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What is your favorite, most recommended deep sky observation magnification?

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That depends entirely on which telescope I'm using. It's more meaningful to speak of magnification as X per inch of aperture than in absolute terms. 100X is too high for DSO viewing in my 70-mm scope and too low in my 12.5-incher.

As a rule of thumb, I favor about 15X per inch of aperture. Perhaps a bit higher on small scopes and a smidge lower on big ones. I frequently use 151X on my 12.5-inch Dob, but that's mostly out of laziness -- to give a wider field of view and nudge the scope less often. Nine times out of 10, 227X shows fainter objects and more detail than 151X. And for globular clusters and planetary nebulae, 305X is better still.

Of course, it's also fun to do low-power browsing at 5x per inch or lower. But you're bound to see less detail at these magnifications than at higher ones.

The most common mistake beginners make when observing DSOs is to use magnifications far below optimal.

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Tony Flanders

eyeglasses
6x15 and 8x32 monoculars
8x25, 7x35, 10x30 IS, 10x50, and 15x70 binoculars
70mm and 100mm achromatic refractors
4.5", 7", and 12.5" Dobs

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