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[LandonHennings]

I want to see just how small we are as a species before I return( as dust) to our beautiful planet.  I recently purchased my first telescope, after finally saving enough money but a feared I’ve jumped the gun.  With limited funds I purchased an Explore One Gemini II 70 mm refractor.   I see the moon perfectly but Saturn and Jupiter are just bright spheres in the lens.   I was so disappointed because I just couldn’t wait for the emotional awakening I was anticipating.  I have (1) PL26mm and (1) 9.7mm eyepieces. Have I purchased a POS or operator error?  Any recommendations on a better scope is appreciated.  Thank you

[Cornelius Varley]

7 hours ago, LandonHennings said:

I want to see just how small we are as a species before I return( as dust) to our beautiful planet.  I recently purchased my first telescope, after finally saving enough money but a feared I’ve jumped the gun.  With limited funds I purchased an Explore One Gemini II 70 mm refractor.   I see the moon perfectly but Saturn and Jupiter are just bright spheres in the lens.   I was so disappointed because I just couldn’t wait for the emotional awakening I was anticipating.  I have (1) PL26mm and (1) 9.7mm eyepieces. Have I purchased a POS or operator error?  Any recommendations on a better scope is appreciated.  Thank you

Hello and welcome to SGL i think tour disappointment in the views of the planets is a case of beginners expectations and reality. The Explore 70mm has a focal length of 700mm which with the 9.7mm eyepiece gives a magnification of 73x, which isn't sufficient to see Jupiter and Saturn anything other than a small dot.  The telescope has an aperture of 70mm which should allow a practical maximum magnification of 140x. An eyepiece of about 5mm or 6mm focal length should improve your views a little.

astronomy.tools field of view calculator

[Stu1smartcookie]

Hi , and welcome to this great forum ...

I must confess , when i first looked at Saturn through a Konus 500 (reflector ) it was tiny !... but you have to see through that and realise you are viewing a relatively small object that is millions of miles away . If you are interested in viewing planets and the moon there are scopes that excel in that area , Maksutov's and Schmitt cassegrains . They are relatively inexpensive ... you can pick up a 90mm mak for around £150 ...a 127mm is about £ 265 , also look at the second hand market for good deals . The Maks are high magnification scopes which have a narrow field of view but will show nice detail on the planets and especially the moon. Look out for a YouTube vlog from Jenhams Astro as he has tested both scopes . . Obviously as most people will advise , Aperture is key , so maybe a dobsonian is a good alternative . in an expensive hobby they really do give great value , as most of the expense goes on the optics rather than the mount . 

Stu

 

 

[Floater]

Welcome. I hope your disappointment dissipates and that you have fun on the learning curve. 🙂

[Zermelo]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately, the planets do look very small in many starter telescopes. At that magnification, you might be limited to the rings of Saturn and the four largest moons of Jupiter.

There's a good guide here:

 

[Jm1973]

2 hours ago, Zermelo said:

 

 

This gets trotted out at least twice a week. 🤣

Should make it a sticky!

 

EDIT: Oh wait, it already is a sticky!

Edited December 4, 2020 by Jm1973

[Tiago Ferreira]

When i boought my first 70mm refractor f/10 700 i was able to see Saturn with his rings and Jupiter with little gray lines. So if i could, you also can.

I don't know how your light polution is in your zone. Mine is 4/5 and you can check yours, here:

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=4.00&lat=45.8720&lon=14.5470&layers=B0FFFFFTFFFFFFFFFF

 

The conditions are important. To adapt the telescope outside for at least 20min, and your eyes the same.

With patience try to see if you can foucus better, it seems the problem can be there. Use the 26mm Plossl

When you see what i saw you will be very happy. I sugest after that you buy a 8-24mm Zoom.

[Tiago Ferreira]

you should see something like this picture link i found on google took from a 70mm also:

 

https://i.redd.it/9v1om99eav1z.jpg

 

Tiny but beautiful and with the zoom, you go until 12mm +- and you get a bigger saturn. Amazing.

And jupiter is bigger, you will see the moons also.

Don't give up and wait for a good weather night

Edited December 5, 2020 by astrocanito

[PXR-5]

One can enjoy themselves looking at the sky through just about any scope or binoculars, or even just the naked eye

 

Think of it this way, most folks have no idea that "star" is even a planet, let alone Saturn