The way celestial objects appear through your Astromaster 70AZ telescope is influenced by several factors. The Astromaster 70AZ is a refractor telescope with a 70mm aperture and a focal length of 900mm. While it is a good entry-level telescope, it’s important to understand its capabilities and limitations.
Aperture Size: The 70mm aperture determines how much light the telescope can gather. While this is sufficient for observing the moon, planets, and some bright deep-sky objects, it limits the detail and brightness visible for fainter objects. Larger telescopes with bigger apertures can gather more light, making celestial objects appear brighter and more detailed.
Magnification and Eyepiece: The eyepieces you use with your telescope will also affect how objects appear. Higher magnification can make objects appear larger, but it can also make them appear dimmer and show less detail if the atmospheric conditions are not ideal or if the telescope’s aperture is small.
Atmospheric Conditions: The Earth’s atmosphere can distort light and degrade the clarity of celestial objects due to turbulence, commonly referred to as “seeing.” On nights with poor seeing conditions, objects might appear blurry or wavering.
Light Pollution: If you are observing from an area with significant light pollution, such as a city, the contrast between celestial objects and the sky can be diminished, making objects appear fainter or less detailed.
Object Type: Different types of celestial objects will appear differently based on their inherent brightness and distance. Planets will show different details compared to distant galaxies or nebulae.
Telescope Optics: The quality of the telescope’s optics will also influence the clarity and detail you can observe. Even with a smaller telescope, well-maintained and properly aligned optics can improve the view.
For improved observation experiences, consider observing from darker locations, upgrading your eyepieces, and ensuring your telescope is well maintained and collimated.