Can You See Saturn Rings With Telescope

Sample of saturn s rings with 50x magnification power.

Can you see saturn rings with telescope.

Any small telescope will do for a peek though about 150mm 6 inch is recommended for a good view. The light gathering capability of a telescope increases as the size of aperture objective is increased. The ringed planet should be visible without a telescope although astronomers recommend you use one for the best views and especially to see the planet s rings. 2 inch telescope this is one of the smallest apertures but thanks to saturn being big and bright you will be able to see it.

You can also catch a glimpse of. If you want to clearly observe saturn s rings the minimum aperture you want to look for is 100m 4. Depending on your telescope height you might want to put it on a table for a more comfortable viewing experience. Unlike jupiter and its four large galilean moons the rings of saturn are only visible in a telescope.

You ll see this more so when the rings are open to us on earth as depicted by the above image. The 50x magnification power will enlarge the planet enough so that you are able to distinguish the body of the planet and rings that surround it. In other words the larger the aperture objective the better the telescope can see objects. If you ve been meaning to get a telescope able to see saturn but don t know where to start we re here to help.

Our first style is the refractor telescope that features the looks that most users are familiar with. While you can always try with binoculars you probably won t see saturn s most attractive feature its glorious rings. Here are some practical tips you can use to see saturn through a telescope. Telescope to see saturn buyer s guide.

Before shopping for the best telescope to see saturn s rings you must know about the three major styles to pick the best that suits your needs. Under good seeing conditions you should be able to distinguish the cassini division between the rings of saturn with a small telescope 3 4 aperture. So in order to see the planet saturn and its rings i have found that using a telescope with at least a 4 inch aperture objective works well. Granted you have good seeing conditions here is what you can expect to see through your telescope.

This level of aperture can be found in most entry level hobbyist telescopes so almost any product from a reputable company like orion or celestron will do just fine.