Planets too small

[Eytan]

I am a beginner and am currently using an INTEY telescope with a 400mm focal length and 70mm diameter with a 4mm lense. I try to look at Venus or Mars, but I can only see them as tiny specs. Am I expecting too much of telescope or am I doing something wrong?

[Anthonyexmouth]

you're not doing anything wrong, thats pretty much the limit with 400mm. i would think you'd get a good size moon view. 

 

[lenscap]

This thread gives a good idea of what you can see in  a small scope.

 

[Eytan]

48 minutes ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

you're not doing anything wrong, thats pretty much the limit with 400mm. i would think you'd get a good size moon view. 

 

The article below suggested that I should be able to see very little but some detail of Jupiter or Mars, however they just appear as white discs the size of a pea. Is that what I should expect of this telescope?

[Anthonyexmouth]

yeah, with that small aperture and short focal length to with high magnification its going to dim too much to see any detail . you should see mars being slightly redish, saturn may show a very slight bulge where the rings would be but thats about it. jupiters moons should show nice and bright

[Size9Hex]

1 hour ago, Eytan said:

The article below suggested that I should be able to see very little but some detail of Jupiter or Mars, however they just appear as white discs the size of a pea. Is that what I should expect of this telescope?

That isn’t what I’d expect - I think you should be able to get a better view if we can work out what’s happening. I enjoy viewing the planets in a 4.7mm eyepiece in a 72mm scope, 420mm length, so not a million miles different from your scope.

Mars should be strongly orange/red, not white. Are you definitely on target?

Venus tends to be bright white and featureless, although very skilled observers do report subtle details. I’d say don’t expect much on Venus, although it should show a pretty clear half-circle profile right now.

Saturn’s rings should be very obvious even if the detail on them is hard to see.

Jupiter should show at least a couple of darker cloud bands.

Are you definitely in focus? E.g. if you target a star, can you bring the focus down to a sharp pin point of light?

You mention a 4mm lense (eyepiece?), which would be powerful for planets, but less tolerant of imprecise focusing and also harder to find a target with. If you’re going straight in with a 4mm, you might find a longer (i.e. lower power, say 20mm) eyepiece easier to get started with if you aren’t already.

Hope this helps. Plenty of help on this forum, so keep asking.

 

[JohnSadlerAstro]

Hi,

Part of the reason why you wont be seeing details on Jupiter etc is that it will take a while for your eyes to "learn" how to use a telescope when looking at small, bright objects. When I first got my 130mm newt, I expected to see details on Jupiter and Saturn, yet the first times I viewed them, I saw very little. By the 3rd or 4th attempt, I could see a lot more. Staring at Jupiter for 15 mins at a time helped me learn. With your scope, you should be able to make out colour bands on Jupiter and the rings of Saturn, it may just take a bit of practice and experimentation with different eyepiece combinations! Sadly the planets are quite low this year, which makes it a bit more difficult to see details. 

Have fun!

John

[BRADLEY 1953]

I agree, i have a cheap 70mm refractor (Celestron travel scope) and while it is very limited on the planets you can still discern the two main belts on Jupiter and the rings of saturn. However, it does provide excellent low power views of the moon,  15-30X, and indeed, if the skies had been clear I had intended to use it to observe tonights lunar eclipse ( but completely clouded out ). Remember, it is essential to use even a small telescope on a sturdy mount, a flimsy tripod is useless for astronomy, as even on low power the vibrations are magnified out of all proportion completely spoiling the view.  Good luck    Chris.

[Jon the Newb]

On 27/07/2018 at 20:22, Eytan said:

The article below suggested that I should be able to see very little but some detail of Jupiter or Mars, however they just appear as white discs the size of a pea. Is that what I should expect of this telescope?

I have the exact same issue.  Jupiter just appears as a small dot.  I have an 80mm, ioptron scope.  I've had it for two years and have never been able to see cloud bands......

[Stu]

The iOptron appears to be a clone of the Skywatcher ST80. It is a fast achromatic scope, so is designed more for lower power, widefield views, but I would agree with other posts that you should be able to make out a couple of cloud bands on Jupiter, plus the Galilean moons, and also the rings around Saturn.

[Davey-T]

16 minutes ago, Jon the Newb said:

I have the exact same issue.  Jupiter just appears as a small dot.  I have an 80mm, ioptron scope.  I've had it for two years and have never been able to see cloud bands......

Depends  on the focal length, I have an 80mm f/9 scope that shows Jupiters bands easily.

Dave

[cloudsweeper]

16 minutes ago, Jon the Newb said:

I have the exact same issue.  Jupiter just appears as a small dot.  I have an 80mm, ioptron scope.  I've had it for two years and have never been able to see cloud bands......

Even a small 'scope should easily reveal two bands on Jupiter.  Keep the magnification down, and try it at twilight for best effect.  Yes, it will look small, but some detail will show up.  Saturn likewise, but Mars can be trickier and rather underwhelming.

Doug.

[Jon the Newb]

3 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Depends  on the focal length, I have an 80mm f/9 scope that shows Jupiters bands easily.

Dave

Mine is an f5.  do you use a filter to help?  I was reading that a blue filter helps?  Any other suggestions for better viewing?

 

[Davey-T]

7 minutes ago, Jon the Newb said:

Mine is an f5.  do you use a filter to help?  I was reading that a blue filter helps?  Any other suggestions for better viewing?

 

Haven't tried any filters but folk do, have you tried a 2 X Barlow ? 

At least you're in a better position than us up here where all the planets are low down at the moment.

Dave

[Jon the Newb]

13 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

Even a small 'scope should easily reveal two bands on Jupiter.  Keep the magnification down, and try it at twilight for best effect.  Yes, it will look small, but some detail will show up.  Saturn likewise, but Mars can be trickier and rather underwhelming.

Doug.

Thank you.  I'll keep the magnification down.

 

[Jon the Newb]

1 minute ago, Davey-T said:

Haven't tried any filters but folk do, have you tried a 2 X Barlow ? 

At least you're in a better position than us up here where all the planets are low down at the moment.

Dave

I do use a 2x barlow.  Maybe i need to let my eyes adjust longer.....

[Davey-T]

Just now, Jon the Newb said:

I do use a 2x barlow.  Maybe i need to let my eyes adjust longer.....

Getting focus right with your scope can be tricky as well.

Dave

[Jon the Newb]

4 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Getting focus right with your scope can be tricky as well.

Dave

Tell me about it.  I can never get it perfect.   Wish it had a fine tune option....

[Davey-T]

7 hours ago, Jon the Newb said:

Tell me about it.  I can never get it perfect.   Wish it had a fine tune option....

There are instructions on the net for improving the focuser.

You can get an aftermarket focuser upgrade but it costs more than the scope

Dave

[Jon the Newb]

On 19/08/2018 at 02:38, Davey-T said:

There are instructions on the net for improving the focuser.

You can get an aftermarket focuser upgrade but it costs more than the scope

Dave

After thinking about it, I’ve decided the issue must be a combination of my scope being slightly underpowered, and the fact that we have a lot of smoke from the wildfires here in Colorado the last couple of weeks. 

I came to this conclusion when I realized the moon is crystal clear in my telescope. So it isn’t the eyepieces or a focusing issue. It’s sinply the distance and atmospheric consulting hindering my planet viewing. 

[Davey-T]

Focusing on Mars isn't easy with a good slow motion electronic focuser, the Moon is a lot easier.

Dave

[JohnSadlerAstro]

Just now, Davey-T said:

Focusing on Mars isn't easy

+1 for that, It's almost impossible for me even with a nice 1:10 focuser, etc. The details are so subtle.

John

[LukeSkywatcher]

"I am a beginner and am currently using an INTEY telescope with a 400mm focal length and 70mm diameter with a 4mm lense"

In my experience, that is WAY too magnification than this scope can handle. Typically a scope of 400-450mm FL, and 70mm aperture is going to be a wide field scope (great for certain objects, but not great on planets). Put a 4mm EP on it, and you are in for a world of hurt (no pun intended).

I agree that Mars is a difficult planet to see much (if any detail on..........even with bigger scopes). Detail on Jupiter comes with experience. 

Id try your scope with an 8mm lens (eyepiece).

[F15Rules]

On 18/08/2018 at 21:42, Jon the Newb said:

Mine is an f5.  do you use a filter to help?  I was reading that a blue filter helps?  Any other suggestions for better viewing?

 

What brand and focal length of eyepiece are you using?

Assuming your scope is an 80mm F5 it has a 400mm focal length: so, if you want x80 magnification (sufficient to see Jupiter's 2 main bands and Saturn's rings) you need a 5mm focal length eyepiece, OR a 10mm with a 2x Barlow lens.

Many cheap 5mm eyepieces are rubbish, frankly, but something like a BST Starguider  or Explorer 5mm has decent eye relief and optics, and you should definitely see more detail through an ST80 class scope with an eyepiece like that?.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25-5mm-BST-Explorer-Dual-ED-eyepiece-Branded-Starguider

Dave

[JOC]

On ‎27‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 19:22, Eytan said:

INTEY telescope with a 400mm focal length and 70mm diameter

FWIW I reckon the OP's telescope is like the one on this page:  https://www.bestadvisers.co.uk/best-telescopes