating telescope (SLT), it can locate planets and even deep-sky objects (like galaxies and nebula) with pinpoint accuracy and track them automatically.
Check out more options in this ultimate guide: 21 Best Telescopes to See Planets (Read This First!)
Takeaway: Use the correct magnification to see the solar system’s planets with clarity
The solar system’s planets are small objects. So, to see them, you need a telescope that effectively enlarges them. However, too high a telescope magnification leads to bigger but blurry images.
While you can see some planets with less than 100x magnification, the general rule is to use 200x magnification or up to 250x magnification under good seeing conditions.
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