What can I see through a telescope?
What the Moon, the planets and deep-sky objects really look like - with the naked eye, and through small, medium and large telescopes, from the city and from dark skies. Through an eyepiece, everything is smaller and far less colourful than in processed photographs.
Moon
The Moon
Earth's only natural satellite and the best first target for any telescope: bright, large and full of detail.
Planet
Jupiter
The largest planet. Its four brightest moons and its cloud belts are within reach of every telescope.
Planet
Saturn
The ringed planet - the view that surprises almost everyone the first time.
Planet
Mars
A small planet that shows detail only for a few months around its close approaches to Earth, which come about every 26 months.
Nebula · Orion
Orion Nebula
A cloud of gas and dust about 1,300 light-years away where new stars are forming - the brightest nebula in the sky. Also catalogued as M42.
Galaxy · Andromeda
Andromeda Galaxy
The nearest large spiral galaxy, about 2.5 million light-years away. The light you see left it long before there were humans. Also catalogued as M31.
Star cluster · Taurus
Pleiades
A cluster of young, hot blue stars about 440 light-years away, also known as the Seven Sisters. Also catalogued as M45.