How Far Can You See With a Telescope? The Proper Answer

Introduction

Telescopes can be really expensive. So it’s good to be sure beforehand of purchasing an expensive telescope.

So, how far can you see with a telescope?

Depending on the size, you can see millions of light-years far with a telescope. The common measures of telescopes are 6,8,10, and 12 inches. The 6-inch can let you know the moon’s surface and a few stars. Wherewith the 12-inch you can see the grooves of the moon.

There are more details about each size and the most powerful Telescope in the world. So why don’t you jump below and read the full details?

Does Bigger Telescope Let You See Further?

There are a lot of types of telescopes in the world. But a bigger telescope doesn’t mean you’ll see the night sky on a larger scale. But in some cases, a bigger telescope does let you know a bit further.

The furthest humans have seen through a telescope is 10-15 billion light-years. And that was achievable through the Hubble space telescope. One light-year is the amount of distance light can travel in one year.

And light can travel seven times around the world in a second. So, 10-15 light-years are far. However, the Hubble telescope is stationed in space by NASA. So, it’s not the kind you can buy at a store.

How Many Types of Telescopes Are there?

For us, there are other telescopes we can get. There are different types of lens telescopes to buy from. We have given the types and short details about them below.

Refracting Telescope

This type of telescope use lenses to gather light and focus at a point. The first Telescope, which was invented, followed this technology.

These days refracting Telescope uses more than two lenses. This reduces the chromatic effect you can see sometimes. This ensures a clear few through the lens.

Newtonian Telescope

It is a telescope that uses reflection. A mirror is used in the Telescope to avoid the chromatic effect on the lens. The mirror is set at the back of the Telescope, reflecting the light through another mirror.

Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope

This type of Telescope is much more complicated than the other two. The main mirror sits at the back, reflecting light on a forward sitting mirror, which reflects light in the middle of the back mirror.

These are the most common type of Telescope which uses glass lens.

Which Size of Telescope Lets You See How far?

If you are in the market to buy a telescope, you’ll see telescopes in different sizes. But which one should you buy? Does a 12-inch long telescope let you see further than a 6-inch telescope?

The size is referred to the size of the lenses used. The size of the body can differ from brand to brand.

You have given full details about the most common sizes of telescopes in the market. This must be helping you while purchasing.

6-inch Telescope

A 6-inch telescope might seem small, but it is good for daily usage. You can see our solar system clearly with the size of a telescope.

You can see the groves on the moon easily. Also, see stars that are located in our milky way. The closest star, Proxima Centauri, can be seen as well. You can see such with the 70mm Telescope as well.

Other clusters and nebula can be seen in the sky as well.

Are you willing to buy a 6-inch telescope? We got your back. There are a lot of telescopes on the market. But the below-listed ones are the best valued.

Advanced VX 6″ Refractor Telescope
Orion Skyline 6″ Dobsonian Reflector Telescope

Both of the 6-inch telescopes are good for beginners. Also, compared to other telescopes, these are the cheapest you can go with.

8-inch Telescope

The 8-inch Telescope is a bit better version of the 6-inch Telescope. The galaxy can be observed as a bit clear and brighter. You can see the details on mars and the supercluster in the universe.

With the 8-inch Telescope, you can see objects almost 10 million light-years away. The belt of Jupiter is very clear, which will not be possible with the 6-inch Telescope.

These sizes of telescopes can come with electrical features in them as well. This feature is for the crosshair in the Telescope and light. Though, it can turn off.

10-inch Telescope

This is the best size for professionals. But for beginners who would like to observe the sky in the long run, 10-inch is perfect. With the 10-inch, you can see the moon in its full detail. If you are lucky, you can also see a comet or asteroids.

At this point, you can see a lot of stars in the sky. It might just seem like small white dots in the sky. Using a star chart will make it easier to figure out which one.

Galaxies like Hercules A and ESO 306-17 can be seen clearly with the 10-inch Telescope.

12-inch Telescope

Are you looking for the best of the best? Then the 12-inch is the one. But it does come with a big price tag. With the 12-inch Telescope, you’ll see the galaxy in great detail. You can expect to see almost 300 million light-years away.

The 12-inch Telescope can check all the boxes compared to the others. The other telescopes are good as well, by their size. But the 12-inch Telescope can meet all your expectations.

That’s all the common sizes of telescopes on the market. The comparisons are generally based on the lens length of the Telescope used.

FAQs

Questions: Are Dobsonian telescopes good?

Answers: Dobsonian telescopes are one of the best telescopes for both amateurs and professionals. Also, Dobsonian has been making telescopes for a long time. So they do know what they are doing.

Question: Do telescopes come with their stands?

Answer: This depends on the brand of the Telescope. Some of them do, and some of them do not. Usually, cheaper telescopes don’t come with a stand. But premium telescopes do come with their perspective.

Question: Do telescopes need electrical power?

Answer: Some cheap telescopes can have building light that needs power. But premium telescopes don’t require light or such. If telescopes are used correctly, you can bring the best out of them.