Are saturns rings visiblein a 76mm newtonian reflector

Hi guys

Just received a call from a beginning observer here in Kerry. He purchased a 76mm newtonian from the local camera shop. An atlas discovery I think is the name. He was wondering why he could not see the rings of saturn..

If this scope is collimated properly and a decent eyepiece is used, will the rings be visible???I have no experience in an instrument like this.

Yes they should be visible for sure allowing for ok seeing conditons of course.

Just received a call from a beginning observer here in Kerry. He purchased a 76mm newtonian from the local camera shop. An atlas discovery I think is the name. He was wondering why he could not see the rings of saturn..If this scope is collimated properly and a decent eyepiece is used, will the rings be visible???I have no experience in an instrument like this.

Perhaps. I recall having difficulty with a 72mm Tasco ages ago and Atlas telescopes fall into the same category as Tasco. The 76mm model has a spherical mirror of dubious quality and with the usual Huygens and Ramsden eyepieces supplied, resolving Saturn's rings adequately may prove difficult. Although a 76mm scope is theoretically capable of 150x, he may find images from this mirror breaking down at 100x or therereabouts, even with a decent eyepiece. So, should he be able to resolve Saturn's rings with a 76mm reflector? The answer is yes but whether he will with this Atlas scope is a moot point.

If the shop offers refunds, he would be best advised to return this scope and buy an inexpensive 6-inch Dob instead, even if he has to save for a bit longer.

Skylord

Trevor
I have a 3" Tasco reflector of old, and I remember seeing Saturn for the first time through it. While he will not be able to see the rings of Saturn as such, he will recognise the planets' shape as a whole. It may not qualify for the answer he was wishing to hear, but granted, it is only a 3 inch reflector he also has.

The Skylux 70mm refractor (akin to a 4 inch - 4.5 inch reflector) would show slightly more detail in Saturn. But even at maximum magnification that is GOOD .e. NOT using a 4mm eyepiece and Barlow , and with the most pristine skies one could get, the best you coud hope for would be a ball surrounded by a flat ring - and maybe 1 equatorial cloud belt - which is pretty good for such a small scope!

Seanie.

thanks lads