So, a telescope with a focal length of 1,000mm and a max magnification of 250x will benefit the best from a 4mm eyepiece. Depending on observing conditions, eyepiece magnification can perform at less than 35x every inch or up to 75x.Īdditionally, if you’d like to utilize every decimal of possible magnification for your telescope, you can divide the focal length of the telescope by the total magnification. So, if you’re picking up a 127 mm (5 inch) telescope, multiply 5 inches by 50, and you have a maximum magnification of 250x.Īnything beyond this point will most likely appear distorted, fuzzy, and dim. The maximum effectiveness for an eyepiece’s magnification is about 50x for every inch of your telescope’s aperture. There is always a limit to the effectiveness of magnification, depending on the telescope’s aperture. The shorter the eyepiece focal length, the greater the magnification, and vice versa. For instance, if a telescope has a 1000mm focal length, and the eyepiece focal length is 10mm, the total magnification of the eyepiece will be 100x. Eyepieces are a collection of lenses that magnify the light gathered by the lens or mirror at the front, presenting a clear image of whatever object you may be observing.Įyepieces have their own focal length as well, which, when divided by the focal length of a telescope, determines the magnification capabilities.
![jupiter through telescope jupiter through telescope](https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/uploads/2017-03-31_58de4ac9a5c1d_jupiter_small_01_002.jpg)
But, for us to view the image clearly, telescopes require an eyepiece. It will offer a larger field of view which will make it easier to locate and center the planet in the Finderscope. So, start off with lower levels of magnification.
![jupiter through telescope jupiter through telescope](http://cdn.spacetelescope.org/archives/images/screen/opo9805a.jpg)
![jupiter through telescope jupiter through telescope](https://i.redd.it/bq3fpe5hqu7z.png)
It will make the planet blurry and hard to focus. The objective or front-end of a telescope gathers the light and focuses it through the tube. When seeing Jupiter with a telescope, the first thing you need to keep in mind is don’t start off with a very high magnification.