Is Mars capable ?

[MorgonGreen]

Hi guys,

I just wanted to know if my telescope ( Bresser 70/700) is capable of seeing Mars.

And if so could you explain why

Also, would you guys recommend Stellarium to help spot things for me being a beginner ?

Thanks Guys

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Mars is a naked-eye object, so your scope can spot it. It can resolve it as a little disk. It won't show much if any detail. Jupiter is a better target.

Stellarium is certainly a handy tool to find any object

[Dave In Vermont]

You can see Mars with just your eyes - when it's around. And sure, a 70mm telescope will work very nicely for seeing Mars as a reddish disc with some hints of detail on it, when it isn't blanketed in one of the Martian dust-storms.

Stellarium is a very fine tool for helping you locate and identify the myriad objects that are up in the sky at any time of year for your location. Just follow the intuitive directions in the program to set it up properly for you:

http://www.stellarium.org/

Need any help? Then feel free to ask us! It's why many of us roam about this place.

Clear Skies On Earth & Mars,

Dave

[MorgonGreen]

I have set my location at London in Stellarium.

I was wondering what it projects - is that visible say if i went into my back garden ?

Thanks

[happy-kat]

You need to know which way your garden faces so that you can relate that to the directions you see in stellarium. That way you will know which way to face your telescope as a starting point.

[happy-kat]

Right now Jupiter is pretty much due east with an elevation of 25 degrees and will be the brightest object in that direction.

[MorgonGreen]

So if my garden is facing North, i should go along with the 'north' direction on Stellarium.

ALso just out of curiosity, is the program precise and reliable ?

Thanks 

[happy-kat]

Yes it is precise.

If your garden is flanked by high obstructions on both sides then you will only see north but lots of gardens you can still look west and east even if the garden faces north.

[Astro Imp]

So if my garden is facing North, i should go along with the 'north' direction on Stellarium.

ALso just out of curiosity, is the program precise and reliable ?

Thanks 

A very reliable program, many members of the lounge use it to run their scopes for imaging.

[space1234]

To see any surface details on.mars you would probably need at least an 80mm to 100mm refractor or a 130mm to 150mm reflector and clear steady skies

[space1234]

And id reconmend selling the 70mm telescope and get a pair of binos because they have wider field.of views and some deep space objects are best seen in binos