Weather and cloud outlook near you
Cloud Forecast – From Clear Outside will give you the outlook for your local atmospheric conditions.
Telescopes
You may come across telescopes described by all different names, which can be confusing. Basically, you can categorize them into three main types.
Catadioptric Vs Refractors Vs Reflectors Telescopes
3 Main Telescope Types (and examples)
Refractors
- Doublet
- Triplet
Reflectors
- Dobsonian
- Newtonian
- Cassegrain
Use the Telescope Nights calculators for quickly working out metrics for telescopes:
- Tool for calculating telescope focal ratio
- Calculate telescope magnification
- Calculate true field of magnification for telescope
Calculators for Telescopes
Focal ratio (f/)
How to calculate telescope magnification
How to calculate the magnifying power of a telescope? Telescope magnification is calculated by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece and multiplying the result by the magnitude of the Barlow lens (if using). Or, you can simply use the following tool to calculate telescope magnification. It’ll guide you on the usefulness of the magnification also.
True field of view
The true field of view (measured in degrees) is how much of the sky you are likely to see through your eyepiece when using your telescope.
How to calculate the true field of view of your telescope? It is the apparent field of view divided by the magnification. You typically find the apparent field-of-view (AFOV) value listed in the product description for the eyepiece and magnification is simply the telescope focal length divided by the eyepiece focal length.
COMING SOON!…
Telescope focal Length
Calculators for Binoculars
For binocular users…COMING SOON!…
Binocular Field of View in meters
Binocular field of view in Degrees
Charts / Quick References
Dobsonian collimation
Useful when collimating Dobsonian telescopes…For more details see our article on collimating a Dobsonian.
Star testing magnifications
Planet viewing
Rough idea of magnification to use when wanting to observe planets or the moon. See also our article on the best telescopes for planet viewing.
Infographics
The following is for education purposes. We are happy for you to use these graphics on your page or social media account, but ask that you acknowledge us by adding a link to our site: telescopenights.com – thank you.
Moon
Moon phases…
Jupiter
Features, metrics, and moons of Jupiter…
Saturn
Features, metrics, and moons of Saturn…
Stars
Our Sun and stars like our Sun…See also our article on the type of stars in space.
