Hey, I'm using my dads telescope, a Kowa TSN-1. What kind of things will I be able to see in England? I'm not expecting a load but yeah :o
(and can I use it for astronomy stuff, it's a spotting scope)
(and can I use it for astronomy stuff, it's a spotting scope)
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The symbol (circle with line thorugh it) usually means diameter of the main lens. 77 mm.
The human pupil is around 7 to 10 mm when fully dilated (when it is dark). Let's make it easy on ourselves and say 7.7.
The diameter of your telescope is 10 times more than that of a human eye, therefore the telescope gathers 100 times more light from the same source.
in astronomy, it just so happens that a ratio of 100 corresponds to a change of 5 magnitudes.
The human eye can, in a very dark area, with no light pollution, see stars as faint as magnitude 6 (the scale is inverted: small number are bright, big numbers are faint). Your telescope could, in theory, bring you to magnitude 15.
With lots of luck.
Still, you will gain a few magnitudes.
The four main satellites of Jupiter (that is the bright planet rising around local midnight, in the east, these days). These are the ones that were discovered by Galileo around 1610, with a telescope of similar light-gathering power.
If you look at some star clusters, you might see more stars in them. In winter, look at Orions sword. There is a nebula there that is accessible to telescopes of that size.
(When I am too lazy to bring out my big scope, I use an 80 mm telescope - in practice, that is the same as 77 mm).
You could be able to make out Saturn's rings (but without details) and you might even see Titan, the brightest satellite of Saturn, on good days.
Phases of Venus. And yes, the Moon is nice to look at.
The human pupil is around 7 to 10 mm when fully dilated (when it is dark). Let's make it easy on ourselves and say 7.7.
The diameter of your telescope is 10 times more than that of a human eye, therefore the telescope gathers 100 times more light from the same source.
in astronomy, it just so happens that a ratio of 100 corresponds to a change of 5 magnitudes.
The human eye can, in a very dark area, with no light pollution, see stars as faint as magnitude 6 (the scale is inverted: small number are bright, big numbers are faint). Your telescope could, in theory, bring you to magnitude 15.
With lots of luck.
Still, you will gain a few magnitudes.
The four main satellites of Jupiter (that is the bright planet rising around local midnight, in the east, these days). These are the ones that were discovered by Galileo around 1610, with a telescope of similar light-gathering power.
If you look at some star clusters, you might see more stars in them. In winter, look at Orions sword. There is a nebula there that is accessible to telescopes of that size.
(When I am too lazy to bring out my big scope, I use an 80 mm telescope - in practice, that is the same as 77 mm).
You could be able to make out Saturn's rings (but without details) and you might even see Titan, the brightest satellite of Saturn, on good days.
Phases of Venus. And yes, the Moon is nice to look at.
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It is probably a 77mm spotting scope like the one in the source. And wow that looks like an expensive high quality spotting scope! At 60x magnification a 77mm telescope can show the craters of the Moon, rings of Saturn, moons and major atmospheric belts of Jupiter, phases of Venus, maybe the polar ice cap of Mars when it is close to Earth, double stars like Alberio, and some of the brighter deep sky objects like the Orion Nebula and Andromeda galaxy. Be aware though that the Andromeda galaxy (like all galaxies) is too dim to show all the spiral detail you see in photographs. All you will see is the bright core which will look like a star in the middle of in a round area of fog with no detail. Photographs using long exposures that make objects look millions of times brighter than they really are are the only way to show the dim spiral arms; you can't see them visually, even in large professional telescopes.
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You have not given any detail of your Kowa TSN-1. You however said it is a spotting scope. So I am guessing that it is around 50mm in aperture.
Such small scope can be used to view moon. You will see much detail. Try using it when moon is half or less. A fuller moon is too bright and will not reveal details.
One word of caution - do not ever point your scope (any scope) towards the sun. You will instantly damage your eye. To observe sun you need special telescope or at least a special filter.
Such small scope can be used to view moon. You will see much detail. Try using it when moon is half or less. A fuller moon is too bright and will not reveal details.
One word of caution - do not ever point your scope (any scope) towards the sun. You will instantly damage your eye. To observe sun you need special telescope or at least a special filter.
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When you ask a question, your age is not relevant to the question. Who owns the the telescope is also not relevant. So do not include that, nil, information.