Come join the friendliest, most engaging and inclusive astronomy forum geared for beginners and advanced telescope users, astrophotography devotees, plus check out our "Astro" goods vendors. https://theskysearchers.com/
What Is The Highest Magnification You Have Ever Gotten?
What Is The Highest Magnification You Have Ever Gotten?
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 2:50 am
by Refractordude
Using my 150mm f/8 achromatic refractor I can get 300 magnification on the Moon. However, not often. Once I got a sharp 400 magnification on the Moon by stacking some cheapo barlows. This guy is doing 600 magnification with ease.
Gotten
Re: What Is The Highest Magnification You Can Get?
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 3:11 am
by Lady Fraktor
It all depends on the sky conditions and target as well as the telescope used.
The lunar surface can take a lot of magnification and the amount can change by the minute.
Re: What Is The Highest Magnification You Have Ever Gotten?
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:41 am
by sdbodin
The 600x figure is quite misleading when applied to a video or any imaging. The only real measure of enlargement in imaging is the arc-sec/pixel as simple 'magnification' depends on how close I am to the screen or paper enlargement, bigger closer, smaller farther away and nothing changed at the scope. Sort a zoom lens?
Clear skies,
Steve
Re: What Is The Highest Magnification You Have Ever Gotten?
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:18 pm
by KathyNS
One night, when seeing was exceptional, I tried 800x by stacking barlows. I can't remember what I was looking at, some moderately bright fuzzy, I think. Anyway, at 800x, I could just barely tell that the FOV wasn't uniformly black. There are only so many photons, and if you spread them that thinly, there aren't enough to see anything!
Re: What Is The Highest Magnification You Have Ever Gotten?
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 6:22 pm
by Makuser
Hi Kathy. Wow, 600x and 800x. I remember when you posted that on a thread years ago. The highest I ever went was 500x with my 12" Dob. I put in a 3mm Smart Astronomy Orion Planetary Edge-on clone eyepiece on a pristine night and this is 500x. I even saw craterlets inside of craters, but as you would expect, the view kept quickly floating out of view at this power. This was the first, last, and only time I have tried this. I usually stay at much lower powers. Thanks for the fun thread Refractordude and Kathy, and the best of Seasons Greetings.
Re: What Is The Highest Magnification You Have Ever Gotten?
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 8:42 pm
by KathyNS
Makuser wrote: ↑Fri Dec 25, 2020 6:22 pm
Hi Kathy. Wow, 600x and 800x. I remember when you posted that on a thread years ago. The highest I ever went was 500x with my 12" Dob. I put in a 3mm Smart Astronomy Orion Planetary Edge-on clone eyepiece on a pristine night and this is 500x. I even saw craterlets inside of craters, but as you would expect, the view kept quickly floating out of view at this power. This was the first, last, and only time I have tried this. I usually stay at much lower powers. Thanks for the fun thread Refractordude and Kathy, and the best of Seasons Greetings.
I never actually expected to see anything. Like you, it was the only time I ever tried it. I just wanted to see how bad the view got. Answer: pretty bad!
Re: What Is The Highest Magnification You Have Ever Gotten?
Makuser wrote: ↑Fri Dec 25, 2020 6:22 pm
Hi Kathy. Wow, 600x and 800x. I remember when you posted that on a thread years ago. The highest I ever went was 500x with my 12" Dob. I put in a 3mm Smart Astronomy Orion Planetary Edge-on clone eyepiece on a pristine night and this is 500x. I even saw craterlets inside of craters, but as you would expect, the view kept quickly floating out of view at this power. This was the first, last, and only time I have tried this. I usually stay at much lower powers. Thanks for the fun thread Refractordude and Kathy, and the best of Seasons Greetings.
I never actually expected to see anything. Like you, it was the only time I ever tried it. I just wanted to see how bad the view got. Answer: pretty bad!
I did once have a spectacular session observing with ~800x. Of course the eyepiece was being fed photons from a 40" scope so there were plenty.