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Posted by Robert May on October 31, 2003 17:57:54 UTC

The 60mm telescope is a rather small scope. It has a best magnification of about 120 power so it would have seen Mars well enough to see the polar cap and the general flow of the large structures of the planet. On Jupiter you will be able to see the 4 major satellites of that planet and the Red Spot. Saturn will show the major gap in the rings on a good day but not much more.
If you are really wanting a decent scope, you should consider a much larger diameter reflector type scope like the Meade 114mm scope as a start. The important thing with telescopes is the aperture and not the magnification power that the eyepieces can give you. Maximum power is not defined by the eyepieces but rather by physics and the general formula is "magnification = 2 x mm of aperture" for the point at which the magnification becomes "empty" or that you don't obtain any more detail from the images.

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