ActiveOutdoorsOutdoor TechWhat can you see with a 90mm telescope?Will a small telescope like this let you see the Moon? What about planets, galaxies and nebulae? Here’s what you can hope to see with a 90mm/3.5-inch telescopeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveOutdoorsOutdoor TechWhat can you see with a 90mm telescope?Will a small telescope like this let you see the Moon? What about planets, galaxies and nebulae? Here’s what you can hope to see with a 90mm/3.5-inch telescopeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Will a small telescope like this let you see the Moon? What about planets, galaxies and nebulae? Here’s what you can hope to see with a 90mm/3.5-inch telescope
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Pixabay / Lorenzo Sestini)
(Image credit: Pixabay / Lorenzo Sestini)
Both affordable and portable, many of today’sbest telescopes for beginnersare of the 90mm/3.5-inch type. With it you’ll be able to see some of the night sky’s most beautiful celestial wonders.
However, before you go star-, planet- and moon-gazing it’s important to understand that the night sky is seasonal. So any list of the’best' objects to seewill take you many months to get through, simply because objects are only in the night sky for about six months (and in the daytime sky for the other six months).
We’ll assume you’re using eyepieces with about 120x magnification maximum, which is what you should stick to for the best results. And if you’re not yet sorted for a scope, our guide to thebest telescopesaround has plenty of options for different ability levels.
What can you see with a 90mm telescope?
With good observing conditions and good timing you should be able to see 12th magnitude stars and objects in the deep sky with a 90mm telescope, including these incredible sights (though you should be able to at least glimpse everything in theMessier catalogue). Timings are given for the northern hemisphere:
How to get the best views through a 90mm telescope
Are you looking directly at a dim, fuzzy galaxy or star cluster, but don’t see anything much? So look to the side of it. This weird-sounding technique is called ‘averted vision’ and it works because your peripheral vision is the most sensitive to brightness. So glance slightly to the left or right when observing faint objects, experimenting with what works best for your eyes. You’ll see a lot more!
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