How to Calculate the Magnification of a Sky-Watcher SK MAK Maksutov-Cassegrain Spotting Scope

You determine the magnification power of a telescope from the focal length of the eyepiece and the focal length of the telescope. The eyepiece in the Sky-Watcher SK MAK series is either 10 mm or 25 mm; the telescope ranges from 1250 to 1500 mm.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sky-Watcher SK MAK series telescope

1. Determine the focal length of the eyepiece; the SK MAK models are equipped with either a 10-mm or a 25-mm eyepiece.

2. Find the focal length of the telescope. The SK MAK90 model is 1250 mm, the SK MAK102 is 1300 mm and the SK MAK127 is 1500 mm.

3. Divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. For example, if the focal length of the scope is 750 mm and the focal length of the eyepiece is 10 mm, the magnification power is 750/10, or 75. It is usually denoted as 75X.

Tips & Warnings

• Ideally, the magnification should be 2X per mm of aperture.
• Do not touch the telescope, especially the lens, if your hands are not clean.