To see more details on the Saturn rings, you can push the magnification even higher to over 250x. 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. 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. Atmospheric turbulence is small-scale, irregular air motions in the atmosphere.
With the two StarSense models from Celestron, you’re tapping in to a new technology that makes backyard astronomy more accessible than it’s ever been. If you have the budget and want a telescope that does all the work of finding the planet so you can spend your time enjoying its views, then this could be the perfect model. This might give you a clue that it is a fabulous all-rounder telescope – which is true (see our full review, here) – but that includes exceling with planetary viewing too. However, unlike reflectors, they have no central obstruction coming from a secondary mirror, which means they deliver razor-sharp contrast, ideal for observing small planetary features. If you choose to upgrade your eyepieces from the cheap 25mm and 10mm provided (which we recommend you do) it would be easy to see this as a telescope for life. Closer to Looking for the best telescope under 200 – Look no further! Take a look at the best telescopes under £200 right here! , you’ll be wowed with lovely views of Jupiter’s cloud bands and Galilean moons, as well as the crescent of Venus and Mercury (which is notoriously difficult to see), and the rings of Saturn.
Maybe there’s a faint comet that’s come into view, or an asteroid, or Uranus or Neptune, or some of the fainter constellations and star patterns. THE STAR GUIDE by Steven Beyer (Little, Brown, $12.95) has a unique method to introduce readers to the sky. It contains entries for 105 stars and 39 constellations, organized by calendar date (when they first rise in the east around 9 PM). Since bright stars are featured, it’s a good technique for city observing.
But picking the right one can be an intimidating task with such amount of brands, models and factors involved. The team’s hope is that a higher-powered radar system would be a permanent fixture on the telescope now that the low-power prototype has done its demo job. “We could take a little bit more risk to develop technology and the things that we’re learning here and then fold that back into our other products,” says Wilkinson.
And the opposite is true – the image can be much worse if a telescope isn’t properly collimated, cooled or the seeing conditions are poor. Viewing the planets in our solar system is on every observer’s hit list during a session under the night sky. The 8-inch aperture lets in a ton of light, giving you breathtaking views of the planets and even far-off deep-sky objects. It delivers high-quality viewing for the Moon and brighter planets in our solar system and, with its 6″ aperture, you’ll be able to see a decent amount of star clusters and brighter deep sky objects like Andromeda Galaxy. Claims of “575x magnification!” for small telescopes is unrealistic.
If you’re a fan of the refractor type of telescope, the SkyWatcher APO is a powerful telescope. The most useful piece of equipment for stargazing these days is a good smartphone application. These apps can tell you what is visible from your location on a given night, and where to look. There are many to choose from, and the best are updated regularly by their developers to keep information accurate and up-to-date.
The Wi-Fi/smartphone control of the Astro Fi 5 system is a nice touch and works well. Turn on the mount and it sets up a Wi-Fi spot you can connect to. Open up SkyPortal and you can use the app to explore a variety of targets. The other huge benefit of the NexStar 6SE is that is has its own database and motorized tracking. Just tell the computer you ant to see Jupiter and it will slew the telescope to exactly the right spot. With this model, you have a decent 5″ aperture and the ability to attach your smartphone to it so that Celestron’s SmartSense app will guide you to find each planet with ease.