Last update on 2023-10-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon
Many amateur astronomers, however, consider a 70 mm refractor (which collects 36% more light than a 60mm telescope) to be the minimum size for a decent quality novice refractor telescope. It’s fine for looking at bright things like lunar features, planets, star clusters, and double stars.
With an eyepiece, you can’t compress all those light years of distance. A 70mm telescope can easily see Jupiter’s colourful bands and belts, as well as its four main moons, and Saturn’s rings.
As a general guideline, your telescope should have a minimum aperture of 2.8 inches (70 mm) and ideally greater. Dobsonian telescopes are reflectors with a simple mount that offer a lot of aperture at a modest price. A bigger aperture allows you to see finer detail and fainter things than a smaller one.
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon