Telescope Magnification Limits
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Here are some general telescope highest useable power specifications based on the aperture of the optical tube. This is generally the limit of the resolution you can achieve on a night with outstanding seeing conditions. As a general rule, the highest useful magnification for a telescope is 50 to 60 times the telescope's aperture in inches, or twice the aperture in millimeters.
| Faintest | Highest | |||
| Stellar Magnitude | Usuable | |||
| Aperture (In) | Aperture (mm) | Visible | Resolution (arc sec) | Power |
| 2.4 | 60 | 11.6 | 2.00 | 120x |
| 3.1 | 80 | 12.2 | 1.50 | 160x |
| 4 | 100 | 12.7 | 1.20 | 200x |
| 5 | 125 | 13.2 | 0.95 | 250x |
| 6 | 150 | 13.6 | 0.80 | 300x |
| 8 | 200 | 14.2 | 0.65 | 400x |
| 10 | 250 | 14.7 | 0.50 | 500x |
| 12.5 | 320 | 15.2 | 0.40 | 600x |
| 14 | 355 | 15.4 | 0.34 | 600x |
| 16 | 400 | 15.7 | 0.30 | 600x |
| 20 | 500 | 16.2 | 0.24 | 600x |
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