Telescopes that have 4 or 5 inch diameters are great for viewing solar system objects like the planets, our Moon, and Jupiter's moons. Viewing Neptune and Uranus can be difficult with a scope this small but it's not impossible.12 Aug 2020
For most purposes, a telescope's maximum useful magnification is 50 times its aperture in inches (or twice its aperture in millimeters) . So you'd need a 12-inch-wide scope to get a decent image at 600×. And even then, you'd need to wait for a night when the observing conditions are perfect.
What magnification telescope do I need to see planets?
Experienced planetary observers use 20x to 30x per inch of aperture to see the most planetary detail. Double-star observers go higher, up to 50x per inch (which corresponds to a ½-mm exit pupil). Beyond this, telescope magnification power and eye limitations degrade the view.
What size telescope do I need to see Saturn's rings?
25x
What is the most powerful telescope for home use?
- Meade 8″ ACF LX200 8-inch Advanced Coma-Free telecsope with GOTO fork mount.
- Celestron AVX 7″ 7-inch Maksutov Cassegrain OTA combined wtih Celestron's equatorial Advanced VX Mount (great for astrophotography)