I can not see anything through my telescope

“I can not see anything through my telescope”. This is a frequent comment I receive from unhappy budding astronomers. Usually it is after they have bought a cheap telescope from a catalogue shop, or a camera shop that may not offer the correct advice.

skywatcher_planetary_ UWA_eyepiece_northernoptics

We find that many cheap telescope OTAs (optical tube assemblies) are OK. The main downfall is that the eyepieces are of a low build quality , give way too much magnification, or both. Even worse, many come with the dreaded 0.96″ size eyepieces. This means your choice of accessories may be limited to second hand cast offs.

If you are struggling to buy extra eyepieces, we recommend using the eyepiece with the highest number on it. The number equates to the focal length of each eyepiece. The higher the number (focal length), the lower the power. A low power eyepiece will give you a wider view, better image quality and easier to focus. So if you have eyepieces with 25mm, 10mm and 4mm, use the 25mm one..If you have a cheap plastic barlow that came in  the box, best not use it. This will reduce the overall quality of image

If you see a low cost small telescope boasting 660x POWER !!! . If this sound too good to be true it no doubt is. A sensible set of Plossls  with magnifications of 20x , 50x  and 100x will suffice.

For further advice, contact Northern Optics . If you live locally, we may be able to visit to give you some hands on advice. Or bring your scope to our weekend outlet to try a few eyepieces out.

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